The World On Paper Jack Olson

“The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This is how Dr. Seuss thought of reading, and I think of it in much the same way. Literacy is everywhere and influences us every day, therefore, it plays a major part in each of our lives. I believe that reading is an interactive activity in which learning happens, or as Clay (2001) defines it, “…a message-getting, problem-solving activity” (p. 1). Reading is the process through which one reads information and from doing so, constructs meaning about the material. The more exposure and practice one has with reading, the more knowledge one gains. In this paper, I will begin by discussing my own personal educational philosophy, then continue by stating and explaining four of my beliefs about the reading process and the research that is found to support each of them before sharing the remaining questions I have about literacy. I am an existentialist, and a strong supporter of a balanced literacy approach. My beliefs about literacy come from these foundations and perspectives that I embrace. For students to be successful in their literacy development, I believe that identity acceptance in the classroom is crucial, instruction for all students must be differentiated, direct and explicit instruction is at times necessary, and vocabulary is a significant component in the ‘Big Five’ of children’s literacy development.

“There is more pleasure to building castles in the air than on the ground.” This quote by Edward Gibbon illustrates the intensity of writing and what gratification it can hold. When one writes, they are not confined to one certain formula. A person is able to express their thoughts and feelings in any way they choose. Language is a border for many people in that some cannot comprehend a certain language, understand how to use it, or recognize what is being said to them. On the other side of the border, they are not viewed as equals or as important compared to those who are not competing with this barrier. In his essay “Coming into Language,” Jimmy Santiago Baca uses his personal experiences to demonstrate how much

Becoming literate opens the doors to more educational and employment opportunities. In our increasingly complex and rapidly changing technological world, it is essential that individuals

Literacy plays a huge role in my daily life. Every single day I read and write. Whether it’s writing an email or reading a text message, class assignment, discussion board, etc. My literacy journey is unique because I have had different experiences. As a result, this is how my literacy journey has let me to be the reader that I am.

Literacy is being able to read and write; having said this it would be safe to say literacy means learning from books. However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chatting and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what is now counted as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Digital literacy can be beneficial with

The English language has evolved substantially since its beginning. It has evolved from sign language, to Shakespearean, to modern English we speak today. This evolution has also created a standard of writing, known as the SWE or standard written language. David Foster Wallace’s essay “Authority and American Usage”, addresses the function and importance of a writing class. Wallace finds many of these classes to be troublesome due to the lack of correct usage of standard written language. Most of Wallace’s points and opinions come from his own experiences with his writing class and his experience as a writer. I find that replicating and correctly implementing a style and format of writing that is acceptable to Wallace to

Reading linearly is the process of reading left to right from top to bottom. Nicholas Carr, the author of “The Shallows” writes about how technology is affecting our linear way of reading. Carr tells us how it used to be easy for him to immerse himself into a lengthy novel but now he finds his concentration starting to dwindle after only a short period of time. Carr also argues that we are losing our ability to think deeply because we are able to access such a plethora of information so easily. Research has found that technology over time has decreased our ability to read linearly. This research goes hand in hand to support Carr’s arguments in “The Shallows”. Along with the exponential decline in our ability to

As of late, the literacy rates in America have declined. In fact, over the past ten years “book reading [in] young women slipped from 63 percent to 59 percent, while young men plummeted from 55 percent to 43 percent” (why johnny won’t read pg. 575) Boys have a lower tendency to read than girls due to the fact that school forces them to read things that they are not interested in. Although in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read pg. 176,” Prose points out that

Both screens and paper text are valuable sources of information used in today’s literature. Yet the question continues to arise as to whether or not developing a bi-literate brain is key to our development. We should be worried about the time divided between the two because certain information is interpreted in a ways that may not always be reliable. They are both beneficial, but to fully comprehend and master reading material, I believe the paper text is a lot more valuable when it comes to understanding the topic. In the present day, with the expansion of new technology and the ever-growing technology industry, more people to spend time in front of a screen compared to paper text. With this new addition to their lives everyone should build a bi-literate

Writing shows the development of skills that are needed in society to strive above. The expression of one’s voice is utmost importance in writing. However, many are unable to think for themselves and this leads me to believe that many are losing their voice. With more people conforming to society, less and less with fight back against the most troublesome of problems. I fear that communication will people lost in people, without writing skills to project themselves. That will lead to loss of original opinions and thoughts because everyone is dull minded to comprehend their own beliefs. Without belief, society as a whole will stay stagnant and personal growth will decrease in the common man, which can lead to underdevelopment in personality. In relations to I Stand Here Writing written by Nancy Sommers, writing skills can be seen to have great importance to the development of expression because it allows the writer to establish dialog.

Reading is an important part of today’s society. Being able to read and write defines populaces as educated, successful and intelligent, since the world revolves around written language. Being literate is a vital tool of survival in today’s civilization. Reading is not only important for basic day-to-day functions, but also helps to form a stronger self-disciple, longer attention span and better memory retention. From the moment a child is born, caregivers begin reading to their child.

There are differences and similarities when comparing speech to writing. What is the correct way to write? What is the correct way to speak? There are varying ways on how to do both these things. The vast number of languages, accents and dialects are astounding. In the United States, one can go to different parts of the county and hear many other languages used or incorporated into everyday use. When one speaks to their family, do they not speak differently than when surrounded by personalities in Academia? The same goes for writing. Doesn't one write differently in lets say, a diary then when he or she writes a Thesis Paper? Comparing the work of Amy Tan and Primo Levi provides a greater understanding of what’s at stake when we speak as opposed to when we write.

An important initiative within "i-Read" system is the development of a set of reading skills with the purpose of enhancing the online reading experience and improving the level of readers' critical engagement with their reading contents. The critical engagement is the product of an "active reading" strategy that, in its ideal form, integrates the critical, interpretive, and creative aspects of information use which refers to reading that is accompanied by observable activity in the form of annotation.

Literacy ethos customarily attests to literature as the capability of writing and reading. The two contexts exist independently in human beings since a person retains literacy internally. On a broader perspective, literacy can mean the aptitude of an individual to utilize the use of symbols systems, which prove essential for teaching and learning. By that, it means that the word extends beyond reading and writing to a broader context of developed technology. However, my experiences push me to incline to 'writing ' when defining literacy. The composition course that I undertook has played significant roles in establishing my opinion, which states that the literacy purpose is educating the scholars in a way that offers them an opportunity to interact effectively with the surrounding.

In Dan Sperber’s article “The Future of Writing,” he assesses the presence of writing and reading in our society, as well as where it may lie in the future . He addresses the possible downfall of writing, the prevalence that reading will hold in our society, as well as how our society will adapt and handle the changes. He also covers the emergence of text-to-speech and speech-to-text technological advances, the effects on society and how the disappearance of the two of them will never fully occur.