Jesse Schantz English 111 March 24, 2014 Melody Wentworth

Online Journal Its amazing how the definition of literacy has changed with time. The changes in the way we communicate definitely calls for a change in literacy education. I never really thought of how the internet evolved into a two way environment (send and receive info). With the way technology has changed our world using it correctly and efficiently should be a part of a literate persons skills. Reading Analytically 1. Technology has drastically changed the way information is exchanged. To be considered literate in the twenty first century a person needs to be proficient and responsible when using this wealth of information. Being able to just read and write is still at the base of modern literacy, but a wider more diverse set of skills are required to be truly literate. 2. The internet has made communication almost instant for our generation. Social media, email, and text messages have expanded who we communicate with, reduced the amount of time it takes to communicate. My education goal is to be more competitive in the twenty first century work force, therefore I need to be proficient in new technology based communication methods. 3. No, the ability to read and write is at the base of all forms of literacy. The traditional role of English teachers is to teach us these valuable skills, they are necessary building blocks to becoming literate in the twenty first century. Reading Analytically 1. To be able to use the variety of technological and informational resources available to us today. With the mass of information available to us in our present age there is a definite need to be able access this wealth of knowledge so it can be applied to all of my future studies. 2. Research is personal in the sense that each individual needs to be able to decide what information is relevant and credible. It is collaborative because personal research is basically reading and applying another persons ideas or factual information to our own subject. To successfully research a subject we need to be able to take a mass of information and filter it down to what is credible and what is relevant to our subject. 3. If a student uses google for example, just typing in a few key words would provide thousands of related articles and images. From that single search a student needs to be able to pick through the results given to find articles that closely relate to the subject and come from a credible source. Online Journal The idea that the information age was passive and that the participation age is active, I found very interesting. Social media sites do give people an ability to share their ideas about a topic in real time. We no longer are just limited to reading the ideas of others, we can actively participate in a

conversation about a topic with others. But this ability to communicate also increases the chance for facts to be distorted. (The information on Wikipedia is not always true) Visual literacy takes on varied meanings within different disciplinary context Pg. 166. I never considered visual literacy to be a life skill, or that it fluctuates between disciplines. Visual literacy is critical viewing, informational literacy is critical thinking. Visual literacy is essentially the same as informational literacy, the only difference is if a person is reading or viewing.

Reading Analytically 1. Social Media sites have drastically changed the way ideas and information can be shared around the world today. Transforming us from just readers of information into publishers of our own thoughts and ideas. It has created a need for us not only to be critical thinkers but critical viewers as well. 2. Just like in informational literacy, we need to be able to responsibly decipher and analyze what we see on the web and in the world around us. I have witnessed my friends and family just assume something is true because it was posted online. In our world today there is a definite need to critically analyze the mass of information we receive on a daily basis. That way we are able to distinguish between what is credible information and what is misleading or untrue. 3. I do not think the author had to adopt any of the standards much at all. Visual literacy is essentially the same as informational literacy. The only difference between the two literacies is the medium used to pass the information to the world. Online Journal The multimedia language of the silver screen and an article on visual literacy, I wonder if the connection essay was an exercise in what we would be reading about. The author brought up the Chronicle of Higher Education, the same magazine that I used in my compare/contrast essay, this could be a good source of information for future assignments. Images can and often do last longer in our memories than text. Images also can bridge generation gaps better than text, just trying to read Moby Dick will prove this. The way the author talks of multimedia being an interactive and social process reinforces the statement made in the previous article about us being in an age of participation verses an age of information. I really like Dalys article especially example two, perhaps I can work this information into a future essay. Reading Analytically 1. Daly made a good point about images seen on screen being a language. The first example that caught my attention was how still images can define a particular moment in time. Still images can grab our attention and images have a longer lasting effect on people than a text can. 2. The argument that carried the most weight to me was about how much impact still images can have. The pictures Daly listed were timeless images that still make an impact on people to this day. It reminded me of a cover photo on national geographic years ago with a women from Afghanistan with piercing green eyes. That picture caught my attention so well that I read the entire article just to see what the picture was about. That image has stuck to me to this day and

even has been reappearing in the media due to current world events. With multimedia being the current vernacular in the world today it is essential to be proficient in its use to communicate efficiently. Daly argues this by describing a situation where professors are teaching in Latin but the students all speak Italian. Eventually in order to effectively teach the professors need to change and begin teaching the lessons in Italian. That same principle applies to the world we live in today. To communicate successfully we have to adopt the current vernacular, in our fast paced and technology driven society that language is multimedia. 3. I think she is explaining how communication is more than just spoken words. When people communicate they use facial expressions and other body language to give the words meaning. Multimedia gives us the ability to give our ideas meaning without using our words alone. Technology then allows those ideas to be shared without having to make direct contact with other people. This makes it easier for our ideas to be spread, and increases the number of people that can be exposed to them.

Online Journal The most common feeling I get from numbers is dread. Data is a factor of life, in both our professional and personal lives. Data is extremely diverse, it can include any and all information. Being able to understand and apply data is essential to becoming an informed citizen, and a productive employee. As we analyze data we must be able to consider how data can be impacted by variations in real world situations. Also we need to know how data can be tweaked to fit a particular outcome or goal. Politicians always tweak statistics, special interest groups are guilty of this as well. I have always found that graphs or charts help people visualize statistics, it makes numbers easier to process. I feel that QL is not just an ability to understand statistics and other data, but also an understanding of how to gather and compile data into useful information. Reading Analytically 1. Scheaffers definition of statistical literacy is not just being able to understand the data we receive, but also a knowledge of how the data is gathered and how to apply it to our daily lives. Scheaffer also stresses that it is important to know how statistics can be modified to fit a certain persons or groups goals. 2. Scheaffer warns the readers of the way Politicians and special interest groups can manipulate data to suit their ideas. Also Scheaffer explains how data is processed into information, which then can be analyzed and transformed into knowledge. Scheaffer then explains that successful business leaders know the advantages of quantitative thinking in at least one vital area. Total quality management which is basically product quality and productivity improvement. 3. The programs that Scheaffer seems to be most impressed with are the programs introducing students to quantitative thinking before college. Such as Exploring Statistics in the Elementary Grades, and the Advanced Placement Statistics course offered by high schools. Scheaffer stressed the importance of early exposure to statistics education creating a deeper understanding of statistics, and a higher level of quantitative literacy. Scheaffer makes note of the fact that these courses do have some serious flaws. But one could argue that fact about any statistics course no matter which level of education the course was being taught in.

Online Journal Americans do have a problem with thinking more is always better, this is a by-product of consumerism. I only wanted to attend college for professional advancement yet I have begun to notice that an intellectual journey has begun though. I feel like I began my journey as a member of the majority, but am beginning to become a member of the remnant. This question has been asked in our class before quantity vs quality, it was in John Taggs article. Orill makes a great point when he wrote about quantitative data always trumping literary testimony. For most people numbers equal facts, another by product of the American quantitative mindset. Reading Analytically 1. Orrill writes about how the humanities and humanism needs to be constantly revised and rethought. To accommodate this humanists must actively participate in the current documents and information that is being passed to the public. This information is infused with quantity concepts in order to grab the attention of the public and be considered credible. Humanists must have an ability to understand these concepts and apply them in order to properly communicate with the public. This communication will help prevent further deterioration of the humanities in todays society. 2. Orrill wrote about how the American Educational system is mimicking the ideas found in business and industry, by putting more value on the quantity of work done instead of the quality of the outcome. The educational system is doing this by giving more value to the amount of credits earned rather than the intellectual gains received from the education. These types of educational goals limit the ability of students to grow as individuals and in a sense makes the students education almost worthless. With cross-disciplinary studies Orill feels that students will receive a more balanced education that will have a better and longer lasting impact on society as a whole. 3. This article could almost be considered a call to arms for humanists everywhere. Orrill on more than on occasion seems to be warning his fellow humanists that their silence must be broken, if the humanists wish to prevent the further deterioration of the humanities in American Colleges and Universities. Orrill in a way seems to be providing a battle plan to prevent this from happening. By using the same quantitative language that the majority is using to justify a switch to a quantity based educational system. Orrill is hoping to prevent a further decrease in the remnant still seeking a quality and spiritually moving education. Online Journal Anyone who appreciates hard work likes a good fight..Facing challenges is one of the places our hard work can produce results. I dont understand why social sciences are not considered by some as a science. In a way I feel it could be called group psychology and no one argues that psychology is a medical science. People have a hard time believing the factual information of a subject without a quantitative system to measure the data with. It makes sense that as an experiment is repeated the results will eventually regress to the mean. Thats why extensive testing

should be required in the case of new medicines and medical procedures. I see this trend all the time once an idea is accepted and approved by the majority of people, the only information people want to hear is information that supports the idea. Wouldnt only reporting the outcomes of successful experiments defeat the point of the scientific process? Our beliefs are a form of blindness this is true in more areas of life than just science. Literacy as school is the idea that literacy is intended to help people meet ideological goals. Literacy as a tool is the idea that literacy is intended to help people achieve personal goals and solve life problems. I have always felt that literacy is a tool to be used daily. Literacy, when used as a tool, can make drastic changes in society. Literacy makes our society stronger and more equal, which benefits society as a whole. Emeril Lagasse is a favorite of mine, his stroganoff recipe is amazing! I wonder if it always just female cookbook authors trying to teach, and male authors promoting themselves. Perhaps the male cookbook authors wrote their books for an audience that already had a love for cooking, and knowledge of how to cook. This article seemed like a strange way to end a chapter on literacy.