Technological Trial by Fire

This post probably warrants a disclaimer, as it’s pretty heavy on the nerd-speak.  When I think of one specific event that really contributed to my computer literacy, one period in my life comes to mind:  my time playing Jedi Knight II:  Jedi Outcast.  Yes, that’s right, not only was it a computer game, but it was a Star Wars computer game.  In order to play on user-created maps and the like, I had to familiarize myself with various file formats, many of which were proprietary to games that use the Quake 3 engine.  I also had to manually put these files in the proper file folder directories so they would actually show up in the game.

After doing this sort of thing for Jedi Knight II, dealing with .jpgs, .mpgs, bit maps, etc. wasn’t really that big of a deal.  There are certainly other events that added to my computer literacy, but this particular period in my life I remember as being pretty thick with jargon and understandably blank looks from my mother, which I feel is a pretty good litmus test for how “out there” I was at the time.

Future of Literacy

Well, my dad is a computer programer so as early as i can remember, we’ve had a computer. It started back in the time of Dos Mode, if anyone else remembers those good ‘ol days. So whenever I needed help on the computer, my dad was right there to “save the day” per say and help me out. One time I actually got the chance to go on a “take your son to work” day with my dad and he showed me the basics of what he did. He gave me some basic information to help him put into the computer and then let me start filling in on the computer for a little while. I can honestly say I still have no idea what I typed on that computer because I was rather young at the time (around 10 or 11 yrs old), but it was that moment that helped me get interested in technology. I wouldn’t say I know alot about computer literacy or technology for that matter, but it is all still amazing and interesting to me. I feel that my mind is still like a sponge but only when something is interesting. So that day at my dad’s office has led me to my questioning of computer literacy and has helped me develop rather quickly as the technology evolves, too.

“The Future of Literacy” Response

I started off at this university as a Photojournalism major and last semester I took my first photo class in the series. I had no previous experience with a digital camera nor with Adobe programs like Photoshop. I constantly felt overwhelmed in the class because it seemed like all the other students around me were well educated in all the programs. It also became embarrassing for me because half the class was made out of graduate students, many of which had worked for professional newspapers in the past.

I made sure to go to the lab session every week because it was there that the TA would discuss the technical aspects of the class. It was there that she would have handouts that I could use to look back on and go over the information again. Unfortunately, she assumed that most students in the class were familiar with the programs, so she went over all the information really quickly. Everyone else in the class seemed to be happy with this because it meant class was over early that day.

For this class, I spent on average about 10-15 hours per assignment just in the photo computer lab trying to figure out how to use everything. I learned how to use the basic tools in Photoshop mostly by trial and error. I tried to follow the basic guidelines that were given to me by the TA for the class and I didn’t try anything too advanced. Needless to say, now I’m an Art History Major.

Future of Literacy reply

Growing up in my family we never had a computer, it was something that really didn’t need. I am the youngest of four in my family and i think that growing up without this computer has really left my brother and sisters in the past. I was able to learn about computer when I got to high school in a photography class that I took and from there I could never live without a computer now. I am a photographer and I do more than 85% of my work on a computer now. If you think about where would photography be right now if the computer and the digital era never came about, we would be in the stone ages.

Reply to The Future of Literacy

After reviwing this article it came to my attention about the extreme need for knowledge in computers and the different programs offered.  It seems that literacy has and will expand especially with the generations of children being born presently.  Each one of the participants in the experiment have been introduced to literacy either through reading or using the family computer.  It is interesting to read about how each individual began learning their literacy skills and how they have expanded thier knowledge throughout their lives.  Each one of them had a great story of success.

I think parents used to have a lot to do with how much they expose their children to literacy, but now it seems children are being introduced to computers and technology at an early age in school.   I briefly remember being introduced to computers, but I do remeber working on them throughout my years of school. It seems that literacy with expand in the future and it will be crucial to keep up with the updates. 

The Future of Literacy (Selfe)

My first computer growing up was the original Macintosh, a hand-me-down from a family friend. As my fascination and understanding of technology grew by leaps and bounds, the limitations imposed by this primitive machine became painfully apparent. Ironically, the specific event that allowed my technological creativity and curiosity to run wild was when a friend of mine slipped me the administrative password to the our high school’s computer network.

All of a sudden I could download and install programs, edit preferences, and explore how computers talked to each other. Incidentally, I could also leave hilarious pictures of my friends and enemies as the desktop picture for 30 computers in the school library- an act that both earned me the respect of my tech-savy peers and a meeting with the assistant principal.

No amount of lunch detentions discouraged me from experimenting with those vastly superior school computers. I learned how to use scanners, photoshop my head onto other people’s bodies, edit video and audio, and download music. Public schools taught me the joys of having ‘fast internet,’ and lots of RAM. Without the early experience of unchecked access, I would never have developed such an understanding of technology.