I have always been an advocate of reading something, anything, daily. My first choice has always been a good book, followed closely by some well written news or opinion articles. However, much like the majority of individuals with internet access, I find myself being consumed more and more often by online reading materials. Yes, I do read the news online as well as some ebooks, but the online reading materials of which I speak are more along the lines of websites, blogs etc. This has raised a question which I often ask myself: Am I receiving the same benefits from online readings sources as I do from readings books?
The answer to that question is most likely several years, or perhaps decades, worth of research away. If I were to form a thesis, I would say that while both serve important purposes, only the reading of books can improve the traditional form of literacy that we have come to understand. In the meantime, I will now advocate a combined reading of print and online readings.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Approaching literacy as a social practice
I must admit, I repeated the subject line for this blog over and over again in my head until some sense of its meaning became apparent. I've always considered approaching literacy as more of an individual systematic practice or even a traditional education group practice, but never as a social practice. However, any and all reflections on my own literary practices, coupled with the assigned readings, brought forth new-found understandings how of literacy can be approached as a social practice, and how doing so can benefit ones understanding of certain literacies.
Perhaps nowhere is literacy more of a social practice than through the use of blogs. The essence of a true blog is thought or expression through texts, which will hopefully be utilized by a portion of society that chooses to read that blog. But how exactly are they utilizing those texts in a social setting? Are they grasping your sentiments and playing them forward? Are they using your thoughts and/or expressions to surface thoughts and expressions of their own within society? How will their comprehension of your texts serve a purpose in their future lives? In attempting to answer these questions one must first accept that literacy, whether or not it is first approached in an individual or classroom setting, will more than likely make its way into society. Once texts have been shared, we must pay "careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9), in order to fully understand and appreciate their impact.
Perhaps nowhere is literacy more of a social practice than through the use of blogs. The essence of a true blog is thought or expression through texts, which will hopefully be utilized by a portion of society that chooses to read that blog. But how exactly are they utilizing those texts in a social setting? Are they grasping your sentiments and playing them forward? Are they using your thoughts and/or expressions to surface thoughts and expressions of their own within society? How will their comprehension of your texts serve a purpose in their future lives? In attempting to answer these questions one must first accept that literacy, whether or not it is first approached in an individual or classroom setting, will more than likely make its way into society. Once texts have been shared, we must pay "careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9), in order to fully understand and appreciate their impact.
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