Post a comment to this blog post of at least 250 words about Donald Jones’s “Thinking Critically About Digital Literacy.” While this was a pedagogically-focused essay, connect it to the kinds of audience-specific work that we must do as effective technical communicators. Remember that we need to engage our audiences with those literacies (e.g., print vs. digital literacies) that they already have while endeavoring to help our audiences develop other literacies that might improve our current or future communications.
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Donald C. Jones’s “Thinking Critically About Digital Literacy.
In his article, Thinking Critically about Digital Literacy, Donald Jones explores the digital preference of NetGen, student who came of age with digital technologies. He challenges students, in an academic setting, to articulate and analyze their misgivings about digital literacy, such as reading online and writing with Microsoft Word. Students expounded the facility and interactivity of digital technology. Students assert that digital media facilitates interaction, multitasking, and problem-solving; However, Jones wanted student to think critically, beyond digital technology, about ‘old print,’ traditional books and written academic materials. In assigning reading to his students, Jones challenges students to write critical responses to Sven Birkerts’s The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of reading in an Electronic Age.” In his book, Birkerts contends that a catastrophic shift from print to electronic literacy is coming, and the consequences are not beneficial to readers. Some students vehemently disagreed with Birkerts contention, while some reached reconcilable conclusions. One student maintained that even though print and digital literacies diverge, it is disingenuous to privilege one over the other; instead, both should be weighed equally. Similar sentiments were espoused by Jacques Derrida who contended that orality should not have advantage over writing technology. With the abundance of information online and, the rate at which content is added and changes, readers must be able to access and engage with both print and digital text. Many students do not see technology and literacy as mutually exclusive .The differences between print and electronic texts cannot be considered absolute. A much better way to think about the strain between print and electronic literacies is to recognize the strength and weaknesses of both. Print texts and electronic texts can coexist, as demonstrated by the hybrid model of today’s classroom with interactive technologies such as eBooks. Jones is confident that he can make print and digital literacy the object of study again. He thinks that this will prompt students to think critically, read closely, and write analytically. Even experts, on both side of the digital divide, agree that, given our societal impetus to digitized technologies, children need a range of reading experiences, and this includes both digital literacy and print.
In the article “Thinking Critically About Digital Literacy” by Donald Jones, Jones discusses the NetGen. The NetGen refers to the net generation, referring to the generation which is all about the internet and world. Although the article was written in 2007 it can much be related in today’s world. This article by Jones is pedagogical writing, meaning that it’s meant to help with teaching. This article was written to help students gain a better understanding of print and digital literacy. Jones continues to say that students these days cannot remember a time in their lives where they did not have a computer. He wanted students to think critically not through digital technology but through old print books. Through his teachings students have said that it’s not right to put print or digital above one another but they should be weighed equally. Readers must be able to work with both digital and print resources. Jones created a learning sequence called critical literacy. In this course students examine the history of literacy as well as their own literate practices with print and digital texts. The goal of this course is for students to think more critically about pens and pixels. Although students do not see print and digital as mutually equal both of these can coexist with each other. There are hybrids of print and digital technologies such as eBooks. Jones just wants students to think critically and analytically through both. We live in a world where technology is constantly advancing so students will need a range of experiences through digital and literal work.
In the article ”Thinking Critically about Digital Literacy” the first thing Donald Jones does is make a noticeable comparison with the technology that is available to students today, and the technology that was available years ago. Students now all have access to computers to surf the web and complete assignments, while Jones recalls using a manual typewriter in college. While he can remember a time without this vast technology available to him, Jones believes that we live in a generation now, where the children will struggle to recall a time in their lives without computers. This generation is known as the NetGen. Agreeing with Bruce Mazlish, Jones believes that our technologies are merely an extension of ourselves. Jones goes on to explain that he appreciates the use of technology and the access he has to it, however the kids of the digital era take it one step further, and are addicted to it, by constantly IMing, and chatting on their phones waiting for class to start. Students of the technological era definitely utilize the resources available to them differently than members who are not part of that generation. Jones admits that “I use email daily, surf the Web regularly, and include Blackboard in my teaching, I, however, am not a modern-day Luddite.” Other students of the NetGen era, however use the internet differently. While they may check their emails regularly, students from the NetGen era utilize the IMing aspect way more. One student even admitted “I can only keep writing if I’m IMing my friends.” While technology and the internet may enhance a student’s academic progress, it definitely causes secondary distractions for them.
In the article “Thinking Critically About Digital Literacy” by Donald Jones, Jones discusses the NetGen. Netgen is a digital technology that completely different. Netgen is replacing the physical with the digital. One good example is using Microsoft word. You have student who don’t write or use a notebook to record we use a computer to write and interact with this technology. Jones himself wanted us not to use this type of technology and revert back to the old traditions of having a book and a paper/pen. He wanted us to think beyond. Jones himself made his students read a story about a digital technology which is the shift from print to electronic. His students came up with the conclusion that we should have a good balance between digital and physically so they both can come into harmony. Readers should be able to work with both sources to help understand. Jones believes how technology itself has become an extension of us, but it a bad way. People get more addicted to the digital era and you have people forgetting the ways of how we did things back then because machines have completely simplified the way we do things therefore the old art is lost. Students are becoming more vulnerable to their phones constantly checking and talking to their friends. The different generation gaps use technology is a very different way compared to each other. Technology and internet definitely gives students a way to enhance their academic progress and other things, but it’s causing a distraction as well making students unable to focus.
In the article “Thinking Critically about Digital Literacy” by Donald C. Jones talks about different perspectives that college students have about modern and historical literacy in a college setting. Jones uses different types of lessons, and has his students think about how their generation integrates technology and how it affects their lives. Jones asks the students to write about a mark that digital literacy has imprinted on them, and one student talked about the first time he was given internet access as being one of the best days of his life. With having a new portal of entry to getting information in a faster and more efficient way it’s hard to back to print. He refers to his students as NetGen which is a generation of people that are exposed to the modern technology. People especially the NetGen aren’t going back the ways of old literacy if they have a better way of upholding information. In this class he came up with a class course called critical literacy where students learn about the backstory of literacy and modern literacy the use in their everyday life such as texting. Jones wants his students to have an understanding of how both old and modern technology work. One of students gives an example by using a book. When we’re reading you are allowed to let our minds run wild and imagine, however it does become boring flipping page after page. The internet when you read a book online it’s a hands on activity. We are in a generation where technology is going to be constant advancement, but we also need to know the history behind it.
In the article “Thinking Critically about Digital Literacy” Donald Jones talks about the emergence of NetGen, which refers to “Next Generation” an age of digital technology and the Internet touching the world like never before. Published in 2007 it coincides with the inception of new handheld digital devices hitting the market. The release of the first iPhone by Apple CEO Steve Jobs illuminates the idea developments in technology are replacing how things used to be prior to this upcoming wave. Agreeing with Bruce Mazlish, he believes technologies are an extension of ourselves. Emphasis on pedagogical writing acts on the basis for this article, wanting to make students learn the true value of literacy peer through as many in recent years can’t remember a time when they didn’t have access to a computer. With the DragonSpeak software, users replace the typing keyboard with solicited audio that follows in tandem with automatic writing functions of programs like Microsoft Word to instruct commands in real-time into a headset that instantly recognizes the user’s voice. This can in effect make tech savvy and knowledgeable individuals who are reluctant to engage can become motivated students. Some see this as warping the way in which our abilities ought to be developed. Children of the NextGen are more prone to losing the integral part of being human – the need to have contact with others in person instead of IMing through texts or chatting via phone. Admitted Jones himself says “I use email daily, surf the Web regularly, and include Blackboard in my teaching, I, however, am not a modern-day Luddite.”