Chapter 4: The Breakout of the Visual (my group)

     Jill, Stefania, and I accomplished a lot of work on our project. We each read the chapter on our own and highlighted important parts that stuck out to us.  When we met each of us had great ideas to contribute to the group Prezi. It was easy to get work done since we all came prepared and had ideas.
     Since we were all prepared to present, I feel that our biggest accomplishment was the presentation itself. As we moved through our Prezi, I could tell that the class was understanding the messages we were conveying from the chapter. I feel that this was our biggest accomplishment, because we thought about that while making our project. In many of my slides, I included pictures to show examples so the class would understand Bolter easier.
     One thing that I wish we might have improved on is class participation. It would have been cool if we figured out a way to involve the class in our Prezi. Maybe we could have thought of a short game to play with the class to keep their attention half-way through our presentation.

Freewrite

Question: What are some of the earliest encounters you remember with language, written or verbal? Why do you think you remember them?

Answer: 

     The earliest encounters I remember with language are verbal. Every night before bed, my mother or father would either read or make up a story to tell me. I remember this, because it was always my favorite part of the night. Before I went to bed, after my prayers, I would get to choose to be read or told a story. With each parent, i had a different preference. 

     When my mother put me to bed, I would usually chose to be read a story. My mom is a teacher and usually teaches younger kids, therefore she always read stories with emotion. When she would read a story to me, I never got bored. When my father put me to bed, I would usually choose to be told a story. My dad is a very funny and creative person. His stories were usually funny and gave me a good laugh before bed. Either way, I enjoyed my parents reading and speaking to me. 

Question from Prezi

Question: How does this electronic space refashion its predecessor? How does it claim to improve on print's ability to make our thoughts visible and to constitute the lines of communication for our society?

Answer: This electronic space refashions its predecessor by appearance, speed, and accessibility. The electronic space makes ones writing take less time and makes other other writings more accessible. It claims to improve on print's ability to make our thoughts visible by having more space for images. On the computer, images and color schemes are incorporated much more than in print, making its appearance more desirable. It also makes the lines of communication easier, because you can get feedback faster than easier than if you had just read a printed text.

Bolter's Writing Space Chapter 2

     Bolter states that no matter if you are using print or digital, the writing is the same. He feels that the writer is responsible for conveying the same message no matter what. Whether you are printing the text or using a word processor, you still are stating the same thing you would, just in a different way. He claims that instead of the writing space being the printed text or the digitalized text, it is in the mind. The ideas and words are formulated in ones head, therefore the writing space is ones mind.

Sample R

     I chose to refute the argument of Sample R. Although there are certain aspects of this sample that I agree with, I still chose to refute it. I strongly disagree with what was said in the second paragraph. "It's easier to see a flame than describe one in words to a person who's never seen it..." (Sample R). If you show someone a flame when they have never seen it before, they will obviously infer the color and shape of it. But they will not know anything else. If you verbally tell someone about a flame, you may include how it feels and smells. If you connect the feeling of a flame with more than one sense, a person will be able to connect more. If you verbally tell someone, and are very descriptive, they will understand more than if only seeing an image.

Bolter: Chapter 1

     After reading Bolter's introduction, I wanted to continue reading. I enjoy Bolter's ideas and his way of expressing them. He starts off by giving the history of printing and how it overtook handwriting. Bolter quickly switches to tell that we are living in the "late age of print". I agree with Bolter that we are definitely living in the late age of print."Word processing, databases, e-mail, the World Wide Web, and computer graphics are displacing printed communication for various purposes" (Bolter 2).
     I do not agree with Bolter on one aspect. I don't think that books will ever completely be replaced. There are many people who favor both the World Wide Web and a regular book. Most of what Bolter writes in his introduction is already known, but he presents it in a way that makes the reader reflect. The way in which the World Wide Web is drastically becoming more popular is completely obvious, but I never actually thought about it like I am now.