The Power of Text
New literacies have evolved be they blogs, twitters,
electronic news sources etc. Today there
is an abundance of information and we have access to it so readily at the touch
of our fingers. In fact in a sense we
have information overload. It is
therefore, important to ensure that we qualify the information available and
find out the accuracy of it.
If I read an article in the newspaper or online one often
finds as Lankshear and Knobel (2011) suggest “the text conveys virtually no
factual detail of consequence” (p. 93) the reader is swayed by emotion than a
rational standpoint. Newspapers have notoriously
created headings to attract readers.
Consequently, if I am interested in the topic or what it presents then I
may check other sources to determine if the information is accurate.
Although, I tend not to look at blogs very much I did
recently find one most useful. My son
had knee surgery and not just the normal ACL or MCL reconstruction but
something a little more complicated. We
did of course get a write-up from the doctor of what to expect and how to
proceed etc. However, I felt I needed a
little more information that would assist us through the process. One of the modes I turned to was a journal
found online by someone who had gone through the same surgery and documented
her recovery. I found this detailed
report written from a patient’s perspective as a wonderful source. It outlined what to expect along the way and
all the little problems you encounter with some options of how she solved them,
i.e. just showering – the tricks. This
text may not have been available a few years back but the sharing of the
experience proved a most valuable learning experience. Looking back now both my son and I can truly
relate to what was written. Why this was
so valuable was the perspective it was written from.
Another type of text I look toward those relating to the
training and development field. I enjoy
reading articles that may inform me of trends within the training domain. It may spark an idea for a program or enrich
an existing program or alter the way I do something. The text allows me to
learn and keep abreast in the field.
Reference:
Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M. (2011) Literacies: social,
cultural, and historical perspectives. Peter Lang
Publishing
Inc., New York, NY
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI thought your comment on reading a blog on surgery and recovery was very interesting. You make a very good point in that the blog writer was given a voice for their perspective, or that of a patient. There is a possibility that while the doctor is educated in the procedure and recovery, there is a good chance he may not of had that surgery so there are many things he may not tell you (the tricks to getting along). It is amazing to me that someone's life experience is there for you to learn from. I sometimes have car problems and the internet is such a valuable source (especially Google) in that you can describe your problem in a search or forum and someone else has probably had that same problem. Sometimes they can even help you fix it. The point is that the information age that we live in is powerful, and the most powerful part is that there are so many contributors, authors, advice givers, etc., that as a society we need to learn how to truly harness all of the potential and use it wisely for our own development and livelihood.
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteLike Erik, I thought your comment on reading a blog in regards to your son's knee surgery was very interesting. This is a great example of how powerful a tool blogging can be. It does give a voice to many that would not have one in a traditional sense. In addition to affording a platform, it also can be a powerful tool for educating ourselves on topics that we are interested in learning more about. We do need to be cautious to validate the content, but it does open a whole new world to everyone! Thank you for sharing your personal experience!
Erik & Dale,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I think one of the challenging skills for the next generation is to sift through information and determine how accurate it is. At one time if something was in print it was perceived "valid information" but we have moved away from such luxury and now have to evaluate and question more than before.
Lydia
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI also think that a large part of these new literacies allowing us access to individual experiences is a great way to increase "connectivism" via cyber space. As Erik & Dale said as well, a blog can provide insight that doctors may not be able to provide on a personal level. Having suffered from a rare, difficult to diagnose cardiac arrhythmia (dangerous irregular electrical heartbeat/rhythm), I found more information, research, and people who had shared similar experiences through web-based support groups. From personal experience, in this respect, blogs and forums related to health issues have help me tremendously. If I lacked the new literacy needed to track down others with similar symptoms and heart conditions, I would not have insisted on more testing and a definitive diagnosis.
-Blake
Blake,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing you undoubtedly show the value of access to such information which was not so readily available without these literacies.
Lydia