Homework Fall 2014

Homework for Oct 14

Here are some guidelines for writing the proposal (due next week.) This is intended to guide, not mandate the shape of the proposal. So you don't necessarily need to 

do everything described in the guidelines.

In response to popular demand, no reading response is required next week. (However, if you would like to write one in order to catch up or get ahead, you can.) I do want you to read one text, 
Winner's, “Do Artifacts have Politics?” As you read, think about the potential relevance of issues raised in this text for our contemporary context (it was written over 30 years ago). Consider also how it may relate to 
notions of critical digital literacy.

Let's also take another crack at figuring out what critical digital literacy might be,  and share some practical tips (so bring a laptop if you have one, and have at least one tip, or a question about what you would like to use digital tools to accomplish). Remember - proposals are due in class. 

Homework for Oct 07

Let's review the Pegrum text, and Jones & Hafner's “Information Everywhere.” We'll also look at 2 short new readings, Rheingold's "Crap Detection 101” (it's just a few pages)  

and Jones & Hafner's, “Critical Literacy.”  

Let's use those texts to address the following questions:

1. What do they tell us about new media literacy that you think is important or useful?
2. They address skills like search literacy, critical literacy, and tagging literacy (among others).  However, they don't say a lot about the specifics of these skills. Can you think of concrete ways of advancing these skills? Or concrete examples that illustrate these skills? When you think about your own skills with new media, how do you make use of search literacy, critical literacy, and tagging literacy? 
3. What do you think of Jones and Hafner, and Rheingold's writings on critical literacy?
4. Let's share the specifics of some new media "tips and tricks," and some sites, tools or practices you find useful or interesting. If you are game, please bring a laptop to class and share (I can plug you into the projector). I'll share a few of mine.

I'd also like to spend some time discussing your project ideas, even if these are undeveloped and provisional. So we'll each spend a few minutes talking about our project ideas, and if
you'll tolerate it, I will share one of mine.

Post a reading response just for question 1 (choose one or more text to discuss).

Homework for Sept 17

1. The Sundiata text I gave you in class is a transcript of an "oral composition." Read this text and use Ong's work to
discuss three elements of the text which illustrate Ong's claims about oral culture.  1.5 - 2 pages.

2. In class I assigned each of the new readings to two people. Write a reading response for your text (1.5 - 2 pages) that outlines the main claims, the kinds of 
evidence presented, and your response to the text - what seemed noteworthy, interesting, persuasive or confusing. The assigned texts are:

Kenzie and Nicole - Boyd, “Literacy: Are Today’s Youth Digital Natives?” 

Steven and Lucy - Jahandarie,  “Jack Goody: Writing, Culture, & Cognition”    

Sadie and Patricia - Bolter & Grusin, “Writing as Technology”    

Glynis, Kainoa  - Gee, “Literacy”

Homework for Sept 10

Write a paragraph or two addressing each of the questions below.

1. What did you think of Ong’s argument – describe your general reaction to it, and list any questions you had, or any elements you found unclear or difficult to follow. 
2. Ong suggests that knowledge and expression take distinctive forms in non-literate cultures. List three of these forms or patterns, and explain what Ong think causes these patterns. 
3. According to Young & Sullivan why is writing important? Can you think of other “values” writing has that the authors don’t talk about?
4. Can you think of ways of updating Young & Sullivan, or applying their claims to new media? 
5. Thonney argues that academic writing is characterized by some distinctive patterns. Can you identify any of these patterns in Young and Sullivan?

Homework for Sept 03

1. Create a blog page that you will use for some of the writing done in this class. You can use any blog platform, but these are popular: http://wordpress.com/, http://www.blogger.com and http://www.livejournal.com/.  Email me the address for your blog.
2. For your first blog post, write a biographical sketch - describe yourself, your interests academic and otherwise) any questions you'd like to explore in the class or topics you are curious about. 
3. Write a response to all three texts but focus the bulk of your writing on Thompson. What do you see as his main claims? What kinds of evidence does he supply? Can you identify any rhetorical strategies? What do you see as the main strengths of the text, and did you find any parts of it to be weak or unpersuasive?