- "Does Digital Media Make us Bad Readers?"
"The writing we produce is not getting worse. Instead, it is simply adapting to the modern world."
Children are effectively speaking a new language entirely, so who is to say if it is “right” or “wrong?" I do feel that there is a lack of coherence, proper spelling and punctuation. The biggest problem is that grammatical errors are not limited to social media. It has bled into emails, blog posts and writing of all kinds.
However, people have been using computers for over 10 years now. Even the ones with paper notebooks could be doodling or making shopping lists. I think that we should encourage students to use technology, but I also feel it's important to give students at least the basics of writing---after all we can't ALWAYS rely on technology.
- "Literacy Debate: Online R U Really Reading?"
“Once they’re on the Internet, they’re reading.”
I feel it all depends on the person in question. If technology takes away time from important things like reading and writing, then it can make people worse writers, because they dedicate less time to it. For example, some people are too into video games. For this reason, they may never write or read. Others use technology to surf the Internet endlessly and in the process read things that are not very good.
Second, there are those that use technology in a wiser way. They use it to get information in a quick way and the like. I would say that for these people, technology makes them into better writers and readers. In the end, it all depends on the person.
Digital media is changing the way people read and write in the digital age.
Are we better off in the digital age in terms of reading and writing? Despite some problems, I believe that we are. If we take advantage of the opportunities and resources the Internet has to offer and use the Internet responsibly then we can become more knowledgeable, and more interesting. People also have many more resources literally at their fingertips to find reading material. The Internet is an explosion of information. Every topic imaginable has websites, blogs, forums, chat rooms, etc. to give us the opportunity to read and write.
The reading source that I feel justifies my stance the best is the "Does Digital Media Make us Bad Writers?" I chose this text because it is neutral. It does't bash digital media, but it is honest about it. For example, a positive aspect of digital media according to the text is, "Digital tools having changed student writing by providing the ability to marry text and other media in ways that can often help them provide greater depth and texture to what they are trying to communicate" (Karp). A negative side of digital media included in this text states "Because the amount of writing we are doing, we tend to devalue what we write. How much do we edit or care about what we post online" (Karp).
References
Internet is shaping the way children and teenagers read and process information. (2013, October 29). kids and teens online. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://kidsandteensonline.com/2013/10/29/internet-is-shaping-the-way-children-and-teenagers-read-and-process-information/
Karp, J. (n.d.). Does Digital Media Make us Bad Writers?. . Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/does-digital-media-make-us-bad-writers/
Rich, M. (2008, July 26). Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?. The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all
I do agree with you that classrooms and technology are changing so quickly and as teachers we need to adapt to the needs and understandings of the student. Too often students are disengaged in the classroom and as teachers we need to create engagement for all students. Thus, if using technology properly in the classroom will help engage the student, I say, "we should do it!" However, I do feel that the errors are beginning to show up in every sort of text. Unfortunately, what business wants to hire someone with errors on their application. A down side of technology literacy....
ReplyDeleteI like your point that in the end it all depends on the person. We all learn differently. With technology we have been able to better adapt to different learning styles but I feel this is still a new field for all of us that we ourselves are still learning the best ways to use it!
ReplyDeleteFrom a New Literacies perspective, playing a video game is a type of reading.
ReplyDeleteNot only that, a study shows that playing video games can help those with dyslexia learning to read:
An estimated 5 to 10 percent of people suffer some degree of dyslexia. This learning disability is a lifelong condition that can make it hard to spell and recognize words. But a new study finds that action video games may boost the ability of the brain to improve its focus. That’s good, since trouble focusing is a common in people with dyslexia.
Compared with good readers, people with dyslexia have a hard time switching from focusing on what they see to what they hear.
In the new trial, researchers in England and Spain asked volunteers to press a button as quickly as possible whenever they got a cue. Sometimes that cue would be a sound. Other times it was a dim flash. It might even be a combination of both.
People with dyslexia responded more slowly when a visual cue flashed before a sound than did people with no reading problems. These data support the idea that people with dyslexia have an impaired ability to pay attention to visual cues, the researchers conclude. Vanessa Harrar of the University of Oxford and her co-workers shared their findings February 13 in Current Biology, a research journal.
Playing action video games forces people to constantly shift their attention. As such, such games “are potentially an excellent method” for training the brains of dyslexics in skills “critical for advanced learning,” Harrar’s group says. The reason? These games train people to process sensory changes faster.
Ashley-
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. You did a nice job of naming the pros and cons. I can see that the problem could be the user and not technology necessarily. I can also see where technology can be extremely beneficial. Maybe if parents/teachers monitored technology use and put a time limit on the usage of it, it could be used more productively and beneficially. I also liked your comment about how unreliable technology is. I have had to days in particular this year where I planned to use technology all day with my classes and it quit working half way through! I was fumbling around trying to find a back up plan! It was so frustrating! Great post!
I think you are right that there is a wise way to use technology, by supplimenting one's intentional quest for knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI agree that grammatical errors are not limited to social media. I teach Health and Safety course to first year students, and a few papers I graded last semester read like a text message. I am beginning to wonder how grammar is taught in high school, with the changing of technology.
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