What we did in class January 28

What we did in class:
1. You added the link lists to your blogs. Your assignment for today was to make your first post to your blog. I looked around at your blogs and some of you haven't posted your thoughts/comments yet - so I am going to keep checking back - but I won't comment on your post until after class Monday. For those of you who didn't post Blog 1 (your response to the Aaron + Joshi essay), if you post over the weekend I will read it and give you credit + some feedback.

2. After setting up the link list - you told each other some literacy "stories" - anecdotes about experiences with reading, writing & technology that contributed to or "shaped" your relationship to literacies. Begin writing these stories down. They are your evidence for your literacy narrative.

3. I also asked you to pay attention to the process you are using to gather material, plan and reflect on your literacy narrative project. Your second writing project will be to write a detailed description of your writing process. Jot down your observations about how you write - for this class and for other classes. What do you do? Do you re-read the assignment sheet? Do you write in parts - or wait until the deadline? Do you do any brainstorming? What kind? Do you get stuck? Where? For this project, are you writing to the prompts? Are you using the time in class - or is the in-class writing just annoying? The point of this observation and reflection is to provide you with some observations of what you actually do as you develop writing - rather requiring you to "remember". It is important to actually watch yourself, since what you remember may be shaped more by a story about what you are supposed to do - than what you actually do.

4. We then had a discussion about how the stories we tell about literacy are as much cultural stories as they are stories about our individual experiences. This is because there are powerful attitudes and conventions that control which stories will be valued, and which stories will not. Within a diverse culture like ours - there are many conflicting stories, and some groups stories have more power than others. I gave the example of how - in 21st century U.S.- internet geeks + gamers' literacies are not valued; there are multiple movies about immature, irresponsible male characters who live with their parents and play video games; and the general American attitude is that video games are a waste of time = but reading a book is "good for you".

5. We then had a (short) discussion of Aaron + Joshi's discussion of writing as a "natural" human behavior similar to language. The central question was whether writing is simply a representation of spoken language - or whether it is a way of thinking/communicating that has evolved as related but different human characteristic. We made it through the description of the evolution of writing - which seemed to support independent system for expressing thought hypothesis (but they may have selected their facts to support their position?)

We also talked about the fact that both written and spoken communications systems seem to develop to meet the specific needs/uses within the culture where it comes into being. As if communication - both writing + language - evolves to solve a problem.

For Monday:
1. Read the hand out on new literacy narratives I gave you in class. If you were not in class - there are some extra copies in my mailbox (CAS 301E).

2. Post to your blog. Label this post Blog 2,
and respond to the following prompts:

What factors represented as influencing our relationships to written language in the essay on cultural stories?

What can we learn about writing from biological-linguistic perspectives and theories? What can we learn about writing from social linguistic perspectives and the analysis of new literacy narratives?