Brandt

Brandt:

QfD&J:

1.

Brandt sees a literacy sponsor as something which does not only aid and support people with literacy skills but she believes that literacy sponsors can open some doors whilst closing others. Brandt sees sponsors as institutions, people and circumstances which make it possible for a person to become literate and shape the way the person actually acquires literacy.

2.

Sponsors are usually something which supports something else by giving them materials or equipment. For example schools (an institution) are sponsors of students but giving them text books. However a reason that a school may be a negative sponsor (in which it closes a door) is that sometimes schools cannot provide students with what they need so a different sponsor (parents) are needed. In my experience sometimes school has said they will provide me with a text book but haven’t had it due to a previous child not returning it so therefore I was unable to complete a piece of work.

4.

By stratified, I believe Brandt indicates that there are all different levels of opportunity, depending on the sponsor you use, depends on how well you will do. To gain a specific level you have to use the appropriate sponsor. In society today a high value is put on education due to going to university in order to get a good education and in the future to get a good job. As the importance (stakes) raise in these areas, it is important for good sources of sponsorship to be available. The sponsorship should open doors, rather than close doors, giving people the opportunity to achieve these high stakes.

A&EI:

1.

When I was younger, before I went to school, my parents and grandparents were my main sponsor. I learnt how to speak and write because of them and they may have used specific learning tools to help but they were the ones who helped the most. My Grandma’s was my main sponsor for learning how to spell and write. Every Sunday I would go to her house and we would do spellings and learn how to write them neatly. Another key sponsor in my life was when I got my laptop at the age of 13. My laptop helped me complete homework assignments and helped me research topics necessary to complete my homework. As well as using my laptop to research I would use libraries either in my local town or at school to rent out books and look up topics I needed to research. I believe these have been the main sponsors in my life outside of school then in school, I have received tutors and teachers help, as well as the use of textbooks. In schools there are always many people who are willing to help and assist you.

2.

In school, due to subjects following syllabuses, they always encouraged us to use certain books rather than others. Although we were encouraged to use specific books, on a very rare occasion were we told which books we can or cannot use. We were also encouraged to read outside of lesson materials to improve our grammar and once again we were encouraged to some books and not others just because they wanted to book to benefit us. In most subjects, at the start of the year we were given a list of books in which we were told that we could find all information on topics from these sources which was a huge help and which saved us a lot of time. Once again if we found a sponsor was unhelpful we could refer to mentors or the internet to help find specific information.

MM:

This article has given me a different outlook of my literacy skills. I have never really thought about how my skills are shaped and developed but I believe this article shows different sponsors we use in our lives and how they may affect our literacy skills and understanding. I also believe that I am still experiencing different types of sponsors today, from my parents to mentors and teachers. In college I am limited to different sponsors who allow me to complete different assignments, such as specific books and libraries.

bryson and dawkins

Bryson:

ByR:

3. How has technology changed the way we speak to each other? Is it grammatically correct? Does that affect your understanding of what others are saying? Can you come up any examples of ‘new’ words?

Technology has made social interaction very different. People may talk to others very differently through technology than to their face. For example they may be more open or forward with someone because they have a computer screen or telephone as a mask to hide behind. Also when using technology people tend to abbreviate their words or use slang, to make things quicker to type, such as “U ok?” meaning, are you okay? This may affect the way we write if we are doing a formal letter because we may unconsciously type an abbreviated version rather than the formal version. Sometimes using abbreviated words can mislead others which can cause confusion/

QfDaJ:

1. Define prescriptive and descriptive. What kind of grammar instruction have you encountered in the past? Give examples.

Prescriptive is when something is a rule which has to be accepted as it is and descriptive is something with can be interpreted in a specific way so is likely to change.I have encountered prescriptive in the past. At primary school we are told information which prepares us for writing in a specific way. For example, always putting a full stop at the end of a sentence and always putting a capital letter if it’s someone’s name.

AaEI:

1. Describe some of the ways Bryson says language changes over time. Where do you see this in Modern English? Would Bryson condone or condemn the change?

Bryson believes that English is changing as time goes on. He believes that we speak very differently now, compared to the past. Due to technology changes abbreviated words are encouraged along with slang phrases.  

Dawkins:

QfDaJ:

1. What conceptions about writing is Dawkins challenging?

Dawkins is challenging how reliable punctuation rules are, such as the inconsistent use of commas. He looks at how punctuation can change the tone of a sentence which is why he believes rules are not suited for every situation.

5. What do you know about punctuation now that you didn’t know before reading Dawkins?

Punctuation can be used to link single independent clauses together. I did not realise that adding different forms of punctuation in different parts of a sentence would change the tone and look of the sentence as much as it does. For example, having a full stop rather that an exclamation mark gives the sentence a much more blunt and serious reflection.

AaEI:

4. Think about your experiences as a writer in high school or middle school. Can you think of rules or directions you were given that just didn’t make sense to you, and still don’t? Write a letter to a past teacher creating an argument for why one or two common rules seem unnecessary. Remember to say not only what you think but why, giving the best reasons and examples you can think of.  

Dear Mrs Smith

I believe that when you taught me English you decided to just settle on basic rules rather than expanding on topics. For example the use of commas can be used to join sentences or other punctuation can be used depending on the type of sentence and the structure of the sentence. I believe teaching the basic restricts writing and puts a boundary on writing which does not allow creativity of the writer to show. 

Porter

D&J, 4: I believe that the evaluation of a piece of writing should be a summary of the text based on how well it has been written. Usually for me the evaluation of a paper is based on punctuation, grammar and spelling. Before reading Porter’s piece I would not have thought about acceptability. The acceptability, I believe, would be based on various people’s opinions whereas if you have a set standard, it would be easier to evaluate a piece of writing.

D&J, 5: I believe that his piece of writing is original but sources he has used as evidence are unoriginal. The ideas he talks about may have been spoken about before but because he has written them in his own way, makes it an original piece. I believe it is hard for a piece to be completely original because our thoughts and what we write about are likely to come from things we have read or experiences we have faced.

AE, 2: Plagiarism is something which is not written in your own words. If you take an extract from somewhere else you must state the source or else this is plagiarism. Some people believe that having people read over your work and helping you correct it is plagiarism. If you are caught, like Porter says you may have legal consequences.

MM: Porter has changed my perspective on writers. I still believe writers are creative but in a different way. It appears to me that writers need something in order to trigger a creative writing streak rather than just sitting down and being thoughtful. I have never thought of using other authors writing techniques to help my own writing so this will change the way I write for the better and this may increase the creativity of my writing. 

elbow

Getting ready to read

1.      How do you construct an identity using your Facebook profile? What do your different choices of what to include within your profile say about your identity online versus your identity at home?

On your Facebook profile your identity is constructed through the picture you choose to use, the colour scheme you have and the personal details you decided to show others. If you choose to express your feelings on your profile people can construct an image of you without even seeing. If you decided to write something negative about someone else then you may be seen as someone who cyber bullies, whereas if you use to show pictures of your friends and family you are a warm-hearted person who just wants to connect with friends online. People usually appear very different online to what they are actually like in person. This may be because what they write on Facebook  is taken the wrong way or because the person thinks they can say what they like and not be confronted about it.

2.       When you typically write academic papers, professors will often outlaw the use of "I" within your writing. How would your writing be different if you were able to use the first-person within this assignment?

If the word “I” is allowed to be used, the writer is able to express their own ideas and views on the specific topic, whereas if they are not their views are not seen in the piece of writing. If the word “I” is used this can also make the piece of writing more detail and more adventurous because it allows the writer to think about their feelings more and not just a generalised assumption.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

1.       How do you define voice? Have you encountered different definitions of voice in the past and how do they compare to Elbow's definition of voice?

I would define voice as a personal thing to each individual. Everyone has a different voice because everyone has their own views and thoughts. Peoples voices may change depending on where they are, for example if they are in a classroom their voice may change due to peer pressure or being shy, whereas if they are talking to someone one on one then they may be able to express their voice more.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

1.       Elbow identifies two kinds of voices linked to any writer: sincerity and resonance. Can you write single sentence definitions, using your own words, for sincerity and resonance? And if you struggle with this exercise, what does this say about trying to use them in your own writing?

Sincerity only works if it is believable. Sincerity is the ready showing their true take on something and it may be used to show in letters of apology or proposal. People may see writer’s sincerity as wrong or dangerous due to not everyone having the same opinion.

Resonance may be parts of writing which add extra presence, for example these may be changes in tone. Resonance may be used by the writer unconsciously and it shows off the writers views but Elbow does not believe it shows off their full outtake on something because they are writing in an unconscious manner. 

reading response

1. I believe that writers have to take time over a piece of writing. I feel that everyday someone cannot just wake up and be creative, so in order to have the best piece of writing they need to work at a piece of writing then go back to it the next day and read over it to see if they can improve it or to check through it. I believe this is a difficult experience because of how long it takes and because of the amount of different ideas which can be used in one piece of writing. During the process of writing a paper the writer is likely to make changes many times.

2. On page 33 " The best piece of advice I can give you though, is to tell the Inspired Writer to shut up and let you write." States what she believes the purpose of writing is. I agree with this statement because I believe there should not be any rules to writing and people are likely to write a better paper if they are able to think for themselves. By allowing someone to write their own ideas, encourages personality to show in the writing. I agree with Allen’s ideas or free writing and expressing your own ideas because if everyone followed specific rules then most sets of writing would be the same.

3. I have colluded in the past, when I was younger. I do not believe it is plagiarism because it is someone helping you out. I believe if collusion is plagiarism then so is your tutor correcting or helping you with work because it’s the same thing. If my mum had written my work for me and I had done nothing then yes this is plagiarism but if I write the whole paper and my mum just reads through it to check punctuation I do not believe this is plagiarism.

MM:

There have been many occasions where I haven’t been inspired by something even though I feel like I should have been. If this happens I usually keep reading it to see if I have missed a key factor which would change my view on the reading. If I still feel uninspired I may research the particular topic to improve my knowledge and interest. To help me understand others writing and be inspired I may use imitation so I can understand a particular way someone writes. 

berger and mccloud

Berger questions:

Before you read:

• The male celebrity is shown as a powerful human being who wants to show off his masculinity in order to show power and strength.
• The female celebrity is shown as a feminine human being who wants to show her glamour and who wants to look the best she can for the camera.
• If I were to draw a picture of a woman I would have her facing the camera so that she is looking the viewer straight in the eye, which shows she is not hiding anything. If I was promoting an object then the women would not be the main image I want everyone to see, so I would arrange the seen so that the main focus for viewers is on the product. The woman would be nude so that the main focus is not on the woman but on the product.

Questions for discussion:

1.     Do you think artists of these paintings knew what they were doing when they created? Why? Would Berger agree with you?

      Yes I believe they did. In order to succeed you have to promote your ideas to a target audience, which also means that you have to engage them with the painting by making the viewer look at the object you wish to promote. I believe that Berger would agree with this as he wants to construct spectatorship and to do this you have to engage with the viewer.

2.     Where have you seen images of posed women in advertising or other pop culture? How have these images compared to the nudes discussed by Berger? How have our portrayals of women in visual media changed or stayed the same?

Posed women are advertised in beauty adverts on the TV, promoting the product to viewers as something which makes them feel or look better. People (in this case women) would see the advert and want their body to be as the picture shows but in reality the picture is likely to be airbrushed because in the ideal world everyone wants to be perfect so that’s what the advert had to portray. Our perception of women has changed. We used to generally see women as promoting a product now we see women selling themselves to the audience for money or by men they are seen as a sexual object.


Applying and Exploring:

2.     Berger shares insights into the relationship between spectator and subject in works of art. How can we apply these ideas to our interactions with texts when we read? What relationship do you enter with the author of an article, or the main character in a work of fiction? The subject in art tells the viewer something through visual meanings and just like art text draws an invisible image to the reader. For example everything we read has a meaning behind it as do pictures we look at. When we read a fiction book, if the author portrays the story well, we find ourselves in the shoes of the character so that we can understand the emotions they go through throughout the book.

3.     Berger refers to how the way the woman is positioned in an oil painting as the determining factor for how he believes the image was meant to be viewed. Do you see a similar determining factor in modern images of women?  If so, where? Explain what you do or do not see.

If you compare an oil painting to modern images of women, the oil paintings will be much more modest and they will be facing straight down the camera. Whereas in modern day pictures the women in the picture is likely to be looking away and posing almost giving off a sense of uncertainty, that makes the viewer want to look at it more. The similarity between modern day images and the past is that they both use women to promote to audiences by showing their bodies. In the past images were likely to be more sophisticated focusing on the object being promoted whereas in modern day the women is likely the theme being promoted.

McCloud
Before your read: (1)

●      Try to recall what your favorite cartoon was or still is. Do you relate to a character and find yourself connecting? What features do you think help you connect?

My favourite cartoon character was Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. I believe I connect with this character because in the programme the producer always made the viewer feel sorry for Eeyore, maybe because he was always having bad luck or certain situations would always happen to him. I know I would hate to be in a situation where I always have bad luck so this automatically makes me have sympathy towards the character.  I also think Eeyore is portrayed as a cute cuddly character which makes the viewer’s warm to him. His round shaped body and sad eyes allow him to be cute  and due to his round features this makes him seem friendlier.

Discussion and Journaling:

1.      Why do you think adults still like the simplicity of cartoons? Do you think there is an age in which watching cartoons or reading comics is inappropriate? What do you think McCloud would have to say about it?

Adult cartoons are very different to childhood cartoons. They may look similar but the content which comes from them is different because the producer wants to connect with a specific audience. I believe that McCloud would agree with this statement and as he states certain viewers would enter a perspective frame so you can see specific situations, which furthermore links to an age of an individual does not matter when the question, do you think there is an age in which watching cartoons or reading comics is inappropriate? So I believe anyone of any age can watch cartoons, it just appeals to different people, with different humour.

2.        Why does McCloud use the comic book format to convey his ideas to the reader? How would his points have suffered if expressed them only through writing?

Showing a comic book allows McCloud to show off his ideas visually almost giving evidence of his ideas. They are also one of the most basic forms of showing his ideas, allowing everyone to understand by reading the images as well as viewing them. This also helps the reader understand McCloud’s ideas and witness them for themselves which would have suffered if it was just in writing.

Applying and exploring:

1.        Do you think more teaching strategies should contain visual imagery? What sort of lesson do you think would benefit from it?

I believe visual imagery would make a lesson more interesting for students because not only would it keep them engaged in what is being said but it would also help them to understand what the teacher is explaining and teaching. I believe lessons such as art, history, geography and science would benefit, making it easier to understand and see examples or what is being said.

2.        Why does McCloud contend that we are more likely to see ourselves in generic, cartoonish images that do not accurately resemble human faces? Contrary to McCloud’s argument, have you ever looked at a photograph or realistic portrait of a person and identified with the subject?

If the face is left unseen we are more likely to see resemblance because everyone has the same basic features, whereas if a face is reviled then more features are likely to be different so we do not relate it to ourselves because we see ourselves differently to the image.   

reading response

Reading Response:

1. Kantz implies that facts, opinions and arguments are all constructed by society. In school we learn that information from text books even if it is quoted by someone. The quote from the person is usually an opinion backed up by evidence which to us makes it seem more like a fact. In a sentence there is a very slight difference between all three. If something is a statement it would be “the French won”, if something was an opinion it would be “I think the French won” and if it turned into an argument then someone would say “No, the French won”, but by someone saying this it is still not a fact without evidence that France did win. They are all very similar so they are easy for people to mix up and we try to differentiate them through what we have learnt or been told. 

2. Kantz believes that students find it hard to write about what they have researched. I believe that this was also a problem for me as I would feel myself just copying. Kantz believes that students need to improve on when they do not understand or miss understand a text. Usually if I do not understand a text I will relate it to what I believe it means rather than figuring out what it really means. Kantz believes that students struggle with creating an original argument. This is usually hard after reading materials due to students finding that they copy. Kantz believes that students feel they have to write their work in one go, rather than drafting it first whilst researching then putting it all together. This may occur when a student is disinterested in the topic. I believe Kantz has highlighted some key areas which I know I struggle with and her ideas will help me improve.

2. I believe that creativity includes thinking outside the box. So when I link it to research, I believe that it means going to an unusual source to research rather than just reaching for a text book to pick out ideas. As Kantz says, If creative research is taken then it is very likely that it will answer a wide range of questions, and this can be done through “setting reading and writing goals for themselves that will allow them to think constructively” which leads to us “nurturing creativity”. I believe our ideas overlap because if you think outside the box then you are likely to cover all questions that will be asked relating to that topic. The idea that Kantz uses about setting goals means that research can be done for each section of the specific topic which makes research easier and thorough so details are not left out.

MM:

Kantz is trying to analyze that students are taught in a specific way and they feel like they need to stick to the way they are taught rather than being “creative”. Kantz try’s to promote different ways we can research in order to make it more beneficial for us. The benefits of focusing on points Kantz has made are things such as, making our paper appeal to the marker of our paper through different techniques and also to make our paper stand out and not just be a boring piece to read which also will give us a higher grade. 

project 1 prop

How modern day technology makes writing of individuals worse

As time goes on, more and more advanced technology is being created. More advanced technology means that people have access to connecting with others more often and on the go. This means that people are less likely to hand write anything, instead they can type it on an electronic device to get their message across. I believe this makes an individual’s writing worse because on these devices they are likely to have auto correct functions which automatically correct spelling and grammar so therefore you are unaware when you have made a mistake. On the other hand, if you were to hand write a message and read through the message after then you would be able to correct yourself and learn from your mistakes. Others may say that auto correct is a learning aid so if you do not know a spelling you can learn by looking at autocorrect. Modern technologies are used in everyday life, for school work, at work and by younger children learning things such as times tables and their alphabet. So from a young age children are now learning how to see things on an electronic device rather than on pen and paper.