Literacy-in-Persons Video

literacy from Mystery Reflex on Vimeo.

      Johnson and Cowles define literacy-in-persons as the manner in which, "literate practice emerges from individuals' biographies and the histories of communities, local or global" (Johnson & Cowles, 2009, p. 410) I decided to make a video documenting and exploring my own literacy-in-persons. In the video I highlight important experiences that I believe have influenced the literacies I use and the ways in which I use them. School and my mother's interest in technology started me early in developing digital literacies. I have been a regular computer user since early childhood and have been able to adapt along with the technology. I believe this puts me at an advantage for living in the reign of the knowledge economy. As change is forced upon us, those who grew up in a state of constant technological adaptation will be able to adapt much more easily. But how long can we keep up? Already the technology that I studied at film school a few short years ago has become outdated. What used to require a large camera and professional grade software to complete, I can now do with my iPhone and an app that was included with my laptop. I've already become somewhat of a dinosaur in the field of digital film, and it's only been five years since I graduated. Brandt warns that literacies are constantly changing and evolving (2003, p. 249). It is up to the individual to evolve as well, but also to diversify. This is what I have attempted to do by returning to university, as well as studying another language. The documentary The End of Men highlighted the importance of this (De Guerre, 2011). If we fail to evolve, or become too dependent on any one literacy, we may only be setting ourselves up for a fall. My literacy-in-persons is not only an outline of myself, but also of the time and society I live in. It reveals the importance of adaptation and the need to have options, to not keep all of one's literacy eggs in one basket, so to speak.

References

Brandt, D. (2003). Changing literacy. Teachers College Record, 105(2), 245-260.

De Guerre, M. (Producer/Director). (2011). The end of men [Documentary]. Canada: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Johnson, A. S., Cowles, L. (2009). Orlonia’s “literacy-in-persons”: Expanding notions of literacy through biography and history. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(5), 410-420

'Cold-Turkey' Day

      I was quite looking forward to my cold-turkey day. I spend far too much time online and was looking forward to experiencing an 'unplugged' day. Unfortunately, however, I realized that my schoolwork, namely my online courses, completely prevented me from disconnecting. I hadn't even began my cold-turkey day yet and my eyes were already open to how dependent I have become upon digital literacies. Since I wasn't able to completely disconnect, I decided to give up my mobile phone as well as Tumblr, a microblogging website that I use more than any other social media. Again, however, I wasn't able to completely abandon my phone. What if there was some sort of emergency? What if my wife was injured at work? When I was in junior high school I went out without a phone all the time, it just wasn't that common for a junior high school kid to have a mobile phone. Now, I couldn't imagine going anywhere without it. I've become so dependent in just a few years. It's startling to think how much digital literacies have altered the way I live my life. I decided to make a concession and take my phone with me, but only use it in case of emergency. I use my phone quite a lot during the day and felt that not using it would be an acceptable sacrifice. The experience had less of an impact than I was hoping for. I had only one minor convenience while cut off, and that was scheduling. I do all of my scheduling on my phone, I don't use a day planner, calendar, or any other sort of physical schedule. So, when I had to change an appointment, I found myself hunting through my apartment, looking for a piece of scrap paper to record the scheduling change on. Somewhat disappointingly, I received no text messages that day. I'm sure the experience would have been much different had I been denied the ability to engage in communication with friends and family.

What I did learn was how much I use my phone and for passive consumption of information during downtime instead of using these tools to engage. I use them as diversions when I feel there is nothing better to focus my attention on. Rheingold wrote that we must, "learn to sample the flow, and... focus our attention" (2010, p. 24). I must confess that this is something I need to consider more often, especially when reaching for my phone.

References

Rheingold, H. (2010, September/October). Attention and other 21st-century social media literacies. Educause Review, 14-24.

Literacy Log

      I felt my literacy log was particularly valuable because it gave me the opportunity to see exactly how I use literacy on a daily basis. I was somewhat surprised to see just how much I use digital literacies. I suppose I knew in the back of my mind that I used digital literacies more than other forms of literacy, but I had never really considered how much more. An examination of the blog reveals that electronic literacies are by far the most powerful literacies I currently use. I use them in every domain of my life, from relaxing at home to creating this portfolio for this online course. Most of what I learn, whether academic or otherwise, I learn through using some form of digital literacy. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I am fortunate to have been able to engage with such powerful literacies from such a young age. I am a digital native, rather than a digital immigrant, and am able to keep up to date with changes in the digital world quite naturally (Rosen & Nelson, 2008, p. 220). On the other hand, however, I worry about my dependence on digital literacies. I am always connected to the internet. If I have a question, I can just look up the answer instead of trying to problem solve on my own or recall a solution I had previously encountered. I worry that instant access to answers is detrimental to my memory and problems solving skills. I also worry about the way in which digital literacies exclude large portions of the world's population. Deborah Brandt notes that many people do not have access to literacy sponsors that facilitate their learning of and interaction with digital literacies (Brandt, 2003). Such uneven distribution of these powerful literacies denies people a chance to participate in their world, creating a digital divide between those who can participate and those who cannot. These twin concerns have given me a new sense of responsibility as an educator. I know that we must do everything in our power to provide equal access to powerful literacies to all of our students. However, I also feel that all educators must be careful not to cultivate a reliance on digital literacies.

References

Brandt, D. (2003). Changing literacy. Teachers College Record, 105(2), 245-260.

Rosen, D., & Nelson, C. (2008). Web 2.0: A new generation of learners and education. Computers in the Schools, 25(3-4), 211-225.

Introduction

      My purpose for creating this literacy portfolio was to examine the three areas of enquiry in the integrated theory of literacy that David Barton described; "the social, the psychological, and the historical" (Barton, 2007, p. 33). I wanted to look at how these areas function in my life as, "a system of representing the world to [myself]" (Barton, 2007, p. 33). I have chosen each entry because I believe they accurately reflect how I engage with various literacies and am influenced by them on each of these three levels.

The first entry is my literacy log. I've included the log because it provides a fairly comprehensive look at all the literacies I use on a daily basis, and in what realm I use them. It offers insights into the social, psychological, and historical areas of enquiry through recording the literacy event as well as the practice associated with it and any feelings involved.

The second entry is an account of my 'cold-turkey' day. I included this entry because it allowed me to explore what my life would be like were I not able to use one of the most powerful literacies at my disposal. The hole created by the omission of this literacy had implications for the social and psychological areas of enquiry.

The third entry is a literacy-in-persons profile I made of myself. It is done in the form of a video and briefly documents what I believe are some of the most important moments that helped determine the literacies I would use and how I would use them. It's inclusion is important because it explores the historical and social areas of enquiry, and offers insight into how I came to see the world as I do. In learning more about how I gained the tools with which I interpret the world, I learn more about myself.

References

Barton, D. (2007). The social basis of literacy. Literacy: An introduction to the ecology of written language (2nd ed., pp. 33-50). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.