Third Homework Assignment

When Rosen states "every technology is both an expression of a culture and a potential reformer of it." She is saying that our technology defines and molds our society at any particular time. I would have to agree with her statement. In “People Of The Screen”, Rosen makes it clear that our society is “increasingly distractible, impatient, and convenience-obsessed” (Rosen 21). In our time and age people want things at the snap of their fingers and are becoming increasingly annoyed with any inconvenience. E-books are becoming so popular just for this reason. Everything can be done with just the tip of your finger. Just because the e-books are convenient doesn’t mean every change they’re making to our society is benefiting us. I completely agree with Rosen that these new technologies are making us very distracted. Whenever I’m reading anything on a computer it is very challenging to just stay focused and not wander on to the Internet. Another point Rosen makes is that people want to be in control. The huge boom in gaming clearly shows this. Our society would much rather play a game were you have control of the outcome instead of read a book where you really have no control of what’s happening. Daley and Rosen could probably agree on certain viewpoints but I think their final decisions on digital screens and books are very different. Daley’s viewpoint becomes clear when she states “those who are truly literate in the twenty-first century will be those who learn to both read and write the multimedia language of the screen” (Daley 37). This statement implies that screens are the only viable option in our generation. Rosen would agree that these new technologies can be very helpful and convenient but at the end of the day nothing can compare to an old fashioned book. 

Word Count : 304

Second Homework Assignment

Wysocki's article tries to get several points across. I think he doesn’t like how people think our ways of communication are set in stone. He wants us to challenge how we perceive forms of communication and where and why they became that way. In a way I think Wysocki is promoting people to be more creative in their way of thinking. Wysocki's purpose is made clear when he states "it is always worth asking how our materials have acquired the constraints they have". I agree with the points he's making through out the article. I think it is always a good thing when people think out side the box and really try to challenge why things are certain ways. When people become accustomed to how things are and don’t question it then I don’t think it leaves much room personal growth. When I was little I remember I would hold my fork a different way then most people and my parents would get upset at me for it. I would argue with them and ask who determined what the correct way to eat was. I found it ridiculous that there were even constraints on how people ate their own food. This is a point I find relatable to what Wysocki is trying say. Wysocki’s and Daley’s arguments are pretty similar. One of Daley’s four points is that “The multimedia language of the screen enables modes of thought, ways of communicating”. They both promote enabling different modes of thought through communication. The major difference is that Daley is focusing more on a digital screen and Wysocki is focusing more on all types of communication. I like Wysocki’s argument better even though I do “believe” Daley as well. Wysocki is able to use better examples like when he talks about the constraints of water and stones. Both authors are trying to get people to stray from a fixed way of thinking. 

Word Count : 320

First Homework Assignment

Writing has always been one of my weakest points academically. Although, whenever I am actually able to convey my thoughts through writing, I find it very rewarding.  The problem I always have with writing is that I’m not able to get my point across as well as I would be able to by just talking. I really don’t consider myself to be even a decent writer so I really hope this course can change that. My top goal is to be able to write and get my point across just as well as I would be able to do in person. Once I accomplish this, I feel like it can help me with many aspects in life.

My hope is that once I get better at writing my speaking skills will improve as well. I love debating with people about different points of view so I’m really hoping becoming a better writer will make me better at doing so. My biggest weakness is that I tend to repeat myself a lot and my writing is always short and to the point. Whenever I have to write a research paper I have a really hard time writing enough to get to the minimum amount of words required. I’ve over heard some students ask if they can write more then maximum amount of words, which is a question I hope to ask one day. As far are strengths go, I can’t really name any. Hopefully after this course my strengths as a writer will be clear. Another one of my weaknesses is that my writing is pretty dull and I don’t think when teachers read my papers that they want to finish reading it because they want to, but because they have to grade it. I think that working on things like sentence structure and vocabulary can really help me write a paper that someone would want to read. As of now, writing doesn’t really serve any purpose in my life. I know that many people use writing as a creative outlet and its something they do on their spare time, which baffles me. Hopefully after this course I can understand where people like this are coming from. I don’t even like when my friends or parents want read my papers because I’m not happy with how I write. After this course I want to be proud to show how well I can put my thoughts on to paper.

The things I want most out of this class are to be able to call myself a good writer. The chance for my peers to read and give me feedback on everything I’m writing will really benefit me. I don’t want to be scared when I see a 4,000 word paper assigned. I want to be excited to write and show that I can get my point across and do it well.