Feels like a research (article) rollercoaster. I find after reading Cybergirl that I'm more focused on the body de- and re- construction than on their skillful use of digital literacies. Seems like that "easy" conclusion about the avatars that are "complicit with patriarchal idealiogies idealising westernised feminine beauty" (p. 379) is an altogether legit place to come out. Check out this part of a chapter in An Introduction to Sociology: A Feminist Perspective (2005) by Abbott, Wallace and Tyler (pp. 319-320). It all seems pretty toxic. Christy had the discovery that cyberlife could be more than posing and pouting and powerful positioning -- she was genuinely excited about community building which is a more confidence inducing kind of "making" (p. 375) than spending all that time as subject and object of one's own fantasy life (p. 376).
Thomas's theoretical discussion is pretty fascinating -- she pulls from Film Theory, Freud, and Foucault among many others. This notion of performance of self, for the self is pretty interesting.
Lankshear and Knobel (2003) "Implications of 'New' Literacies for Writing Research"
This is going to be a sort of here and there response to a few points in the article --
I'd love to see a wiki-evolving list of New Literacies, and it'd be cool to see a genealogy of where each "comes from".
I'm particularly taken with scenario planning and their example of using it to train preservice teachers (a la Hawisher & Selfe) "...we might frame the question of what learning and teaching of literacy and technology might look like within educational settings for elementary school age children 15 years hence" (p. 4). It seems to me that scenario planning requires abilities to research, synthesize, collaborate, and critically evaluate -- a potentially powerful approach.
So is Jon Stewart's Daily Show culture jamming?
And. Lankshear and Knobel (again like their next-door neighbors Hawisher et al), pretty much implore writing researchers t "avoid as far as possible the 'schoolification' of the practice in question" (p 15) -- (shudder) in other words, don't kill it and pin it up by the wings. They then suggest that gaming manuals might hold a key to understanding the "new" practitioners of these "New Literacies".
Hawisher & Selfe with Moraski and Pearson (2004) "Becoming literate in the Information Age: Cultural ecologies and the literacies of technology"
Reminicent of Brandt's work, this piece is broad in scope. The authors assert that especially teachers of English approach literacies in a narrow, alphabetic, print kind of way. They say teachers don't see what the kids are interested in, and can't because they're invisible -- because they're not valued. Thus, teachers end up moving "instructional practices and values....further and further away from those [literacies] that students consider important" (p. 676). We have to meet the kids where they are with New Literacies as well as with ways of being. Interestingly, the authors suggest that a more open (and humble) attitude needs to originate with college faculty in the training of new teachers (p. 677).
3 comments:
Thanks for the link to more about the "beauty myth." I wanted more critical attention to that in the Thomas pice - although she did have a whole lot of other stuff in there. I sort of shuddered when I read Christy's proud line that, "I think i look like i come from a dolly magazine." oh gods!
I love the video, really helpful for me as I try to situate Thomas' work. I liked the final points, that women's meticulous attention to their second life appearance has nothing to do with women, but with men and men's institutional myths of women. Your blogs are always so helpful!! Thanks Anna!
"It seems to me that scenario planning requires abilities to research, synthesize, collaborate, and critically evaluate -- a potentially powerful approach."
It is indeed a powerful approach especially used in business. In order to be able to do a very effective strategy planning, scenario planning is imperative. Here's a good definition: http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/scenario.htm
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