Jonathan's+Thoughts

1) Reflect on the process of creating the techo-literacy memoir.

When I came to this class the first day, I had no idea what to expect. When the TLM project was introduced and I saw that video could be used as a format,I was relieved. All my life, I was told to write this on that, must be in MLA format, none of this, none of that. As soon as I got into college, things changed so much. I worked with Power Point more, web design, APA format, and video. When I was younger, I was very familiar with some of these modes, but they were hardly ever used when writing a paper. The project took me back to all the different ways I have learned to become a better writer. I am very familiar with video formats, but this project was quite a different experience for me. I took what I knew from video and added a paper to it. When I was thinking about how to make it, I first wrote down my experiences if I were writing a paper. Then, I thought about the sounds and visual communication that would capture the audiences attention. Lastly, I took all of this and meshed into my TML. Now more than ever, I believe that grade schools should incorporate these medias in their learning.

2) One prediction about where new media will take writing in the first century.

Now that everything is hand held and so portable, what could be done next? The internet trades and shares all different types of texts. Cell phones and Myspace are keeping gossip and information current. I believe if we could go any further, language on the internet would change so much that it would have to be taught in a classroom. I constantly see new phases, symbols, and abbreviations for words I know and even some I have never heard of. It may be confusing to most people who have never touched a computer or texted on a cellphone, at first, but most people learn fast. This reminds me of that one cell phone commercial with the grandma texting her BBF. There are just so many different ways to say one word, and I feel that a set language would make communication less confusing at times.So, perhaps one day, we will see a whole new textbook with the "proper" use of internet grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and symbols. Although it would be easier to innovate voice chat online, text is still important for documents and everyday information. Creating a whole new set language could facilitate the relay of all communication online, as well as on portable devices.

3) Reflect on the process of creating the web-text.

When I was trying to decided which paper to use, I thought how could I make this user friendly. I chose to use the wiki spaces because it was most familiar to me. The paper on Doctor Suess was more of a biographical/critical essay of his writing. I noticed when I was typing and separating it that I was going to need more information and more excitement. The paper was just too dull. I took one look at what I had and said to myself, "if I were looking at this on wiki space, I would not read it". Everything about the original was not up to par with what Web text should feel like. From there, I started with color schemes to brighten the page a bit. It was Doctor Suess so it had to have a lot of wacky colors. Also, I added links to games in relation to the books I mentioned. With the new information I added, I made it more relatable to audiences of all ages. The pictures and video readings made it come alive. One could really see and relate to what I was mentioning in the paper by these visual medias. The hyperlinking is what made it flow the best. It really was the final key in turning a critical essay, which one just reads and turns the page, into a flowing hypertext page.

4) In what ways have I changed as a writer.

I would say to start off with is that writing is a lot more than just taking a pencil and a piece of paper and then starting to write things down. Writing media is an art. It brought a whole new world into my mind that was always there but had never come about. Before I came to this class, writing was always about formation and expectation. I felt that I never had any freedom in how I could write any of my school work. Like I said before, it was "do it this way" rather than "take look at this, and see how you can change your writing". This semester has changed forever the face of how I view formation. All the theories associated with Media Writing are the future of how text should be seen. Everyday the way text is used and seen is changing, and it's changing faster than any have ever known. I think that I this semester has changed me in two ways. It has helped me be more open in how text can be presented and used. I am also more aware of how visual media can work as a text with sounds and visual communication thanks to my TLM. 5) Which theory have I found most interesting or helpful in understanding digital media?

I found the theory of computers and humans becoming one very interesting. A computer is a tool that is man made, and just like every tool that we make, it is used to make things easier for us. The only thing that separates it from every other tool is that computers can think for themselves. Artificial intelligence is something that we have only recently achieved, but it is becoming stronger every day. Machines have replaced people in most factories, even on the front lines of the battle field. They can do things that we cannot do. Although man can still do many things a computer cannot, we have to ask ourselves where we need to draw the line. When do we say, "We do not need the computer anymore"? As soon as I get out of every class, the first thing I see is people taking out their phones. I go home, and as soon as I can, I check Myspace. I know some people that take personal days, even vacations, to play World of Warcraft. Hayles said that there will always be a fine line between the computer and humans, but that line is getting awfully thin. I feel as if I were missing an arm wthen I am without my phone; it is like something is missing. Sometimes, even when my phone doesn't ring, I think I call feel it vibrate. I take a look, and nothing is there. This makes me believe that the computer is becoming a part of our being, as scary as it may seem.