Week One: The Introduction
A Peek at the Week
In this week's agenda, we immersed ourselves in the text Net Smart by Howard Rheingold. For the content of the week, we only reviewed the introduction section of this book which ranged from pages one to thirty-five. In this section, the author discussed what the book consists of, why the book is necessary, and a deep dive into some of the information and history of technology and the related practices. In the beginning, Howard Rheingold states, "...those who understand the fundamentals of digital participation, online collaboration, information credibility testing, and network awareness will be able to exert more control..."(Rheingold, p.2). Later in the reading, the author breaks down these topics and discusses what they mean and where he will go into more detail about each individually. Furthermore, the text also brings into light older inventions that changed society and how present technological advancements would promote the same changes. In conclusion, this week's reading of the introduction to Net Smart lays out the reasons and basis for this book that we will be reading throughout the semester.
Connections
This introduction resonated with me because I am an individual growing up in this technology guided generation. It's not difficult to relate to the concepts of digital media because it is in all of our lives on a daily basis. Do you believe this too? I have seen many of the ideas and thoughts in the text in my real life. For example, in the text it states "...social media delay in face-to-face sociability..." (Rheingold, p.13). I connected with this part of the chapter because I have taken a moment to check social media, text messages, and emails prior to communicating with people that are actually in my presence.
Visual of the Week
The image above is representative of the week’s readings. The image displays an individual immersed in the realm of technology and refusing by covering his ears. This shows what the introduction covered because it sets the tone to what we must do in order to be successful in the digital world. We will learn how to focus attention and check credibility: cancel out the noise. This is what I see happening in the image.
Alt Text for Image Description: The image above features a man covering his ears as he is surrounded by various arms extending in towards him. These arms feature different type of technology like headphones, phones, and remote controllers.
This week’s assignment has contributed to my understanding of digital writing in a multitude of ways. The readings allowed me to reflect on my attention habits and determine my strengths as well as my weaknesses. The text opened my mind to the various factors that play a role in our perception of the media and emphasized the importance of paying attention. The upcoming chapters will further continue to inform me on how to improve my digital literacy. However, this introduction is vital to my ability to understand what is to come and open the mind for a better ability to understand.
Are you in control of your technology or is it in control of you?
What are your attention habits?
Are you open minded about improving your digital literacy?
Sources
Howard Rheingold ([email protected]) is the author of Tools For Thought. (2010, October 7). Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2010/10/attention-and-other-21stcentury-social-media-literacies
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment