Networked Publics: Response to Defining Place

"For those who gather in these hot spots to engage with the network, being online in the presence of others is the new place to be, the bodily presence of the other cafegoers easing the disconnect with the local that the network creates." (Varnelis, 2012 p20)

In Networked Publics, Kazys Varnelis discusses the changing of place, culture, politics, and infrastructure that arise with the changing of our lives and technologies.  The quote above refers to the congregation of people absorbed in using the internet to connect with others at a distant, while generally ignoring the people nearest in their proximity.  

The online network allows one to connect to many others with similar interests.  Varnelis points to this unique situation of simultaneous place that includes both physical and virtual locations (Varnelis, 2012 p6).  The new skills necessary for this simultaneous engagement is the ability to multitask.  In the example of the cafe, one must be able to balance the online content (social media, online banking, photo sharing, etc.) with the physical environment.  If the cafe becomes smoke-filled or your table neighbor begins to choke- you must be able to ignore the blinking chat message or the funny cat video your cousin sent and react in the physical arena.  Likewise, if you become engaged in consuming your hazelnut biscotti dipped in your cooling soy vanilla latte, you must still be able to respond to your boss' tenth email sent within the last hour.  Our culture demands full attention in both spheres.  We would like just as much attention to detail in everyday encounters as we would in response to online communications.  We would also like these responses at the same speed as a face to face connection if not faster.  That being said, I have noticed that as a society we are slowly shifting to a greater acceptance of half-attention responses given in both spheres.

"To be clear, the new is not good by default."(Varnelis, 2012 p15)

Personally, I find the norm of simultaneous location to be exhausting. The engagement in a face to face conversation can never compare to the conversations with people holding multiple places.  For example, I currently have 13 tabs open on my browser and my phone is inches from my fingers.  I am "in" my blog, a classmate's blog, and the university portal.  I am mid text conversation with five different people.  I have about 15 emails awaiting replies.  I am "in" a toy store, a library, a train station, a doctors office, a knitting store, a museum, and the fantasy land of two books.  In an instant, I may be required or compelled to add additional places.  I know that I am not giving any of the people involved in these places my full attention as I would if I were in just one place. 

So is a single physical place the best way to ensure full engagement?  Likely not.  Multi-place communication has already been ingrained into our culture.   In a face to face conversation, I am wondering if my phone is buzzing about an emergency or if anyone responded to my message. I am thinking about what is happening in these other virtual spheres.  Despite my dislike for split place culture, I know that it has already fully familiar part of our culture.


 Varnelis, K. (2012). Networked Publics. Cambridge, US: The MIT Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com.library.esc.edu

Can We Predict the Future? -Response to Motoko Rich's "Literacy Debate-Online, R U Really Reading"

Motoko Rich’s 2008 article “Literacy Debate-Online, R U Really Reading”, over-viewed the contributions and hindrances of literacy development as the shift to online media becomes increasingly prevalent.  With this movement away from traditional text, questions arise of what literacy means and more importantly what it will mean for the adults that our children will become. 

Pictorial paintings of ancient people were standardized and communicated a message, therefore dubbed an early writing system.  Considering the history of written text, how different is a drawing of a smile, from the letters s-m-i-l-e, from the symbol  :) ?  All of these examples allow for communication, even though each requires a different decoding processes.  Online communication and texting shorthand is thought to be inhibiting students’ progress in school.  Others argue that, like bilingual students, children are able to switch between formal language and social texting.  In my personal experience, I have found that my simplistic texting grammar and lack of attention to spelling, do show up in my formal writing and require an extra step of careful editing.  This, however, is not unlike the extra attention I must give when working in another language.  As an adult learner of the online shorthand, I may be less skilled at switching between the two written text forms.  Nadia, the young woman mentioned in Rich’s article, may be better equip to switch from the grammatical errors she encounters on fanfiction.net to the formal writing she will need to be published (Rich, 2008).

Regardless of the literacy outcome, the majority of young children are growing up with increasing access to technology (Rich, 2008).  As Carol Jago from the National Council of Teachers of English stated, “Kids are smart.  When they want to do something.  Schools don’t have to get involved.” (Rich, 2008).  It seems unproductive for teachers to try to determine the technology that will be prevalent and relevant in the coming years.  We cannot predict the future.  In 30 years the “contemplation and concentration” that Nicholas Carr wrote he was losing from reading on the web, may not be important for the changed world of 2046 (Rich, 2008).  If the majority of children grow up with the quick switching, “30 second digital mode” as Ken Pugh (Rich, 2008) noted, they are highly likely to sustain these habits and skills into their adulthood.  Thus, slowly changing the skill requirements and standards that the workforce demands of employees of future generations.  Long term focus, thoroughness, and memory may well be replaced with the ability to multitask, engage and decipher articles and commentary among a global population.  

Knowing that our students will need different technological skills than we can provide and knowing that they will be able to readily acquire these skills on their own, what is the role of the teacher in preparing these children for adulthood?  Foremost, schools should provide an opportunity for students to experience what they cannot access in their daily life.  This is everything from a safe place to spend time, access to information, adequate nutrition, ability to exercise, a platform to express themselves, a building of community understanding, and an environment to learn social skills through face-to-face interaction.  I feel passionately that as teacher, we need to ensure we are meeting these in-person social needs before we wonder if there is a new “app” that could engage our young children better than a personal interaction can. 

Rich presented the case of Hunter, a boy with dyslexia.   Reading traditional text for a person with dyslexia requires more effort to discern the text than other readers.  With the use of online search functions and visuals, Hunter is able to gain knowledge that had previously been a daunting task in traditional texts.  One may argue that he has gained the knowledge despite not reading the full text.  Others argue he is not prepared for higher learning because he had not built the stamina to keep up with the reading potential of his peers.  Empowering Hunter to gain and utilize knowledge is exceedingly better than making him feel inadequate and unfit for higher education.  Society needs many types of individuals, preventing someone like Hunter from entering professional workforce because of his slower reading skills would be detrimental.  People who struggle with dyslexia are often highly intelligent and are able to expertly put their skills to use in spatial orientated careers.  In this case, giving Hunter access to information, was eased by new medias.  Encouraging all students to approach this way of researching and writing would be equally as detrimental as giving Hunter a 1000-page book with minuscule font.  Many students gain a significant amount of information, personal and emotional development from reading a book cover to cover.   What seems to be essential, is addressing the student body as individuals rather than as a standard student type.

The teenagers in Rich’s article reported their preference for online interaction because of its social aspect and instant communication.  One student mentioned that books provide only a one-way engagement.  To me, this sounds like we are failing to provide platforms for student to discuss books and opportunities to collaborate in social learning.  The classroom is an ideal environment for this to happen in real time.  If children are wrapped in rigorous academic standards and have eyes constantly to the screen, it is not shocking that they are not finding an opportunity to discuss and manipulate text with their peers.  We can work to increase engagement and make our classrooms more accessible for social learning.

Zachary Sims, a graduating high school senior, noted his ability to read, compare, and determine value and validity of hundreds of online articles (Rich, 2008).  He is able to sift through the misinformation to draw a conclusion.  Obtaining this many perspectives from traditional texts would be very difficult, even more so for young students in isolated communities.  But as Rich noted, many internet users are unable to sort the hoaxes from the facts.  I have often heard grade school students reporting fiction as truth.   Stating they saw on television or online, therefore it is correct.  Despite multiple discussion, these children were not yet able to grasp that false information is just as easy to post as highly researched information.  Personally, I think it is reckless to give open internet access to children who do not yet have the life experience or brain development to decipher critically.   As educators, our job is to provide alternate outlets for their curious minds to explore and experience until they have practiced and are ready to critically think. 

In conclusion, we must be aware that society will advance and change regardless of our desire to be at the cutting edge of new technologies and media.  We should definitely be aware of the tools and resource available and offer them to our students when necessary and appropriate.  We should focus on the timeless skills that all students need, the ability to care for themselves and others and to contribute to society.

Digital and Traditional Media in Everyday Life

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

What texts are important to our lives?  On the surface, this question seems relatively straight forward.  For example, I am known for being rather "low-tech", I prefer to spend the minimal amount of time in front of a screen as possible. One may predict that the amount of literacy skills used in digital media venues would be minimal.  However, reflecting on the last 24 hours, I recounted the various texts I encountered through both digital and traditional media. 

Digital Media (35) :

pdf journal articles

e-book

classmates blogs

university portal

knitting pattern pdf

etsy.com shop management

google search

e-journal search

e-dictionary

text messages

email (social, formal, informal, professional, business)

Pinterest

instruction search

library catalog

banking

Youtube

math skills site

Spanish skills site

grade school student portal

calendar

music

book review/discussion

audio book

evite

newsletter

bulletin

image search

meditation guide

doctor appointment

insurance application

haircut appointment

photo sharing

store hours

maps

schedules

Traditional Media (21):

novel

dictionary

notes

history books

schedule

white boards

receipts

lists

recipes

newspaper

newsletter

reflection paper

signs/advertisements

product labels/descriptions

owner's manual

story books

mail/letters

post its

contract

knitting patterns 

grade school homework

My brief personal assessment is in line with the trend of increased screen time and use of image based communication (Gillen and Barton, 2010, Huffaker, 2005, Wilber, 2010).  Of the 56 medias, I noted, 35 were digital.  I understand why Gillen and Barton (2010), see the need to make school relevant to society's norms.  However, I am hesitant to jump on board with the ideas of replacing traditional media in school with electronic versions.  First of all, very few of the medias I use were "taught" through formal instruction. Overt instructions rarely seem necessary for children exploring technology. Second, most of the technology I use, didn't exist when I was in school, and will unlikely persist. Exposure to current technology allows exploration and monitoring but most will become irrelevant. Third, the majority of technology in Gillen and Barton (2010) presented a different form of traditional methods but were not necessarily an innovative tool or a necessary improvement. In my opinion, the focus should be on general competency, critical thinking, and safety.  Children get ample technology exposure outside school and could benefit from a break in their exposure to virtual reality.  Gillen and Barton (2010) touched on this when comparing the reflective inward focus of reading a physical text as opposed to the attention management necessary for readers of screens (p7).

Gillen, J. & Barton, D.  (2010).  Digital Literacies.  Research briefing for the TLRP-TEL (Teaching and Learning Research Programme-Technology Enhanced Learning).  London: London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education.

Huffaker, D. (2005). The Educated Blogger: Using Weblogs to Promote Literacy in the Classroom. AACE Journal, 13(2), 91–98.
  
Wilber, D.J. (2010). Special themed issue: Beyond 'new' literacies.  Digital Culture &

Education, 2:1, 1-6.