Harold Rheingold makes the following point in his opening chapter of Why You Need Digital Know-How—Why We All Need It:
One tool that I do feel comfortable generalizing about is the importance
of questioning my own communication practices—recognizing which
media and mediated social activities I tend to avoid, which ones attract or
distract me, and which lead and mislead me, and reflecting on why I react
in these ways. (8)
I want you to mine your Net habits and
write a detailed self analysis of your own attention regarding use of
social media and interacting within and on the fringes of online
communities. What activities capture your attention the most, and to
what end is your attention being utilized? How are you deploying your
attention? When your laptop is open and you are at a lecture, how are
you focusing your attention (or) how are you not? What can you do to be
more mindful of your attention in online spaces?
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The second portion of this blog calls
you to connect what you have learned to Grant-Davie and Haas and Flower
as a mode of rhetorical analysis for Reinhold's introduction. You might
use a Grant-Davie's constituents of rhetoric to examine and analyze a
portion of Rheingold's introduction. You might also look at the text as a
rhetorical reader and examine the goals that Rheingold sets up as well
as the exigence he perceives.
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For the third portion, post links to two essay contests you are interested in pursing for your essay contest piece. After each link, post a brief description of the contests you are looking at.
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For the third portion, post links to two essay contests you are interested in pursing for your essay contest piece. After each link, post a brief description of the contests you are looking at.
Your blog posting is due no later than January 27th before 11:59pm
I think I am fairly disciplined when using social networking and the computer. When I first got Facebook I was not disciplined at all, but since Facebook is not very big anymore I don’t really check it except for email. I have never really categorized what interests me but I guess things that look or sound funny or fun. If someone posts a picture at the beach or a concert I click I guess because I wish I was there. I honestly do not know why I click on things or why they interest me. My attention is not being utilized too much because I will easily get up and leave the website if something else comes up. Music is probably the thing that keeps me on the computer even when I am finished with my task. I do not have an Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest; ergo I am not into social media that much anymore. I got bored of social media truthfully; it is all the same thing. It is quite simple for me to focus on things even when I have my laptop open because my laptop is probably not the most important thing in that moment. I try to put the things that need to get done before the relaxing simple things like using my laptop for social media or music.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not see a connection between the three essays. Haas, Flower, and Grant-Davie are talking about rhetorical reading and strategies while Rheingold is focusing on how technology is changing literacy in the 21st century. Rhetorical reading is not taught often, leading people to question why it should or should not be taught. Lloyd Bitzer believed that a rhetorical situation is a situation where a speaker or writer sees a need to change reality and sees that the change may be effected through rhetorical discourse. While Richard Vatz “…contends that situations do not exist without rhetors, and that rhetors create rather than discover rhetorical situations”. Rheingold expresses his thoughts on technology changing and the only way to survive in this century is to learn the technology. Be able to control it; do not let technology control the people. I know I do not have a full understanding of these essays, which may be why I do not see a connection or be able to give a rhetorical analysis.
http://npg.org/2013essayscholarship.html or http://npg.org/scholarship/2013/2013_NPG_Essay_Scholarship_Rules.pdf - Explain how population growth, driven largely by immigration, has negatively affected your community. What solutions do you propose to ensure a decent quality of life for your generation 30 years from now?
http://www.floridablackhistory.com/docs/bhm2013_essay_form.pdf - All essays should address the following topic: “Look at diversity in the United States; reflect on what you have learned in your life experience. Explain if you think diversity benefits society.”
Andre Grace
ReplyDeleteIn Why You Need Digital Know-How-Why We all Need it, There were many points that showed me how to analyze my online behavior.
Identifying my attention is one the awareness given to me by Harold Rheingold. My attention online is for the most part very simple. I began participating on social network like facebook originally to spread and send messages out to a specif group of people as a way of
communicating to everyone simultaneously. I avoided all person information for or about myself. That was just how I got started. Now I am a social media veteran. My preferred site is facebook. My motivation quickly changed as I was put in contact with many people I hadnt seen in forever. I now began to see the power of reach in social sites. I am attracted to some of my close friends pictures. Not all but the ones of vacations or their kids or family. I also post things about my family, trips we go on, as well as thoughts I have now. I like to share the growth and accomplishments of my kids to everyone. I also like information on coming up events in the area. I now also put more of my personal business on so that friends can keep track and know alittle more about me. Through this I learned how to do crap detections. I don't read or follow all my friends post so I discard alot of posts. Also ads that require detailed information about myself I avoid, Like popups, and miscellanneous emails from companies. Usually I stay focused on what I am searching for or the purpose for my surfing. However I tend to stray or do alot of following up with related topics especially educational you tube feeds. Facebook is really my only social media outlet however I have in past times been in a few forums for different hobbies I have. I use them for knowledge about my hobby. I also do most of my shopping online.
Part 2:
Analyzing Howard Rheingold's Introduction using the 4 constituents in rhetorical situations.
Exigence-The future of digital culture. The change of an age of literacy made possible by technology and the need for people to analyze their digital behavior.
Rhetorers- Howard Rheingold however sometimes an we the common person experience is used
Audience- The audience is you and him, civilization, and individuals.
discourse- The future of Digital culture
Constraints - the lack of knowledge by some in using digital media as well as not identifying your 5 constituents. Also realizing the need to adapt and learn to use the cybor culture to our advantge.
Part 3 The Essay Contest Links
Delete1. This is a chicago treasury based contest given by the states treasury office every year. The prize is a $1000 check toward college tuition. The topic of the contest is a chicago entrepreneurs influenced the city and you personally...
http://www.chicagocitytreasurer.com/black-history-month-essay-contest-deadline-feb-11-2013/
2.Florida's Rick Scott Black History essayhttp://www.fldoe.org/justforteachers/PDF/BHM2013-EssayRulesWaiver.pdf
It is given by the Governor's Office. The subject is racial diversity, what I have learned in my life and how diversity benefits society...
Chet Rosenfeld continued
ReplyDeleteThe constraints, like Grant-Davie suggested are hard to define. If constraints are defined as “persons, events, objects and relations… that work either for or against the rhetor’s objectives,” then I guess it helps that this introduction is available on the internet. It is amusing that most of his findings have been placed in a book – considering the content is about using the web and “thriving” in the online world – I would think that his intended audience is unlikely to pick up a book. So, I think that the rhetor and his medium is a constraint. The article by Haas and Flower has challenged me to become a more active reader. I will practice deriving meaning as I read the future texts.
Essay Contests
1. www.realsimple.com/lifelessonscontest
This link is for the 5th Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest by Real Simple Magazine. It was from May – September 2012 and the winners were announced a couple of weeks ago. The 6th Annual contest should be announced later this year and I intend to enter it. The contest asks the writer to talk about a bad decision or regret and write what they have learned from it.
2. http://www.zinch.com/scholarships
This essay contest is unique in that it is a 2 to 3 sentence essay contest that happens weekly. The weekly prize is $1,000.00, but the essay is capped at 280 characters a week. I feel challenged by this scholarship opportunity. I understand that it may not be well-received, so if I need to choose a more traditional essay contest, please notify me.