Extended Essay

Extended Essay #1

By Sean Duncan

In the past 50 or so years the ways in which we communicate with one another have drastically changed. New amenities like smart phones and iPod’s are revolutionizing the tech industry as well as the way we read, write, and think. The old ways of Shakespearean language are becoming outdated and replaced by text slang and the usage of cursive is becoming rarer and rarer but in layman’s terms our society is changing and it’s changing at a rapid rate. Some people who grew up a mere half century ago are having problems working some modern everyday communicational technologies. However, this profound evolution of our communicational vehicles may not necessarily be a negative thing in the grand scheme of societal progression. In fact it may be quite the opposite and technological innovation may be steering our world in a new, brighter direction.

Throughout history communication has proven to be ever-changing in nature from the very beginnings of humanity to ordinary modern day life. Ancestors of old used to communicate through hieroglyphics on cave walls, people started using a telephone in 1876, and now electronic devices reign supreme in this continually globalizing world.

Time has become crucial in today’s busy society, in fact, a study done by ABC news shows that only four out of every ten adults even takes the tame to eat breakfast. If people today don’t even have the time to eat breakfast when would they have the time to read a book? The sad fact is that the majority of people just simply don’t have the time to sit down and read a 300 page novel so we find ways to summarize what we read. It’s also probably arguable that we summarize other parts of our lives as well. Our society has pushed the idea that time is money and with the present day economy money is hard to come by. We fill our days with 9 to 5 work schedules; some of us even work another job or attend school. This progressive busyness has led to an incredibly information hungry society. Just like the computers we own and find ourselves plugged into for hours on end were constantly taking in data sourced from the world around us. All the things we touch, see, and smell are processed through our head at a rapid rate and, like a computer, we seek more upgrades. We all want to be smarter, faster, and better than everybody else because everyone is trying to be the top dog in today’s highly competitive world. A Baccalaureate degree ten years ago would get a decent job but is now considered a minimal educational degree in the job market. The market has evolved, as have we.

The most astounding part of our species is our incredible ability to adapt to whatever our surroundings are and not only just survive in those conditions but to learn to thrive as individuals. Humanity has always invented things in order to thrive and progress but inventions become outdated and new technological advances replace the old ones. If this is true then the devices we create for communication are developed with specific pre-planned goals in mind. The ideological aim of a communicational vehicle is to provide instant, readily available, and precise information at any place in existence. Humanity creates these devices because old ones are no longer sufficient and the people’s needs have changed. The technology has not changed us, we have changed the technology. The world itself is becoming a faster place and we need communicational devices that can keep up with this fast pace world while retaining the ability to be accurate. Now with the conception and production of 3G networks the digital world is instantly available to practically anyone. The internet has made contact maintainable anywhere in the world but it isn’t the devices that lead to the changes in our reading and writing habits. In fact it seems that our literary changes have brought about these new vehicles.  

There are multiple reasons as to why we should use technology to help develop our literacy habits. Text on the internet for example is a newer technology that has benefited our society in many ways. For one, reading text online allows readers to choose what they want to read. Although some people see this as a downfall it actually promotes reading in the sense that it spikes the readers interest level and allows for what is called “Reader Freedom.” This can be described as the ability for the reader to not just pick and choose what he or she wants to read but also the rate at which that information is available. The more information that’s available the more freedom the reader has and the more interested in the subject he or she will become. Some opponents to this idea may say that it doesn’t increase the reader’s “broad general knowledge”. In theory this isn’t a bad thing either. By allowing a reader to hone in and focus on one particular issue that reader can become an expert in that specific field of study. An old quote by the famous author Maya Angelou reads “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” This form of being is one we should encourage. This is the sort of literary habit that should be common in our highly sophisticated present day society.

Also, people with disabilities like cataracts and other form of visual impairments can now have internet text pages read aloud to them via computer software. This allows them to enjoy the same instant access to information everyone else has that would otherwise be inaccessible or at least more costly time-wise, and as we have already established, time is everything in our society. Technology is also beneficial to students without disabilities as well. In a study completed by Helen S. Kim and Michael L. Kamil from Stanford University they discovered that computers are extremely useful in the field of reading instruction. The essay argues that technology can help improve “reading, writing, second-language learners, and at-risk learners. One of the claims made explains how multimedia presentations “improve retention and comprehension of information” through the use of “dynamic visual information with text.” This is just one of the many ways technology can aid us in improving our literacy skills.

Advances are being made in literally every field of study. The cars we drive are becoming more faster and more fuel efficient. Medical advances are curing diseases thought at one point to be incurable. We are beginning to explore the outer reaches of existence and at the same time examining the smallest of molecules. All of these are helping us to understand the world better and all of these incredible human feats seem almost natural. It’s almost as if nature intended it to be this way. So why go to a library to find an article when they’re readily available online? Instead we can explore new avenues of study with the aid of technology in order to accomplish goals such as curing disease, poverty, and corruption. We are not becoming “less intelligent,” in fact I’d say our society is becoming more and more intelligent. According to futurists the merging of what is artificial and what is organic will occur and the line between the two will be blurred. If this is so then maybe our society will also change from this mechanical, corrupt structure, to a harmoniously coexisting state. As a whole we might one day solve these problems in order to better humankind. After all this is all speculation and as history has taught us the future can be quite unpredictable but as Malcolm X said “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” So what’s the harm in trying?

My experiences blogging

At first I was skeptical of the thought of a blog simply due to its "journalistic" nature and no man wants to say he owns a journal. I can say now that I see the appeal. I understand now how people can become enveloped in blogs but I cant say I'm one of those people. I have found these assignments to be quite difficult to keep up with as far as post deadlines go and I am still trying to catch up on response posts. Overall I feel this experience has actually turned me off to blogging in that sense. I feel I have spent an enormous time writing about my experiences and telling them to other people about them, something I feel is almost like bragging. I would much rather be enjoying my time rather than writing about it. I don't totally feel as though my attitudes toward reading and writing have changed much during the blogging process. I will say I have learned to respect bloggers a whole lot more though because let me tell you this stuff is hard. The difficulty level comes from the pressing and fast paced nature of blogging. It’s a constant pressure to stay on time and, to be entirely honest, I’ve felt a lot of the pressure myself. It also feels competitive in nature as all of my peers can see my writing and I can see theirs. As I read their posts I’m consistently wondering how I compare to them, whether that’s for better or for worse I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll continue to blog after this assignment is finished but it has humbled me

RE: "Literacy in Three metaphors"

In her essay "Literacy in three metaphors" Scribner explains how literacy cannot be defined because it has so many different levels and meanings. In search to capture the "essence" of what literacy is Scribner uses three metaphors: literacy as adaptation, literacy as power, and literacy as a state of grace. She also dives into how literacy affects society and how literacy can differ between societies. She uses the metaphor of literacy as adaptation  to "capture concepts of literacy that emphasize its survival or pragmatic value." I agree with her view as I too believe literacy has and will continue to adapt as our societies evolve and grow. When she explains the state of power she sees it as a "relationship between literacy and group or community advancement." She even goes into examples of elitist societies in order to prove her point. Lastly she describes the state of grace "as salvation" in the sense that it holds special properties but Scribner warns her metaphor should not take on a religious connotation and she states the potential inaccuracy of her third and final metaphor. It is also intriguing to examine her ideas as to how literacy has been defined by different societies. I agree with most of Scribner’s comments on the “essence” of literacy and also wonder how this may be applied to education. Her story as to why she pursued this question of “what is literacy?” was extremely interesting and her experiences with the Vai were thought-provoking. She seemed to have a much more positive outlook on Literacy as opposed to Carr and Hedges. Her rhetoric seemed optimistic and refreshing. I do not think that there is any pressing literary concerns because I agree that literacy is ever-changing in nature.

Post 7 "Hedges"

In his article “America the illiterate” Hedges spins his article into a politically fueled rampage about societal and governmental distrust. Hedge’s even goes as far as to make an allusion to Aldous Huxley’s “A brave New World.” This allusion seems to be a bit extreme in the context of the original argument about illiteracy in America. He also presents statistics regarding literacy rates that seemed extremely questionable. I find it extremely hard to believe a third of Americas population is “illiterate or barely literate.” Both Carr and Hedges seem to be very scared of the coming future and with rate of progression who can blame them? There is one looming factor that both authors seem to ignore and that is humanity.  We invent things in order to benefit ourselves as well as society. I would hope that by the time humanity can cure disease we might also have the intellectual capability to formulate our own opinions and make decisions for ourselves. Hedged could also be wrong and America might not be that illiterate after all. Maybe instead the world is merely changing the way information is received and processed. The digital age is transforming our society but let us remain “open minded” as Hedges put it, to all possible outcomes so that we may further our understanding of the way informational vehicles such as the internet adapt to the needs of humanity. The beauty of our species is that we have the ability to adapt and so we will continue to create inventions that meet our continually changing needs. I guess what I see in both Carr and Hedges is an inherent lack of faith in humanity. In my eyes humanity is the only thing I see having faith in. 

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

In his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr speaks poorly about the horrors of technological progression. His closing statement reads “as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.” Carr fails to recognize how informational accessibility leads to an expansion in creativity in society. By looking toward the future we can begin to see a generation whose digital lives greatly influence their everyday lives. This is not necessarily a bad thing when you consider how intelligent our society is becoming. In life everything is ever-changing and so is intelligence. What we considered “smart” in the 50’s is not what we consider “smart” to be today. Now in colleges students learn about Nano technology and petroleum engineering as opposed to English or math. This is because of how easy information is to access. Why waste our time memorizing random senseless facts when we can pull up information on a smart phone. This is the same thing myself and my peers did in order to complete this assignment. Why go to a library to find an article when theyre readily available online? Instead we can explore new avenues of study in order to accomplish goals such as curing disease, poverty, and corruption. We are not becoming “less intelligent,” in fact I’d say our society is becoming more and more intelligent. According to futurists the merging of what is artificial and what is organic will occur and the line between the two will be blurred. If this is so then maybe our society will also change from this mechanical corrupt structure to a harmoniously coexisting being. As a whole we might one day solve these problems in order to better humankind. After all this is all speculation and as history has taught us the future can be quite unpredictable but as Malcolm X said “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” So what’s the harm in trying?

Post 5

In his book Harris seems to take a similar approach to Sullivan as far as their theories on reading and writing. Harris speaks about how reading is more than just understanding an authors ideas, it’s also about reacting to the text and formulating questions and ideas in your own mind. A rhetorical conversation in your head is really what Harris is trying to get at. Harris really wants the reader to fully engage and understand a text before breaking it down and using it in his or her own work. To me this is also what Sullivan wanted to accomplish with his work in the sense that he speaks so highly of “conversation” and its importance. Whether it is writing or reading this connection between the author and reader must be kept in mind. The text is essentially a medium through which one person shares his or her ideas with another person. Both people must communicate and “converse” through the text and therefor expand on the text itself.  The authors both want us to converse with them just in different ways. To Harris the setting should be a bit more formal and to Sullivan the informal nature of his blogging is key to his success but both authors seek the same outcome. A sort of meet and greet with you, the reader, and the text is the dinner table. 

More on internet usage #4

After reading some of my peers notes on internet usage I have realized that the internet has become a regular part of daily life. We are consistently checking sites like facebook, youtube, and hotmail throughout the course of a day. It seemed most everyone was one of these sites multiple times a day (facebook being the most visited). It’s also pretty amazing to see that most people check the news more than once a day using a website of his or her choice. Information like the news is becoming more and more readily available due to the advancement of technology. Things like smartphones and 4g have made communication instantaneous and precise which is also why the elapsed time someone spends on one website is so small. My peers generally spent under 30 minutes on a single website. I do not however think this is a bad thing. The progression of technology will continue to make communication easier for all of us. Our lives are already interrupted by things that were mere ideas years ago such as text messages, phone calls, and twitter updates. Ever wonder what will happen next? I sure do but I won’t try and predict anything. I will say that this progression in communication is allowing our society to grow at an astounding rate and that we now depend upon these means of communication almost as a necessity. We cling to our phones and computers as if they are our lifelines not because they are but because we put tremendous value on the information we receive from them. As far as I’m concerned the more information something receives the smarter it becomes

Internet Usage Post #3

After having logged 2 days worth of information on my internet usage it is quite apparent that I use my internet mainly for school. The only websites I have visited are facebook (20minutes total), Time (70 min), NY times (30 min), webcentral (45 min), and this one (15 min). Unfortunately I haven't had much time to "browse the web" but I'm honestly not too disappointed. I'd rather be hiking or doing some form of outdoor activity. I feel most people take for granted what’s outside of the digital world and all too often we get caught in a digital trap of sorts. Although the internet is great as a learning tool I feel it can also be a massive and addictive waste of time. Ask any college student how many times they've visited stumbleupon in a class. However on the flip side I would also ask that same college student how much he’s learned at stubleupon vs. what he has learned in class, you might find the answers surprising and interesting to note. Being a college student I can honestly say stumbleupon was much more informative than some of my general, boring classes. I do believe the internet itself is an astounding tool and should be used as such but there is also an incredibly large amount of irrelevant or even wrong information that is being spread around like wildfire. The manipulation of information is probably one of my largest fears simply because the use of language make anyone believe anything. Yes, even you and me.

On Andrew Sullivans "Why I blog"

After having read Andrew Sullivan’s “Why I Blog” I feel Sullivan’s main reason as to why he blogs is because he finds it authentic and honest. He says that blogging is “A conversation, rather than a production.” It is the true integrity of conversation that he finds important and enjoyable in blogging. He has a connection with his readers that’s more personal than a manufactured piece of work. He essentially creates personal relationships with people through his writing and the personality of blogging itself. Sullivan understands this and so he is honest with his words. He also says “You end up writing about yourself, since you are a relatively fixed point in this constant interaction with the ideas and facts of the exterior world.” Again, it’s the authenticity of it all. It’s the elimination of exterior variables that allows for an introspective form of activity that gives one a sense of belonging in the busy and crowded world around us. Sullivan and other bloggers reflect on the world from their perspectives. It allows them to be entirely honest with themselves, something everyone should be able to do. After all its honesty that creates passion. Bruce Lee described this form of authenticity as “honest self-expression” and Maslow regarded it as the top level of his hierarchal system. I believe Sullivan understands this as the root for his passion and it is the main reason as to “Why he blogs.” 

Creating my first blog

I’m sitting on my computer this Sunday morning looking out at the mountains and the world brighten every second from the snow cover from the night before as the sun rises . I chose to write a blog early in the morning simply because I believe the morning is the best time to reflect upon the actions of the past day. Having just created this blog on this wonderful day I can say I was surprised by the ease. Having already had a g-mail account the process was relatively simple and soon enough I had created my first blog. I always said I would never make one because I feel blogs are too close to keeping a journal and being a teenage boy I have rules against those kinds of things. So thanks Professor Leake for making me face my fears. The blog itself was literally a 5 click process, the most difficult thing being the decision of what username to use. It was so easy it put facebooks functionality to shame and left me wondering how fast technology is really advancing. It’s astounding to think that todays senior citizens grew up with virtually none of the technological amenities we have today. Things like computers, xbox’s, and ipods were literally non-existent and as I look out of my window from my desk I wonder if what they say is true. Are we losing our touch with nature? It literally feels like the digital universe is becoming an entirely separate plane of existence. I just created a piece of that existence in two minutes and on the other hand the snow outside is beautiful. I wonder how many people can really see it.