Students will need to confirm her or his registration with WordPress in order access the blog.
Students should begin to update her or his webpage and weblog entries to reflect textbook discussions.
Interestingly, the textbook is providing the correspondence between the “Widesite” and the webpage(s) used to create it (contra. Ulmer “attunement” 60-1).
Begin by becoming familiar with Ulmer’s concept of “electracy.” At this point we are dependent upon the textbook for direction and exploration from University of Florida Professor of English, Gregory L. Ulmer. Our exploration will invent the widesite through imitation.
Also, let me introduce to you our “electrate” scholar, author, contributor and scientist–Christopher de la Torre; he has voluntarily agreed to assist our class as his time and schedule permits. Let me express my gratitude to him–peace and blessings!
14 responses so far ↓
cdelatorre // February 6, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Thanks for the intro, Prof M. And hello, class!
It’s great to be a part of this new blog and learning space. Electracy can be a complicated concept when first introduced. That’s why it’s important to take off our ideological glasses when discussing it, or rather, we should know when to take them off and leave them on.
Ulmer puts a new tool in our midst — a new way to look at finding ourselves professionally, within a cultural and technological context. Sometimes we’ll need to think “outside the box,” sometimes we’ll need to think in terms defined “by the box.”
Computers are only the beginning. To fully grasp “electracy” and achieve functionality in an “electrate” state, we’ll need to be more comfortable with — be more knowledgeable about — how images affect, and are effected by, communication.
I look forward to participating in future discussions! Feel free to use my thesis blog (http://accidentalscholar.wordpress.com) as a resource, and please leave comments!
greenb // February 13, 2008 at 1:41 pm
To cdelatorre you state “it’s important to take off our ideological glasses” however everything involved in Electracy seems ideological
scd015 // February 13, 2008 at 2:17 pm
“cdelatorre”,Thank you for offering your insight to our class. I am looking forward to thinking “outside the box” once I discover the box. As I trek along on this “electra-journey”, I am beginning to see that there are alternate ways of thinking, seeing and experiencing. What we think “is”, may not be at all. This could be exciting!
cmh2289 // February 13, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Culture is a wide category. Human development of learning can be like and kind of culture. Culture refers to everything, whether that it being dress, manners, language, rituals, etc. My specialized area of work can be defined as a subject of study, a discipline or profession is an area of specialized work. First, my work deals with agricultural work. We are a property research company which deals with the fields, and leasing property. Second, my major in college can deal with culture. My major is business and marketing which deals with society, language, and civilization. Generally, most people think of culture as just crop and herd, its more than that. Culture is a wide variety of things, including business, churches, the way we do things different from others. There are many different kinds of cultures, and some that haven’t been introduced to me yet. New cultures can open up everyday.
jmh131 // February 16, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Culture refers to a way of life. Such as religion, customs, language, etc. Agriculture can bring a new meaning, caused by the extension of the word “culture”. Agriculture refers to farming and so on. I am majoring in Elementary Education so the term culture can be significant in my field of study. My specialization in this field is Speical Education, so if I were to place this term in front of the world culture, it would change the meaning of both words by combining them. Special Education-culture would bring on the meaning of the way of life of special education students who have learning disabilities or are gifted.
piggypablo7 // February 17, 2008 at 5:05 pm
What does everybody think of when they hear the word “wealth”? So, we’re a little bit older now, and we can argue what wealth is and how the people who are wealthy act to people who aren’t as “wealthy”.
Sure, “wealth” can bring happiness, and a person can essentially buy what they want or vacation whenever. What about the wealth of former NFL player Sean Taylor who was targeted because of his wealth. Is that still happiness? Is that what a person gets for being “wealthy”? Working hard your whole life to become “wealthy” is supposed to be a reward for hard work and staying dedicated to what you pursued, but being targeted for pursuing success in life…is that worth being “wealthy”?
mikeyrich // February 18, 2008 at 8:23 am
Culture refers to every “thing” within a civilization (e.g., beliefs, values, and knowledge). It can pertain to anything, from the behavior of people when they enter their homes, to the people whose aspiration, innovation, and creativity shape its practice. My major is journalism and, for me, is completely drenched in culture. What is made available to a people by the media is an effect of what the culture is. How censored or uncensored and free the media situation in a country, is directly connected to culture. In our country, I cannot watch the news, unless it’s sports, without feeling completely depressed afterward. All I get informed about is what violent act happened where, and what celebrity is pregnant. I have to be honest and say that I wouldnt want to be anywhere else, or some where I don’t have a clue that there is anything violent happening at all. As a journalist, I would give a very interesting point of view within a culture, not only for reading purposes, for its textual value as a reflection of memory, of testimony, but to share memory with others, too.
greenb // February 18, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Obtuse View
I am not going to say much about this concept mainly because I do not understand what is going on here. I understand the idea that certain images can bring up ideas specifically related to one’s experience. I do not, however, understand how forcing yourself to look at a picture and then explaining how the picture makes you feel will help you understand yourself. To me, this feels forced and not very organic.
This is all that I will say about the topic for now until I understand it better.
Haiku
The idea of Haiku, as Ulmer states, is not for the use of poetry but brevity, especially in reference to cyberspace. The point is that in order to be heard in settings with so many voices all scrambled together fighting for a chance to be heard, the most condensed and concise voice will win.
The Gettysburg Address Example
Who was the guy who spoke before President Lincoln? He was the guy who spoke for two hours, and he was also the guy no one remembers. Lincoln’s speech, however, was incredibly brief, lasting only two minutes. It was also incredibly effective, and is still cited as an example for speaking in almost every high school speech class to this day. As I write this, I sit looking at a copy of the Bible on my bookshelf. Two rows down there is a copy of the Dao Te Ching; in fact I believe that the particular copy I am looking at has both the English translation and Chinese text in it as well as a few pictures thrown in for good measure. It is still only one-eighth the size of the Bible and I guarantee that it is written in larger font. Both books contain more or less the same basic ideas. Perhaps there is something to be said for brevity.
Haiku and the Human Experience
The idea of Haiku is that you take away everything that is not essential to conveying your idea or experience. Using Haiku as a way to gain insight of human development is quite helpful, but should the human experience be reduced to a single paragraph, sentence, or word?
The idea of the Haiku reminds me of a physicist I once saw interviewed on Tech TV. He was talking about the “multiverse” theory and as he spoke, they showed pictures of several dry erase boards that were full of formulas and calculations. During the interview, he explained that once the formulas were figured out and the “multiverse” understood, he believed that it would be a formula so small it would fit across the front of a t-shirt.
One Final Thought
If brevity is so essential to being heard, that is, if Einstein’s entire life’s worth of work can be summed up as E=mc^2, and the “multiverse” explained in a single line, then why is this book so convoluted? It seems that the intellectual should be able to do more with less instead of less with more.
If the issue is important, then state the issue and be less concerned with words for the sake of words. The intellectual should understand the economics of what he says and realize that value decreases as supply increases.
colerae88 // February 20, 2008 at 12:09 am
Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another. My major is Nursing and, to me, it plays a big role in everyone’s culture. It is the patient’s beliefs and customs that mostly influence their decisions. Whether it be a procedure they need or just what they want done if they took a turn for the worst. For instance, if a patient was to decide if they want CPR or the ventilator if something was to go wrong, that decision would be based mostly upon their religon and beliefs. I believe that most of the people living in this country make their daily decisions based upon their culture. Without culture influencing everyone’s lives, the world would not be the same.
countrygirl07 // February 29, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Term Extensions:
Culture refers to a system of beliefs, values, and customs to an individual or a society as a whole. Culture has everything to do with life or any type of profession someone chooses. Culture to me is a way to cope my surroundings and the people who I associate with on a day to day basis. Personally, I do not feel the world would be the same if we did not have culture to make us unique. Business Adminstration and Management is the process that helps accomplish the goals of an organization. It also includes Planing process, marketing, sales etc. My major course of study is Business Administration and Management. My term extension word is “buzaculture,” a word used to reference a specific occupation or pursuit and values or beliefs.
softballfan12827 // March 3, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Culture is what keeps our society together and intact. If we didn’t have culture the world would be thrown into choas. It keeps us from going crazy.We have responiblities and rules in our culture that shows and tells us how to live, act, and respond to things in our environment. My term extension word is “nursaculture”, a word used to tell of the nursing career.
countrygirl07 // March 7, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Obtuse Meaning
My defintion of busaculture is a business that incorprates culture with their decisions or everyday activities dealing with the business.
Haiku
I will do this when I have a better undestanding of what Ulmer is asking for.
Illumination
My illumination is the photograph of my brother and I standing at the court house the day we got adopted. I felt excited, overwhelmed, but mainly reliefed that it was finally over.
Decision Scene
My friend and I have experienced homesickness. We were in Pittsburgh and our car broke down. However, we did not no anyone there to get help to get it running again. We were both homesick and that was the first time when had been away from home by ourselves. We were homesick because we feel safe at home. Boredom comes to me when my car is not running and I can not do anything or go anywhere.
Frederick Douglass
Yes, but i do not quite understand what he means.
cdelatorre // April 16, 2008 at 3:33 am
Great. So now I’m back. At the risk of no-one seeing this because I’ve been away for so long. Good news is I’ve added the RSS feed to em_dash to my blog, so I’ll be reminded to read your entries more often.
To greenb: you’re a skeptic. That’s good. When you learn, you really learn. I’m also a skeptic. Always question the truth. That’s the only way you’ll get to the bottom of anything.
Turning on and off your ideological glasses is a practice that’s most rewarding. It’s easier than we think. Read up on Louis Althusser and John Fiske. (Even if you’ve already read Marx.)
Brevity is a wonderful thing. If only more academics appreciated it more. Ulmer’s book is so “convoluted” because he understands his audience. We’ve grown far in the tradition of logic. There’s no easy way to “break the envelope.” Teaching someone how to “let go” of their ideological views even for a split second takes some coaxing. Think of the amount of time it takes for us to build our identities.
We are learning how to think differently. Indeed, we are on the brink of change similar to what was experienced between orality and literacy.
Bottom line: in order to embrace change, we must expect anything because as far as the future goes, nothing is for certain.
lmckenzie // April 18, 2008 at 6:45 am
Excellent feedback from Dr. delaTorres! The struggle to find identity is problematic for me because the Modern Era de-centered the author and text. How to discover a new medium by refurbishing language into a new form–hmmm…., that’s a challenge, and Ulmer has attempted to assist in that enclosure process. Please continue to post feedback Christopher, as your schedule allows.
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