Chvonne's Reading and Thinking Notes 11/11
Madden, Shannon “Obsolescence in/of Digital Writing Studies” Computers and Composition 33 (2014): 29-39. Print.
Madden explores how rapid changes in technology negatively impact research and pedagogy in writing studies. Madden begins his article by outlining the number of ways that obsolescence impacts writing studies and pedagogy. He points out the challenges posed by the rapid creating and discontinuation of new technologies. Madden states, “[B]ecoming multi literate with a range of technologies becomes much more difficult when digital tools are so quickly changed, redesigned, discontinued, and obsolesced” (30). Madden then discusses obsolescences impact on theory and scholarship. Obsolescence of writing tools is a necessary evil. It is seen as “natural and inevitable” even though it impacts “the durability of writing theories” (30). Madden presents the example of scholars who studied Google Wave only for the platform to be discontinued. What they learned from the study is still valuable, but their expertise with that particular platform is obsolete. Madden goes on to explain how obsolescence impacts scholarship, stating: “Scholarly monographs about technology that are only a few years old already seem hopelessly dated; the slowness of academic publishing is certainly a factor in this phenomenon” (30). Lastly, Madden presents that obsolescences negatively impact minorities because they face “the challenges associated with gaining the access in the first place” and this is “compounded by planned obsolescence and the continuous ‘upgrading’ of digital equipment” (31). Ultimately, Madden is arguing that writing studies should and must critically engage with obsolescence because it “aligns with the the field’s attention to access issues and disparities of privilege surrounding literacy technologies and extends the research on how socioeconomic contexts shape and limit opportunities for digital literacy” (31). Obsolescence has human and environmental impact. {Where do all those smartphones come from? Where do they go} Madden goes on to discuss disposable technology. Obsolescence is a design issues. Apple’s iPhone 5 is presented as an example of technological obsolescence, psychological obsolescence, and planned obsolescence” (31-32). The phone’s branding and marketing presents an innovation replacing an older model. It encourages repetitive purchasing in order to stay up-to-date and fashionable. In addition, it is not designed to be durable. Obsolescence is tied to design, industrialization, and market forces. This impacts writing studies because “obsolescence impacts the hardware and software interfaces writers use as well as how those interfaces change over time” (33). How can writing studies address the negative impact that obsolescence has on the environment? Should writing studies deal with obsolescence’s connection to human rights and labor issues? Madden says yes because “studying obsolescence allows us to examine the material conditions of writing’s possibility” (34). One way that Madden poses to address this is to “trace out the relationships among product design, market forces, public trends, and social contexts of use” (34). Issues of e-waste and sustainability are other areas of obsolescence that can be addressed. Madden also encourages teachers to have students think about how obsolescence impacts their writing.
Madden’s article challenged my understanding of obsolescence. I never considered multiple types of obsolescence. Materiality and immateriality has come up a lot this semester, but I never connected it with writing. My recent experience with my laptop is a perfect example. I am on my 3rd MacBook. I went through 2 MacBooks in a little under 2 years. The very first one became old. I was tired of having the “old” white MacBook. In reality, I had just purchased it, but the same year Apple release the aluminum unibody design that was silver. I wanted the silver one, but I knew that I didn’t need it. A few years later, the white MacBook died on me. I had to buy a new MacBook. This MacBook barely made it 2 years before I needed to get another one. I was angry about it, but I had to get a new MacBook. What else was I going to do? I certainly can’t be seen carrying anything else, right? In regards to writing studies, this article captured the fears/concerns I have had about writing about things that take place in digital spaces like Twitter. Once things are on the Internet they are there forever, but they are not relevant forever. Writing about hashtag rhetoric or the social/cultural impact of a hashtag matters for such a short period of time. The move towards faster and more digital life makes it difficult to publish articles about these social/cultural movements. I was not aware of that until I read this article. I can see how it is easy to overlook the material aspect of writing and communicating digitally. This also reminded me of how easy it is for us to overlook interfaces and their impact on how we engage with devices. There are so many aspects of (new) media that have significant impact within and outside of the technological space that are rendered invisible by our daily use.
Brain Rule 12: We are powerful and natural explorers
Brain Rule 12 focuses on our natural desire to explore. Medina presents that the perfect examples of this natural desire are children. He states, “Babies give researchers a clear view, unobstructed by years of contaminating experiences, of how humans naturally acquire information” (245). Babies are “preloaded with lots of information-processing software” (245). Researchers can look at babies to understand how humans learn. Babies are natural researchers. They test everything. They have a desire to understand and test the world around them. Through actively testing, Babies are able to learn about their environments. From a very young age babies can imitate. Medina uses the example of sticking his tongue out with his son. This act becomes a way of saying hello and connecting with one another. At around one-year old, babies canalize how objects act. Around 18 months old, they are able to understand that an object still exists even if it can’t be seen. They also understand that preferences differ from one individual to the next. This desire to know and test things does not go away with age. Contrary to the saying: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, we are life long learners. Parts of the brain remain malleable. New neurons can be created and we can learn new things. The most important thing is curiosity. Medina champions life long learning and encouraging a sense of and passion for curiosity. He suggests free time at work and schools where you learn on the job.
This was one of my favorite Brain Rules. I am a huge fan of adventuring, and I have a constant case of wanderlust. I am often dismayed that my students don’t seem to care about much. I have had students tell me that they’re just not curious about things. If they’re not already interested in it. They do not concern themselves with learning about it. This text and the New Learning text emphasize how much the traditional school structure/setting is not ideal for the way our brains work. The brain is capable of so many things, but we have created environments that limit sensory integration, movement, and curiosity. It makes me sad. It makes me want to avoid teaching. On the other hand, it makes me want to work towards creating a classroom that provides a space for students’ brains to do what they do best.
Madden explores how rapid changes in technology negatively impact research and pedagogy in writing studies. Madden begins his article by outlining the number of ways that obsolescence impacts writing studies and pedagogy. He points out the challenges posed by the rapid creating and discontinuation of new technologies. Madden states, “[B]ecoming multi literate with a range of technologies becomes much more difficult when digital tools are so quickly changed, redesigned, discontinued, and obsolesced” (30). Madden then discusses obsolescences impact on theory and scholarship. Obsolescence of writing tools is a necessary evil. It is seen as “natural and inevitable” even though it impacts “the durability of writing theories” (30). Madden presents the example of scholars who studied Google Wave only for the platform to be discontinued. What they learned from the study is still valuable, but their expertise with that particular platform is obsolete. Madden goes on to explain how obsolescence impacts scholarship, stating: “Scholarly monographs about technology that are only a few years old already seem hopelessly dated; the slowness of academic publishing is certainly a factor in this phenomenon” (30). Lastly, Madden presents that obsolescences negatively impact minorities because they face “the challenges associated with gaining the access in the first place” and this is “compounded by planned obsolescence and the continuous ‘upgrading’ of digital equipment” (31). Ultimately, Madden is arguing that writing studies should and must critically engage with obsolescence because it “aligns with the the field’s attention to access issues and disparities of privilege surrounding literacy technologies and extends the research on how socioeconomic contexts shape and limit opportunities for digital literacy” (31). Obsolescence has human and environmental impact. {Where do all those smartphones come from? Where do they go} Madden goes on to discuss disposable technology. Obsolescence is a design issues. Apple’s iPhone 5 is presented as an example of technological obsolescence, psychological obsolescence, and planned obsolescence” (31-32). The phone’s branding and marketing presents an innovation replacing an older model. It encourages repetitive purchasing in order to stay up-to-date and fashionable. In addition, it is not designed to be durable. Obsolescence is tied to design, industrialization, and market forces. This impacts writing studies because “obsolescence impacts the hardware and software interfaces writers use as well as how those interfaces change over time” (33). How can writing studies address the negative impact that obsolescence has on the environment? Should writing studies deal with obsolescence’s connection to human rights and labor issues? Madden says yes because “studying obsolescence allows us to examine the material conditions of writing’s possibility” (34). One way that Madden poses to address this is to “trace out the relationships among product design, market forces, public trends, and social contexts of use” (34). Issues of e-waste and sustainability are other areas of obsolescence that can be addressed. Madden also encourages teachers to have students think about how obsolescence impacts their writing.
Madden’s article challenged my understanding of obsolescence. I never considered multiple types of obsolescence. Materiality and immateriality has come up a lot this semester, but I never connected it with writing. My recent experience with my laptop is a perfect example. I am on my 3rd MacBook. I went through 2 MacBooks in a little under 2 years. The very first one became old. I was tired of having the “old” white MacBook. In reality, I had just purchased it, but the same year Apple release the aluminum unibody design that was silver. I wanted the silver one, but I knew that I didn’t need it. A few years later, the white MacBook died on me. I had to buy a new MacBook. This MacBook barely made it 2 years before I needed to get another one. I was angry about it, but I had to get a new MacBook. What else was I going to do? I certainly can’t be seen carrying anything else, right? In regards to writing studies, this article captured the fears/concerns I have had about writing about things that take place in digital spaces like Twitter. Once things are on the Internet they are there forever, but they are not relevant forever. Writing about hashtag rhetoric or the social/cultural impact of a hashtag matters for such a short period of time. The move towards faster and more digital life makes it difficult to publish articles about these social/cultural movements. I was not aware of that until I read this article. I can see how it is easy to overlook the material aspect of writing and communicating digitally. This also reminded me of how easy it is for us to overlook interfaces and their impact on how we engage with devices. There are so many aspects of (new) media that have significant impact within and outside of the technological space that are rendered invisible by our daily use.
Brain Rule 12: We are powerful and natural explorers
Brain Rule 12 focuses on our natural desire to explore. Medina presents that the perfect examples of this natural desire are children. He states, “Babies give researchers a clear view, unobstructed by years of contaminating experiences, of how humans naturally acquire information” (245). Babies are “preloaded with lots of information-processing software” (245). Researchers can look at babies to understand how humans learn. Babies are natural researchers. They test everything. They have a desire to understand and test the world around them. Through actively testing, Babies are able to learn about their environments. From a very young age babies can imitate. Medina uses the example of sticking his tongue out with his son. This act becomes a way of saying hello and connecting with one another. At around one-year old, babies canalize how objects act. Around 18 months old, they are able to understand that an object still exists even if it can’t be seen. They also understand that preferences differ from one individual to the next. This desire to know and test things does not go away with age. Contrary to the saying: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, we are life long learners. Parts of the brain remain malleable. New neurons can be created and we can learn new things. The most important thing is curiosity. Medina champions life long learning and encouraging a sense of and passion for curiosity. He suggests free time at work and schools where you learn on the job.
This was one of my favorite Brain Rules. I am a huge fan of adventuring, and I have a constant case of wanderlust. I am often dismayed that my students don’t seem to care about much. I have had students tell me that they’re just not curious about things. If they’re not already interested in it. They do not concern themselves with learning about it. This text and the New Learning text emphasize how much the traditional school structure/setting is not ideal for the way our brains work. The brain is capable of so many things, but we have created environments that limit sensory integration, movement, and curiosity. It makes me sad. It makes me want to avoid teaching. On the other hand, it makes me want to work towards creating a classroom that provides a space for students’ brains to do what they do best.
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