Scholarly Article #1

To the left is a picture of a Neanderthal and me, socializing at the Archaeological Museum of Asturias, in Northern Spain.

 In this article, on page 26, Reid explains that Neanderthals used symbols through cave art to communicate. Now, people use words as symbols to express thought.  Reid shows the complexity of language by alluding to Derrida’s theory of deconstruction, on page 33.  Derrida’s theory suggests that words are subjective; and content changes, based on the reader’s reaction to a word.   

Dr. Jasmine, in his Critical Introduction to Literary Theory class at Dixie State, introduces Derrida's deconstruction by explaining that 

words can trigger different mental images. I will have a unique image for bat, perhaps based on the association I used when I learned the word bat.  Also, bat could mean an animal or baseball equipment.  

In terms of Derrida's concept of binary oppositions that Reid mentions, Dr. Jasmine used the example of a zombie.  A zombie would not exist without the opposites, or binary oppositions, death and life. People grasp the concept of a zombie because of the contrast of two words.  

Writers have influence, socially and technologically through rhetoric shared through New Media, or the internet.  Reid's article is an example of a response to the dialogue about scholarly writing that accumulates because of people's access to the web.  Reid says, “We can regulate many of the external sources of information, though obviously they are not entirely within our control either (35).” External sources of information can mean the sources people use to research. 

New Media creates dialogue among scholars that will clash with other scholars' associations with words.  Since language is fluid, based on a Deconstructionist perspective, writers have to make text as simple as possible to communicate something without suggesting underlying meaning. Deconstructionists, and I'm sure Reid, will tear the text apart to explain that the text means something different than what the words say because of the way people cognitively respond to those words.  However, New Media provides a way for people to interact with society and act based on rhetoric, whether or not a text is able to have a concrete meaning.  

Digital Literacy Autobiography

My family gave me a computer for Christmas, when I was a kid.  My mom says I was 3. Do I seem 3 years old in the picture?  I learned to navigate my computer, with incentive to play games such as: Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, Land Before Time, and Franklin the Turtle.

My first experience with the internet involved listening to the sound of the dial-up connection.  At the time, the sound seemed high tech.  I am not sure exactly when I started using the internet. I remember that I had typing class in 7th grade, though. I used the internet to play games, after I finished my typing homework.

I signed up for Facebook when I was 14.  My mom told me how to sign up. I signed up for Twitter, in college. My friends helped me stop being a noob by helping me change the egg logo to my profile picture.

Supplementary online support is convenient because students can easily find instructions, course syllabi, and class notes on canvas.  Students can message each other about homework-related questions. One disadvantage might include additional coursework for students because teachers and students have an accessible means of communicating outside of class via structures such as canvas.  Another disadvantage is the added screen-time of using online support.  However, I can allocate time spent doing homework online, in order to avoid eyestrain from screen-time and stress from course work.

"Friends come and go like waves, but good friends stay-- like an octopus on your face."  -anonymous