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Unit Three Synthesis

Joshua Nicholls

2/25/12

English 1101

Unit 3 Thesis

“Schooling”

I believe the major topic we covered in our Unit three readings would be about school is actually about. School is not just about what we are learning, like our parents like to think. But it is also about growing up. Like Theodore R. Sizer writes in “What High School Is,” “The high school is to tough most aspects of an adolescent’s existence—mind, body, morals, values, career.” What Sizer wrote really explains Unit three, that schooling is so much more than English and math. It was way for adolescents to become who they are and what they want to be. It is a gateway to adulthood.

Rebekah Nathan wrote in “Lessons from My Year as a freshman,” “Liminal people who might otherwise have differential status in the society become equal and those who share the ritual experiences of lowliness, homogeneity, and sacred bonds. Undergraduate students bond with one another, sometimes for life, and, amid rules of suspended normality and often hardship, explore their identities, wrestle with their parents’ worlds, and wonder about their future.” What Nathan wrote just backs up what Sizer was trying to get across to his readers, and what the Unit was trying to capture in the readings presented. The unit really push that school is not the math and English, but what the students are doing and trying to figure out while attending that school. School is a large part of our lives and everyone does a lot of growing up in an education institution. I think that is what the unit is try to get the readers to understand, that so much more happens at an education institution. To making friends and explore who you really are.

Analyzing College Viewbooks Exploratory Writing

Joshua Nicholls

2/22/12

English 1101

Visual Essay Exploratory Writing

“Analyzing College Viewbooks”

I the first words I notice in the picture on page 145 is “I am” then you can see “Completely focused” those words I sense that this college is an advanced individual college. It gives the feeling of being artful but also very professional. The second piece of material on Virginia Tech I pick up on the word “Energize” and the why is turned the wrong way on the page. It gives me the sense of a very fast past, new, technical, and modern university. The piece altogether has a very high tech and mathematical design with the squares and lines. Very professional and clean as well.

Jordan Peer Review

I reviewed Kelly's exploratory writing on June Jordan because I think she thought a lot like me. That it was a very well written piece and was interesting to read. It was not boring like most of the stories in the book. She was also able to recognize the reason behind the two stories being intertwined. The purpose for Jordan explaining about her class and then the story about Willie Jordan. Kelly was able to write about why it was important and what it did to help the reader fully understand what was going on.

June Jordan intertwines the story of her class on Black English and the story of Willie Jordan by introducing Willie Jordan as a very interested pupil in one of her women poetry classes. In this poetry class they discuss “The Color Purple” written by a black women author. The students, majority being black, at first criticized the writing, saying that it didn’t read right. Due to this response she breaks down a sentence out of the book and rewrites it in “standard English”. The whole class gets a good laugh and from this springs a new class “Black English” of which Willie also attends. This is how she intertwines Willie into her story, as one of her stand out students. She goes into great depth about Black English and the rules that the class comes up with. She also explains how whites have tried to take away their heritage from the blacks and control and conform them, another way she more subliminally intertwines the two stories. Willie’s brothers injustice is yet another example of the suppression of blacks and the great injustices done to them. While June focuses on black injustices and suggests that it is whites against blacks, I feel it goes so much deeper than that in reality. It was not just the blacks who are “conquered” or suffered great injustices. The Native Americans were GREATLY suppressed, Their children were sent off to boarding schools and taught English and made to dress in white men’s clothing. They were not allowed to speak their native languages, worship they way they chose to, or dress the way they had for centuries. I still don’t think it’s the whites against non whites and I’ll tell you why…. Will James was a very white author. He was an American cowboy in the early 1900’s who got his start in the literary world as an artist. His art never really made it big but he started writing and surprisingly enough his writings were a huge hit with certain followings. Now to make my point, Will James did not speak “standard English” he spoke/wrote with “flavor” He used his cowboy slang and was highly criticized in the literary world for not using “proper English”. Today there are people trying to eradicate cowboys believe it or not! Environmentalists, animal rights activists, greedy corporations…..This list goes on. So it is not whites against blacks, or browns or yellows or bla bla bla. It’s something else entirely and I think that to some degree we are all guilty of it.

Fish Exploratory Writing Assignment

Joshua Nicholls

2/20/12

English 1101

Fish Exploratory Writing

“The Value of Higher Education made Literal”

“The view of value and the good life has a definite appeal.” I believe that is appeal amounts to the fact that higher education in a contemporary society is something everyone wants to achieve. That people would like to have the value of higher education, but all they do is pay for the people who are trying to achieve the good life. They want to be able to grasp that higher education and step into the good life, but a lot of the sight of the value of learning has been lost. Value has the meaning of the return of the dollar or the number of cars or houses you can buy. That would be the good life that everyone wants but I believe what he is trying to write is that with value of learning becoming less and less clear. You cannot achieve that good life. You will never be able to have those houses or cars, because the value of learning is gone. Education is going down the drain.

Williams Peer Review

I decided to review Kris's exploratory writing from Williams because of his strong stance he takes. He does not agree with Williams' belittling Gamers in a sarcastic manner and general lack of resolution, but then also agrees the EA has a horrible marketing strategy over the past few years. I also like his ideas and thoughts in the rest of his essay.

Kris Passmore

Tyler Chadwick

English Composition 1101

2/7/2012

Williams is arguing that teen angst and shock factors are sure fire advertising techniques. “Yet for all its rather disingenuous button pushing, the EA campaign does flow from that universal truth-that ‘a mom’s disapproval has always been a great barometer of what’s cool.’ (Williams)” While I don’t agree with Williams’ belittling Gamers in a sarcastic manner and general lack of a resolution, I do agree in stressing the case of EA’s horrible Marketing Strategy over that past few years. I agree solely as a Gamer concerned for the businesses’ artistic integrity.

Now, allow me to set somethings straight. A vast majority of the Gaming Community are not adolescent minded teenage boys, easily amused by gore and scantily clad women. We view Games as a viable art-form and seek to have this sentiment recognized by common society, while pulling away from this immature stereotype. EA’s attempt at capital gain from their “supposed” audience was petty, greedy, and low.

May I now turn your attention over to the folks of ‘Extra Credits’, who last year stressed this very issue. In my personal opinion, these people are some of the top commentators of the current Gaming Culture and this video gained them an actual audience with EA’s Marketing Representatives

Williams Exploratory Writing

Joshua Nicholls

2/6/12

English 1101

Williams Exploratory Writing

“Dead Space 2’: Your Mom Doesn’t Want You to Play This Video Game”

I think what Williams was trying to get across was that “It’s revolting. It’s violent. It’s everything you love in a game” isn’t just for those teenage kids who need to take their anger out on somebody. Moms, 40 year old women, also like playing games and the very gruesome one also. The stereotype has been that moms should not let their children plays these games or support anyone who does. With Williams essay she shows that 40 percent of the gaming community is women. They also like to play these kinds of games. The gaming world is not just for the nerd in his moms’ basement but also for the moms supporting those nerds, is what she is trying to explain in the end. Her argument is strong and very straight forward. That woman also likes to play videos games almost as much as men do.

Gilsdorf Exploratory Writing

Joshua Nicholls

02/06/2012

English 1101

Gilsdorf Exploratory Writing

“How ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Changed My Life”

I think the bringing back of Dungeons and Dragons and remaining off the grid is a good thing. Number one reasons is that with all the other online games, your really not interacting with anyone. A machine is all you’re reacting with. But with Dungeons and Dragons you are in a room with people interacting face to face. The people playing this game have the chance to socially meet someone in person. Face to face. I do think this game is good and that what Gilsdorf writes is very true. This game helped him bring confidence into his life. He was able to use what had his characters strengths in Dungeons and Dragons, into real life. It made him stronger and a more confident person. He might have been a geek, but he was confident and was successful. This games is a lot better than all the other games. Some people can’t play sports or do anything to be in clubs, and I think this games I a good outlet for people to join. They actually will meet people. Interact and make friends. Not just in the gaming world but hopefully will lead to outside in the real world interacting and making friends.

"Visual Essay" Exploratory Writing

Joshua Nicholls

01/25/12

English 1101

Exploratory Writing

“Visual Essay”

There are big difference in reading the “Visual Essay” and then actually reading a real essay with words. They were both really great essays. I feel you receive two different stories from these essays, which are of the same topic. Starting with reading the “Visual Essay,” I felt pain and a sense of lose, when looking at the two photos. I believe you feel a lot when looking at these photos, while compared to the writing it is just words on a page. It can see and take away your own interpretation from the pictures with the writing it is what they write is what you get.

I do think the essay with words was very interesting. It had a lot of fact. I felt that there was no emotion in this essay. A lot of hard facts and the difference with the pictures was that you can see the loss and emotion with that, but with the essay you get hard facts. No emotion. It was interesting and informing but totally different vibe then the “Visual Essay.”

Peer Review of Hayles Summary

I reviewed Kelly's summary of "Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes" because she cover a lot of the high points of this essay. Kelly did a really good job in summarize all of what Hayles wrote. Like Kelly I also thought it was a very interesting read and found quite a bit of information in the piece.

Summary of “hyper and deep attention: the generational divide in cognitive modes”

Katherines piece was about deep attention and hyper attention, how they differed and how media has rewired our “M” generations brains. She explains that deep attention has a higher tolerance for long focus times and is great for solving complex problems and not so good for environmental alertness and flexibility of response. She Then goes on to say that Hyper attention has a high level of stimulation and a low tolerance of boredom. Hyper attention negotiates rapid changing environment and is not so good with complex problem solving and focusing on non-interactive objects.

She mostly focuses on Hyper attention and how children from 8-18 have been raised on more time in front of TV’s, computers, video games, MP3’s and other forms of digital devices. She also questions the superiority of deep attention to hyperattention. They both seem to have their benifits and short comings. She also correlates ADHD and hyper attention. She states that their are more diagnosed cases now than ever, but could that just be from the fact that we are becoming more aware of it now or that hyper attention is causing ADHD? She mentions that kids are taking ridolen before cramming for tests saying that it helps them to focus better and that kids are being mis diagnosed and treated possibly from pressure from parents because it helps their kids focus and do better in school.

I really enjoyed this writing and took a lot from it. Great read :)

"Diagnosing the Digital Revolution: Why it's so hard to tell whether it's really changing us" Exploratory Writing

Joshua Nicholls

01/22/2012

English 1101

Gopnik Exploratory Writing

“Diagnosing the Digital Revolution:

Why it’s so hard to tell whether it’s really changing us”

Exploratory Writing:

I would characterize Gopnik’s response as one of a person who has been in the position of the people Turkle interviewed. Gopnik might not have been one who had all the technology but always had a book in her face. She states that there really is not a difference between what she did with books and her television and what kids are doing now. At the beginning of this expert she writes about how she was given “The Device” at two years old and had it all of her life. She would smuggle into to school and engage it is under her desk. Just like kids these days do with cell phones or any other technological device. Sitting motionless for hours was another thing she did with “The Device,” just like kids do today. All “The Device” is just a printed book.

She tells about how the she grew up with print. Then the next generation will take print for granted. Then so fourth on that nowadays kids will be taking technology for granted and it will be something to improve upon. Then goes on to state that the technology of the telegraph was going to be the end of the world, or the waltz and the crinoline which caused a feeling of deep anxiety because it was something totally different and new. In the end though, it turned out to be something great. Overall her stance is that things change and people change with them. She used to be glued to books just like children are glued to cell phones or other devices, but she turned out okay.

Summary of "Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes"

Joshua Nicholls

01/18/2012

Hayles Summary

Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes

Hayles essay is about exploring a hypothesis that can creatively and innovatively change our educational strategies to the coming change of the cognitive styles of our youth. There are two different cognitive styles one is deep attention which is concentrating on a single thing for long periods of time and ignore the things around you. While being able to concentrate for very long periods of time. The second cognitive style Hayles explains is hyper attention which is switching your focus rapidly between multiply tasks. If you style was hyper attention you would like multiple information streams and having a high level of stimulation, but also a very low tolerance for boredom.

She later on writes about a study, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, that on average young people spend 8.5 hours consuming some time of media. Ranging from television, music, web, video games, and actually reading a book. The study goes on to state that thirty per cent of young people did their homework while attending to other media. I also found it interesting that the study found that it is more time-efficient to do several tasks sequentially than attempt to do them one by one.

Her hypothesis can be explained that link it with AD/HD. The generational shift toward hyper attention can be understood as a shift in the mean toward the AD/HD end of the spectrum. Generation M has a raising use in the consumption of media, but it should be known that so much an absolute increase in time spent with a given media. She also states that our time required for an audience to respond to an image has decreased significally. I find that so interesting that by being hyper attention we can recognize images faster than people who are not.

Peer Review of Kress & Lam Assignments

I reviewed Natalie's assignments from Lam, because of like she stated below that it really is not the digital word that has been the cause of our loss of empathy, but our change in society. Like she wrote people want to make money anymore these days that they are willing to do anything to get rich. Which we lose empathy when we are trying to get what we want and someone gets into our way. You will do anything to achieve what you want.

Virtual world is the death of empathy!

English 1101

Natalie

1-16-12

The one statement that stuck out of Andrew Lams essay that I would like to analysis is "troubling consequences of devoting so much attention to the virtual world is the death of empathy". Even tho this is the quote for the example question, it honestly stuck out to me. I don't believe that the reason people record horrific events such as "how the student filmed the collaspsing buildings from the earthquake in Sichuan, China", or, "how the prison guard recorded the death of Suddam Hussein", were because they devoted too much time to the virtual world. I believe they do this to become famous or to get rich and profit from selling the video they recorded. It is about money and making something of themselves. In my opinion, it is society that encourages this behavior not excessive time in the virtual world.

Kress Expository & Lam Writing Assignment

Joshua Nicholls

01/16/12

English 1101

Kress Exploratory Writing (12-14)

The screen has influenced the composition of pages by make the general public want books with faster reads. We tend to have more of short attention span, so the writers now days I believe have to be able to capture the writer right away and keep his attention all the way through, or the book will never make it. I also think the screen has help benefit writer to write in vivid and more descriptive ways than before to help the pages flow move like a screen. What we call books these days are anything with words and has meaning or can keep our attention to tell a good story. Books are ways now days for people to share their life’s mistakes and teach people what to do and what not to do. Some examples of “logic of writing” and how it organizes the pages are for instant emotion. Depending on how you place emotion in the pages will depend on what and how your outcome will come to be. Then what you also want you reader to feel at certain times. The “logic of the image” is also the same way how you portray a certain emotion and where you place drastically changes the meaning and viewer outcome of the plot.

Lam Writing Assignment (24-26)

The idea that Andrew Lam, a Vietnamese American journalist, states that if communication technology was created to enhance our daily lives, something has dramatically shifted: More and more, we are changing our lives to cater to the digital world. What his statement is presenting is that today we are entering the digital world. That people are more than ever helpless without the digital world. We are changing to that everything we do and see need to broadcasted and know to the world. Our sense of empathy is leaving us though by stepping into this virtual world. With that empathy is essential to the human condition.

Andrew Lam makes a very good point that we are stepping in this digital world. He is wrong with the idea that changing our lives to cater to the digital world. The digital world has done nothing but make processes faster. We can get to disasters faster and get help to anywhere. I do agree that we are losing our empathy. I don’t believe that we need to document and video everything and post it in the digital world. Not everyone wants to know every ones business.

6 Word Memoir Peer Review

I picked Natalie's memoir because it runs along with mine. That by never quitting and not giving up you overcome I was, I am and become I'll be. I like the essay she wrote with it and agree with it all. Has a strong and powerful meaning.

6 word memoir

Natalie

english 1101

I'll Be

I am

i was

This six word memoir can be implied in many different ways. It can be interpreted differently by each person. For instance, I was a stay at home mom; I am a student; I will be a graduate. Or, someone could look at it as, I was unknown; I am myself; I will be loved. Or, I was sad; I am depressed; I will be happy. It can be interpreted positively or negatively. If I were to change one word it would be "will" to "won't". For example I was sad; I am depressed; I won't be happy. This would put a negative effect in this story. Now It would make this story the opposite of what I want to portray. Changing one word can make a huge difference.

I was; I am; I’ll be. This story relates to me because I feel I am stepping up in life. I feel I am bettering my life by going to school and getting a job in the field I would like to work in. By doing this I will be achieving my goals step by step. This is why I designed the words as steps. I was on the bottom step with no job or schooling. I am a student and my children are in school so I am taking the opportunity to return to school. I’ll be a graduate standing on the top of my step ready to support my family and have a future. As I reflect on my life through this story, it definitely makes me look at the steps I have taken. I am happy where I am. I am looking forward to climbing the staircase of my future as I am trying to better my life step by step.

Never quit, will not give up.

I mean for this memoir to let people know how in my life I never quit and will not ever give up. That is why I used strong forceful words like “never” and “will not” to help emphasize what I am trying to convey in this memoir. A lot comes to mind when I read this memoir. It reminds me of a strong person willing to push and put a hundred percent into everything. I also picture a cancer patient fight for their life and giving it there all. This statement in general is also very strong and has a intense voice. You can almost picture someone climbing that one mountain they could never climb or picking themselves up after everything has been destroyed. Pushing forward and being determined.

If you were to change the “never” in the memoir to “will,” it comes across as a whole different statement. It comes off as a confused person who doesn’t know what is going. The statement also loses its voice when you change those words. It makes the statement quieter and not strong at all. A little boring too. Overall I chose this statement because I am in the Army and you can never give up or quit. It has always been my motto to push through and never quit. I think the statement fits my life well, it was challenging to come up with this statement, but it was a lot of fun and very interesting. This assignment has challenged me to understand that what words you chose have a huge impact on how readers understand and convey you message. It has also challenged me in such a way that I never really knew you could tell such a short story, in so few words.

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