Reflection
This course has given me greater appreciation of just what ‘text’ is and how it has become so much a part of who I am, and who we are as a people. Examining the history of orality and literacy provided insight and understanding of my own literacy and how it has shaped my identity.
I found Bolter’s ideas enlightening (though difficult to read at times). In chapter 10 he states, “electronic communication is increasingly the medium through which we form and maintain our affiliations” (2001, n.p.). I agree. With technology our public communities have grown wider than we ever imagined possible. From the printing press, to the telegraph and telephone, and now the Internet, who we include as part of our community spans the globe. With this widening community new ways to communicate develop, and many of us explored some of these in our postings and assignments.
Of particular interest to me was how language is evolving, and will continue to evolve, as a result of the capacities of technology. I explored this concept in my final assignment and I see that several other people did as well. It seems that the changing landscape of language is something that people find compelling enough to explore further. Scholars have researched this issue and there is still disagreement around whether or not the changes in our language are detrimental or a benefit. I am still on the fence about this myself and I think more research is needed before I can decide.
With change however, also comes the feeling of loss, at least for me. I miss reading a physical book -but it is so much easier to read on my Ipad; I miss not being interrupted at dinner by someone’s phone going off; I miss seeing someone who isn’t wearing earbuds; and I miss reading messages with words spelled correctly and with the proper grammar. Don’ get me wrong, I wouldn’t give up technology, but I sometimes think it is taking away our humanity.
On a happier note, I am truly impressed by what this group has created over this summer. I probably won’t be able to comment on everyone’s efforts but the creativity and depth of what I have seen so far is very inspiring. The work also provides a great resource for different software and programs that I can use in the years ahead. Thank you to everyone for that.
I am sorry I didn’t get to connect with more of you in the postings or assignments but I can see with such a large class that this wasn’t realistic. Thank you to all for a great course.
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Routledge.
Itai. (2010). Reflection in a soap bubble edit cropped.jpg [Online image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reflection_in_a_soap_bubble_edit_cropped.jpg#/media
Hi Susan,
Great connections post. I can relate to many of your comments made regarding the readings and feelings of a time when our digital technologies were less mobile and interrupted our lives a bit less.
I too found it challenging to interact with everyone using the blog but it has been such a great experience to see everyones creations and where we have had the opportunity to really practice what we are learning about through practical application.
Thanks for your post!
Laura