June 8th, 2010
McLuhan, M. (1997). Media research: technology, art, communication: Routledge.
In many preliterate cultures the binding power of oral tradition is so strong that the eye is subservient to the ear. … In our society, however, to be real, a thing must be visible, and preferably constant” (39).
I largely concur with this direction of thought. In the era of primary orality, the spoken word was the main means of communication. However, I’d argue that that was experienced in combination with and simultaneous to the visual, the ability to see the speaker’s appearance and all of his or her non-verbal cues. But, today, we are certainly a visual species; we trust the eye, finding more faith and understanding when we see it in addition to experiencing it with other senses. In some ways, this view is also relevant to social presence theory and the media theories (richness, synchronicity, naturalness) that rate communication methods on hierarchical levels, each placing FtF communication as the highest and most rich, synchronous, natural, etc. method, since FtF includes visual, aural, and immediacy. Read the rest of this entry »
May 19th, 2010
“To be cyberliterate means that we need to understand the relationship between our communication technologies and ourselves, our communities, and our cultures (16).”
Gurak, L. J. (2001). Cyberliteracy: Navigating the internet with awareness. New Haven Conn.; London: Yale University Press.
Gurak defines cyberliteracy as “a critical technology literacy, one that includes performance, but also relies heavily on people’s ability to understand, criticize, and make judgments about a technology’s interactions with, and effects on, culture (13).” Noting Kathleen Welch, she goes on to state that “Cyberliteracy… is about consciousness. It is about taking a critical perspective on a technology that is radically transforming the world (16).” Read the rest of this entry »
January 1st, 2009
Happy New Year, All!
Following my October 24th post of a proposal to present at the ATTW conference, I recently got word that it was accepted. I am certainly going to accept the offer, and I’m thoroughly excited for the opportunity to put out to the academic community this concept (Simulating Synchronicity in the Online Classroom Through Embedded Audio-Visual Discussions), which is a foundational portion of my dissertation research.
While the elation of ATTW acceptance has not yet cleared, I am now diving into creating a proposal to present in June at the Media Ecology Association conference. This year it is being held at St Louis University (yes, I will be in awe, basking and wallowing in the Ong archives, at every open moment). I think this is a wise venue in which to discuss my ideas on digital orality with the academe community.
December 30th, 2008
As discussed in my November 25th post on Dissertation Topic - Online Video Conversations, I have focused down the topic and am moving forward. Here is an informal proposal detailing the direction I am going. As my die-hard follower(s) might notice, some of this was a portion of the ATTW proposal - that is a portion of my intended dissertation research. Read the rest of this entry »
October 8th, 2008
Continuing the conversation on Residually Cyclical Styles (the cyclical nature of orality and literacy), I realize the next (or most recent) cycle.
Read the rest of this entry »
