CARS intro. (04/13/10)

Move 1: Establishing a territory

The subject of my argument is whether or not race affects digital literacy. This subject is important because it shows that a person’s race contributes to how literate they will be.

Some generalizations about the subject are people in American believe that all the races are equal; there are still aspects of life that are affected by race.

I have researched this topic and I have found supporting articles that prove that race affects literacy. There are many articles that point out significant percentage differences in literacy of people of different races. They show that people of White descent are more digitally literate than people of Black or Hispanic descent.

Move 2: Establishing a niche

A counter claim to my argument could be that there a person’s race does not contribute to how digitally literate they are.

There is no evidence to show that this claim could be true.

Is my evidence/research questionable? I believe that the research I have found is credible because there is not only one article/author making these claims, there are many.

This essay is continuing a tradition. There are many events in history that support my claim.

Move 3: Occupying the niche

Step 1: The purpose of this essay is to educate reader’s about the impact of race on digital literacy. The research supports my claim.

Step 2: The reader can expect to find evidence that shows race has an impact on digital literacy.

Step 3: The essay will appear in the order of Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Chapter 7&8 Quiz

According to Lunsford’s definition of an argument of fact vs. an argument of question, I would say that my argument best fits under the category of “argument of fact.” Lunsford says you a entering an argument of fact when you make a claim about fact or evidence that’s controversial, correct an error of fact, and challenge societal myths (195). Like in Malcolm X, my argument revolves around a set of facts. For my paper, the situation I described is the issue of race affecting digital literacy, when I noticed this issue it caused me to raise many questions about the cause of this and whether or not it actually existed. The error of fact/ societal myth I am looking to correct is that many people like to think we live in a perfect society where there is no racial discrimination or segregation, but there that is not true.

According to Lunsford, the issue should have the attention of potential readers, or in my opinion, should have their attention (186). This issue is definitely worthy of attention, because more people should be willing to put forth effort into bridging the gap of races. Also, another key feature of a factual argument is that it offers substantial and authoritative evidence to support the claim (194). I believe that my evidence is substantial and authoritative because all my sources are considered scholarly. I am using peer reviewed journal articles for all of my research; I think these sources can be substantiated.

In chapter 7, it tells me that it is difficult to distinguish between factual arguments and those offered for more public consumption in media. The journal articles I have found to support my claim are not entirely scientific but they do contain supporting charts and graphs of statistics. Because my issue is about society the evidence has to be collected from many different sources. I have to look at research that studied many different phenomena in society. The definitions of argument of fact more closely fit my argument than the others. I believe that the guide in “Everything’s an Argument” to construct an argument of fact will help me with the process of writing my final Core 4 paper.

Reflecting on research (class 04/06)

The research I have found to date has pretty much gone along with my original thought that race impacts digital literacy. The authors seem to agree most of the time but some authors think that along with race, there are other social factors that influence digital literacy (such as class). I think that the articles I have read are correct in their thinking. I have found the conversation between authors to be informative, interesting, and very helpful.

Some problems I have had is that there seem to be discrepancies among the authors and researchers about certain statistics and trends. To overcome this disagreement, I am going to use the more widely used statistic and examine the bias one author might have which is making the statistics different. I also need to obtain more supporting facts in order to strengthen my argument even more in my Core 4 paper.

Core 1- Exploring Digital Literacy

Chelsea Melville

ENC 1102.112

02/11/10

Exploring Digital Literacy

Technology is an integral part of my life on a day to day basis. Many of the technologies I use, I use quite proficiently; however, there are many technologies to which I am a stranger. My generation has grown up with technology in our homes and in educational environments. We are all technology users, but some of us use technology to a different degree than others. My strong suit is the operational side of technology, but when it comes to repairs and programming, I would not be considered very technologically savvy.

The work force is becoming increasingly competitive and in most fields, it is required for applicants to be digitally literate. According to Devoss, the literacy education that parents and teachers provided years ago will not equip people for success, because the world has changed in many unexpected ways (207). Since coming to college I have realized that becoming digitally literate is more important to my success than I had initially presumed. In most of my classes, I am required to log on WebCourses through the “myUCF” account provided to me. On this account, I can submit assignments, look up grades, and post discussions to my classmates or teachers.

The university expects that students know how to use a computer and be able to navigate their way through the internet. I think this expectation amounted because our generation was raised in a technology centered environment. If a student does not know how to use a computer, they would find it difficult to be successful in their classes.

I have had access to a computer since I was five years old and I gained access to the internet shortly after. Throughout the years, my knowledge has grown and so have the functions of a computer; the possibilities are endless and because my parents allowed me access at such a young age, I am more literate today. The practice I gained over the years of my youth permits me to operate programs and different technologies that some other people my age and older cannot.

The computer has shaped many aspects of my life; knowing how to operate a computer and internet makes many different features more accessible. On the internet, I can easily request directions to any destination, communicate with friends, or upload digital pictures, all by the click of a button. Throughout high school, I worked with Microsoft Word and EXCEL incessantly and I continue to use these programs now. Microsoft Word, a word processing program, allows me to construct writing assignments and provides me with tools to improve my writing, such as the thesaurus. Microsoft EXCEL provides me with tools to assemble spreadsheets and graphs with ease.

My intended major of study is Nursing. In order to become a successful pediatric nurse, I will have to learn many new technologies. Technology is important in many work places, including nursing. There are many studies that show that the use of certain technologies work to improve efficiency among nurses. Some technologies that improve efficiency are non-acute and acute speciality information systems that interconnect many functions within one department, and robotics and dispensing systems (Covington et al).
Furthermore, after interviewing a nurse from Lakeland Regional Medical Center, I was informed of the most common technologies in which I will have learn how to use. He said the technologies I will encounter on a day to day basis are the Electrocardiogram (ECG), X-ray machine, and computers to enter in patient information. I realize that technology is a big part of my future career and I will have to learn how to use all technologies effectively.

Certain aspects of myself depend on technology too much. I frequently find myself depending too much on the grammar and spelling check on Microsoft Word. I should be practicing my grammar or looking in a dictionary, but instead I hit the “ABC check“ button. I always relying on computer automated directions or a GPS, rather than following road signs or a map. In addition, I spend an excessive amount of time on Facebook. Facebook is a social networking site that consumes my life some days. It is easy to find myself looking at my friends’ pictures or reading conversations from other people instead of performing the tasks I logged on the computer to accomplish. I even find myself playing games on computer to avoid reading for class.

Technology is not always considered good. A technological advance that I do not agree with is the use of the internet for the illegal downloading of music and movies. By illegally downloading music and movies, the user is taking money away from the rightful owner. Many kids my age partake in this activity and it worries me that someday everyone will be stealing music instead of paying for it.

All in all, the computer has played an active role in my entire life. I use it for many different purposes and I will continue to use it in the future. Whether it be for my career or any other miscellaneous purposes, I foresee always owning and operating a computer. Being digitally literate is an important tool to have in today’s society.

Works Cited:

Covington, Barbara, et al. The Use of Technology to Assist Nurses in Caring for Patients. Nursing Workforce Commission. Dec. 2007. Web. 1 Feb. 2010

Devoss, Danielle, et al. The Future of Literacy. Chapter 7.

Developing Audience Awareness in Writing

"Developing Audience Awareness in Writing" by Jose Brandao Carvalho

"Audience awareness in writing is an important feature that has to be considered when we want to distinguish novice from expert writing." This was a main idea within the article. You really have to adapt to being aware of your audience. Cavalho makes a point to show that transforming text to unite with the audience is a challenge. There was a study presented within the article that shows progress for fifth to ninth grade in terms of audience awareness. The study showed that the experimental group greatly improved in audience awareness because they received information about the subject. Yet the control group that receieved no information on audience awareness did not show that aspect in their writing.

Carvalho, Jose B. "Developing Audience Awareness in Writing." Journal of Reading in Reading 25.3 (2002): 271-82. Print.

Trish Piercy
Chelsea Melville

Part 2: Participate

My intended major of study in college is Nursing. I plan to become a pediatric nurse. Technology is very important in many work places, including nursing. There are many studies that show that the use of certain technologies work to improve efficiency among nurses. Some technologies that nurses agree improve efficiency are non-acute and acute speciality information systems that interconnect many functions within one department, and robotics and dispensing systems (Covington et al). Also, after interviewing a nurse from Lakeland Regional Medical Center, I was informed of the most common technologies in which I will have learn how to use. He said the technologies I will encounter on a day to day basis are the Electrocardiogram (ECG), X-ray machine, and computers to enter in patient information. I realize that technology is a big part of my future career and I will have to learn how to use all technologies effectively.


Works Cited:
Covington, Barbara, et al. The Use of Technology to Assist Nurses in Caring for Patients. Nursing Workforce Commission. Dec. 2007. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Part 1: Prepare

I use many different technologies on a day to day basis. Many of the different technologies I use, I use quite proficiently. There are many technologies that I do not know how to use and would like to learn. In the multimedia area of technology, my skills are not that diverse. In high school, I regularly used ACID, a music studio software, with which I could alter music tracks by making them shorter, taking out different parts, or blending two or more songs together into one for my dance team. Also, I know how to edit digital pictures on certain programs on the computer.

Examples of school-oriented technology that I am good at are Microsoft EXCEL, Microsoft Powerpoint, and various word processors. In Microsoft EXCEL, I have been required to create spreadsheets and create graphs. Microsoft Powerpoint allows me to create a slideshow powerpoint to outline key points during a presentation. I would like to improve in many areas on school-oriented technology. Also, I have many play-oriented technologies that I use on a daily basis. I can use a PlayStation, Wii, and many other gaming systems with ease. I would like to learn how to use sophisticated photo editing programs and I also would like to learn how to edit video clips.