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Core - The Case of Lauren Smoley

Lauren Smoley

J Moody

ENC 1102-112

11 February 2010

The Case Study of Lauren Smoley

Technology has grown tremendously within the past ten years. It’s hard to picture life without cell phones or portable laptop computers. It’s crazy to imagine what the world will be like in ten years and how much more of an influence technology will have on our society. Both, technology and digital literacy play a huge role in my life today; it’s scary to think about what the future holds.

When I was born, I feel like technology was just getting started. People didn’t have cell phones or laptops; they had beepers and house phones with answering machines. I vaguely remember when I began to interact with my first computer. My dad rarely let me play on it by myself because it was such a new and expensive “toy.” When I was allowed on the computer, I remember opening up Notepad or Microsoft Word and typing random, improper sentences. For pure entertainment, I was usually found playing “School House of Rock.” There were many interactive games and catchy tunes such as “Conjunction, junction, what’s your function?” Soon enough, kids in my first grade class were playing the games and humming the tunes. Like Danielle DeVoss, these interactive games and appealing melodies, allowed my digital literacy skills to progress much quicker than many of my peers (DeVoss, pg 185, para 2).

As the years went on, one particular teacher made learning Microsoft Office a requirement. By the time I was in the fourth grade, I was learning how to use the basics of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. I was frequently assigned computer work and I had to always spice it up with a pretty banner or an interesting ClipArt picture. In the Future of Literacy, it explains how Joseph Johansen went through a lot of the same things I did. He also took a class that expanded his knowledge of computers.

Middle school was a drastic change for me. I was now taking six classes a day with six different teachers; and I could choose what I wanted to eat for lunch! I took a typing class my sixth grade year which taught me how to type properly with two hands and without looking. Also, our final project was to create a business of our own. While doing this project, I realized how many things Microsoft Office could really do. I made flyers, posters, business cards and created 3D images. My digital literacy has grown immensely because of that typing class.

Technology has always been very interesting to me and over the past few years I have come to realize how technology dependent I really am. I came to this realization when I was seventeen years old. One rainy day I was driving, following my friend, who lived in the next county, I lost control of the car and flipped it three times without wearing my seatbelt. As my friend turned her car around to make sure I was okay, the only thing I asked for was my cell phone. It’s scary to think how I was bleeding from several places on my body and the only thing I cared about was my cell phone. Now that I think back to it, I’m not sure if it was because I needed to call for help or because I was scared of going anywhere without it. Over a year ago, I was more concerned with my cell phone than the safety of myself; it’s terrifying to think about how much more of a bond people will have with technology and how lifeless they will feel without it.

Being a freshman in college, I’ve grasped the fact that there is no escaping technology; technology is everywhere. It’s very common for students to carry around a laptop to take notes on, or listen to lectures online rather than having to go into class. In the article, “Reimaging Computer Literacy,” Selber states, “colleges and universities are beginning to embrace requirements for computer literacy, as employers and academic accrediting agencies strongly urge upper-level administrators to do so” (pg 14, para 3). In the future, I’d like to pursue my dream as a radiologist. Because I have family in the radiology field, I have noticed that technology is advancing quickly. Sonograms and CT scans can be taken so easily now compared to five years ago. I predict that if technology continues to advance at this rapid pace, there won’t be a job left in the radiology field; technology will be doing all the work by itself. The vision I have of the future reminds me of the movie “Wall-E.” The population that lives in space is absolutely surrounded by technology. After many years, they become extremely dependent on technology and don’t know anything else. The majority of the population becomes obese and ultimately useless. It’s frightening to think, “What if that is what our future holds?”

Technology is taking over the world and it’s breathtaking to be able to watch and see all of the advancements. I started learning my digital literacy skills when I was about four years old; that’s back when Nintendo had the Duck Hunt game and writing letters was a common way of communication. Even today, I’m constantly seeing things I’ve learned throughout the eighteen years of my life. I must’ve heard the “School House of Rock” songs until I was a senior in high school. Even though they were fun to listen to at the time, they taught me some very important skills that I have now used for the majority of my life. Today, it is very hard to get away from technology; ultimately technology is the future.

Audience Awareness Article

Lauren Smoley & Anna Jones

http://www.jstor.org/stable/356601?seq=3

In the article, "Understanding a Writer's Awareness of Audience," Linda investigates whether or not experienced writers with formal training consider their audience more than writers without formal training. Although Linda believed that writers with rhetorical training would be more aware of their audience, she later found out, through her study, that there are two factors that play a bigger role in determining audience awareness. The two factors are whether or not the writer is informed as to who the audience will be, and also, how the writer views the task that is given to him or her. Therefore, the claim that Linda makes is that people with a better background in writing will be more aware of their audience compared to those with minimal amounts of writing in their background.

Core 1 - Part 2: Participate

Technology is growing more rapidly every day. In the past decade, our society has become more reliable on technology rather than hard books and notebook paper. Students now take their notes on a laptop computer, rather than using a piece of notebook paper and a pencil. Because technology continues to advance, I will have to keep up and stay updated as it progresses. I am currently trying to pursue a major in Radiologic Sciences, even though it is not offered at UCF anymore. Without technology, it would be extremely hard to a Radiologists to fulfill their job.

Radiologic technologists and technicians use a number of different forms of technology on a daily basis. The most common form is x rays. X rays produce an image of a part of the body in order to diagnose medical problems. X ray technology has come a long way since the early 1800s. Now, a technician can simply press a button in order to take an image of a body part. With the aim of becoming one of the best radiologic technologists, I will need to be more than qualified in the technology department of the radiology field. I will need to take multiple classes for my major becoming an expert on x rays, CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, mammography, etc. Also, I will more than likely need some kind of experience; therefore, I will need to practice on the different machinery as well as on a number of different people with different problems. Fulfilling my dream will not be easy, however, it will be worth it.

Core 1 - Part 1: Prepare

Technology has always played a very important role in my life. When it comes to technology, I usually excel in learning new things and catching on quickly to new programs. I consider myself above average when using technology and the various different tools it has to offer. When it comes to school work, I find myself using Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer for the majority of my research. On the other hand, for personal use, I am usually on Facebook catching up with friends or looking up funny videos on YouTube. I am very comfortable with using technology and rarely ever have any problems. However, when and if I do have a problem, I would want to improve in Microsoft Office. Although I know how to accomplish the tasks I am assigned, I think it would be good to know the majority of what Microsoft Office has to offer.

I would like to improve in having full knowledge of Microsoft Office. I know how to use the basics of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher, however, I would like to learn more. I'm sure Microsoft Office has tons of tricks up its sleeve that no one really knows about. I think it would be very beneficial if I knew. In mu opinion, I feel that I am strongest when it comes to networking with others. I am a frequent user of Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. I always try to figure out the new things and applications on these websites.