In the section “Teaching Critical Viewing Skills: Media Literacy Initiatives in the United States” Kearny outlines the three approaches to media pedagogy-integration, production, and analysis-while critiquing the emphasis on analysis, or “media literacy,” in the United States. She traces the prominence of media literacy in the United States to “the late 1920s and early 1930s” when “research on children’s cinema attendance and the effects of film on youth was first conducted,” through the 1950s and the introduction of the “first formal media literacy program” and their rise the 1970s, to their reduction in the 1980s and their resurgence since the 1990s (98).
Kearny associates the protectionist approach of media literacy programs in the United States to class issues first by questioning the influence of the “middle-class adults’” concern over favoring “technical/vocational” skills over “analytical/professional” skills (97). She implies that media literacy is preferred over media production by the middle class because the technical skills necessary for media production are connected to the working class while the critical skills promoted through media literacy are connected to the professional class and in favoring one over the other are privileging professional over working class citizens. She also relates protectionism to class issues by identifying media literacy proponents as part of the “Professional Managerial Class,” a group which developed “as a means for managing and controlling the everyday practices of the working class,” and which only approves of media’s educational function (99). The adversarial relationship between the PMC and the working class, which both devalues and patronizes the working class, and the PMC’s superior political influence ensure that media pedagogy is dominated by the analytical approach.
Kearny also associates media literacy’s protectionist approach, which views “media culture as a cesspool and media literacy as an inoculation against such forces,” to the disempowerment of youth (98). David Buckingham argues that through media literacy “students are seen to be particularly at risk from the negative influence of media… [and] critical analysis [tools] will ‘liberate’ them” (100). He and Kearney contend that by assuming ignorance and naiveté on the part of the students, media literacy programs limit and diminish their engagement with popular media, while at the same time promoting “high culture” (100).While I agree that media literacy programs’ limited perspectives are problematic in many ways, Buckingham and Kearney assume that students’ responses to popular media will be based solely on their experiences with media literacy programs. Today the integration approach to media pedagogy-where media is incorporated into schools through the inclusion of “newspapers and films as supplemental learning materials” and television and the internet as channels of information delivery-is equally, if not more, widespread than media literacy (96).
Monday, February 7, 2011
Mirror, Mirror, on the Web
After completing the readings from the theoretically-heavy Girls Make Media, I was incredibly excited to read “Looking into the Digital Mirror: Reflections on a Computer Camp for Girls by Girls,” because it provided answers for many of the questions GMM led me to ask: Do safe spaces in technology exist for girls? What do these spaces look like in practice? How can we combine media literacy and media education in a progressive way, while keeping gender/age/class/race/ability/sexuality differences in the foreground?
“Digital Mirror” dealt with these issues right away, asserting that, “in addition to functional literacy skills acquired through experimentation with these and other technologies, the girls [at camp] receive opportunities to reflect on the role of communication technologies in both school and family life” (140). The camp thus realizes the importance of including both models of media education pedagogy, and also aims to keep the camp diverse and inclusive for girls of all backgrounds.
I believe that this example of a real-life camp provides an excellent model for what girls’ online safe spaces should look like - female-positive, collaborative efforts where a multitude of backgrounds are not only acknowledged but understood for both the challenges and opportunities they afford the girls who grew up in them. For example, rather than repeating the images of a “gendered enterprise” which include
It is thus incredibly important, as “Digital Mirror” points out, to place an “emphasis on narrative and story as a form of articulating women and girls’ experiences with technology, enabling broader potential for identity construction within digital spaces” (143). It is this confidence in one’s ability to construct their own identity that will enable the truest safe spaces for girls online. With camps such as the Digital Mirror encouraging girls to speak out, create their own media, and critically analyze what current media is telling them to be, girls will be able to form skill sets that allow them to be who they are and say what they want, and then broadcast this to the world. Their identities will be the backbone for the safe spaces that they are creating, and thus make media a form of self-expression, not self-doubt.
“Digital Mirror” dealt with these issues right away, asserting that, “in addition to functional literacy skills acquired through experimentation with these and other technologies, the girls [at camp] receive opportunities to reflect on the role of communication technologies in both school and family life” (140). The camp thus realizes the importance of including both models of media education pedagogy, and also aims to keep the camp diverse and inclusive for girls of all backgrounds.
“To help prevent the exclusion of girls from lower-income backgrounds, we setWhile the issue of a separatist space for women can be critiqued as being unhealthy for girls who will eventually have to pursue their media future in the “real world” which is currently dominated by patriarchal standards of men in authority, both GMM and “Digital Mirror” countered these claims using real-life examples of girls who said that boys almost always take over in class, that they (the girls) felt as if they were relegated to work only in front of the camera as subjects rather than producers, and that the girls needed a grrrls/womyn only space in order to fully realize their true potential. The Digital Mirror camp thus succeeds in providing a safe, feminist space which recognizes that the different experiences girls of all race/class/economic/etc. backgrounds need to be acknowledged and celebrated. This camp works with the most current media pedagogy, encouraging both critical analysis AND a reclamation of public media spaces through the act of production itself.
the family contribution at just $20 for each girl. We recruit girls from a
variety of socioeconomic contexts, and girls enter the camp with varying degrees
of technological literacy. In an effort to preserve the woman-centered, feminist
approach of the camp, all instruction and chaperoning is provided by women, and
student-to-student mentoring is encouraged” (140).
I believe that this example of a real-life camp provides an excellent model for what girls’ online safe spaces should look like - female-positive, collaborative efforts where a multitude of backgrounds are not only acknowledged but understood for both the challenges and opportunities they afford the girls who grew up in them. For example, rather than repeating the images of a “gendered enterprise” which include
“Microsoft PowerPoint clip art under the search topic of ‘computers’ thatsafe spaces online should provide images and examples of people of all races, ability, genders, sexualities, classes, etc. If, for example, a young black girl never sees herself represented in the world of technology as either a girl, or as a black woman, why would she ever feel encouraged to join that world? This is true across all backgrounds – if I never saw any role models (or even simply representations) that I could personally relate to in a specific field, I would not feel confident or welcome enough to join that field.
continues to portray male as opposed to female users,” or “the popular Apple
Computer advertising campaign featuring a young, hip twenty-something male as
‘MAC,’ and a more stodgy male complete with business suit as ‘PC,’ notably both
White” (141),
It is thus incredibly important, as “Digital Mirror” points out, to place an “emphasis on narrative and story as a form of articulating women and girls’ experiences with technology, enabling broader potential for identity construction within digital spaces” (143). It is this confidence in one’s ability to construct their own identity that will enable the truest safe spaces for girls online. With camps such as the Digital Mirror encouraging girls to speak out, create their own media, and critically analyze what current media is telling them to be, girls will be able to form skill sets that allow them to be who they are and say what they want, and then broadcast this to the world. Their identities will be the backbone for the safe spaces that they are creating, and thus make media a form of self-expression, not self-doubt.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Times are changing
After reading “Online, R u really reading,” I definitely have to agree that more things are probably read online versus on print. It is seen as more accessible and at times more comprehensible for younger age groups when certain literature is targeted towards them or when there are study materials available. If you look at the success with online education from a collegiate level, it seems there’s a tendency for people to achieve better on online assignments because there’s an initial interest in working online and there’s the convenience of your time using your modern media of communication. “The Web is more about communication.” Looking back on a plethora of social networks and ebooks is it really that hard to see why internet literacy is rising?
Privilege of (Internet) Access
This week, my reflection after I finished reading centered mostly around the “Girls of El Seybo” article, probably because it presented such a highly different image of internet usage to what I am used to, both in my own personal experience and in the larger portrayal of the internet in Western media. As a teenager in high school and now as a college student, the primary reason for my internet use has always, like many of the girls in the “El Seybo” text, been about research, either for current academic assignments or in preemptive investigation of where I want to make my academic future. A close second, though, was my use of the internet as a leisure outlet—YouTube browsing, connection through discussion forums and message boards, social networking via Facebook; all the socially-motivated uses deemed fairly standard for/by American teens.
In prior attempts to identify my own areas of privilege, for class and for independent reasons, I have typically categorized this as a class-based issue: because my family was middle-class, we could afford the cost of fast, unlimited internet access and the online agency that gave us. While I feel that is still a valid concern in considering privilege in American society, the points raised in “El Seybo” make clear to me that, in a global context, my internet access becomes not only a privilege I have in America, but also one I have as a result of being American. Because I was raised in a country where regular internet access is considered standard and increasingly necessary, it was never questioned that I would participate in it; and because I was raised in a country with a controlling interest in the internet and the material available through it, it was never questioned that I would be able to access things in my first language, making my participation definitively, encouragingly active. These privileged initial outlooks have affected not only why I use the internet, but also how I do so; how I view the internet as simultaneously a tool, a community, and a medium for creative expression; and how I view myself as alternatively a user, a member, and a creator.
Probably because I read and reflected on “El Seybo” first, I wasn’t able to take as much away from the Jenkins article as I had hoped. Although I don’t have much experience in discussing feminism in a global context (a frustration of mine, and something I am hoping this course, by nature of its subject matter, will help me start correcting), a few points in Jenkins’ post, particularly his qualification of the “contemporary media landscape” (“Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape”) as global, seemed decidedly Western-centric and problematic to me. While Jenkins does mention a concern of potential cultural deterioration in developing nations as “the most economically powerful nations will overwhelm the rest, insuring a homogenization of global cultures” (“Eight Traits”), he never really addresses the problems of access and agency that make this an issue. Granted, this is only a brief introductory article, but that does not negate the fact that the perspective on the media landscape he attempts to define is indisputably a Western-centric one. In discussing mainly the benefits of global interconnection facilitated by the internet (and even those in Western-centric terms) and not seriously raising the issue of access outside the Global North as an issue to address, Jenkins does little to challenge a view of the internet as a Western-dominated social sphere. As Paola Prado makes clear in “El Seybo”, this is not a view we can continue to leave unchallenged if we have any serious interest in expanding digital literacy and making full use of it as the “integral tool in the arsenal against gender exclusion and poverty” (Prado 10) it is now considered.
Works Cited
Jenkins, Henry. “Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape.” Confessions of an Aca/Fan. Ed. Henry Jenkins. N.p., 6 Nov. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2011.
Prado, Paola. “The Girls of El Seybo: Logging in to a Different Manaña.” Girl Wide Web 2.0. Ed. Sharon R. Mazzarella. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2010. 9-23. Print.
In prior attempts to identify my own areas of privilege, for class and for independent reasons, I have typically categorized this as a class-based issue: because my family was middle-class, we could afford the cost of fast, unlimited internet access and the online agency that gave us. While I feel that is still a valid concern in considering privilege in American society, the points raised in “El Seybo” make clear to me that, in a global context, my internet access becomes not only a privilege I have in America, but also one I have as a result of being American. Because I was raised in a country where regular internet access is considered standard and increasingly necessary, it was never questioned that I would participate in it; and because I was raised in a country with a controlling interest in the internet and the material available through it, it was never questioned that I would be able to access things in my first language, making my participation definitively, encouragingly active. These privileged initial outlooks have affected not only why I use the internet, but also how I do so; how I view the internet as simultaneously a tool, a community, and a medium for creative expression; and how I view myself as alternatively a user, a member, and a creator.
Probably because I read and reflected on “El Seybo” first, I wasn’t able to take as much away from the Jenkins article as I had hoped. Although I don’t have much experience in discussing feminism in a global context (a frustration of mine, and something I am hoping this course, by nature of its subject matter, will help me start correcting), a few points in Jenkins’ post, particularly his qualification of the “contemporary media landscape” (“Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape”) as global, seemed decidedly Western-centric and problematic to me. While Jenkins does mention a concern of potential cultural deterioration in developing nations as “the most economically powerful nations will overwhelm the rest, insuring a homogenization of global cultures” (“Eight Traits”), he never really addresses the problems of access and agency that make this an issue. Granted, this is only a brief introductory article, but that does not negate the fact that the perspective on the media landscape he attempts to define is indisputably a Western-centric one. In discussing mainly the benefits of global interconnection facilitated by the internet (and even those in Western-centric terms) and not seriously raising the issue of access outside the Global North as an issue to address, Jenkins does little to challenge a view of the internet as a Western-dominated social sphere. As Paola Prado makes clear in “El Seybo”, this is not a view we can continue to leave unchallenged if we have any serious interest in expanding digital literacy and making full use of it as the “integral tool in the arsenal against gender exclusion and poverty” (Prado 10) it is now considered.
Works Cited
Jenkins, Henry. “Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape.” Confessions of an Aca/Fan. Ed. Henry Jenkins. N.p., 6 Nov. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2011.
Prado, Paola. “The Girls of El Seybo: Logging in to a Different Manaña.” Girl Wide Web 2.0. Ed. Sharon R. Mazzarella. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2010. 9-23. Print.
Access as a Theme in Media Literacy
I have noticed with this class, even more, perhaps, than other Women's Studies classes, that everything has an inordinately high level of applicability to such personal matters and opinions that I always feel the need to preface my discussion with a level of personal reflection. When I read "Literacy: R U Really Reading?," for example, I formed my opinions very abruptly and with vigor. No, the Kindle will never replace real books, and yes, digital reading at large can logically be linked to and is indicative of general decline in attention span and self-imposed motivation for more rigorous forms of reading and/or learning. The first statement represents my sincere wish that I can only hope is bolstered by the faith and support of others. The second comes from a place of personal experience, as despite my love of literature, which has carried me through most of my life, I rarely finish books anymore, and not for lack of trying. With that said, I opened my mind a bit more. I considered my mother, who has dyslexia, like the boy mentioned in the article, and similarly to his situation with media literacy, she finds it much easier to read eBooks on her iPad than to ever pick up a physical copy of a book. So of course, I must reason, there is a space for this kind of book learning, so to speak, right? The text says yes, in some ways, but implies so only for those with preexisting privilege (i.e. ready access to a computer for problems like the aforementioned, and otherwise, as examined below, it is potentially a developmental obstacle).
On that note, in terms of themes, I was especially struck by the recurrence of access affecting the ways in which digital literacy can be applied and understood. One would think that we could dismiss socioeconomic status as a factor in our understanding of media literacy, beyond its implications for who is privileged with having it at all. I was surprised when the aforementioned article mentioned that "a recent study of more than 700 low-income, mostly Hispanic and black sixth through 10th graders in Detroit found that those students read more on the Web than in any other medium, though they also read books," then implied that this pattern could be causally linked to diminished academic performance overall, since only frequent novel reading was linked to higher academic performance, and one cannot have it both ways, even with students who occasionally pick up books (New York Times). One inference that can be made, based on socioeconomic status, is that young adults with parents who are not as highly educated seek out knowledge in untraditional manners, and the American style of grade school education, public or otherwise, privileges some forms of knowledge and learning much more highly than others, automatically disadvantaging those who learn and experience life differently, which is a claim has been levied numerous times, especially when indicting standardized testing. This data is strangely skewed from Mary Celeste Kearney's "digital divide," mentioned in Girls Make Media, as it seems to imply that the Internet poses a real threat to the formal education of low-income young people, and I'm sure Kearney would quibble with that data, or at least its interpretation, tremendously (Kearney 241). She would, however, agree with the assessment that the fine arts are traditionally valued over popular culture and its products, as reinforced in her text; however, I feel that that is a rather rudimentary, obvious reflection to make in regard to the scheme of primary and secondary education, and therefore, need not be expounded upon.
Tangentially related is the idea of digital inclusion, broached in Paola Prado's essay, "The Girls of El Seybo," from Girl Wide Web 2.0, which takes the usually rather abstract idea of digital literacy improving quality of life for girls, and gives it a concrete backing, predicated on the idea that being able to see a globalized perspective on gender relations allows girls and young women to develop the courage to defy constricting and often misogynistic ideas about what is gender appropriate. "Digital inclusion," in this case, has a very strong case for this reason, some would even say a social imperative because, as the text notes, bringing Dominican girls into the fold of digital knowledge and understanding, enabling them to have access to worlds which they would otherwise be denied entrance, is a "new beginning," as they are able to foster girl-centered, globalized communities in their otherwise very rural, isolated communities. As the "Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape" notes, media is increasingly more unequally distributed based on levels of access and privilege, and in that way, the public access telecenters represent a milestone in the empowerment of otherwise subjugated knowledges and well, people. I was so vicariously happy that in a world where it's rare to even attend secondary school, the Internet had so positively affected girls' lives that they spoke excitedly about college plans and had professional goals. In that way, perhaps the inclusion and access discussed transcends technology and represents spheres of influence in which women certainly deserve greater stakes, and this is a conduit through which they can understand their personal capital and harness it for the sake of their future.
Back to my original thoughts: In the end, I'm absolutely a purist. I may have all of the resources in the world at my disposal via the Internet, and I may take advantage of them more than I'd like to admit, but I'll never consider what I do in my free time on the computer serious reading. At best, it's just introducing myself to an unfamiliar aspect of feminist theory via a succinct blog post of dubious origins, or reading news articles, or brief, myopic biographies via Wikipedia. If anything, that only reinforces my ability to be encyclopedic, not genuinely insightful. I will always value books over all that, even if my personal practices suggest otherwise. However, if reading via a more technological medium is what works for you, I say, grab that personal empowerment. In that vein, I suggest dailylit.com, as they have a wide range of classic novels as well as contemporary texts available and you can sign up for free and have chapters emailed to yourself daily. It didn't work for me, but as I said, it's not my thing. To quote Ray Bradbury:
Those aren’t books. You can’t hold a computer in your hand like you can a book. A computer does not smell. There are two perfumes to a book. If a book is new, it smells great. If a book is old, it smells even better. It smells like ancient Egypt. A book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it. You put it in your pocket and you walk with it. And it stays with you forever. But the computer doesn’t do that for you. I’m sorry (Paris Review).Then again, he doesn't use a computer at all :)
The New Media Landscape
In Henry Jenkins' "Eight Traits of a Media Landscape" he lists his assessment of the contemporary media landscape as such:
1) Innovative
2) Convergent
3) Everyday
4) Appropriative
5) Networked
6) Global
7) Generational
8) Unequal
He then ends by stating, "Of these eight traits, the only one which might describe our current educational institutions is "unequal." Otherwise, our schools have not kept pace with the changing environment around them. If we were to start from scratch and design an educational system to meet the needs of the culture we have just described, it would look very little like the current school system. Our schools doubly fail kids -- offering them neither the insights they need to avoid the risks nor the opportunity to exploit the potentials of this new participatory culture. Indeed, the skills kids need to function in the new media landscape are skills which are often read as dysfunctional and disruptive in the context of formal education. Kids are, for the most part, learning these skills on their own, outside of school, with the consequence that they are unevenly distributed across the population" (http://henryjenkins.org/2006/11/eight_traits_of_the_new_media.html).
I found Jenkins' opinion refreshing because as I move across the country in a few weeks with my 5 year old son, we are beginning the journey of unschooling. Unschooling for my family is an action to equalize the educational experience. I would go into it all more if there were someone interested in listening, but for now I'll try to move on with my point. The basic unschooling principle is that we are learning all the time. People learn by playing, thinking and amazing themselves. They learn while they're laughing at something surprising, and they learn while they're wondering "What the heck is this!?" In other words, the unschooling concept more accordingly moves in track with the changing environment around us -- a media landscape that requires understanding and addressing of the above eight traits.
So, philosophically, what has brought this change? Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, offers insight into the needs of this new media landscape. He defines the era we are approaching as the Conceptual Age. It is in direct opposition the the departing era referred to as the Information Age. Pink argues that in these changing times we must consider expanding the use of the right hemisphere of our brain as an important tool for navigating our world. This is so because in the Conceptual Age, right brainers will for lack of a better phrase, rule the world. The left hemisphere reasons sequentially, excels at analysis, and handles words. The right hemisphere reasons holistically, recognizes patterns, and interprets emotions and nonverbal expressions. In a participatory culture that is becoming so empowering for so many through this new media landscape and a new era of Conceptualism, it is logical, in fact, that developing our right brain thinking will help us through it.
How does the notion of participatory culture relate to girls and digital literacy? Heather Lawver was 14 years old. She wanted to help other young people improve their reading and writing skills. She established an online publication with a staff of more than 100 people across the world. Her project was embraced by teachers and integrated into their curriculum. She emerged as an important spokesperson in a national debate about intellectual property. The website Lawver created was a school newspaper for the fictional Hogwarts, the location for the popular Harry Potter books.
Obviously, this is a positive example of participatory culture relating to girls and digit literacy. The idea is not that there are no negative concerns to raise. But as Jenkins explains, "(it) may squeeze out time for other learning activities; that contemporary children often lack access to real world play spaces, with adverse health consequences, that adults may inadequately supervise and interact with children about the media they consume (and produce); or concerns about the moral values and commercialization in much contemporary entertainment. Yet, the focus on negative effects of media consumption offers an incomplete picture. These accounts do not appropriately value the skills and knowledge young people are gaining through their involvement with new media, and as a consequence, they may mislead us about the roles teachers and parents should play in helping children learn and grow."
1) Innovative
2) Convergent
3) Everyday
4) Appropriative
5) Networked
6) Global
7) Generational
8) Unequal
He then ends by stating, "Of these eight traits, the only one which might describe our current educational institutions is "unequal." Otherwise, our schools have not kept pace with the changing environment around them. If we were to start from scratch and design an educational system to meet the needs of the culture we have just described, it would look very little like the current school system. Our schools doubly fail kids -- offering them neither the insights they need to avoid the risks nor the opportunity to exploit the potentials of this new participatory culture. Indeed, the skills kids need to function in the new media landscape are skills which are often read as dysfunctional and disruptive in the context of formal education. Kids are, for the most part, learning these skills on their own, outside of school, with the consequence that they are unevenly distributed across the population" (http://henryjenkins.org/2006/11/eight_traits_of_the_new_media.html).
I found Jenkins' opinion refreshing because as I move across the country in a few weeks with my 5 year old son, we are beginning the journey of unschooling. Unschooling for my family is an action to equalize the educational experience. I would go into it all more if there were someone interested in listening, but for now I'll try to move on with my point. The basic unschooling principle is that we are learning all the time. People learn by playing, thinking and amazing themselves. They learn while they're laughing at something surprising, and they learn while they're wondering "What the heck is this!?" In other words, the unschooling concept more accordingly moves in track with the changing environment around us -- a media landscape that requires understanding and addressing of the above eight traits.
So, philosophically, what has brought this change? Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, offers insight into the needs of this new media landscape. He defines the era we are approaching as the Conceptual Age. It is in direct opposition the the departing era referred to as the Information Age. Pink argues that in these changing times we must consider expanding the use of the right hemisphere of our brain as an important tool for navigating our world. This is so because in the Conceptual Age, right brainers will for lack of a better phrase, rule the world. The left hemisphere reasons sequentially, excels at analysis, and handles words. The right hemisphere reasons holistically, recognizes patterns, and interprets emotions and nonverbal expressions. In a participatory culture that is becoming so empowering for so many through this new media landscape and a new era of Conceptualism, it is logical, in fact, that developing our right brain thinking will help us through it.
How does the notion of participatory culture relate to girls and digital literacy? Heather Lawver was 14 years old. She wanted to help other young people improve their reading and writing skills. She established an online publication with a staff of more than 100 people across the world. Her project was embraced by teachers and integrated into their curriculum. She emerged as an important spokesperson in a national debate about intellectual property. The website Lawver created was a school newspaper for the fictional Hogwarts, the location for the popular Harry Potter books.
Obviously, this is a positive example of participatory culture relating to girls and digit literacy. The idea is not that there are no negative concerns to raise. But as Jenkins explains, "(it) may squeeze out time for other learning activities; that contemporary children often lack access to real world play spaces, with adverse health consequences, that adults may inadequately supervise and interact with children about the media they consume (and produce); or concerns about the moral values and commercialization in much contemporary entertainment. Yet, the focus on negative effects of media consumption offers an incomplete picture. These accounts do not appropriately value the skills and knowledge young people are gaining through their involvement with new media, and as a consequence, they may mislead us about the roles teachers and parents should play in helping children learn and grow."
Week 4 Discussion: The Computer Club: No Girls Allowed
The one section of this past two weeks' readings that caught my attention was the section in Kearney's book "Girls Make Media" that discussed the emasculation of computers and technology. As being a self-proclaimed geek, I relate to what Kearney discusses within this section of her book. I may love being on the computer and playing video games, but I have no desire in learning how my various electronic devices work.
I can blame this lack of desire on the world emasculating subjects such as math, science, and technology. I can also place the blame on my intimidation of working on my own tech support. Both of these theories are discussed by Kearney. I will say, however, with the help of my brother who works as a computer engineer, that I was able to replace and install a graphics card on my computer.
Beyond these theories that Kearney discusses, the one part of this reading that really sparked my attention was when Kearney discussed how technological media is so heavily geared towards an audience mostly comprised of heterosexual males. If you were to walk down the magazine aisle of the grocery store and take a look at the computer and video game magazines you would clearly see this trend. The ads within these magazines are for items made for men. The graphics within these magazines are colored with dark, "masculine" colors. The few times that there are female contributors within these magazines, they are most often the model-type geek-chic girls that the world barely ever sees.
The girl gamer is a rare find within our society. From personal experiences, I find that this is mostly because of the kinds of games out there and how girls are treated within gamer culture. Male gamers tend to leave girl gamers out of the bigger first-person shooter games such as "Halo", "Gears of War", and "Left 4 Dead" because they are action-based games filled with violence. Society has taught us that girls aren't supposed to be subjected to such images, and therefore not able to handle them. Because girls are kept from enjoying these games, they feel intimidated by them and usually don't give them a chance because they are afraid of not living up to the standards of the male gamers. When a girl goes against the grain and decides to play those games with the guys, they immediately have to do so much more better than the average male gamer if they hope to gain acceptance within the gamer culture.
Many game developers have seen this growing technology as an opportunity to bring in more of a female audience. The one major problem that comes up is the kinds of games that are being developed "for girls". The most favorite kind of game being developed for girls is the simulator genre. The budding girl gamer does not want to play games that simulate baby sitting, cooking, taking care of animals, and designing fashion. They want games with a great story that don't single out girls, nor push them away from enjoying the game.
I can blame this lack of desire on the world emasculating subjects such as math, science, and technology. I can also place the blame on my intimidation of working on my own tech support. Both of these theories are discussed by Kearney. I will say, however, with the help of my brother who works as a computer engineer, that I was able to replace and install a graphics card on my computer.
Beyond these theories that Kearney discusses, the one part of this reading that really sparked my attention was when Kearney discussed how technological media is so heavily geared towards an audience mostly comprised of heterosexual males. If you were to walk down the magazine aisle of the grocery store and take a look at the computer and video game magazines you would clearly see this trend. The ads within these magazines are for items made for men. The graphics within these magazines are colored with dark, "masculine" colors. The few times that there are female contributors within these magazines, they are most often the model-type geek-chic girls that the world barely ever sees.
The girl gamer is a rare find within our society. From personal experiences, I find that this is mostly because of the kinds of games out there and how girls are treated within gamer culture. Male gamers tend to leave girl gamers out of the bigger first-person shooter games such as "Halo", "Gears of War", and "Left 4 Dead" because they are action-based games filled with violence. Society has taught us that girls aren't supposed to be subjected to such images, and therefore not able to handle them. Because girls are kept from enjoying these games, they feel intimidated by them and usually don't give them a chance because they are afraid of not living up to the standards of the male gamers. When a girl goes against the grain and decides to play those games with the guys, they immediately have to do so much more better than the average male gamer if they hope to gain acceptance within the gamer culture.
Many game developers have seen this growing technology as an opportunity to bring in more of a female audience. The one major problem that comes up is the kinds of games that are being developed "for girls". The most favorite kind of game being developed for girls is the simulator genre. The budding girl gamer does not want to play games that simulate baby sitting, cooking, taking care of animals, and designing fashion. They want games with a great story that don't single out girls, nor push them away from enjoying the game.
Internet use in the DR
The use of internet by girls in the DR differs from those in the U.S. and other developed countries in a few ways which were mentioned in the test on page 14. The author touched on the fact that internet use was mostly restricted to use at public facilities, thereby making the length of time and how frequently girls in the DR go online is significantly less than girls who have the internet readily available to them in their homes. It’s interesting to see that in the U/S/ the average teen spends approximately 11.5 hours on the internet per week, whereas in the DR girls spend approximately a few days a week online for anywhere between 15-20 minutes. This difference is due highly to availability and affordability. Girls in the DR must pay to use the internet in the telecenters, whereas girls in the U.S. typically have their internet use paid for by their guardians. Another reason as to why the girls in these different countries spend different amounts of time on the internet is because of availability. For instance, in the DR girls must travel outside of their homes a lot of times to get to a place where there is internet access, as opposed to the girls in the U.S. who typically have their computers in their own homes, readily available to them. Aside from just the time and frequency girls in these different countries access the internet, they also view the internet in different ways. It’s apparent that girls in the U.S. take their ability to get on the internet for granted and don’t realize how great a tool it is to have and how lucky they are to have it so readily available. When seeing what some girls from the DR said about the internet though, it’s apparent that they know that the internet is a great tool and has many possibilities built into it. For instance, when Norma, 13, from the DR says “many beautiful things, there’s so much to see on the Internet.” It’s interesting to consider how many girls from the U.S. would think this and would see the internet as a place where they could see beautiful things and be entertained for a bit from their daily lives.
One thing that made me a tad uneasy was that, while reading this article I thought to myself, “I’m going to have to blog about this.” It was weird to think that I was reading about this place where access to internet was rare, where girls did not have a great digital literacy and in the end, after I was done learning about it all, that I would have to go online and talk about it. The fact that I knew I would be able to sit in the comfort of my own home and post on the blog about my thoughts and what I read, made me feel pretty guilty. I felt like I was sitting here, reading about a problem that, if resolved, could help further the well-being of the women, heck of the people, in this country and all I was going to do was blog about it. I thought about ways that I could make an impact and help to change internet use in the DR, but I don’t really know where to even start. How does one even begin to help a developing country gain affordable access to the internet if they, themselves, have limited funding to do anything? Reading the article in general just made me feel a bit bad for being privileged and able to have such availability to the internet, whether it be at home or in the palm of my hand. I guess this article definitely helped me, one of those U.S. girls, stop taking the internet and my access to it for granted.
One thing that made me a tad uneasy was that, while reading this article I thought to myself, “I’m going to have to blog about this.” It was weird to think that I was reading about this place where access to internet was rare, where girls did not have a great digital literacy and in the end, after I was done learning about it all, that I would have to go online and talk about it. The fact that I knew I would be able to sit in the comfort of my own home and post on the blog about my thoughts and what I read, made me feel pretty guilty. I felt like I was sitting here, reading about a problem that, if resolved, could help further the well-being of the women, heck of the people, in this country and all I was going to do was blog about it. I thought about ways that I could make an impact and help to change internet use in the DR, but I don’t really know where to even start. How does one even begin to help a developing country gain affordable access to the internet if they, themselves, have limited funding to do anything? Reading the article in general just made me feel a bit bad for being privileged and able to have such availability to the internet, whether it be at home or in the palm of my hand. I guess this article definitely helped me, one of those U.S. girls, stop taking the internet and my access to it for granted.
Digital Literacy: Good and Bad
In Girls Make Media, Kearney talks about the flaws that sometimes exist within girls advocacy programs. Initially before reading the entire section, I was a little confused about her claims but upon reading more I do see the point she is trying to make. Kearney especially believes that although advocacy movements do educate girls about things like media literacy and empowerment, they do not do a good enough job to encourage girls to create their own media as a way to combat the inequalities that exist. They do not teach girls how to write and pick up cameras as a way to make a real mark on media. Kearney goes on to talk about the Girls Scouts and how similar issues exist within the organization. Although the Girls Scouts do have a guidebook for girls regarding media, Kearney argues that it simply does not contain enough information (95). While I don’t think these initiatives should be completely discounted (they have helped many girls out there, after all), I do thing the points Kearney brought up were both thought-provoking and important. To me, a great way to encourage girls in our own lives is to provide as much education as we can to them, and furthermore, help provide them with the means they need to change the things they don’t like about the media. As Kearney suggested, I think teaching girls about how they can create media themselves would be incredibly beneficial. Malory Graham stated, “By teaching teenage girls how to be critical television waters and then producers of their own media, we are giving them a voice in an arena where they are heavily targeted as consumers but where their artistic expression is seldom heard or seen,” (112). To me, this is a perfect description of what needs to happen.
I really enjoyed the section on the digital divide too. Although it seems obvious that higher income families would be able to provide their children with easier access to things like the internet versus lower income families, I really enjoyed the analysis of the issue. Sex plays into the issue as well, and I thought it was interesting that although claims were made that women and girls were slower to adapt to the internet than men and boys, girls aged 9-17 surpassed boys in their internet use (243). I think this says something about the true adaptability of girls, and the idea that they’re in general, underestimated. The section goes on to discuss the lack of females in the computer and IT fields (similarly to math and science fields). I think this is attributed to lack of encouragement from educators, lack of confidence and lack of resources (which Kearney touches upon too). As a girl who knows as much if not more about computers than the men around me, I do think its important for more girls to be knowledgeable and involved in the field. The best way to do this in my opinion is by providing encouragement and instilling the belief that computers and IT jobs are not meant for just men.
I thought the New York Times article was fascinating as well. A lot of it was pretty shocking to read, and its incredible to think about what kind of effect the internet has had on book reading. One of the things that stuck out to me most was the sentence, “Some traditionalists warn that digital reading is the intellectual equivalent of empty calories.” I thought this was a really interesting, well-thought out analogy, and I do thing it makes sense in a lot of ways. While I’m not saying that digital reading amounts to no education, I do thing that there is something that books provide that reading articles, forums, blogs etc on the internet can not replace. Like empty calories, internet readings can be fun and taste good, but what do they really provide to us in the long run intellectually? In the article, Nadia claims that you don’t need to read books to get into college, however lower tests scores say otherwise. To me, the article was a great reminder that although digital literacy is incredibly important, it can do harm to girls as well. A certain balance needs to be achieved, however it seems difficult to decipher how to create this balance. To me, girls (and boys when it comes to it) need to be taught that picking up books can be just as rewarding as something like reading a blog, fanfiction, facebook profiles etc. Although I personally love the internet and get a lot from it, nothing I read on it compares to my favorite books.
Ya, U R really reading!! ;)
I happened to find the "R U really reading" article online very interesting. I do think that with the overall growth of the internet, social networking, and online gaming, that the number of students reading books for leisure has declined. That being said, I do not think that if the internet was not as popular that students wouldn't be spending more of their time watching hours of TV and playing hours of video games on home gaming consoles. I do think that with social networking like Facebook and Twitter, that students are reading more then they would be if they were just playing video games. Regardless of the amount of useful information they are receiving from these readings, at least they are still reading something! I also think websites like Stumbleupon.com ( which is a search engine that requires you to sign in and fill out a questionnaire about things you are interested in, so that it can search websites that you will find to be interesting or entertaining to you personally) are making leaps for young learners because it is allowing students to find material that they will enjoy, without having to search through countless websites that they will not find useful to themselves. In the classroom setting, students are required to read books and novels to past test, so at least students are still practicing their reading skills while at home, and making reading more enjoyable for themselves! I also feel as if reading and writing online will help advance, average, and slow learners. My 10 year old niece has learning disabilities, and since she has began working with a computer teacher to help her reading and writing she has raised her grades from c's to high b's and a's! And her writing which is very hard to understand ( because of dyslexia, is much easier to understand when she uses a computer to get her writing out on paper. I also believe that with the use of internet for reading, there is more pictures and videos to encourage great understanding of the material students are reading if it is academic. I think that it is better for the youth today to be reading tweets and status updates then watching hours of mind numbing cartoons. Anyone else feel the same way?
Digital Emergence: Young Girls
Kearney believes that through Girls Inc Literacy programs, teaching girls to think critically about the images and media messages that surround them are important. She also believes that despite the fact that such media programs encourage critical thinking, those programs by Girls Inc do not present a clear and relevant understanding of media representation. Whether it is by design or default, Girls Inc display of poor media and literacy curricula represent a betrayal of the ideals of the female youth in terms of their communication (questions and comments) as depicted in their media. They either lack clarity or they do not go far enough. It is ironic that Girls Inc media communications lack gender diversity and inclusion. “Their lack of exposure to or training in contemporary theories of the relationship of gender to media representation and consumption” (GMM 93). I feel that Kearney is right in her critique because Girls Inc should put true meaning to its rhetoric and capitalize on its role as media representative in a more forceful manner.
I think that we can encourage girls in our own lives to be more critical viewers and consumers of media by empowering them to become active participants in decision making at the local, regional and state levels. We need advocacy groups that are serious in motivating and persuading decision makers to recognize that these youths are the future, and allow them to participate. We should encourage our youths to engage in volunteer work. Young girls should be encouraged at an early age to learn about computers and digital designs. Kearney would be excited about all these young girls’ participation in the decision making process as well as the technology.
Kearney puts forward some suggestions to make “girl empowerment” and “media literacy” more effective. She suggests that girls go on a “media diet,” and by that she means that girls need to make wise decisions in terms of what they listen to or read from the media. They can correspond with the industry, and provide feedback. Girls are able to reflect by keeping private journals of their critique of the media as a means of privately venting their frustrations, and concern.
I would define girl advocacy movements as various movements with different areas of activity and different ideologies that sometimes cause conflict. It is possible at times for these various movements to defeat the very purpose they set out to serve. In regards to grrrl power, I would say it is the emergence of the female youth in their quest to attain parity with their male counterpart in the production and ownership of media. According to Margaret Cables, “We need to train our girls to think differently about media, to think about becoming the director, the person who controls the image” (GMM 91).
According to Kearney, the protectionist approach is linked to class issues because the conservatives are among the most vocal advocates for children’s media literacy. They detest the commercial culture and label it as too liberal and sexually graphic. They enable the formation of the “Professional Managerial Class” with oversight on the working class (GMM 99). However, they outsourced jobs from the U.S. under the pretext of cutting expense. This caused resentment between the members of the PMC and the working class because there are fewer jobs available for U.S. citizens.
In reference to the topic “Online, R U Really Reading,” I think that fifteen year old Nadia Konyk finds reading online to be her comfort zone. This digital age is her culture, and the fact that she is passionate about doing most of her reading online should not come as a surprise. This is differentiated learning. Not everyone is happy reading text books and novels. If Nadia did not have the option of reading online, then she would spend her leisure time sitting in front of the television. Her mother, Deborah Konyk, states, “I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore.” In addition, when students read text materials, the main idea, beginning, middle and end are based on the writer’s vision as opposed to students perusing cyberspace and coming up with their own composition of beginnings, middle and end.
The digital age has come upon us, so it becomes necessary for us to greet it and accept it. Teenager Nadia Konyk is a clear example of a student who should have the right tools to finish a job. She is the master of her domain, let her do what she does best (reading online); just supply her with the tool (computer).
I think that Kearney would agree with the concept of online reading. The whole world will go digital and so it makes good sense for our kids to start early. Online reading would not replace text learning. It doesn’t have to be. Instead, they both can go side by side.
Digital Autobiography
“Stupid computer!” Ah…yes, familiar words that have been coming out of my mouth from about the age of 13 or 14 all the way until present day: yesterday. I have developed this love/hate relationship with technology since my early teenage years. I love technology, computers, and the digital world for many reasons, but then I reach new levels of frustration when it doesn’t cooperate and do what I need it to do. As I sit here attempting to formulate my thoughts, my fingers rest on the keys of my laptop rather than around a pen that is touching a piece of paper. So much of what we think and wish to express comes out of our minds and is placed onto a digital template rather than into hard copy format and this is just normal, second nature really to how we develop who we are intellectually, personally, and professionally.
When I started to think about my personal relationship with digital literacy, the Internet, and technology in general at first I thought I am just like everyone else in terms of my dependency and reliability on the digital world. Then I started to realize that “everyone else” is quite different in terms of his or her comfort levels with technology and digital literacy. Within each generation there is a digital breakdown of comfort levels that take on meaning in terms of digital literacy. My parents often call me because they can’t figure out something to do on the computer that I think of the simplest technological tasks. On the other hand I see kids in younger generations that grow up thinking technology is a part of life and can’t go about an hour without having to check their phones to update a Facebook status. I can honestly say I feel lucky enough to be sandwiched right in the middle. I remember my childhood was technology free (aside from the occasional video games) and digital literacy didn’t really exist. We would use computers occasionally but not daily. As I came into my teenage years I was introduced to things such as the Internet and chatting online. Jump to present day where I am literally completing my bachelor’s degree online. I feel very luck to have had the best of both worlds. To remember a simpler time when we were not constantly “logged on” to something, but yet I feel very fortunate to be able to benefit from digital literacy and modern technology and all it has to offer.
I can still remember the day our first family computer arrived. I was 14 and I remember setting out our small screen monitor that was utterly huge and took up more then half the computer desk. It was amazing that we finally had a computer. I had stated to my parents that my sister and I would need a computer because a lot of our schoolwork was now starting to require us to do online research. This was my platform for convincing my mom it was something we just had to have, not because everyone else had one, but because it was a necessity. Quite honestly I just wanted a computer to go on AOL and chat with my friends. As I recall, that was “the thing” to do at the time. The sound of the words “you got mail” stirred up excitement. Chat rooms and instant messaging on AOL during that time was today’s Facebook and I was finally connected! Now my actual ‘connection’ on the other hand, was a slow as molasses, and this is where my favorite words “stupid computer” would come into play. It was terrible. I remember having to switch the house phone line to the Internet and then literally hearing the dial up while waiting to hear the most annoying yet gratifying sound of having your computer connect to the Internet. When I think back on that simple fact I laugh and truly realize how far we have come. During this time period of the late 90’s and early 2000’s I did utilize technology in an academic regard. There was so much information out there in the digital stratosphere that was so helpful and useful. I also realized at this early age that there is a lot of garbage that floats around out there as well. Projects often needed sited research that dusty encyclopedias could not produce. When I needed a break from schoolwork, I didn’t have to stop and switch connection to the home phone line, I could just simply click on my friends screen name and start a conversation. I remember loving the convenience factor.
As the years past, the connection to such conveniences became faster and more efficient. By the time I was a senior in high school technology and digital literacy were a part of my daily life. Mostly all final projects and papers were types and presented in a clean-cut format. Cell phones were popular and needed at the time, but they were simply that, a phone. Very few people had Internet connection via cell phone at this point. I remember that in my initial years of colleges I acquired some information from my textbooks, however so much information was gathered from my new high-speed Internet connection and the search results that would populate on google.com. One of the best Christmas presents was when my mom gave me my brand new Dell laptop. I could say goodbye to our old hunk-o-chunk computer that was stationed in the family room and I could now be portable. So many things changed and I remember it all happened like the blink of an eye.
It was during this time period that digital literacy and technology started to change my life socially. Social networking sites started to become popular. This was honestly somewhat of a new concept. MySpace was first to roll out and then facebook followed. It was a venue where you could go to upload pictures, music, comments about what you were thinking, and more. As I followed the technological trends I realize that my ‘literacy’ levels changed by using my connection to the web from something that was mainly informational and fun to something that was a part of life and now fully social. People’s personal thoughts and images were put out there for so many eyes to see. Music was also something that was now listened to and purchased via computer. CD’s were becoming obsolete in some ways. Mac became a household name due to the roll out of the iPod. With all these developments and new products out I realized that I just went with the trends of the latest ‘thing’ and didn’t give it much thought.
Now that I am thinking about the topic I realize how far we have come as a technological society. It makes me wonder if it is over kill. Are we too dependent? Are we too obsessed with technological links to each other such as Facebook and texting? I think it is an amazing thing that I can complete a whole assignment from start to finish through digital means. I not only complete all schoolwork using digital literacy and technological bearings but I complete many work related tasks for my job through the use of technologies and digital modules. It has a huge impact on my personal and professional life. In addition, I am thrilled about being able to complete my degree online while I am able to be traveling the world and filling out the commitments of my position in the military. However, when I stop and think about how much of my day is truly depending on a piece of technology it blows my mind. Aside from work related tasks that require technology in one format or another, I ‘log in’ and stay in touch with family and friends through things like facebook and texting. The traveling that is required for my job is made a lot easier through the means of email and texting. However, it makes me wonder, are we are losing something in the process? I know personally I have a habit spending a great deal of unintentional time just exploring facebook and before you know it I realize and hour has gone by and I didn’t even realize it. Could I be doing more productive things with my time? Of course. Once again here is where the love/hate relationship comes into play with technology. It is wonderful these things are available, but you can often lose yourself in them.
I personally think there are pros and cons to technology and going digital. There have been countless times where technology has worked in my favor to make my life easier. If I need to find out the answer to a question I can simply pull out my iPhone and bam, the information is right there. A matter of convenience is always great. However, although I have not had any personal experiences thank goodness with these issues, I see that too much can be bad. For example, people constantly get in automobile accidents because they can’t put their phones down and stop texting and kids are bulling others and making it a public production through venues like facebook and YouTube. It goes to prove the well-known principal that too much of anything is not good in life. I know myself and I know my limits. I say I will never get to a place where technology or the information that is presented on the Internet will harm me in any way. However, in this day and age you never truly know because there are so many outside variables such as hackers and viruses that can truly ruin someone’s identity. I the whole realm of things, technology has done more good in my life than harm but I’m not naïve to the fact that there is a point where it becomes too much.
There’s no doubt that technology is here to stay within our lives forever. It will indefinitely present the question: What’s next? Technological devices seem to be constantly getting smaller, thinner, more portable, faster, and simply better. Companies and people all over are trying to “Go Green”, which is a great thing and yet it makes us all buy into the technological factor even more now. Indeed it is amazing what can be done. What will this mean in my own life? I can only imagine. I tend to just go with the flow of things and if something presents itself in a way that might make my life easier through technological means then it will be worth my while to invest in it. Along with technological developments also comes the development of more and more information being present on the Internet. This is where digital literacy comes into play. With so much information available it is up to me to be educated in what is quality information and what is just garbage. The conveniences of technology and in your face information are something we often become very used to in our day-to-day lives. I know just recently I said the words “stupid computer” with disgust because my connection was not strong enough to log on to my favorite websites. I often forget the connection of my dial up modem that I had to endure about 12 years ago. In my life I see technology as something that is needed, appreciated, enjoyed, and incorporated daily. However, I am very careful to make sure it is not something that takes over my life.
-Melissa King
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Girls and Digital Technology
I first want to start off with the interesting statistics that prove that income and class seem to affect whether a family has internet access or not. It's amazing to see that less than 20 years the internet revolutionized the world. Yet it seems, according to Kearney's book, "Girls Make Media", that the better-off family's making a larger income, have the bigger usage of internet, than family's making significantly less. If "in 2001, 51.7 percent of young people, ages 3 to 17 with family incomes of $75,000 had internet access", then I'm guessing by now much more families with the same income have access. (Kearney, 241) It makes sense that lower income families aren't as equipped in the digital revolution as higher income families, but I find it unfair that they are missing out on what the world has to offer. However, it is nice to know that schools have also upped their digital usage over the years to at least provide the youth with the technology that is taking over. As kids grow, it is important they are exposed to technology that has become part of everyday life and necessary in most occupations these days.
In Girls Make Media, (pgs 244-245), Kearney discusses how the computer world is still much of a man's world, where women "comprise less than 25 percent of IT professionals, only 8 percent of IT engineers, and 5 percent of IT management." These statistics are quite astonishing and disappointing, because as the world grows in digital literacy and digital oriented careers, it would be pleasant to see women growing in the numbers within participation as well. Whether its's because women aren't as interested or because of the "incredibly shrinking pipeline", it's still quite shocking. I hope in my heart that as the years pass, girls can break the mold of these "unquestioned values, beliefs, and expectations" mentioned and begin to pursue CS degrees. In some cultures women are known just to stay home and take care of men, a blurry past America once knew. In America today, it seems women are still limited by invisible restrictions. Guys don't seem to be very open or comfortable to letting females into the virtual world or letting their existance grow within it. I simply suggest that girls get more involved with the digital world and not let these boys push us around.
It is indeed very important to find out "what attracts women to electronic environments", as Kaplan and Farrell argue. (Kearney, 254) As for my own touch, well I came across this interesting female blogger, whose link is http://www.dooce.com/about. Although she is a professional blogger, she can be an inspiration to young girls.
In Girls Make Media, (pgs 244-245), Kearney discusses how the computer world is still much of a man's world, where women "comprise less than 25 percent of IT professionals, only 8 percent of IT engineers, and 5 percent of IT management." These statistics are quite astonishing and disappointing, because as the world grows in digital literacy and digital oriented careers, it would be pleasant to see women growing in the numbers within participation as well. Whether its's because women aren't as interested or because of the "incredibly shrinking pipeline", it's still quite shocking. I hope in my heart that as the years pass, girls can break the mold of these "unquestioned values, beliefs, and expectations" mentioned and begin to pursue CS degrees. In some cultures women are known just to stay home and take care of men, a blurry past America once knew. In America today, it seems women are still limited by invisible restrictions. Guys don't seem to be very open or comfortable to letting females into the virtual world or letting their existance grow within it. I simply suggest that girls get more involved with the digital world and not let these boys push us around.
It is indeed very important to find out "what attracts women to electronic environments", as Kaplan and Farrell argue. (Kearney, 254) As for my own touch, well I came across this interesting female blogger, whose link is http://www.dooce.com/about. Although she is a professional blogger, she can be an inspiration to young girls.
Girls and Digital Literacy
Technology plays a huge part in our everyday lives and it continues to evolve and change at a rapid rate. It is important that we keep up to date on the new techniques which are constantly being introduced. Unfortunately many people based on circumstances such as; demographics, social status, gender and lack of resources- are not given the opportunities of being exposed to technology in our digital world.
Our readings discuss the importance of digital literacy among girls in our society. It is imperative that girls are taught digital literacy and given the opportunity to learn without discrimination, allowing them the opportunity to be educated keeping up to the standards that are imposed by our society.The United Nations moved to address such patterns of gender exclusion acknowledging that women who are digitally literate can improve their own prosperity and become active individuals of community development (2.0-10). This literacy is the weapon that must be used in order to fight discrimination and poverty among women. The Girls of El Seybo (Dominican Republic), is an example of the lack of digital access that many areas must overcome. Those of us in the Global North enjoy reliable and affordable connectivity almost everywhere, while most people in the developing world can't count on, rely, or afford Internet access (2.0-11). I know that I am personally guilty of taking this connection (in some locations, considered a luxury) for granted. If my computer is running slow or unable to connect, I become impatience and frustrated. It's hard to imagine living in an area that doesn't have access to the outside world such as Internet and cell phone service.
We not only live in a male dominated "real world" but the "virtual world" as well. Recent data revealed a virtual parity between U.S. males and females in the terms of Internet use, a digital divide between the two sexes persists within the educational and professional fields of IT and CS( GMM 244). Women are not making the choices to become educated at the college level in these areas of education. This could be the effects of the expectations that our culture instills upon us as a society. Parents don't seem to push their girls in the math and science areas of education. The mentality is that boys excel in math and science and girls in the area of the arts seems to be a universal understanding. These concepts need to be addressed in order to alter this imbalance of male dominance in the digital professions. An example of this patriarchal computer culture can be observed at your local stores which sell electronic equipment. The majority of sales people and their experts are males and also used at the advertising levels.
Being educated in digital literacy also helps to increase the self-esteem of young girls and women enabling them to become more involved in the virtual world. There are a variety of programs offered to young girls allowing them this opportunity. For example GMM-96 discusses the of teaching critical viewing skills, Media Pedagogy. This field is divided into three areas of digital literacy; Integration which is incorporating media into schools, Production involves facilitating the students' knowledge and skills, and the Analytical approach -commonly referred to as media literacy is teaching the critical skills for analyzing and evaluation. (GMM-96). These are all successful methods of teaching the digital literacy that is much needed in our society.
While male dominance has always been a part of our history, many have fought through the years for changes to take place. These changes create waves of patterns upon one another which in turn open venues for different changes based on the generation, time and issues at large. At this moment in time, it is of great importance that we as a society train and educate our girls at a young age so that they can compete in our male dominated virtual world and become some of the leaders, instructors and volunteers needed in the IT professions. As more women progress into these areas of expertise, girls will have more role models to look up to and become more comfortable possibly altering the male dominance in these professions which takes place today.
--The one you influence today just might influence thousands in the future- BITCH (cookbook), bitch meaning: Babe In Total Control of Herself-
Our readings discuss the importance of digital literacy among girls in our society. It is imperative that girls are taught digital literacy and given the opportunity to learn without discrimination, allowing them the opportunity to be educated keeping up to the standards that are imposed by our society.The United Nations moved to address such patterns of gender exclusion acknowledging that women who are digitally literate can improve their own prosperity and become active individuals of community development (2.0-10). This literacy is the weapon that must be used in order to fight discrimination and poverty among women. The Girls of El Seybo (Dominican Republic), is an example of the lack of digital access that many areas must overcome. Those of us in the Global North enjoy reliable and affordable connectivity almost everywhere, while most people in the developing world can't count on, rely, or afford Internet access (2.0-11). I know that I am personally guilty of taking this connection (in some locations, considered a luxury) for granted. If my computer is running slow or unable to connect, I become impatience and frustrated. It's hard to imagine living in an area that doesn't have access to the outside world such as Internet and cell phone service.
We not only live in a male dominated "real world" but the "virtual world" as well. Recent data revealed a virtual parity between U.S. males and females in the terms of Internet use, a digital divide between the two sexes persists within the educational and professional fields of IT and CS( GMM 244). Women are not making the choices to become educated at the college level in these areas of education. This could be the effects of the expectations that our culture instills upon us as a society. Parents don't seem to push their girls in the math and science areas of education. The mentality is that boys excel in math and science and girls in the area of the arts seems to be a universal understanding. These concepts need to be addressed in order to alter this imbalance of male dominance in the digital professions. An example of this patriarchal computer culture can be observed at your local stores which sell electronic equipment. The majority of sales people and their experts are males and also used at the advertising levels.
Being educated in digital literacy also helps to increase the self-esteem of young girls and women enabling them to become more involved in the virtual world. There are a variety of programs offered to young girls allowing them this opportunity. For example GMM-96 discusses the of teaching critical viewing skills, Media Pedagogy. This field is divided into three areas of digital literacy; Integration which is incorporating media into schools, Production involves facilitating the students' knowledge and skills, and the Analytical approach -commonly referred to as media literacy is teaching the critical skills for analyzing and evaluation. (GMM-96). These are all successful methods of teaching the digital literacy that is much needed in our society.
While male dominance has always been a part of our history, many have fought through the years for changes to take place. These changes create waves of patterns upon one another which in turn open venues for different changes based on the generation, time and issues at large. At this moment in time, it is of great importance that we as a society train and educate our girls at a young age so that they can compete in our male dominated virtual world and become some of the leaders, instructors and volunteers needed in the IT professions. As more women progress into these areas of expertise, girls will have more role models to look up to and become more comfortable possibly altering the male dominance in these professions which takes place today.
--The one you influence today just might influence thousands in the future- BITCH (cookbook), bitch meaning: Babe In Total Control of Herself-
Digital literacy…one small step for girls, one giant leap for womankind
I started this week’s reading with Girl Wide Web 2.0, just to get a feel for the new book. I realized quickly that she was very informed to say the least. I knew that developing countries were struggling more than we are when it comes to literacy period, but I never really thought about media and digital literacy. Women are now more involved with activities that were once forbidden, “these changes, often brought about by economic necessity,” (Mazzarella pg.9) is a big statement, for the world to finally see that women are needed for more than the “traditional” stay at home and cook role. While this advancement is a wonderful thing, it occupies their time in ways that were never present in their lives in the past. A whole new world is opening up to women all over the globe in terms of not only their roles but the digital access and media that they are now exposed to in their new advancements as a gender.
Another hot topic that was touched on was poverty and its relationship to education. Showing that women who were educated, and allowed to be educated decreased the rate of mortality and fertility. The armor that a good education can produce for women is invaluable in so many ways. In the Dominican Republic a “program established public access community technology centers, or telecenteres, in the poorest areas of the nation.” (Mazzarella pg.11) This goes without saying, but giving girls another option, rather than getting pregnant at 16 and dropping out of school. To be able to learn things they might not be able to receive in school, is priceless and the fact that they are offering these types of centers to the less fortunate is a sign of better times ahead. It is great to see that people are starting to realize that digital literacy is a necessity and the fact that it can now be found in poverty stricken areas is astounding. It is very important that girls and women in these areas are taught what to do with all of this information that is right at their fingertips and how they can process it all to their benefit.
Indeed with the youth now acquiring knowledge digitally it is important to make sure they are taking in quality information that can ultimately lead to the development of success.We can be proactive in encouraging girls to be more critical of views and consumers of media. It is important we lead by example to the younger girls in our lives. I believe this principle applies to many things in life but for this topic specifically how to be more objective in terms of digital information and literacy. Young girls must ask themselves if the information that they are being exposed to digitally and through the media is worthy of them “buying into” the message that is coming across. Aside from leading by example, we have a responsibility to our youth and ourselves to analyze from several different perspectives what we are seeing digitally and through the eyes of the media. Clearly, there is a lot of ‘noise’ and nonsense that can be delivered digitally and through the media and we should teach young girls the difference between the garbage and the good stuff. As our eyes skim the screens we must not take the messages and process them as truth right away. Rather, we should be going through a mental process and be more critical of the media and the information. This should be taught to girls and teenagers to make sure they are equipped with the proper understanding of what to do with all that is out there in the digital/media world. I would imagine that Kearny would suggest intertwining the two (learning how to become digitally literate and the pros and cons of having so much information at the touch of a button) overall I think it was an interesting look into the lives of these young women.
-Melissa King
Friday, February 4, 2011
Hope, Dreams & the Internet
Growing up in the United States we take for granted the accessibility of technology that can easily be within our reach. The majority of the households in the United States have computers and there are usually no problems with connections to the internet. I am sure the majority of us are reading this blog from the comfort of our bedroom, living room or home office. This is not the case for the people living in the Dominican Republic; however with the help from the United Nations Development Program, which advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, the girls of El Seybo are now finding their voices with each click of the web.
The girls in El Seybo are all too familiar with poverty. The internet has become a key factor for the girls in El Seybo for communication and education; and the power of an education leads to a ticket out of poverty. "I want to move up, to be someone in life" (pg. 16)
Girls especially are a key focus in digital inclusion because girls are half our world's future. Women and young girls can only benefit from learning and educating themselves with the use and tools provided from information and digital technology. Education and knowledge is critical for making social changes and lifting people up from poverty.
"In El Seybo, girls young and old, the daughters and granddaughters of women who lived lives muted by inequality and oppressive poverty, are also finding their voices and a reason to speak up, as they open the pages of the Web. This is a new beginning." (pg 22)
The girls in El Seybo are all too familiar with poverty. The internet has become a key factor for the girls in El Seybo for communication and education; and the power of an education leads to a ticket out of poverty. "I want to move up, to be someone in life" (pg. 16)
Girls especially are a key focus in digital inclusion because girls are half our world's future. Women and young girls can only benefit from learning and educating themselves with the use and tools provided from information and digital technology. Education and knowledge is critical for making social changes and lifting people up from poverty.
"In El Seybo, girls young and old, the daughters and granddaughters of women who lived lives muted by inequality and oppressive poverty, are also finding their voices and a reason to speak up, as they open the pages of the Web. This is a new beginning." (pg 22)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Which is More Educating: Internet or Fine Arts?
The readings of this week were very interesting and gave a new perspective of learning in the “internet age” verses the traditional ways of learning through books. Both Kearney’s discussion of media literacy programs and the article “Online R U Really Reading?” discussion on what children learn from the internet verses a book talk about the new age of learning.
On page 100, Kearney explains that putting so much emphasis on the fine arts over commercial pop culture “do little to encourage students ‘to draw upon their experience and knowledge, and to connect their education with political practice, or to be critical and active citizens in a democracy.’” This idea goes hand in hand with one of the points in the article. The article explains that “‘In a tenth of the time,’ he said, the Internet allows a reader to ‘cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view.’ Zachary Sims, the Old Greenwich, Conn., teenager, often stays awake until 2 or 3 in the morning reading articles about technology or politics on up to 100 Web sites. Though he also likes to read books, Zachary craves interaction with fellow readers on the Internet. ‘The Web is more about a conversation,’ he said. ‘Books are more one-way.’” The interaction that students receive from blogging about certain books or reading someone’s perspective on a news article from someone’s Facebook status gives the students different ideas and perspectives on what they are shown. Instead of only focusing on books, I believe they need to include the interaction of student with what they are learning, specifically by drawing “upon their experience and knowledge.”
As for the argument that the students have low literacy rates because they only read online, I feel as though that may be changing. It is now extremely easy to get books offline with Kindle and Nook both for PC and in the carry-around equipment. Also, students can see many people’s opinions and recommendations of books from reading Twitter updates, Facebook statuses from 600+ friends, and different blogs. They can then download the book with one click and can read for themselves to help form an opinion either with the recommender or opposite of the recommender. One way to facilitate this reading on their own along with gaining outside perspective would be for Kindle or Nook or the equivalent forms of e-book reading would include some form of chat between those reading the book or links to blogs about it to further this interaction.
On page 100, Kearney explains that putting so much emphasis on the fine arts over commercial pop culture “do little to encourage students ‘to draw upon their experience and knowledge, and to connect their education with political practice, or to be critical and active citizens in a democracy.’” This idea goes hand in hand with one of the points in the article. The article explains that “‘In a tenth of the time,’ he said, the Internet allows a reader to ‘cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view.’ Zachary Sims, the Old Greenwich, Conn., teenager, often stays awake until 2 or 3 in the morning reading articles about technology or politics on up to 100 Web sites. Though he also likes to read books, Zachary craves interaction with fellow readers on the Internet. ‘The Web is more about a conversation,’ he said. ‘Books are more one-way.’” The interaction that students receive from blogging about certain books or reading someone’s perspective on a news article from someone’s Facebook status gives the students different ideas and perspectives on what they are shown. Instead of only focusing on books, I believe they need to include the interaction of student with what they are learning, specifically by drawing “upon their experience and knowledge.”
As for the argument that the students have low literacy rates because they only read online, I feel as though that may be changing. It is now extremely easy to get books offline with Kindle and Nook both for PC and in the carry-around equipment. Also, students can see many people’s opinions and recommendations of books from reading Twitter updates, Facebook statuses from 600+ friends, and different blogs. They can then download the book with one click and can read for themselves to help form an opinion either with the recommender or opposite of the recommender. One way to facilitate this reading on their own along with gaining outside perspective would be for Kindle or Nook or the equivalent forms of e-book reading would include some form of chat between those reading the book or links to blogs about it to further this interaction.
How Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick?
NPR just posted this article today that really caught my attention. The title of the article is "How Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick?" While it has nothing to do with social media, it has everything to do with girls and the way they are raised. This article blames the socialization of girls to be clean and prim on why so many girls deal with illnesses such as asthma and allergies. I've always been happy that my parents let me go outside, run in the woods, climb trees, and then come home to my mom checking me for ticks. I got my fair share of illnesses during my childhood. Now, though, in my adulthood, I rarely get sick. In fact, I can't remember the last time I've been sick. I felt that this article was very interesting. I'd like to hear from everyone if they felt that the way they were raised affected their immune system.
5.93 Million Years Playing World of Warcraft?!
Check out this short video and think about how gaming shapes our identity and role in culture...fascinating!! Leandra
How Games Can Change the World
How Games Can Change the World
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Digital Autobiography
Growing up in the 70's and 80's was much different than growing up today. There were no cell phones, personal computers, and our versions of video games were played at the local arcade ( space invaders and pac-man). As a child we would get up on Saturday mornings watch some "HR Puff and Stuff", "Land of The Lost", and maybe some "Pink Panther." All the kids would gather and we would leave on our bikes, it was understood that we were expected home by dark. Our days consisted of building tree forts, playing in the park, or just riding around the neighborhood. We were not afraid of strangers; our parents didn't worry about us and we knew almost all of our neighbors, often stopping in and asking for a cold drink. Of course much has changed since then. Technology has totally changed the way we live our lives from running a business to simply spending idle time. People have adapted new skills constantly learning to keep up with the new and upcoming gadgets that are being introduced into our society at an alarming rate.
As far as my experiences and interaction in the digital world, I've had to learn basically through trial and error and am somewhat still in the infant stage just crawling along. In the mid 90's we purchased our first personal computer so that our kids could have access to the Internet for homework and a new concept called IM and email. I wasn't the least bit interested in this new eyesore that had taken up residence in my new home. However, one day my girlfriend phoned to inform me that her 10 year old son let it slip that he and my son had seen porn on my computer. I was livid! My sons' defense was that they were typing in a website for video games but misspelled the word and this porn site popped up. I had him show me the site ( I can't recall the name) and sure enough he had one letter wrong, the computer screen was covered in X-rated photos of men and women. I was sick to my stomach. I realized that it was my fault for not setting the proper controls on my computer and not placing it in a location where I could monitor their activities. Even though I was horrified this happened, it made me aware of the vulnerabilities of the person sitting in front of the computer. What upset me the most was that the porn images were viewable without any type of barrier to overcome( no credit card number and certain body parts we not covered) considering when porn is purchased at a book store it is encased in plastic wrapping. Another similar situation happened to a friend of mine. Her son had misplaced his IPod ( the new one with Wi -Fi) she came across it when she was cleaning and proceeded to look up his history seeing that he had visited a porn website. Kids are curious and often times looking at ways to step outside of their boundaries. It is important the we educate the parents as well as the children when it comes to the digital world. After our porn situation happened, it dawned on me that the opportunity would most likely again present. This opened up a conversation about the negative effects of viewing images that they knew were inappropriate. I explained that when these images were instilled in their heads you can never have them removed. Stressing that it could lead to a potential set of problems. Basically I was trying to maintain and delay their loss of innocence.
A few years ago a friend of mine was over and asked to use my computer she proceeded to introduce me to this new social network called Facebook. I started finding friends that I hadn't seen since grade school. This new found network enabled me to rekindle some friendships from long ago. This type of social networking can be used both positively and negatively, depending on the person that is on the keyboard and the type of image they want to portray. I've witnessed relationships split up as well as friends landing the perfect job. These networks give people many opportunities opening up a line of communication that was once obsolete.
A little more than a year ago, I went to the local college and took a non credit computer course hoping to improve my skills. I was mainly interested in simple things such as; importing photos, becoming familiar with some programs etc..The class consisted of a variety of people from a retired vet (who had never used a computer) to a woman just released from prison. Unfortunately I ended up knowing more than most of them, ( scary huh!). Needless to say, I didn't learn much but the class gave me the confidence needed to return to school and pursue the degree that I put on hold when my babies were born. I am now taking my 6th online course and am continuing to navigate my way around learning more everyday. I embrace this class and the challenges that I am facing such as this blog!
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