Comparing Sources of Research Material
The purpose of the assignment is to compare and contrast the source of research material available to a learner. We were first assigned to find a source from the Internet, and the second assignment was to find another source from the periodicals in the USCA library. This comparison will help each individual to determine the type of reading that benefits him or her the most. From these two sources, I learned a great deal of information about the different influences and ways that people learn. I recognize and agree that people can learn in different ways. I believe that as a person growing up in a technologically advanced world, that the current generation is more comfortable using information available from the Internet.
The first article that I read was "Digital Literacy," written by Richard Lanham. This article discussed how plain black and white text has become a thing of the past. The article states that reading material is now available on the web that contains a combination of audio and graphics and is the new method of written communication. The second article was "Teaching and Learning Literacy With Technology," written by Philip Molebash and Douglas Fisher. This article discussed the growing interaction of people with technology and writing. Both articles discuss the growing use of technology. While both articles had a similar message, what interested me was that I discovered the first article on the more advanced form of technology (the internet) while the second article was found in a more traditional research setting (the library).
The two articles demonstrate a contrast in presentation style. One difference is the way that the text is presented. An article that is on the Internet can have graphics and lots of color; most of the articles that are written in periodicals are in just plain black and white text. Some find that it is easier to read plain black and white text; others like the ability of reading the text with different colors and graphics to keep their attention. I personally find it easier to read text on the Internet for the graphics. Scrolling is also one of the things that I find most convenient things when using the Internet versus regular text. This saves lots of time when looking for a specific point, rather than flipping through pages in a book or print out.
The author is able to establish herself by citing authoritative sources in paragraph 9, where research is cited from MIT that shows retention rates dramatically increase through the use of technology. By citing such authoritative sources, as MIT is renowned and reputable for their actions, the author is able to establish her viewpoint as credible and right. The author’s quotation of respectable sources leaves the reader with no choice but to see the author’s viewpoint as valid. This furthers her line of argumentation that there are benefits to early exposure to technology.
However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chats and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what counts as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Just like books, the Internet can take you places, on advantages without having to leave home. Digital literacy can be beneficial with the proper guidance of teachers, educators and
Schlossberg, Tatiana. “The State of Publishing: Literacy Rates”. 2 February 2011. Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Web. 21 September 2013. :
Comparing Two Sources There are disagreements and agreements between source A and source B. Source A was from a report written by a journalist Humphrey Tyler, who worked for a South African magazine. The report was written later on the same day that the shooting occurred. Source B was from an English newspaper, published the day after the shooting. Source A and source B both agree and disagree with each other over different things.
Dennis Baron discusses the stages of the development of communication and technology. He also discusses the development and evolution of production with literacy technologies and its effects on modern society. Baron describes in the article his ideas about the stages of literacy technologies and how they apply to every new product. The first stage is the invention of the new technology, and then comes the accessibility, function and authenticity. The three types of technology that Baron applies these ideas to are the telephone, computer, and pencil.
In the New York Times article “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?”, the author, Motoko Rich, brings up a series of points, many of which seem to be making the argument that reading online is not as good as reading from a physical book. I disagree with Rich. I believe that the article, written in 2008, is now somewhat outdated. The internet has developed to be one of the best resources for information. Whether you want to read about the characters in a novel, study scholarly articles for your upcoming midterms, or read about what’s happening in your favorite celebrity’s life, the internet will have it. In high school, I was given an assignment in which we were to write a 5 page research paper on a topic we felt strongly about, and
The steps taken to search for information that already exists about the topic include using scholarly search engines to gather a se...
... to the shift in contemporary communication and learning contexts. Walsh presents data taken from 16 teachers across 9 primary school classrooms on developing new ways of incorporating technology for literacy learning with evidence presenting that teachers can combine both print-based and digital communications technology across numerous curriculum areas to inform and support literacy development. This article is useful for my topic as it examines and explains the need and relevance to combining print and digital text into literacy learning and how this can improve children’s engagement and literary understandings. This article is implemented within my research paper as it provides meaning as to why educators need to rethink their pedagogies to inform the literacy that is needed in contemporary times for reading, writing, viewing and responding to multimodal texts.
Looking back over the course of the semester, I feel that I learned many new and interesting uses for technology within the classroom – both for classrooms that have a lot of technology and for classrooms that are limited with technology. For the majority of the class, we utilized William Kists’ book The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age (2010), which provided multiple modes of instruction that both utilized and/or created technology. One of the first things that I remember, and consequently that stuck with me through the course’s entirety, is that individuals must treat everything as a text. Even a garden is a text. The statement made me change the way that I traditionally viewed Language Arts both as a student and as a teacher, as I very narrowly saw literature and works of the like as texts only; however, by considering nearly anything as a text, one can analyze, study, and even expand his/her knowledge. Kist (2010) states that society is “experiencing a vast transformation of the way we “read” and “write,” and a broadening of the way we conceptualize “literacy” (p. 2). In order to begin to experience and learn with the modern classroom and technologically advanced students, individuals must begin to see new things as literature and analyze those things in a similar manner.
First, he provides an overview of the history and development of the book as well as the development of reading. Carr analyzes and explains the effects of these developments on the individuals. Furthermore, he notes that the Internet recreates and alters a medium’s content by the use of hyperlinks, which ultimately distracts readers, and by separating the content into organized chunks. These characteristics make the content “searchable” which stimulates skimming behavior or superficial reading. As a result, readers retain less information due to the lack of deep, analytical reading. In addition, online texts often incorporate opinions, beliefs, or skewed viewpoints of certain topics, which can have negative effects on readers. Carr also addresses that some opponents believe that hardcopy reading was a result of “impoverished access” (111) and that the desire to use the fast paced web is a result of a quickening pace of life and work over the past few
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center
Now that we are living in an ever changing world, technology is viewed as the most resourceful tool in keeping up with the pace. Without the use of technology, communication would be limited to using mail for delivery and encyclopedias for research. Although technology has improved the way we communicate and find information for research, the information is not always valid. Unfortunately, for those of us who use the internet for shopping, research, or reading articles of personal interest the information is not treated the same as a your magazine or book. While such literature is reviewed by an editorial staff, internet literature or information can be published by anyone. In order to reap the full benefit of having the use of technology for any purpose, there are five basic criteria’s one must keep in mind as an evaluating tool for deciding whether or not the particular website is a reliable source for information.
The objective of this essay is to compare Internet research with other sources of information which include books, word of mouth and primary research. This paper will also look at ways of ascertaining the validity of research information for academic work.
With the advancement of technology and the exponential increase of Internet use, professionals-academic and business-are relying on electronic resources for information, research, and data. The Internet gives an individual access to a sea of information, data, and knowledge; plus, this vast amount of information is available in a matter of seconds, rather than hours or days. The ease of access, availability, up-to-the-second timeliness, and vastness of online resources is causing many professionals, however, to forgo the use of print sources. Online resources are useful to conduct scholarly research and 'may be convenient, but they have shortcomings that make print sources necessary for submitting high-quality assignments' (Dilevko & Gottieb, 2002, ¶ 1).
Writing Prompt: In an age of information, are Americans more or less literate then they used to be? Persuade the reader to agree with the paper's position while exploring the consequences of this trend. With advances in technology, more and more people are becoming digital literate. What is "digital literacy"? Research and define this term, and decide whether or not this is a necessary skill in today's society. Be sure to support your opinion using researched facts and thought out reasons