***MR. WHICKER: MY POST FOR PAPER 4 IS BELOW THIS ONE!***
Summary
In this article, "Reading and Writing without Authority" Penrose and Geisler perform a study where they look at the writing styles of two people. A freshman English student (Janet) and a philosophy doctorate student, (Roger). They ask both students to write papers on paternity. They looked at the context, and overall quality of the papers and made inferences about the authority the papers held. The purpose of their study was to investigate how such differences in authority are played out in the academic sphere. They were particularly interested in how the lack of authority shapes the reading and writing practices students adopt. They concluded that confidence in one's own authority is assumed to increase generally with age,but gender also may influence this development. They then looked into conflicting authorities, for instance, when two papers both seem authoritative, yet have conflicting information/opinions. Overall, I gathered that this article was about how to know if someone is an "insider". In other words, reading two passages, and being able to tell which one to trust/which one was written by the college freshman, and which was written by the philosophy doctorate student.
Questions For Discussion
3. Janet, like us, has just finished high school were we were taught that when you have to write a paper, you find a ton of information about the topic, (usually online) and you either mentally or physically copy and paste it into your paper. It is literally like second nature to me in regards to doing a research paper. We are stuck in the mold of "you need 6 sources, 2 books, 2 websites, 2 articles. I don't care how you do it, just put it in the paper." And that is what we do. In order to receive credit, we find any random book,website and article and stick it in the paper. However, in the situation, Roger is writing his paper a little differently. Actually, a lot differently. Because of his major, he doesn't necessarily need to look up a lot of information. He may already know a lot about paternity/remember cases/studies he has seen about the topic and be able to use that as information to put into his paper. Also, the information that he does include, unlike Janet, he can make in depth inferences about and reflect upon the matter in a philosophical and intellectual way that Janet cannot simply reach yet.
4. Janet is choosing to trust the authors of her text more than herself simply because they are published writers, and she is not. She is afraid to wonder from their main points and opinions because she is not sure if they are valid/she knows for a fact that the authors claims are legitimate and true. Or so she believes. She, like many people, are automatically trusting of other people that they perceive to be smarter than themselves. Which isn't a bad thing, but in my opinion, it can keep people from going out on a limb and making their own inferences, in saying "So-and-so believes X, Y and Z, while I understand their claims, I believe A, B, and C can also be true."
5. I believe my writing is more like Janet's. I am guilty of the information-transfer model. While I would love to be able to write like Roger, I believe that writing not only takes a level of bravery and confidence, it takes a lot of experience. I do not believe that Roger's writing is something that happens over night, or that can be rushed. I believe that if I go on to a master's degree, I will eventually, and unknowingly, begin to write more like Roger because of the knowledge and experience I have picked up along the way.
Meta Moment
Next time I go to write a research paper, this article will have helped me in 1. my writing style and 2. my confidence. In the beginning of the article, (in paragraph 1 on pg 604) the authors talk about how Janet feels the need to define paternity and what it means/functions as. In Roger's paper, he assumes that the reader knows this information already, and is able to get down to more in depth inferences. I don't know if feeling obligated to define your topic is novice, but I do think that skipping the basic information about paternity would have made her intro a little more mature. Also, I learned that saying "in this paper" is a big bad idea. It makes it seem like there was no author, and the paper holds the information, not the author.
My Own Thoughts
I thought that most of the information in this article was kind of assumed. I could have guessed that a doctorate student would write a more authoritative paper than a college freshman. However, I did learn from this article how to make my papers a little more mature by making slight changes/improvements to my style and how I structure some sentences. I didn't mind reading it because all in all, I did get some helpful hints out of it, however I thought that the study that they did was somewhat predictable. However, they did make inferences about the differences in their writing that I wouldn't have necessarily noticed. I am also happy that our readings due today were cut in half. So, I have absolutely nothing to complain about.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Paper #4 Idea
Procrastination
>why does it have such a negative connotation?
>when does it work to your advantage?
>>when doesn't it work to your advantage?
>are there always correlations with procrastinators and poor writing?
>why does it have such a negative connotation?
>when does it work to your advantage?
>>when doesn't it work to your advantage?
>are there always correlations with procrastinators and poor writing?
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wardle Reading
Summary
Elizabeth Wardle writes this article because she is interested in how adults (moving from one discourse community, to another) learn how to read and write. She argues that learning to write ub fba dir bew situations and workplaces is complex in ways that go far beyond texts and cognitive abilities. She does so in two ways. First, she starts by outlining theories of identity and authority. In this illustration, she focuses on two different types of people. Compositionists: who focus on cultural-historical acitivy theory, and sociologists: who study apprenticeship. Second, she illustrates some of the difficulties inherent in writing and identity formation by telling the story of one new worker who struggles with written conventions and codes largesly because of issues of identity and authority. In this paggage, Wardle uses a very relaxed writing tone, she said that using an academic voice could impair her message and derive from the focus of the points.
Questions for Discussion 3-7
3. I believe that there was not a positive result, because in this example the costs outweighed the benefits, atleast in the eyes of those involved- and thus it was not worth the effort. His conflicts could have been handled better if he could have focused on the end result, and put in the work and the effort necessary to reach said goals.
4. I do agree that it is possible. That is the hard thing with written communication, the perception is not always the intended perception. I'm sure there are writers out there who use language with intention, infact- I'm sure all writers somehow use all language with intention- because that is it's purpose. However, how it is translated by the reader, is not always how it was meant to be translated. Thus, writers sometimes need to be extra clear in their writing, while trying to take risks with their word choices.
5. I agree more with Gee, because I believe this is how innovation occurs, and epiphanies happen. People enter into a situation with a fresh outlook and say "this could be better" or "something is wrong here" and they educate people on their opinions and their views, and they rally to make a change. If people entered every situation close minded, there would be no progress made in the world. For example, if I walked into my dorm hall when I first moved in in August and said "this looks nothing like my room at home, I cant live here." I would never get anywhere in life. It is okay to take your past discourse communities and what you have learned about through them, to new discourse communities, however, it is vital to keep an open mind and a clear conscience.
6. I would agree in the sense that this is a positive title as a "tool". Everyone is a tool. As long as they are contributing something to their discourse communities and helping fellow DC members along- they are helpful, and resourceful, and productive- then yes, they are tools.
7. Yes. I can think of a very specific instance. And I feel bad because Mr. Whicker will probably read this and possibly be offended. I apologize in advance. During like week 3 or so, we were getting ready to turn in our first paper, and Mr. Whicker was writing on the board ways that we could edit our own papers for fluency and he wrote on the board "read your own papers allowed" I almost fell out of my chair. I am an Engligh/Math middle childhood major and I had just made my 5th grade lesson plans for homophones. Which are words that sound alike, but are spelled different. In my lesson plans, I had made a worksheet and one of the questions was asking the student to write a sentence with the correct usage of aloud/allowed. He would have gotten that quesiton wrong. I'm sorry Mr. Whicker. But on the bright side, atleast you know I'm paying attention and reading everything you write on the board! Please don't fail me.
Applying & Exploring Ideas
To have authority over texts, to me, is defined by reading a text and not learning anything new. For example, if you were at OU on a soccer scholarship, being assigned a text about basic soccer regulations- and not learning anything from it because you already know all of the reguations. However, I do not believe it is completely possible to have authority over a discourse community. It is impossible to be certain that there is absolutely nothing you can learn, or no new views you can take from the people you are in the discourse community with. You never quite know when a fresh idea or outlook is going to come to the surface and make you change your opinions/gain a new viewpoint. I would say that I have authority of knowledge over the kids I teach swimming lessons to. Not only did I pass all of the levels when I was little, but when I turned 16 I went on to training on how to teach what I had already learned. However, every once and a while a little kid will come along that has a freshout look on how a stroke works, or a really unique way of thinking about a swimming concept, and it completely blows me away. It's not that they are a better swimmer than I am, they are simply thinking about how I explain something, and putting it into terms that they would better understand. For example, when I teach butterfly kick, I tell the girls to pretend that they are mermaids, and the boys to pretend that they are sharks. And one day a few summers ago a little boy said "do you mean we have to do the worm in the water?" and I was really confused, so he got out of the poool and he did the worm dance on the pool deck. It was exactly what I wanted them to envision, and then some. Even though I was the instructor, he was able to teach me new insight on something I had been doing for years. Proving to me, that I cannot have complete knowledge authority over that discourse because I had been taught something new.
My Own Thoughts
I really liked how this author kind of went off of Gee's article, yet made it more modern and understandable. Plus, I think it is a really relevant and important question to ask. Because when I think about discourse communities, I think about professionals. And really really smart old men in lab coats. But at one point, several hundred years ago, those really old men were first year undergrad students just like me. And I think it is interesting how they learn their discourse community, and how they learn how to fit in within that community. When I think about learning to read and write, I think about a kindergarten classroom, not a grad student. It definitely brought a new perspective on how I think about learning to read and write, and how it can literally happen at any age. It just depends on what you're learning to read and write.
Elizabeth Wardle writes this article because she is interested in how adults (moving from one discourse community, to another) learn how to read and write. She argues that learning to write ub fba dir bew situations and workplaces is complex in ways that go far beyond texts and cognitive abilities. She does so in two ways. First, she starts by outlining theories of identity and authority. In this illustration, she focuses on two different types of people. Compositionists: who focus on cultural-historical acitivy theory, and sociologists: who study apprenticeship. Second, she illustrates some of the difficulties inherent in writing and identity formation by telling the story of one new worker who struggles with written conventions and codes largesly because of issues of identity and authority. In this paggage, Wardle uses a very relaxed writing tone, she said that using an academic voice could impair her message and derive from the focus of the points.
Questions for Discussion 3-7
3. I believe that there was not a positive result, because in this example the costs outweighed the benefits, atleast in the eyes of those involved- and thus it was not worth the effort. His conflicts could have been handled better if he could have focused on the end result, and put in the work and the effort necessary to reach said goals.
4. I do agree that it is possible. That is the hard thing with written communication, the perception is not always the intended perception. I'm sure there are writers out there who use language with intention, infact- I'm sure all writers somehow use all language with intention- because that is it's purpose. However, how it is translated by the reader, is not always how it was meant to be translated. Thus, writers sometimes need to be extra clear in their writing, while trying to take risks with their word choices.
5. I agree more with Gee, because I believe this is how innovation occurs, and epiphanies happen. People enter into a situation with a fresh outlook and say "this could be better" or "something is wrong here" and they educate people on their opinions and their views, and they rally to make a change. If people entered every situation close minded, there would be no progress made in the world. For example, if I walked into my dorm hall when I first moved in in August and said "this looks nothing like my room at home, I cant live here." I would never get anywhere in life. It is okay to take your past discourse communities and what you have learned about through them, to new discourse communities, however, it is vital to keep an open mind and a clear conscience.
6. I would agree in the sense that this is a positive title as a "tool". Everyone is a tool. As long as they are contributing something to their discourse communities and helping fellow DC members along- they are helpful, and resourceful, and productive- then yes, they are tools.
7. Yes. I can think of a very specific instance. And I feel bad because Mr. Whicker will probably read this and possibly be offended. I apologize in advance. During like week 3 or so, we were getting ready to turn in our first paper, and Mr. Whicker was writing on the board ways that we could edit our own papers for fluency and he wrote on the board "read your own papers allowed" I almost fell out of my chair. I am an Engligh/Math middle childhood major and I had just made my 5th grade lesson plans for homophones. Which are words that sound alike, but are spelled different. In my lesson plans, I had made a worksheet and one of the questions was asking the student to write a sentence with the correct usage of aloud/allowed. He would have gotten that quesiton wrong. I'm sorry Mr. Whicker. But on the bright side, atleast you know I'm paying attention and reading everything you write on the board! Please don't fail me.
Applying & Exploring Ideas
To have authority over texts, to me, is defined by reading a text and not learning anything new. For example, if you were at OU on a soccer scholarship, being assigned a text about basic soccer regulations- and not learning anything from it because you already know all of the reguations. However, I do not believe it is completely possible to have authority over a discourse community. It is impossible to be certain that there is absolutely nothing you can learn, or no new views you can take from the people you are in the discourse community with. You never quite know when a fresh idea or outlook is going to come to the surface and make you change your opinions/gain a new viewpoint. I would say that I have authority of knowledge over the kids I teach swimming lessons to. Not only did I pass all of the levels when I was little, but when I turned 16 I went on to training on how to teach what I had already learned. However, every once and a while a little kid will come along that has a freshout look on how a stroke works, or a really unique way of thinking about a swimming concept, and it completely blows me away. It's not that they are a better swimmer than I am, they are simply thinking about how I explain something, and putting it into terms that they would better understand. For example, when I teach butterfly kick, I tell the girls to pretend that they are mermaids, and the boys to pretend that they are sharks. And one day a few summers ago a little boy said "do you mean we have to do the worm in the water?" and I was really confused, so he got out of the poool and he did the worm dance on the pool deck. It was exactly what I wanted them to envision, and then some. Even though I was the instructor, he was able to teach me new insight on something I had been doing for years. Proving to me, that I cannot have complete knowledge authority over that discourse because I had been taught something new.
My Own Thoughts
I really liked how this author kind of went off of Gee's article, yet made it more modern and understandable. Plus, I think it is a really relevant and important question to ask. Because when I think about discourse communities, I think about professionals. And really really smart old men in lab coats. But at one point, several hundred years ago, those really old men were first year undergrad students just like me. And I think it is interesting how they learn their discourse community, and how they learn how to fit in within that community. When I think about learning to read and write, I think about a kindergarten classroom, not a grad student. It definitely brought a new perspective on how I think about learning to read and write, and how it can literally happen at any age. It just depends on what you're learning to read and write.
Paper 3
http://prezi.com/x_ffazww3qcw/present/?auth_key=ebbjfz5&follow=-nvhqx7-pmqb
Cover Letter
Here is the link to my (and Madison's) Prezi. Neither Madison nor I had ever made a Prezi before, and I'll admit that it is definitely hardher than I thought it was going to be. But I did as much research/tutorials as possible and tried as best I could to utilize the presentation style as best I could. From our project, I really liked the templates that allowed you to put information side by side. Visually, I believe it put emphasis on the drastic changes that have occurred in literacy in the last 100 years. Also, unlike in a paper, it allowed us to be creative in how we separated ideas, and put emphasis on our thesis. That is why we repeated our thesis in a whole separate box. Also, I really liked the globe I was able to make, and edit in the information/percentages. If given more time, I would have liked to think about how we could have put more "us" into the paper, however we found that kind of difficult to do because the main point is about how much literacy has evoloved, thus making it less appreciated, yet Madison and I have only been on this earth for ~18 years, making it difficult to make comparisons to our own lives. Also, if given more time, I would have liked to get more creative in the graphics and see what else I could have done with Prezi. Also I would have like to connect out fact boxes with more text. I am concerned a little however, that the twists and turns are more distracting, than interesting. However, as student, I think it would be refreshing to see a new type of presentation, a breakaway from your average powerpoint. For the most part, we/I am pretty proud of out presentation, it's defintely not perfect, but it is probably the most informative project/paper I've ever written. I hope you enjoy a new kind of presentation. It was a lot of frustration and confusion, but fun.
-Katie
Cover Letter
Here is the link to my (and Madison's) Prezi. Neither Madison nor I had ever made a Prezi before, and I'll admit that it is definitely hardher than I thought it was going to be. But I did as much research/tutorials as possible and tried as best I could to utilize the presentation style as best I could. From our project, I really liked the templates that allowed you to put information side by side. Visually, I believe it put emphasis on the drastic changes that have occurred in literacy in the last 100 years. Also, unlike in a paper, it allowed us to be creative in how we separated ideas, and put emphasis on our thesis. That is why we repeated our thesis in a whole separate box. Also, I really liked the globe I was able to make, and edit in the information/percentages. If given more time, I would have liked to think about how we could have put more "us" into the paper, however we found that kind of difficult to do because the main point is about how much literacy has evoloved, thus making it less appreciated, yet Madison and I have only been on this earth for ~18 years, making it difficult to make comparisons to our own lives. Also, if given more time, I would have liked to get more creative in the graphics and see what else I could have done with Prezi. Also I would have like to connect out fact boxes with more text. I am concerned a little however, that the twists and turns are more distracting, than interesting. However, as student, I think it would be refreshing to see a new type of presentation, a breakaway from your average powerpoint. For the most part, we/I am pretty proud of out presentation, it's defintely not perfect, but it is probably the most informative project/paper I've ever written. I hope you enjoy a new kind of presentation. It was a lot of frustration and confusion, but fun.
-Katie
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Johns Reading
Summary:
Johns' article is yet another reading about discourse community. However, this article goes into detail on three different kinds of membership among discourse communities: social, political and recreational. This section also discusses how easy/possible it is to belong to multiple communities. (They do not have to be strictly professional). However, most communities are professional. Within the professional community, there are organizations, practices, textual conventions and genres that are special to that profession only. There are also academic communities which include their own basic, generalizable linguistic, textual, and rhetorical rules for the community to utilize. Like every community, there are conflicts: and John brings up this topic in paragraph 47. She goes on to say that for whatever reason, people are sometimes excluded from communities because of lack of social standing, talent, or money. There is also a 'cost of affiliation' that goes along with being a part of a discourse community. It also discusses sacrifices that are sometimes made to free up time and energy to be a part of a discourse community. There are also issues in authority regarding discourse communities because they are technically not a list of people, it is more of a cloud of people- there is no elected leader, or someone making executive decisions. It is every man for himself.
Questions For Discussion 1-6
1. Johns outlines complications regarding discourse community membership including having to make sacrifies. Discourse communities also struggle with issues with authority and decision making, and proper critique.
2. This means that a fresh outlook (a newcomer) is entering a situation with an unbias opinion and seeing flaws in the system and suggesting, or forcing, corrections to be made in order for the community to function at it's highest productivity level. With the goal being to advance themselves functionally, and intellectually as much as possible. These critiques and changes would then be beneficial and only be pushing the group along to future successes.
3. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for in an answer, but I have a specific memory of being in my sophomore biology class and learning about evolution, and there were some people in the class that really got fired up about having to hear about evolution when they are creationists. It wasn't me that was being introduced to a new discourse community, but rather them. However, the teacher was asking them to write an essay on the topic, and they were definitely stepping outside of their comfort zones to look beyond their morals and their beliefs, and be asked to think broader.
4. I think that her claim is true, however I think that it is a positive thing. For the most part, as far as I know, it is not a bad thing to learn a new language- and it doesn't really interviene on my morals and personal beliefs. When I was learning French, I was doing so because I needed to fill a requirement for high school graduation. Either I don't understand this question accurately, or I'm missing the point of the question, but I do not think learning a new language would ruin my identity or personal beliefs.
5. I feel inferior to the texts I have been assigned for the most part. I trust that the professors know that I don't already know everything there is to know about my major- and that is why they assign the readings. However, I do have to say- there were a few assignments from my teacher education class that seemed a little silly. I probably could have done without the 'teacher ettiquette' reading assignment. But for the most part, I find myself inferior, and they are important to my education.
6. I do believe/agree that rule breaking is a hit or miss thing. It depends on the professor, and obviously the context. Sometimes it is the smartest thing you have ever thought of, but the teacher is absolutely blown away that you had the audacity to even think about it- or vice versa. You're afraid of being docked credit, so you play it safe- and the professor would have been okay with it, had they seen it. In my senior lit class last year, I used a different font for one of the words in the title of my final paper of the year and I thought my teacher was going to hit the ceiling. He was pissed. I convinced him thought that it was a mistake and I meant to italisize it.
MetaMoment
I think that after reading Johns' article, I think that discourse communities are a lot more intricate than I previously thought about. I never thought that there would be a downside to belonging to a discourse community, but apparently that's possible. I also never really thought about the lack of authority within a DC. However, I now understand what that implies, and how it effects the group as a whole. It made me think about why I would not want to join a discourse community: I may have to write about things/think critically about things outside of my comfort/moral zone. However, I'm an 18 year old female college student...stepping outside of my "norm" and exploring others opinions and ideas is one of my favorite pasttimes.
My Own Thoughts
I think this article covered way too many aspects of discourse communities. I would have been cool with this one simply being about the downsides of discourse communties and their internal flaws. While I am open to her opinions, I think for the most part being a part of a discourse community would be a beneficial thing. For example: i am a part of a learning community and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I was exposed to people who did not always agree with me and who came from different walks of life- but I think that is what makes people better- to be exposed to someone unlike themselves. All in all, long article, lots of points, lots of confusion.
Johns' article is yet another reading about discourse community. However, this article goes into detail on three different kinds of membership among discourse communities: social, political and recreational. This section also discusses how easy/possible it is to belong to multiple communities. (They do not have to be strictly professional). However, most communities are professional. Within the professional community, there are organizations, practices, textual conventions and genres that are special to that profession only. There are also academic communities which include their own basic, generalizable linguistic, textual, and rhetorical rules for the community to utilize. Like every community, there are conflicts: and John brings up this topic in paragraph 47. She goes on to say that for whatever reason, people are sometimes excluded from communities because of lack of social standing, talent, or money. There is also a 'cost of affiliation' that goes along with being a part of a discourse community. It also discusses sacrifices that are sometimes made to free up time and energy to be a part of a discourse community. There are also issues in authority regarding discourse communities because they are technically not a list of people, it is more of a cloud of people- there is no elected leader, or someone making executive decisions. It is every man for himself.
Questions For Discussion 1-6
1. Johns outlines complications regarding discourse community membership including having to make sacrifies. Discourse communities also struggle with issues with authority and decision making, and proper critique.
2. This means that a fresh outlook (a newcomer) is entering a situation with an unbias opinion and seeing flaws in the system and suggesting, or forcing, corrections to be made in order for the community to function at it's highest productivity level. With the goal being to advance themselves functionally, and intellectually as much as possible. These critiques and changes would then be beneficial and only be pushing the group along to future successes.
3. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for in an answer, but I have a specific memory of being in my sophomore biology class and learning about evolution, and there were some people in the class that really got fired up about having to hear about evolution when they are creationists. It wasn't me that was being introduced to a new discourse community, but rather them. However, the teacher was asking them to write an essay on the topic, and they were definitely stepping outside of their comfort zones to look beyond their morals and their beliefs, and be asked to think broader.
4. I think that her claim is true, however I think that it is a positive thing. For the most part, as far as I know, it is not a bad thing to learn a new language- and it doesn't really interviene on my morals and personal beliefs. When I was learning French, I was doing so because I needed to fill a requirement for high school graduation. Either I don't understand this question accurately, or I'm missing the point of the question, but I do not think learning a new language would ruin my identity or personal beliefs.
5. I feel inferior to the texts I have been assigned for the most part. I trust that the professors know that I don't already know everything there is to know about my major- and that is why they assign the readings. However, I do have to say- there were a few assignments from my teacher education class that seemed a little silly. I probably could have done without the 'teacher ettiquette' reading assignment. But for the most part, I find myself inferior, and they are important to my education.
6. I do believe/agree that rule breaking is a hit or miss thing. It depends on the professor, and obviously the context. Sometimes it is the smartest thing you have ever thought of, but the teacher is absolutely blown away that you had the audacity to even think about it- or vice versa. You're afraid of being docked credit, so you play it safe- and the professor would have been okay with it, had they seen it. In my senior lit class last year, I used a different font for one of the words in the title of my final paper of the year and I thought my teacher was going to hit the ceiling. He was pissed. I convinced him thought that it was a mistake and I meant to italisize it.
MetaMoment
I think that after reading Johns' article, I think that discourse communities are a lot more intricate than I previously thought about. I never thought that there would be a downside to belonging to a discourse community, but apparently that's possible. I also never really thought about the lack of authority within a DC. However, I now understand what that implies, and how it effects the group as a whole. It made me think about why I would not want to join a discourse community: I may have to write about things/think critically about things outside of my comfort/moral zone. However, I'm an 18 year old female college student...stepping outside of my "norm" and exploring others opinions and ideas is one of my favorite pasttimes.
My Own Thoughts
I think this article covered way too many aspects of discourse communities. I would have been cool with this one simply being about the downsides of discourse communties and their internal flaws. While I am open to her opinions, I think for the most part being a part of a discourse community would be a beneficial thing. For example: i am a part of a learning community and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I was exposed to people who did not always agree with me and who came from different walks of life- but I think that is what makes people better- to be exposed to someone unlike themselves. All in all, long article, lots of points, lots of confusion.
Gee Reading
SummaryIn James Paul Gee's article, he discusses the topic of "Discourse" and how it differs from discourse communities. From what I gathered about the reading, Discourses differ from discourse communities because discourse community can be taught/learned. However, Discourse is the art of being/doing/believing in something. This cannot be forced/taught/learned. It is a personal process that can only occur if someone is ready and willing to take that step. A discourse is your identity, and a discourse community is your membership due to that identity. Gee also outlines two different kinds of discourses: primary and secondary. Primary Discourse is the first and natural way of communication we go to. Secondary Discourse, would then be the second, or third, mode of communication we innately use when communicating with others. He also goes into detail about literacy, and how it plays into Discourse (and vice versa.) He defines literacy as "the master of or fluent control over a secondary discourse.
Questions For Discussion 3-8, 11, 12 or 13
3. This distinction does not make a whole lot of sense to me. I think there should be two separtate words for their definition, however, that is not the case. Discourse (capital D) is the being/believeing/doing of literacy and knowledge, and discouese is simply put as "the connected stretches of language". While the definitions are rather similar, I still believe that there should be two words instead of this one word with two defintions.
4. Primary discourse is the way of communicating that comes most natural to you. Secondary discouse, being the 2nd most likely discourse(s) that you would be likely to use in everyday casual conversations.
5. "Discourses are connected with displays of an identity" means that (like the doctor example) anyone can get their medical licence, but not everyone can be calming and comforting to their patients. It is a way of life, and an identity that someone takes on based on their discourse community, or vice versa. I do find this claim to be true.
6 . First off, I don't really agree with this claim, or find it to be true. However, I believe, insaying that- Gee meant that you can teach reading/writing, but you cannot teach the desire to aquire these abilities. That desire is a part of a person's identity, thus, thier desire to read/write is a part of their Discourse.
7. In this example Gee is talking about how professionals "test" new comers by using their jargon to see if not only the new comer knows what the professional is talking about- but can reflect, and act upon their technical terms. An example I can think of is at the place where I work, older lifeguards will talk about things that have happened at the pool in the past to see if the new guards know about it/remember it.
8. I do believe that these "tests" happen. However, I do not believe that they are planned out or done consciously. Professionals probably don't even notice when they're doing it to interns or new coworkers, but I'm sure it does happen in the real world. It would be beneficial to members of a dominany discourse community because they would usually and technically have the upper hand in decision making, and they are the "know-alls" in the situation. Which means that they are valued as part of the group, and they are relied upon.
11. Meta Knowledge is a reflection using your own thoughts and opinions. For example, when we are done with readings, sometimes there are MetaMoment questions, which are usually thought provoking and an important step to learning how to think ciritcally.
12. I consider myself to be a part of the Ohio University Discourse. I know I have membership in this Discourse because I am here by choice, and I am with a group of people with common goals: to graduate-- on time.
Meta Moments
I wouldn't say this article helped me to unerstand my/other people's experiences better- I thought it was more about how Discourses work vs discourse community. I didn't think it helped me to see life through other people's eyes, perhaps I learned about how people begin to/learn how to associate with a certain Discourse/discourse community.
My Own Thoughts
I thought this was a reeeeally long article, and could have been summed up a lot more. I also read it basically back to back with the other reading, which made it kind of confusing because we talked about two differen things with the same name, and I didn't really understand at first if they were the same things. I would use this reading to understand how people get into other discourse communitties, and why they maintain their relationship in the community.
Questions For Discussion 3-8, 11, 12 or 13
3. This distinction does not make a whole lot of sense to me. I think there should be two separtate words for their definition, however, that is not the case. Discourse (capital D) is the being/believeing/doing of literacy and knowledge, and discouese is simply put as "the connected stretches of language". While the definitions are rather similar, I still believe that there should be two words instead of this one word with two defintions.
4. Primary discourse is the way of communicating that comes most natural to you. Secondary discouse, being the 2nd most likely discourse(s) that you would be likely to use in everyday casual conversations.
5. "Discourses are connected with displays of an identity" means that (like the doctor example) anyone can get their medical licence, but not everyone can be calming and comforting to their patients. It is a way of life, and an identity that someone takes on based on their discourse community, or vice versa. I do find this claim to be true.
6 . First off, I don't really agree with this claim, or find it to be true. However, I believe, insaying that- Gee meant that you can teach reading/writing, but you cannot teach the desire to aquire these abilities. That desire is a part of a person's identity, thus, thier desire to read/write is a part of their Discourse.
7. In this example Gee is talking about how professionals "test" new comers by using their jargon to see if not only the new comer knows what the professional is talking about- but can reflect, and act upon their technical terms. An example I can think of is at the place where I work, older lifeguards will talk about things that have happened at the pool in the past to see if the new guards know about it/remember it.
8. I do believe that these "tests" happen. However, I do not believe that they are planned out or done consciously. Professionals probably don't even notice when they're doing it to interns or new coworkers, but I'm sure it does happen in the real world. It would be beneficial to members of a dominany discourse community because they would usually and technically have the upper hand in decision making, and they are the "know-alls" in the situation. Which means that they are valued as part of the group, and they are relied upon.
11. Meta Knowledge is a reflection using your own thoughts and opinions. For example, when we are done with readings, sometimes there are MetaMoment questions, which are usually thought provoking and an important step to learning how to think ciritcally.
12. I consider myself to be a part of the Ohio University Discourse. I know I have membership in this Discourse because I am here by choice, and I am with a group of people with common goals: to graduate-- on time.
Meta Moments
I wouldn't say this article helped me to unerstand my/other people's experiences better- I thought it was more about how Discourses work vs discourse community. I didn't think it helped me to see life through other people's eyes, perhaps I learned about how people begin to/learn how to associate with a certain Discourse/discourse community.
My Own Thoughts
I thought this was a reeeeally long article, and could have been summed up a lot more. I also read it basically back to back with the other reading, which made it kind of confusing because we talked about two differen things with the same name, and I didn't really understand at first if they were the same things. I would use this reading to understand how people get into other discourse communitties, and why they maintain their relationship in the community.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Swales Reading
Summary
In John Swales' article The Concept of Discourse Community is about the six characteristics of the discourse community. He also explains how it differs from a speech community. The six characteristics include discourse communities having: a broadly agreed set of common goals, mechanisms of intercommunication, use of these mechanisms to form information and feedback, utilizes/posses 1+ genres of communication, aquired specific lexis, has a threshold level of members with a degree of enterprise.
Questions For Discussion (1,3,5)
1) In your own words, explain the 6 characteristics of discourse community, then provide an example from your writing experience to compare to the characteristic.
1. A discourse community has common goals that they all would like to achieve through their writing.---This is evident in my writing because when I am assigned a paper, my fellow writers (my classmates) and I all have the common goal to get a good grade on the paper and to influence the professor as much as possible.
2. A discourse community has certain lingo they use to communicate with eachother. ---I can relate to this because I believe there are certain words that I would be able to use to communicate effectively with my friends, that would not work with my parents. Thus making the words exclusive to my group of friends, aka my discourse community.
3. A discourse community can take those same terms and use them to provide feedback and information to eachother.---Sometimes when I see a peer review, or a comment on my blog, it may include a word that I would understand and put a meaning to, that other people wouldn't be able to relate to.
4. A discourse community is able to use their existing characteristics and goals to further themselves, and be able to advance their goals. ---In my writing, when I recieve a peer review, or when I give a peer review, they are done because we want to help eachother and advance eachothers writing.
5. "In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis" ---I have no idea what this means, or how it would apply to my writing.
6. Discourse communities have an ever changing membership. This may be due to death or change in expertise, or opinion. --I am rather fortunate that I am of the age where none of my fellow writers have passed away, or passed me up in writing 'expertise' so I cannot really relate to this characteristic (that is, if I am translating it accurately).
3. According to Swales, would a first-year college classroom count as a discourse community? What about a graduate class? Why or why not?
I think there are two ways to look at this question, thus two ways to answer it. The first way I interpreted the question as in thinking about the two classes as their own individual discourse communities, inwhich they function on their own, with influences from other discourse communities, but mainly, each writer influences the other writers. In that case, yes, they are both individually their own discourse communities. However, if you were to look at this question with a 'world-wide' stand point, and consider all of the writers in the entire world as one discourse community, then I believe that the first-year college class would not be considered part of THE discourse community, however the graduate class would be. On the other hand, I could argue that it does not matter how old/educated someone is, they can contribute to the discourse community and come up with new and bright ideas about writing.
5. Consider a discourse community that you belong to, and describe how it meets the six characteristics of a discourse community. For example, what are its shared goals? What is its lexis? What are its genres?
A discourse community that I belong to includes my ENG 151 class. It is a discourse community because we are a group of writers that all have about the same writing ability and a common goal: to do well in our class. We help eachother to improve through our peer reviews. One could argue that we have our own secret lingo that we communicate with.
Meta Moment
I definitely didn't think that discourse communities were so intricate, and had so many different parts to them-- let alone, that I belonged to one. But I suppose anyone who has ever picked up a pen, or typed a paper (for any given purpose) fits into their own discourse community somewhere in the world. From reading this article, I have a better understanding of where I fit in on the DC spectrum, and how I contribute, and specifically what I get out of it. This article has helped me to understand how I can maximize my benefits and my contributions to my DC. This can be done by challenging myself to a higher standard of writing, and expecting the same out of my classmates so we can grow together in ability and communication of this ability.
My Own Thoughts
My meta moments reply basically sums up "my own thoughts". I liked this article because it pulled my concentration and focus away from "ME: the writer" to "US: the discourse community." And it was nice to look at it from a membership stand point where we are all learning from and supporting one another, and also challenging eachother to become better.
In John Swales' article The Concept of Discourse Community is about the six characteristics of the discourse community. He also explains how it differs from a speech community. The six characteristics include discourse communities having: a broadly agreed set of common goals, mechanisms of intercommunication, use of these mechanisms to form information and feedback, utilizes/posses 1+ genres of communication, aquired specific lexis, has a threshold level of members with a degree of enterprise.
Questions For Discussion (1,3,5)
1) In your own words, explain the 6 characteristics of discourse community, then provide an example from your writing experience to compare to the characteristic.
1. A discourse community has common goals that they all would like to achieve through their writing.---This is evident in my writing because when I am assigned a paper, my fellow writers (my classmates) and I all have the common goal to get a good grade on the paper and to influence the professor as much as possible.
2. A discourse community has certain lingo they use to communicate with eachother. ---I can relate to this because I believe there are certain words that I would be able to use to communicate effectively with my friends, that would not work with my parents. Thus making the words exclusive to my group of friends, aka my discourse community.
3. A discourse community can take those same terms and use them to provide feedback and information to eachother.---Sometimes when I see a peer review, or a comment on my blog, it may include a word that I would understand and put a meaning to, that other people wouldn't be able to relate to.
4. A discourse community is able to use their existing characteristics and goals to further themselves, and be able to advance their goals. ---In my writing, when I recieve a peer review, or when I give a peer review, they are done because we want to help eachother and advance eachothers writing.
5. "In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis" ---I have no idea what this means, or how it would apply to my writing.
6. Discourse communities have an ever changing membership. This may be due to death or change in expertise, or opinion. --I am rather fortunate that I am of the age where none of my fellow writers have passed away, or passed me up in writing 'expertise' so I cannot really relate to this characteristic (that is, if I am translating it accurately).
3. According to Swales, would a first-year college classroom count as a discourse community? What about a graduate class? Why or why not?
I think there are two ways to look at this question, thus two ways to answer it. The first way I interpreted the question as in thinking about the two classes as their own individual discourse communities, inwhich they function on their own, with influences from other discourse communities, but mainly, each writer influences the other writers. In that case, yes, they are both individually their own discourse communities. However, if you were to look at this question with a 'world-wide' stand point, and consider all of the writers in the entire world as one discourse community, then I believe that the first-year college class would not be considered part of THE discourse community, however the graduate class would be. On the other hand, I could argue that it does not matter how old/educated someone is, they can contribute to the discourse community and come up with new and bright ideas about writing.
5. Consider a discourse community that you belong to, and describe how it meets the six characteristics of a discourse community. For example, what are its shared goals? What is its lexis? What are its genres?
A discourse community that I belong to includes my ENG 151 class. It is a discourse community because we are a group of writers that all have about the same writing ability and a common goal: to do well in our class. We help eachother to improve through our peer reviews. One could argue that we have our own secret lingo that we communicate with.
Meta Moment
I definitely didn't think that discourse communities were so intricate, and had so many different parts to them-- let alone, that I belonged to one. But I suppose anyone who has ever picked up a pen, or typed a paper (for any given purpose) fits into their own discourse community somewhere in the world. From reading this article, I have a better understanding of where I fit in on the DC spectrum, and how I contribute, and specifically what I get out of it. This article has helped me to understand how I can maximize my benefits and my contributions to my DC. This can be done by challenging myself to a higher standard of writing, and expecting the same out of my classmates so we can grow together in ability and communication of this ability.
My Own Thoughts
My meta moments reply basically sums up "my own thoughts". I liked this article because it pulled my concentration and focus away from "ME: the writer" to "US: the discourse community." And it was nice to look at it from a membership stand point where we are all learning from and supporting one another, and also challenging eachother to become better.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Paper #3 peer edit
http://prezi.com/x_ffazww3qcw/paper-3/
cover letter
I have never made a Prezi before, and it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but we, (Madison & I) tried our best. We had a little trouble leading from one point to the next, not with the Prezi, but connecting the information. I would like to improve the project a little more by pointing each idea/supporting point back to the thesis. We only included 1/2 of our main ideas/points because we wanted some feedback before we finished the entire Prezi only to find out that it wasn't going to work. It's pretty difficult to go back in and insert information into the Prezi once you've finished, so we wanted a good starting point. Please let me/us know how we can improve the flow of the ideas/how we could insert ourselves, and our stories into the presentation more. We also want to veer away from it being a history project-- which is what it kind of feels like.
thanks, Katie
cover letter
I have never made a Prezi before, and it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but we, (Madison & I) tried our best. We had a little trouble leading from one point to the next, not with the Prezi, but connecting the information. I would like to improve the project a little more by pointing each idea/supporting point back to the thesis. We only included 1/2 of our main ideas/points because we wanted some feedback before we finished the entire Prezi only to find out that it wasn't going to work. It's pretty difficult to go back in and insert information into the Prezi once you've finished, so we wanted a good starting point. Please let me/us know how we can improve the flow of the ideas/how we could insert ourselves, and our stories into the presentation more. We also want to veer away from it being a history project-- which is what it kind of feels like.
thanks, Katie
Friday, February 10, 2012
Paper 2
Cover Letter
I am definitely feeling more confident about this paper vs the first one. I think having the class-edit really helped me see that this paper didn't only make sense to me, other people enjoyed it too. If given more time I would have liked to put a few more sources in, and worked the Harris article in more. I did however like the flow of the ideas. I did end up taking the baby name reference out, because the more I thought about it, the more conscious I was that it may not have made sense to all readers, though I didn't really analyze it to the extent that the class did when I wrote it. I did use a lot of the tips that we talked about during the class edit, for example, taking the element of time out- so changing around the sentences a little bit so the readers wouldn't know exactly how old I was/if I were still a student. Over all, I was pretty happy with the result.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BydrCvQbOIepOGM3OGQzZTctOWI0Ni00N2NlLWI2OTktYzAwYjRiZTJiM2E2
I am definitely feeling more confident about this paper vs the first one. I think having the class-edit really helped me see that this paper didn't only make sense to me, other people enjoyed it too. If given more time I would have liked to put a few more sources in, and worked the Harris article in more. I did however like the flow of the ideas. I did end up taking the baby name reference out, because the more I thought about it, the more conscious I was that it may not have made sense to all readers, though I didn't really analyze it to the extent that the class did when I wrote it. I did use a lot of the tips that we talked about during the class edit, for example, taking the element of time out- so changing around the sentences a little bit so the readers wouldn't know exactly how old I was/if I were still a student. Over all, I was pretty happy with the result.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BydrCvQbOIepOGM3OGQzZTctOWI0Ni00N2NlLWI2OTktYzAwYjRiZTJiM2E2
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Alexie Reading
Summary
In Alexie's article, he talks about facing adversity with literacies, and overcoming obstacles and discouraging circumstances when it comes to literacy sponsors.
Question For Discussion
1. Even though he may have been young, he was aware of the expectations of him. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, thus he didn't expect to go far with his reading and writing because he was told that the odds and the expectations are not in favor of him.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. I do believe in the power of adversity and motivation, however, as unfortunate as it is, finances hold back youth from advancing themselves academically in the world today. Due to the cost of education, there is only so far motivation can get you, despite the good grades and positive attitude, eventually push comes to shove and sadly, finances hold people back from furthering their education. Unfortunately, in today's world- resources and connections are everything.
My Own Thoughts
It's very unfortunate and frustrating that finances can hold people back from achieving their goals, and furthering their education. It's sad that having the brains and the will power are no longer enough to get ahead in this world. Now, and even more so in the future, loans and connections and resources and background is going to be vital.
In Alexie's article, he talks about facing adversity with literacies, and overcoming obstacles and discouraging circumstances when it comes to literacy sponsors.
Question For Discussion
1. Even though he may have been young, he was aware of the expectations of him. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, thus he didn't expect to go far with his reading and writing because he was told that the odds and the expectations are not in favor of him.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. I do believe in the power of adversity and motivation, however, as unfortunate as it is, finances hold back youth from advancing themselves academically in the world today. Due to the cost of education, there is only so far motivation can get you, despite the good grades and positive attitude, eventually push comes to shove and sadly, finances hold people back from furthering their education. Unfortunately, in today's world- resources and connections are everything.
My Own Thoughts
It's very unfortunate and frustrating that finances can hold people back from achieving their goals, and furthering their education. It's sad that having the brains and the will power are no longer enough to get ahead in this world. Now, and even more so in the future, loans and connections and resources and background is going to be vital.
Malcolm X Reading
Summary
Malmcolm X's article is mainly about that hope that he found from his writing/reading in prison and throughout his religious journeys. He discusses the comfort and the revelations he felt due ot the writing/reading he experienced and how it molded him to be so open minded.
Questions For Discussion 1-4, 6
1. I believe his intended audience is the American public because of the way he discusses American history. I think he wanted to aim it at the American public so that people understood in a first-hand account of what went on during his lifetime.
2. Malcolm X defined literacy as simply being motivated to learn and to better yourself through reading and writing. He considered his reason to read, as motivation to read even more. He needed to read to get ahead, and to educate himself, which only drove him to want to read even more.
3. Malcolm X's literacy sponsors include religion, educators, politicians and the pressure/need to spread equality. I believe the American public was his greatest motivation- he saw the need to spread equality and to educate the public about equality, and he knew before this could happen, he had to educate himself.
4. People tend to underestimate the power of their literacy sponsors because they don't always understand that the sponsors are such a force in their lives. I do not believe this was ever the case with Malmcolm X because he read because he was always conscious of the reasons and the pressure he was under to keep himself educated and to keep reading and learning and studying and writing.
6. At the time, this claim may have been accurate. If this claim was to be made today, I believe it definitely would still hold true, even stronger. I believe the amount college students read per day, has decreased in the past few decades. The motivations I have to read include what i need to read for class, what I want to read for leisure (the newspaper) and the research I opt to do for my assignments.
My Own Thoughts
I liked this article because it applied what we learned about literacy sponsors to a read life situation/something that actually happened in American history. And especially because it really shows what African-Americans had to do to get ahead and to pull themselves to the literacy levels of the people they were protesting. The people pushing for equality not only had to provide logical and strong arguments for their case, they had to educate themselves on how to make these claims- this is a part of history that isn't thought about a lot. I really liked how this article pulled the literacy/literacy sponsor side of it into the readers knowledge and appreciation.
Malmcolm X's article is mainly about that hope that he found from his writing/reading in prison and throughout his religious journeys. He discusses the comfort and the revelations he felt due ot the writing/reading he experienced and how it molded him to be so open minded.
Questions For Discussion 1-4, 6
1. I believe his intended audience is the American public because of the way he discusses American history. I think he wanted to aim it at the American public so that people understood in a first-hand account of what went on during his lifetime.
2. Malcolm X defined literacy as simply being motivated to learn and to better yourself through reading and writing. He considered his reason to read, as motivation to read even more. He needed to read to get ahead, and to educate himself, which only drove him to want to read even more.
3. Malcolm X's literacy sponsors include religion, educators, politicians and the pressure/need to spread equality. I believe the American public was his greatest motivation- he saw the need to spread equality and to educate the public about equality, and he knew before this could happen, he had to educate himself.
4. People tend to underestimate the power of their literacy sponsors because they don't always understand that the sponsors are such a force in their lives. I do not believe this was ever the case with Malmcolm X because he read because he was always conscious of the reasons and the pressure he was under to keep himself educated and to keep reading and learning and studying and writing.
6. At the time, this claim may have been accurate. If this claim was to be made today, I believe it definitely would still hold true, even stronger. I believe the amount college students read per day, has decreased in the past few decades. The motivations I have to read include what i need to read for class, what I want to read for leisure (the newspaper) and the research I opt to do for my assignments.
My Own Thoughts
I liked this article because it applied what we learned about literacy sponsors to a read life situation/something that actually happened in American history. And especially because it really shows what African-Americans had to do to get ahead and to pull themselves to the literacy levels of the people they were protesting. The people pushing for equality not only had to provide logical and strong arguments for their case, they had to educate themselves on how to make these claims- this is a part of history that isn't thought about a lot. I really liked how this article pulled the literacy/literacy sponsor side of it into the readers knowledge and appreciation.
Baron Reading
Summary
Dennis Baron's article is about how technology has influenced literacy. Whether it be in a positive, or negative light. This article highlights how major publications such as The New York Times have teamed up with internet broadcasting companies to get their headlines out to the public faster, and on a more public stream. (This being a positive effect technology has had on literacy.) Negative effects include people's inability to spell because of their reliance on word processors to catch their mistakes.
Questions For Discussion
2. I believe that writing, like technology is always going to be evolving. And with in the last 10-15 years, writing and technology have seemed to change hand in hand. I agree that they are both changing, and quite possibly evolving into something greater. But I do not believe that technology has ever limited or permanently harmed writing.
4. The type writer is an example of something that used to be considered technology, but now it hardly is. Type writers have been over taken by computers and word processing programs. This is why it is barely considered technology anymore, because while at one point it was used every day to function, it had since been over taken and thus no longer needed to perform daily tasks.
6. The pictures that Baron puts in his text help to give it personality. Since they are mainly cartoons/meant to be humorous, it softens the opinions he has for both pro and anti technology and writing. I do consider them as writing only because they convey a message that wouldn't necessarily be available via words.
My Own Opinions
I really liked this article because it gave an opinion, not facts about how technology has influenced writing. I grew up in the decade right when technology first started being introduced into classrooms as a teaching device. I remember being in Kindergarten and using the 1996 Mac desktops in our classroom. The teachers didn't have desktops on their desks yet, but we started learning how to put our fingers on the keyboard because someone somewhere realized that that was where education and communication and writing in general was headed: technology. However at the ripe age of 6 I didn't understand the longterm, potential effects technology would have on writing.
Dennis Baron's article is about how technology has influenced literacy. Whether it be in a positive, or negative light. This article highlights how major publications such as The New York Times have teamed up with internet broadcasting companies to get their headlines out to the public faster, and on a more public stream. (This being a positive effect technology has had on literacy.) Negative effects include people's inability to spell because of their reliance on word processors to catch their mistakes.
Questions For Discussion
2. I believe that writing, like technology is always going to be evolving. And with in the last 10-15 years, writing and technology have seemed to change hand in hand. I agree that they are both changing, and quite possibly evolving into something greater. But I do not believe that technology has ever limited or permanently harmed writing.
4. The type writer is an example of something that used to be considered technology, but now it hardly is. Type writers have been over taken by computers and word processing programs. This is why it is barely considered technology anymore, because while at one point it was used every day to function, it had since been over taken and thus no longer needed to perform daily tasks.
6. The pictures that Baron puts in his text help to give it personality. Since they are mainly cartoons/meant to be humorous, it softens the opinions he has for both pro and anti technology and writing. I do consider them as writing only because they convey a message that wouldn't necessarily be available via words.
My Own Opinions
I really liked this article because it gave an opinion, not facts about how technology has influenced writing. I grew up in the decade right when technology first started being introduced into classrooms as a teaching device. I remember being in Kindergarten and using the 1996 Mac desktops in our classroom. The teachers didn't have desktops on their desks yet, but we started learning how to put our fingers on the keyboard because someone somewhere realized that that was where education and communication and writing in general was headed: technology. However at the ripe age of 6 I didn't understand the longterm, potential effects technology would have on writing.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Brandt Reading
Summary
In Deborah Brandt's article Sponsors of Literacy, she digs to find the reasons/ways people become literate and the ways in which people actually acquire literacy skills. From this, Brandt introduces the concept of "literacy sponsorship" which is defined as the supporting ways and reasons one learns literacy skills.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. My primary literacy sponsors were my parents and my education. From this, I was taught academic and civic literacies. I would definitely consider my access to literacy sponsors adequate. Growing up, I didn't have a whole lot of religious literacies, which I am okay with. I was instead able to gain musical literacy, which is even more rare than academic literacy.
Questions for Discussion
2. By Brandt's claim that sponsors always benefit from their sponsorship, (I believe) she means that to have literacy is a wonderful thing, but to be able to spead it, and teach it, is an even greater achievement. For example, I grew more appreciative of my ability to read and write during my senior year when I tutored kids who didn't have the same opportunities to learn that I did when I was younger. I had to think of new and different ways to explain simple literacy skills that I had understood for over a decade- but I now had to teach and spread to the kids I was tutoring.
4. By the word "stratified" (I believe) she meant it as in "stratagies", however this is simply hw I interpreted the word, I'm not 100% sure if that's accurate. And by the word "stakes" (I believe) she referred to keeping up with the literacy 'norms' and being able to keep up with society/academics in a modern world with the literacy needed to do so.
My Own Thoughts
I really liked this article. It really got me thinking about all of the outside forces that influenced me to learn how to be literate. Not just the physical and so straight forward influences, like teachers helping me read books in school, but the pressure and expectations from my parents that I adopted as expectations for myself simply because we come from a country where the majority of citizens place a lot of value on education and literacy and thus the sponsors and opportunities are usually abundant.
In Deborah Brandt's article Sponsors of Literacy, she digs to find the reasons/ways people become literate and the ways in which people actually acquire literacy skills. From this, Brandt introduces the concept of "literacy sponsorship" which is defined as the supporting ways and reasons one learns literacy skills.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. My primary literacy sponsors were my parents and my education. From this, I was taught academic and civic literacies. I would definitely consider my access to literacy sponsors adequate. Growing up, I didn't have a whole lot of religious literacies, which I am okay with. I was instead able to gain musical literacy, which is even more rare than academic literacy.
Questions for Discussion
2. By Brandt's claim that sponsors always benefit from their sponsorship, (I believe) she means that to have literacy is a wonderful thing, but to be able to spead it, and teach it, is an even greater achievement. For example, I grew more appreciative of my ability to read and write during my senior year when I tutored kids who didn't have the same opportunities to learn that I did when I was younger. I had to think of new and different ways to explain simple literacy skills that I had understood for over a decade- but I now had to teach and spread to the kids I was tutoring.
4. By the word "stratified" (I believe) she meant it as in "stratagies", however this is simply hw I interpreted the word, I'm not 100% sure if that's accurate. And by the word "stakes" (I believe) she referred to keeping up with the literacy 'norms' and being able to keep up with society/academics in a modern world with the literacy needed to do so.
My Own Thoughts
I really liked this article. It really got me thinking about all of the outside forces that influenced me to learn how to be literate. Not just the physical and so straight forward influences, like teachers helping me read books in school, but the pressure and expectations from my parents that I adopted as expectations for myself simply because we come from a country where the majority of citizens place a lot of value on education and literacy and thus the sponsors and opportunities are usually abundant.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Paper #2
Cover Letter:
With this paper, I was trying to communicate that I do not necessarily associate with or identify with a specific writing style or process because it depends on the individual assignment. My main claim was that you do not necessarily need to have a game plan/distinct writing style in order to be a good/successful writer. I supported this claim with examples of how I wrote in high school and now in college. I did not address any counter examples, however, maybe that is something that I should look into for my final draft of this paper. I thought the over well idea of the paper is working well, and the introduction. However I worry that the overall flow of the paper isn't working well and that the ideas are not connected well enough. In my readers response I want to know if the paper flows well and the claims and ideas make sense together as they are. I also would like to know if I should add anything in or take anything out. If given more time, I would have liked to map out my ideas a little better and had a better game plan of how I was going to connect them. I hope you like my paper, please please let me know if there is anything that doesn't fit/work/make sense. I want to do well on this paper and it's hard for me to read my own work and know how it's going. I think the over all grammar/spelling/technicalities are okay. Please look at formatting and sentence structure along with the flow of the ideas. Thanks!
-Katie
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BydrCvQbOIepZDQzMjk4ODktNDM4NC00MWUwLWE5NDMtZTVlNGE5Njc2NWU5&hl=en_US
With this paper, I was trying to communicate that I do not necessarily associate with or identify with a specific writing style or process because it depends on the individual assignment. My main claim was that you do not necessarily need to have a game plan/distinct writing style in order to be a good/successful writer. I supported this claim with examples of how I wrote in high school and now in college. I did not address any counter examples, however, maybe that is something that I should look into for my final draft of this paper. I thought the over well idea of the paper is working well, and the introduction. However I worry that the overall flow of the paper isn't working well and that the ideas are not connected well enough. In my readers response I want to know if the paper flows well and the claims and ideas make sense together as they are. I also would like to know if I should add anything in or take anything out. If given more time, I would have liked to map out my ideas a little better and had a better game plan of how I was going to connect them. I hope you like my paper, please please let me know if there is anything that doesn't fit/work/make sense. I want to do well on this paper and it's hard for me to read my own work and know how it's going. I think the over all grammar/spelling/technicalities are okay. Please look at formatting and sentence structure along with the flow of the ideas. Thanks!
-Katie
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BydrCvQbOIepZDQzMjk4ODktNDM4NC00MWUwLWE5NDMtZTVlNGE5Njc2NWU5&hl=en_US
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