Writing in the 21^st century: A report from the National Council of Teachers of English

This article talks about the importance of understanding technology and urges teachers to use it to its full potential. It calls for people to complete three challenges: develop new models of writing, design a new curriculum to support those models, and create models for teaching that curriculum. This article encourages people to view knowledge as a treasure and a gift. It discusses the history of reading and writing. Reading was always associated with something warm and fuzzy like a church or family life, while writing, on the other hand, was always put into a negative light.Later, the article talks about how in the 21^st century writers are everywhere. Text seems to cover every surface. They cover bulletins and they can be found all throughout social media. This is called the Age of Composition. This is a period where composers not through direct and formal instruction alone, but rather through what we might call an extracurricular social co-apprenticeship.

From Pencils to Pixels: The stages of Literacy Technology

Written by: Dennis Baron

This article discuses how the computer world has evolved had how, through the help of computers and the Internet, the world will soon become literate. Our dependence on the internet has knocked out a use for pencils or typewriters and has allowed learning to become more accessible. This article also talks about the stages of literacy. It first is secretive, unknown to the world. After corrections after corrections of the new technology it is let out to the public. There are many negatives of literacy that if found on the Internet. For one, there is a greater percent chance for fraud.

The main point of this essay is simple: Baron discusses how the computer is just one stop on a long line of new technologies that keep improving. At one point, writing with pen and paper seemed untrustworthy. People feared that it would weaken our memories. And when the typewriter came along, people had similar views. They did not like the idea of words being written that was not from the hand itself.

"Brave New World of Digital Intimacy"
By Clive Thompson

This article describes Mark Zuckerburg's process to perfect Facebook to be as modern and fast-paced as possible. In the beginning he talks about how the early stages of Facebook were "primitive" because one could not keep an update on everyone's lives. Because of that, he created the "News Feed." This allowed Facebook users to be more up to date on all of their followers. But soon this became a problem because everyone was bombarded with too much information. But when the news feed was taken away, users missed it, and it soon was placed back and to Facebook, and released to the public.
Scientists have come up with the term, ambient awareness."This means the incessant need for online contact. Facebook has completely changed the way people interact. It has changed the way we view the internet. Since Facebook has come out, people have begun to post more often, but they are shorter posts. This formed into twitter. Twitter works as a way to constantly communicate with the Internet world, but the posts are only one sentence, maybe two. The author of this article questions why Twitter users even care about the worthless Twitter posts like, "I really hate it when people clip their nails on a bus."
The author creates a paradox of "ambient awareness." Though almost every Twitter of Facebook user would agree that each little post or update of social information is, on its own, extremely mundane, taken together, it allows the user to create a picture he or she's users lives. Overall, Thompson argues the reasons on why Twitter and Facebook have been able to become so large.

Cognitive Surplus

Taking in knowledge from the Internet, and doing something with it is so important. Our cognitive surplus is our mental actions. It is necessary that we are productive with our cognitive surplus and that we put it to good use. How many hours a day do we spend mindlessly watching TV without anything to show for it? This article is not discouraging the idea of TV and modern technology, but rather encouraging us to be productive with it. The author of this article wants us to turn something passive into an active activity. He encourages us to use modern technology for good use. He wants to see if the social media of the modern world can make an impact. He wants us to use the Internet as a way of communication and as a way to build a platform for good works. The internet has the power to do great things, but it is up to us to follow through. 

Is google making us stupid?

We have become immune to reading texts. Due to the fact that there is so much information on the Internet, we have become distracted by short and sweet articles. These articles are easier to read, and we are less likely to get distracted. We have become happy with the gist of the idea, and not wanting to find out the details of information. The Internet has effected our thought process because we are willing to jump to a conclusion and don’t care about processes information. The horrible part about that is that the Internet is not necessarily accurate. 

Anna Hawkins

Thesis statement

Miley Cryus’ Twitter Account

Through Miley Cyrus’ twitter account, Miley allows viewers to view her as vulgar and promiscuous. Through her position of power, Cyrus has the potential to make a positive influence, but instead, allows herself to be seen in a negative light.

Cyrus is in a position of power

·      Has the ability to do good in the world

·      Public twitter account

·      Went from being a role model for teenagers to someone that is not respected

·      Has the ability to make a positive influence

·      Through her

o   Racy photos

o   Vulgar language

o   X