The University will be closed beginning at 3:15 today.
With respect to our class: I will be in class for those of you who drove to campus before the announcement and anyone else who shows up. I will not take attendance or penalize anyone in any way for not attending class today. At the same time - if you want some one-on-one coaching for your literacy narrative, or if you want a head start on working on your process narrative and you are already here - this would be a good time to get some work done.
For Monday:
Read Elbow Chapters 2 & 3 (growing + cooking). We will talk about both chapters together. We will also do some in-class writing on your process essay using your posts for Blogs 10 & 11 - so make use of the space to write. These notes should be observations of how you write.
Blog 11: Post detailed notes on your writing process
Final Literacy narratives are due, as attachments, by class Monday, March 1 in my email: ENG2020writing@gmail.com.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Class February 22
Today you looked over the comments to your literacy narratives and did some freewriting to your focus. We talked over Elbow's theories about why/how freewriting works. It can be used to break the habit of excessive, premature editing, as well as to make a connection to half-conscious, partially realized ideas. The exercise we did in class was "focused freewriting" which allows you to associate to (or not) a particular set of ideas, and in that way - deepen + explore what you might write; I described how focused freewriting could be connected to "looping" - a process where you select a set of new, interesting, or related ideas from your freewrite and then do additional freewriting to deepen your exploration of those topics.
Revised (final) literacy narratives are due, Monday, March 1.
In addition to discussing Elbow and working on your revisions to you literacy narratives, we talked through the assignment sheet for the essay on your writing process (posted on the previous blog).
For Wednesday:
Read: Elbow, Ch. 2, "Growing"
Blog 10: Post some detailed notes on your writing process. You can describe the step-by-step process you used to work on the literacy narrative (including the class assignments). You might look at differences between the pre-writing, first draft, and final draft you posted on your blog as evidence of what you did.
If you want to document your step by step process for writing - you might compose your next essay using google.docs (I can show you how to do this in class if you are not familiar with it). These documents not only show the 'final product', they also track the sequence of changes you make as you write. Work on your document for a while. You need to save your document as you work (after you make significant revisions). After you reach a point where you want to look at your patterns for writing, save your document, then click "file" => and choose "see revision history" from the dropdown list. This will give you a list of links to the sequential documents at the "save" points you created as you were writing. It can be pretty interesting.
Revised (final) literacy narratives are due, Monday, March 1.
In addition to discussing Elbow and working on your revisions to you literacy narratives, we talked through the assignment sheet for the essay on your writing process (posted on the previous blog).
For Wednesday:
Read: Elbow, Ch. 2, "Growing"
Blog 10: Post some detailed notes on your writing process. You can describe the step-by-step process you used to work on the literacy narrative (including the class assignments). You might look at differences between the pre-writing, first draft, and final draft you posted on your blog as evidence of what you did.
If you want to document your step by step process for writing - you might compose your next essay using google.docs (I can show you how to do this in class if you are not familiar with it). These documents not only show the 'final product', they also track the sequence of changes you make as you write. Work on your document for a while. You need to save your document as you work (after you make significant revisions). After you reach a point where you want to look at your patterns for writing, save your document, then click "file" => and choose "see revision history" from the dropdown list. This will give you a list of links to the sequential documents at the "save" points you created as you were writing. It can be pretty interesting.
Assignment sheet for Process Narrative
Reflecting on your Writing Process
Purpose
This assignment provides an opportunity to document and analyze your writing process. The purpose of this work is to prompt you to actively WATCH what you do as you write and to reflect on how and why you produce writing. These reflections will enable you to: characterize your different processes for writing; identify your strengths and challenges as a writer; and become aware of possibilities for writing “differently”.
Description of the assignment
Write an essay to analyze and reflect on how you create writing for the different rhetorical purposes you confront in your life. You are doing lots of writing this term that will serve as evidence for your process. You may choose to describe your practices for writing: notes, conversations, brainstorming documents, and successive drafts, and final documents written for a range of purposes. Descriptions of the social, interactive practices (such as talking to friends, going to forums, surfing the net, listening to music, etc) are also important to this characterization. To produce the evidence necessary for this essay, take notes on how you write long assignments (like this one), writing you do for your own purposes (chats, updating your facebook, notes to friends), and any other kind of writing that is important to your life.
Based on this evidence you will create a coherent essay where you present: a focused characterization of your overall process; a description of differences in how you write for different purposes, reflections on the strengths and difficulties in your various processes, and a plan for how/what you want to change about your process.
Criteria
A series of statements to characterize your practices during each part of the writing process
Detailed observations/descriptions to support or “prove” your claims about “how” you write
Discussion of variations/distinctions in how you write for different audiences, purposes, and genres
Discussion of how/whether your writing process is changing
Reflections on which parts of your writing process are working and which are not so effective
Synthetic conclusion that observes the strengths in your process, notes how your process is changing, and sets up goals for strengthening your writing habits (and considers the reality factor of whether you will actually change)
Form:
Introduction that characterizes your writing process in a general way
Specific discussion (supported by examples and illustrations) to describe each part of your writing process, as well as how your process is different within different rhetorical situations
Reflective discussion on the on-going evolution of your process
Conclusion that sets up a plan for your future writing process
Length: suitable for in-depth development of your material, minimum 5 pages.
Due dates:
Documentation of your writing process: Blog 6, Blog 10 (2/22); Blog 11 (2/25)
Draft Process essay: March 11
Due Final New Literacy Narrative: March 22
Purpose
This assignment provides an opportunity to document and analyze your writing process. The purpose of this work is to prompt you to actively WATCH what you do as you write and to reflect on how and why you produce writing. These reflections will enable you to: characterize your different processes for writing; identify your strengths and challenges as a writer; and become aware of possibilities for writing “differently”.
Description of the assignment
Write an essay to analyze and reflect on how you create writing for the different rhetorical purposes you confront in your life. You are doing lots of writing this term that will serve as evidence for your process. You may choose to describe your practices for writing: notes, conversations, brainstorming documents, and successive drafts, and final documents written for a range of purposes. Descriptions of the social, interactive practices (such as talking to friends, going to forums, surfing the net, listening to music, etc) are also important to this characterization. To produce the evidence necessary for this essay, take notes on how you write long assignments (like this one), writing you do for your own purposes (chats, updating your facebook, notes to friends), and any other kind of writing that is important to your life.
Based on this evidence you will create a coherent essay where you present: a focused characterization of your overall process; a description of differences in how you write for different purposes, reflections on the strengths and difficulties in your various processes, and a plan for how/what you want to change about your process.
Criteria
A series of statements to characterize your practices during each part of the writing process
Detailed observations/descriptions to support or “prove” your claims about “how” you write
Discussion of variations/distinctions in how you write for different audiences, purposes, and genres
Discussion of how/whether your writing process is changing
Reflections on which parts of your writing process are working and which are not so effective
Synthetic conclusion that observes the strengths in your process, notes how your process is changing, and sets up goals for strengthening your writing habits (and considers the reality factor of whether you will actually change)
Form:
Introduction that characterizes your writing process in a general way
Specific discussion (supported by examples and illustrations) to describe each part of your writing process, as well as how your process is different within different rhetorical situations
Reflective discussion on the on-going evolution of your process
Conclusion that sets up a plan for your future writing process
Length: suitable for in-depth development of your material, minimum 5 pages.
Due dates:
Documentation of your writing process: Blog 6, Blog 10 (2/22); Blog 11 (2/25)
Draft Process essay: March 11
Due Final New Literacy Narrative: March 22
Friday, February 19, 2010
February 19
We started class with a workshop on your literacy narratives. We reviewed the criteria for the essay as stated on the assignment sheet and created a list to guide you in assessing & providing feedback for your classmate's literacy narratives. You were divided in groups (each of you were to leave feedback for 3 or 4 of your classmates).
Groups
Michelle, Tim, Andrea, Deborah;
Aydin, Taylor, Math, Brian;
Karilyn Mario, Lana, Saran, Walmbi.
Please finish commenting to all your group members so everyone gets some feedback.
After you read for a while I interrupted you (as usual) and asked you what you were thinking (if anything) about your own essay. Most of you indicated that by reading your classmates' work (and from reviewing the requirements for the assignment) you now had some ideas about how to strengthen your essays - so we decided you could revise them.
We did some talking about what each of you thought you needed to do to strengthen your essays.
Some of the main areas for work were:
FOCUS
Finding or choosing a focus.
Choosing "stories" that are more relevant to and that develop the focus
Developing more discussion of how the stories connect to the focus
Making sure each paragraph of the essay developed that focus (in a slightly different way)
ORGANIZATION
Making sure the introduction sets up the focus - and that the conclusion comes back to that focus
Deciding on a logical organization - chronological, by theme, by "causality". . . so that one paragraph/literacy story leads to the next in a way that develops a coherent discussion of your focus
Creating transitions and connections between sections + paragraphs
DEVELOPMENT
Making sure to include details that "show" rather than "state" your points.
Including connections between your stories and your focus
We also discussed (briefly) some of the writing strategies you might use as you worked in each of these three areas for revision>
To find your focus:
- read what you have written and notice or underline repeating themes/words/ideas
- list the ideas in each paragraph in the margin
- if you don't find the focus you want in what you have written - freewrite, or do some focused freewriting where you develop material related to an idea that you like
- do some random listing or list ideas associated with one of the items on another list
- talk to someone about your ideas
- write about what you think you want to say (but promise yourself no one else will read this writing)
To work on organization:
- state the main point of each paragraph in your essay in the margin (you can move them around)
- make an outline
- say your essay aloud to yourself and write down the main points in the order you say them
- list all the points you want to include - then move them around
DEVELOPMENT
- freewrite or do some association for the places where you need more material
- talk to someone about what you've written
- list materials you might use to develop a particular section
- surf the net or read material that might give you ideas
For this weekend - take a break from this essay. I will give you some feedback on Monday, and the revised essays will be due a week from Monday = March 1.
We spent the rest of class talking about "The Ethnography of Literacy". The main point was that we cannot make useful generalizations about what literacy is or how it works without considering the texts, contexts, functions, participants, and motivations that are involved. Szwed emphasizes that there is no single way to write or to learn to write, and that we need to study the multiple ways of reading and writing within the contexts where they take place.
We then considered how theories about reading and writing (our assumptions about how it is defined, practiced, and evaluated) influence educational and political practices.
For Monday:
Read: Elbow, Introduction (xi - xxxi) + the first chapter on freewriting (1-11).
Blog 9: What are Elbow's assumptions about what writing is and how it works?
Groups
Michelle, Tim, Andrea, Deborah;
Aydin, Taylor, Math, Brian;
Karilyn Mario, Lana, Saran, Walmbi.
Please finish commenting to all your group members so everyone gets some feedback.
After you read for a while I interrupted you (as usual) and asked you what you were thinking (if anything) about your own essay. Most of you indicated that by reading your classmates' work (and from reviewing the requirements for the assignment) you now had some ideas about how to strengthen your essays - so we decided you could revise them.
We did some talking about what each of you thought you needed to do to strengthen your essays.
Some of the main areas for work were:
FOCUS
Finding or choosing a focus.
Choosing "stories" that are more relevant to and that develop the focus
Developing more discussion of how the stories connect to the focus
Making sure each paragraph of the essay developed that focus (in a slightly different way)
ORGANIZATION
Making sure the introduction sets up the focus - and that the conclusion comes back to that focus
Deciding on a logical organization - chronological, by theme, by "causality". . . so that one paragraph/literacy story leads to the next in a way that develops a coherent discussion of your focus
Creating transitions and connections between sections + paragraphs
DEVELOPMENT
Making sure to include details that "show" rather than "state" your points.
Including connections between your stories and your focus
We also discussed (briefly) some of the writing strategies you might use as you worked in each of these three areas for revision>
To find your focus:
- read what you have written and notice or underline repeating themes/words/ideas
- list the ideas in each paragraph in the margin
- if you don't find the focus you want in what you have written - freewrite, or do some focused freewriting where you develop material related to an idea that you like
- do some random listing or list ideas associated with one of the items on another list
- talk to someone about your ideas
- write about what you think you want to say (but promise yourself no one else will read this writing)
To work on organization:
- state the main point of each paragraph in your essay in the margin (you can move them around)
- make an outline
- say your essay aloud to yourself and write down the main points in the order you say them
- list all the points you want to include - then move them around
DEVELOPMENT
- freewrite or do some association for the places where you need more material
- talk to someone about what you've written
- list materials you might use to develop a particular section
- surf the net or read material that might give you ideas
For this weekend - take a break from this essay. I will give you some feedback on Monday, and the revised essays will be due a week from Monday = March 1.
We spent the rest of class talking about "The Ethnography of Literacy". The main point was that we cannot make useful generalizations about what literacy is or how it works without considering the texts, contexts, functions, participants, and motivations that are involved. Szwed emphasizes that there is no single way to write or to learn to write, and that we need to study the multiple ways of reading and writing within the contexts where they take place.
We then considered how theories about reading and writing (our assumptions about how it is defined, practiced, and evaluated) influence educational and political practices.
For Monday:
Read: Elbow, Introduction (xi - xxxi) + the first chapter on freewriting (1-11).
Blog 9: What are Elbow's assumptions about what writing is and how it works?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
What we did in class February 11
Today we talked over the main points in Scribner and Coles' essay and reviewed the theories set forward in the earlier essays, and then you did some writing to pull together the main ideas we've covered so far.
The main points of our discussion of the readings (as copied from the board)
ONG:
writing changes the way we think by
- improving memory
- improving reasoning in terms of complexity + logic
- increasing accuracy
Scribner & Cole
writing inhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif itself does not change thinking=> the way writing affects thinking depends on the particular writing system, how it is used, how it is learned and what "skills" it entails.
Aaron & Joshi
writing is a human propensity set up by human biolgoy; writing and speech complement one another - as opposed to =writing being a phonological representation of speech.
New Literacy Narratives
The ways we use, learn, and define writing are embedded in cultural stories = social constructivist vies
Other observations:
- communication (writing) takes place in and is defined by communities
- our education system demands that everyone communicate int he same way
- there are lots of legitimate ways to communicate
- people in power get to say what is "good" communication.
For Blog 7 you answered two questions:
1) What new ways to think about writing did you learn from these readings? and 2) what are your theories about writing?
For Thursday:
Blog 8: Post your completed literacy narrative. Also turn it in to ENG2020writing@gmail.com as an attachment.
Read: "The Ethnography of Literacy" p 421 in Literacy.
The main points of our discussion of the readings (as copied from the board)
ONG:
writing changes the way we think by
- improving memory
- improving reasoning in terms of complexity + logic
- increasing accuracy
Scribner & Cole
writing inhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif itself does not change thinking=> the way writing affects thinking depends on the particular writing system, how it is used, how it is learned and what "skills" it entails.
Aaron & Joshi
writing is a human propensity set up by human biolgoy; writing and speech complement one another - as opposed to =writing being a phonological representation of speech.
New Literacy Narratives
The ways we use, learn, and define writing are embedded in cultural stories = social constructivist vies
Other observations:
- communication (writing) takes place in and is defined by communities
- our education system demands that everyone communicate int he same way
- there are lots of legitimate ways to communicate
- people in power get to say what is "good" communication.
For Blog 7 you answered two questions:
1) What new ways to think about writing did you learn from these readings? and 2) what are your theories about writing?
For Thursday:
Blog 8: Post your completed literacy narrative. Also turn it in to ENG2020writing@gmail.com as an attachment.
Read: "The Ethnography of Literacy" p 421 in Literacy.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Class Monday February 8
We talked over the requirements for this assignment, and what you would have to do to meet those requirements. You then read and commented on classmates' draft literacy narratives. We closed class with a discussion where you each commented on what you would need to do to revise and finish your drafts. Good class!
Keep working on your literacy narratives. If you want to schedule a conference with me to talk through your revisions - send me an email at ENG2020writing@gmail.com. The final draft is due February 18.
For Thursday:
Read: Scribner & Cole (p. 123 in Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook)
Blog 6: Post your notes on your writing process (to get ready for your next assignment). Include the writing you did for the prompts on Jan 28 + Feb 4 + any notes/observations you might have gathered as you worked on your draft and began to revise.
Keep working on your literacy narratives. If you want to schedule a conference with me to talk through your revisions - send me an email at ENG2020writing@gmail.com. The final draft is due February 18.
For Thursday:
Read: Scribner & Cole (p. 123 in Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook)
Blog 6: Post your notes on your writing process (to get ready for your next assignment). Include the writing you did for the prompts on Jan 28 + Feb 4 + any notes/observations you might have gathered as you worked on your draft and began to revise.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Blogs
I have finished reading through your blogs and will be sending you the grades in a minute. I have decided you will get full credit for the first post - just for having turned it in. I think I didn't do sufficient teaching to set you up to do the kind of job I was hoping for - so you can kind of read through my comments and look at the grade, and then know that if you turned it in you got full credit => just for doing the work.
The purpose of blogs (as I wrote in some of your comments) is to demonstrate your engagement with the readings (so you won't need to do quizzes, or tests, or papers); also, I strongly believe that writing is a form a learning and I see writing a blog as a way to have you process these readings both with your eyes and your bodies (hands, movement etc). I also think it is a good thing to have your ideas out there so you can see how the rest of the class is doing.
Hope you are having a good time with your literacy narratives - and I will see you on Monday.
Note: Mario, if you send an email to ENG2020writing@gmail.com, I will reply with comments on your blog. I do not have an email address for you.
The purpose of blogs (as I wrote in some of your comments) is to demonstrate your engagement with the readings (so you won't need to do quizzes, or tests, or papers); also, I strongly believe that writing is a form a learning and I see writing a blog as a way to have you process these readings both with your eyes and your bodies (hands, movement etc). I also think it is a good thing to have your ideas out there so you can see how the rest of the class is doing.
Hope you are having a good time with your literacy narratives - and I will see you on Monday.
Note: Mario, if you send an email to ENG2020writing@gmail.com, I will reply with comments on your blog. I do not have an email address for you.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Blogs
I have sent my comments/evaluation to your in-class blog posts on your themes for your literacy narrative + your notes on your writing process so far.
I will be grading blogs 1-3 on Saturday. Check your email for feedback + questions and enjoy the snow!
I will be grading blogs 1-3 on Saturday. Check your email for feedback + questions and enjoy the snow!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Class February 4
You did some writing on the "theme" or focus for your literacy narrative, and then you listed some stories that you would want to include to support that theme. You posted this writing on your blog (labeled as Blog 4) - and by sometime late tomorrow (Friday) I hope to give you some feedback about how you are doing in terms of the assignment.
You also did some writing - made some notes on your writing process for this project => as evidence of a particular experience composing a particular essay. I expect that you will use memories of other experiences writing papers, stories, poems, letters, emails, etc - that will provide different kinds of evidence of how you write. You also posted this to your blog - and labeled it as Blog 4.
I will be looking over the rest of your posts this weekend to give you feedback. Specifically I will be reading/grading:
Blog 1: Post your understanding of the main points from your sections of Aaron & Joshi. This is NOT supposed to be an essay / finished writing => these are reading notes and will not be evaluated based on grammar, spelling or style. I will be looking for evidence that you grappled with the ideas in this reading. Also write down questions - and words you may not be sure of.
Blog 2: 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?
Blog 3: Sum up your understanding of Ong's main points.
We spent the rest of class discussing Ong (see the previous blog for Dr. Chandlers Spark notes on this article). These are some complicated ideas - and I realize I come across with strong opinions - but the truth is many of these ideas are far from being clearly "right" or "wrong" in the empirical sense. If you think back over the different theories about writing we have read so far - already it is apparent that contemporary scholars have different ideas about how writing works, what it is, and what it does.
For Monday:
Blog 5: Post your draft for your literacy narrative.
We will spend class workshopping your draft essays. The more you write - the more you will have to work with. I am really looking forward to reading your writing!
Have a great weekend and see you Monday!
You also did some writing - made some notes on your writing process for this project => as evidence of a particular experience composing a particular essay. I expect that you will use memories of other experiences writing papers, stories, poems, letters, emails, etc - that will provide different kinds of evidence of how you write. You also posted this to your blog - and labeled it as Blog 4.
I will be looking over the rest of your posts this weekend to give you feedback. Specifically I will be reading/grading:
Blog 1: Post your understanding of the main points from your sections of Aaron & Joshi. This is NOT supposed to be an essay / finished writing => these are reading notes and will not be evaluated based on grammar, spelling or style. I will be looking for evidence that you grappled with the ideas in this reading. Also write down questions - and words you may not be sure of.
Blog 2: 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?
Blog 3: Sum up your understanding of Ong's main points.
We spent the rest of class discussing Ong (see the previous blog for Dr. Chandlers Spark notes on this article). These are some complicated ideas - and I realize I come across with strong opinions - but the truth is many of these ideas are far from being clearly "right" or "wrong" in the empirical sense. If you think back over the different theories about writing we have read so far - already it is apparent that contemporary scholars have different ideas about how writing works, what it is, and what it does.
For Monday:
Blog 5: Post your draft for your literacy narrative.
We will spend class workshopping your draft essays. The more you write - the more you will have to work with. I am really looking forward to reading your writing!
Have a great weekend and see you Monday!
My notes on Ong
vocabulary
noetic= of or relating to intellect (of the mind)
chirographic = associated with handwriting
mnenonic = assisting the memory
Page 19: main points
1.within high-technology cultures, literacy is essential and presents itself as “natural”
2.illiteracy is often thought of as the lack of a simple mechanical skill (like tying one’s shoes, or driving a car) => this is an incorrect understanding of language
3.we think in terms of writing & for the most part we are unaware of how writing shapes our thought
page 20
1.literate individuals have a fused awareness of words both as what they stand for (or signify) and the written symbols used to represent them (what is signified) [for more discussion of the two parts of words see Semiotics for Beginners http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html
2. oral cultures use formulaic structures as mnemonic devises
3.exploratory thinking is difficult and infrequent in oral cultures
page 21
Ong reviews Plato’s characterization of writing in Phaedrus http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedrus.html - and discusses parallels between Plato’s criticisms of writing/books and modern criticisms of computer technologies
summary of plato’s charges against writing
1. writing is inhuman (an object) and cannot be what in fact can only exist in the human mind
2. written texts are unresponsive
3. writing weakens memory
4. the written word cannot defend itself/speak
page 22
Ong points out the irony/failure of Plato’s argument by pointing out that “[Plato’s] philosophically analytic thought, including his analysis of the effects of writing, wass possible only because of the effects that writing [has] on mental processes. We know that totally oral peoples. . .are incapable of the protracted, intensive linear analysis that we have from Plato’s Socrates.
Section III: sets forward Ong’s statement /proof that writing, like computers – is a technology.
Section IV: writing ensures endurance – and creates “potential s far outdistancing those of the simply spoken word” (23)
Page 23
native speakers regularly use their spoken languge without knowledge of its grammar
argues that not everyone learns to write (eg. Ong does not embrace theories that written language is as biologically based as spoken language) => writing is artificial in a way that speech is not
writing is a usesful technology that is artificial and exterior - it allows us distance from our thought
page 24 - 29
Section VII - identifies influences of writing on thought
1. writing separates the known from the knower (allows you to see your thoughts outside of your self). . .”Between knower and known writing interposes a visible and tangible object, the text” (25).
2. writing separated interpretation of data from the data themselves
3. writing distances the word from the sound => translates aural to visual (according to biological theories this is NOT the case; biological theories would state that writing translates THOUGHT not aural sounds into visual signifiers)
4. writing allows communication to take place when communicants are physically separated
5. writing allows meanings to move across and away from the places where they were created (can place a record of talk in a new context)
6. because writing loses so the meanings provided by the contexts attached to talk – it has become more “precise” => or at least has a need to provide more background, content etc than spoken language
7. writing separates past from present
8. writing created “administration” => the abstract structures for organizing/governing groups (Scribner and Cole disagree with this claim – as well as many other claims made by Ong)
9. writing makes it possible to separate logic from persuasion (allows for a higher more complex degree of abstraction(many language theorists disagree with this)
10. writing separates academic learning from wisdom (this makes no sense to me)
11. writing creates dominant versus non-dominant, mainstream versus nonmainstream ways for communicating (new literacies scholars + many social language theorists disagree with this)
12. writing creates “grapholects” => written dialects like academic writing, texting conventions etc
13. writing moves thought toward the rational (left hemisphere of the brain) and away from the felt, intuitive, imagistic (right hemispher of the brain) –what do you think?
14. writing has made philosophic thought possible (again, scribner and cole disagree with this vigorously)
page 29 – 30
Section VIII: in this section Ong draws parallels between how writing changed thinking – and how the computer is “doing it again”
XI final point (30-31)
computer technologies can correct for the bias and “chirographic squint” that writing imposes
=> in plain English: the increased distance imposed by computer technologies can allow for increased reflection (a better chance at the big picture) which will allow us to recover the “full meaning” available interpersonal
noetic= of or relating to intellect (of the mind)
chirographic = associated with handwriting
mnenonic = assisting the memory
Page 19: main points
1.within high-technology cultures, literacy is essential and presents itself as “natural”
2.illiteracy is often thought of as the lack of a simple mechanical skill (like tying one’s shoes, or driving a car) => this is an incorrect understanding of language
3.we think in terms of writing & for the most part we are unaware of how writing shapes our thought
page 20
1.literate individuals have a fused awareness of words both as what they stand for (or signify) and the written symbols used to represent them (what is signified) [for more discussion of the two parts of words see Semiotics for Beginners http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html
2. oral cultures use formulaic structures as mnemonic devises
3.exploratory thinking is difficult and infrequent in oral cultures
page 21
Ong reviews Plato’s characterization of writing in Phaedrus http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedrus.html - and discusses parallels between Plato’s criticisms of writing/books and modern criticisms of computer technologies
summary of plato’s charges against writing
1. writing is inhuman (an object) and cannot be what in fact can only exist in the human mind
2. written texts are unresponsive
3. writing weakens memory
4. the written word cannot defend itself/speak
page 22
Ong points out the irony/failure of Plato’s argument by pointing out that “[Plato’s] philosophically analytic thought, including his analysis of the effects of writing, wass possible only because of the effects that writing [has] on mental processes. We know that totally oral peoples. . .are incapable of the protracted, intensive linear analysis that we have from Plato’s Socrates.
Section III: sets forward Ong’s statement /proof that writing, like computers – is a technology.
Section IV: writing ensures endurance – and creates “potential s far outdistancing those of the simply spoken word” (23)
Page 23
native speakers regularly use their spoken languge without knowledge of its grammar
argues that not everyone learns to write (eg. Ong does not embrace theories that written language is as biologically based as spoken language) => writing is artificial in a way that speech is not
writing is a usesful technology that is artificial and exterior - it allows us distance from our thought
page 24 - 29
Section VII - identifies influences of writing on thought
1. writing separates the known from the knower (allows you to see your thoughts outside of your self). . .”Between knower and known writing interposes a visible and tangible object, the text” (25).
2. writing separated interpretation of data from the data themselves
3. writing distances the word from the sound => translates aural to visual (according to biological theories this is NOT the case; biological theories would state that writing translates THOUGHT not aural sounds into visual signifiers)
4. writing allows communication to take place when communicants are physically separated
5. writing allows meanings to move across and away from the places where they were created (can place a record of talk in a new context)
6. because writing loses so the meanings provided by the contexts attached to talk – it has become more “precise” => or at least has a need to provide more background, content etc than spoken language
7. writing separates past from present
8. writing created “administration” => the abstract structures for organizing/governing groups (Scribner and Cole disagree with this claim – as well as many other claims made by Ong)
9. writing makes it possible to separate logic from persuasion (allows for a higher more complex degree of abstraction(many language theorists disagree with this)
10. writing separates academic learning from wisdom (this makes no sense to me)
11. writing creates dominant versus non-dominant, mainstream versus nonmainstream ways for communicating (new literacies scholars + many social language theorists disagree with this)
12. writing creates “grapholects” => written dialects like academic writing, texting conventions etc
13. writing moves thought toward the rational (left hemisphere of the brain) and away from the felt, intuitive, imagistic (right hemispher of the brain) –what do you think?
14. writing has made philosophic thought possible (again, scribner and cole disagree with this vigorously)
page 29 – 30
Section VIII: in this section Ong draws parallels between how writing changed thinking – and how the computer is “doing it again”
XI final point (30-31)
computer technologies can correct for the bias and “chirographic squint” that writing imposes
=> in plain English: the increased distance imposed by computer technologies can allow for increased reflection (a better chance at the big picture) which will allow us to recover the “full meaning” available interpersonal
Monday, February 1, 2010
Class February 1
Today we talked about a new literacies approach to theorizing writing; in this discussion we talked about social constructivism => an approach where language, knowledge, and social structures are viewed as products of human interactions. Mostly, we talked about stories - cultural stories => especially mainstream stories associated American identities: stories about independence, freedom, equality and success through hard work. We also talked about typical stories associated with literacies: stories about being a "hero", a 'rebel hero," a prodigy, or a struggling student. We also listed literacies and genres of writing that are valued/not valued in these stories and by our culture. This discussion was both to provide a basis for talking about social - as opposed to biological- theories of writing, and as a way for you to start thinking about how you might identify and reflect on a group of stories for your literacy narrative.
We then took a look at the assignment sheet for the literacy narrative (again) and talked about the criteria. Your first draft will be due a week from today, so at this point you should be generating lots of stories - and then looking at them for themes and thinking about what cultural stories your representations of your self connect to. As you notice how your stories reflect cultural identities/values/stories - you might ask your self how or why you "fell into" or chose the particular representations or impressions that are the basis for your talk about writing.
For Wednesday:
Read: Walter Ong's "Writing is a technology" on p 19 in Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook.
Blog 3: Sum up your understanding of Ong's main points.
I will be reading your blogs over the weekend and giving you some feedback on how you are doing with your posts. If you have not yet posted to the first two prompts - do so before Thursday and we will start from there.
See you next class.
We then took a look at the assignment sheet for the literacy narrative (again) and talked about the criteria. Your first draft will be due a week from today, so at this point you should be generating lots of stories - and then looking at them for themes and thinking about what cultural stories your representations of your self connect to. As you notice how your stories reflect cultural identities/values/stories - you might ask your self how or why you "fell into" or chose the particular representations or impressions that are the basis for your talk about writing.
For Wednesday:
Read: Walter Ong's "Writing is a technology" on p 19 in Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook.
Blog 3: Sum up your understanding of Ong's main points.
I will be reading your blogs over the weekend and giving you some feedback on how you are doing with your posts. If you have not yet posted to the first two prompts - do so before Thursday and we will start from there.
See you next class.
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