WIDE Writing

In my recent article, "The Writing Lives of College Students" created by the Writing in Digital Environments (WIDE) Research Center, they went into depth and took a diverse sample of college students across the nation to see the differences of writing genres in their lives. Amongst the most popular genres, these were found: texting, lecture notes, Email, academic papers, research papers, and more.

In response to the data along with its impact with literacy, I also found possible research questions I could further study upon. Here is my feedback:

Within the article I read, the Writing in Digital Environment (WIDE) Research Center sampled and considered the plethora of factors that take place within the writing lives of contemporary college students. This study involved students from different cultural and academic backgrounds to maintain diversity and gather a steady result for the demographic of the nation. In the first part of their results, they automatically found that students amongst the most frequently use electronics such as cell phones, emails, and other electronic genres. However, it was noted that the cell phone is the top frequently used and it highlights the importance it plays in college students’ lives. In the article, the phone was even compared o being the contemporary pencil for this day and it makes sense, due to being able to compose academic essays and emails with access to one’s phone. Another aspect that was found was how, in order of value or importance to students, the different genres was ranked. The top five, in order was: texting, Email, lecture notes, academic papers, and research papers. Due to these findings it was concluded that students value traditional writing schools more than their electronics, proving to be why college students today are at such a high literacy rate. Along this note, with analyzing the results, an inverse relationship was found with the genres. The most popular or frequently used genres such as texting or Email were actually amongst the least valued; But in contradiction, genres such as academic papers, research papers, and lecture notes were in the top for most value. The study also arose a literacy question, which would be: Does gender influence to what students write in certain genres? This is because it was found in business writing males reported 25%, while women were 20%. Also, women are significantly more likely than men to use lecture notes, outlines, and lists. Another possible question raised could be based on writing frequency vs. value. Based on the results, students do not value texting highly at all, however papers and notes are within range of frequency and value to the students. It would be interesting to research what factors help form these results and why/how. Another relevant topic was found with the data as well, different institutions adopt different policies and writing habits. This was made into a study and it was found that based digital writing styles do change across different institution types, thus raising another possible question. I also found this last data similar to the ideas of Deborah Brandt, how she claimed that those being sponsored take the influences from their sponsor and adapt it to their own life.

Misappropriation of Malcolm?

In my second brainstorming journal entry, our class read about the literacy process of being sponsored from the perspective of Malcolm X in "Learning to Read". Within this article, Malcolm describes his many reasons for taking up literacy and how he manipulated it for mankind's own good. In response to this article, we answered a few question as followed:

-Drawing on Brandt's definition of literacy sponsor, list as many of Malcolm X's literacy sponsors as you can find. Remember that sponsors don't have to be people, but can also be ideas or institutions, that can withhold literacy as well as provide it.
-Brandt explains that people often subvert or misappropriate the intentions of their sponsors. Was this ever the case with Malcolm X? How so?

In our first brainstorming journal, my ENC 1102 class read about "literacy sponsors" from an article created by Deborah Brandt. Within her work, she discussed how literacy worked in the 20th century and how it adapted to our society today. Also she describes the relationship established between a sponsor and the person receiving "aid". In response to reading the article we answered a set of questions, which are as followed:

-How does Brandt define a literacy sponsor? What are several particular characteristics of a literacy sponsor she offers throughout the article?
-Why des Brandt claim that sponsors always have something to gain from their sponsorship? What does this motivation have to do with Brandt's finding that the sponsored sometimes "misappropriate" their literacy lessons?
-Offer at least two examples of how literacy sponsors can gain from their sponsorship, and then develop at least two examples from your own experience.

Here was my answers to these questions:

Deborah Brandt seems to describe a literacy sponsor as, “any agents..who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress or withhold literacy.” In simpler terms, a sponsor of literacy uses literacy as a way of means to often gain an advantage, but at the same time it can uphold or draw back from real literacy. Common sponsors of literacy implicitly demand for viewers or readers’ loyalty and attention. Brandt also noted for sponsors to be “delivery systems” as they also push forward an economic motive while advancing literacy. She felt that this was often why people chose to grasp literacy, thus leading to sponsors regulating literacy. This also leads as to why sponsors become actual sponsors. Brandt attributes the literacy process almost like a trade system. The receiver and sponsor both gain an edge, giving them an incentive to trade, whether it is monetary, knowledge, or other items. However, since the sponsor obviously has the power to distort the power fluctuation, their control turns into what Brandt calls “misappropriation”.  This process occurs when a sponsorship is troubled by their funders, therefore the sponsor alters the balance of power to their advantage and then they gain higher literacy opportunities leading to a higher probability of economics prosperity. One example of how literacy sponsors can gain an advantage from their sponsorship includes an event drawn up within the article. In earlier days, Protestant Sunday Schools offered free education until parents became infuriated and demanded more intensive course work to gain a literacy leap forward. This works because the parents are the sponsors by allowing their children to go to these churches and basically own the power to leave. Another example is in the article, where it mentions how Baptist and Methodist ministries were sponsors for African Americans, and they allowed the literacy path for the slaves to eventually take up religion and education and pass it around with their people. But this led to smarter slaves, which could work for the ministries, giving an advantage to actually both. One example from my own experience would involve the relationship between my professors and myself. Not only do I grasp knowledge from his/her specific course but they also learn from me as I reflect on their material in my own perspective. Another example would include the sponsorship between my job and I. Where I work, I input labor into my company which in turn brings the company money, however the labor is multiplied to a lot more than the wage I receive, showing how the company’s sponsor power is dominant in this sponsorship relationship. 

Sponsors of Literacy

In our first brainstorming journal, my ENC 1102 class read about "literacy sponsors" from an article created by Deborah Brandt. Within her work, she discussed how literacy worked in the 20th century and how it adapted to our society today. Also she describes the relationship established between a sponsor and the person receiving "aid". In response to reading the article we answered a set of questions, which are as followed:

-How does Brandt define a literacy sponsor? What are several particular characteristics of a literacy sponsor she offers throughout the article?
-Why des Brandt claim that sponsors always have something to gain from their sponsorship? What does this motivation have to do with Brandt's finding that the sponsored sometimes "misappropriate" their literacy lessons?
-Offer at least two examples of how literacy sponsors can gain from their sponsorship, and then develop at least two examples from your own experience.

Here was my answers to these questions:

Deborah Brandt seems to describe a literacy sponsor as, “any agents..who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress or withhold literacy.” In simpler terms, a sponsor of literacy uses literacy as a way of means to often gain an advantage, but at the same time it can uphold or draw back from real literacy. Common sponsors of literacy implicitly demand for viewers or readers’ loyalty and attention. Brandt also noted for sponsors to be “delivery systems” as they also push forward an economic motive while advancing literacy. She felt that this was often why people chose to grasp literacy, thus leading to sponsors regulating literacy. This also leads as to why sponsors become actual sponsors. Brandt attributes the literacy process almost like a trade system. The receiver and sponsor both gain an edge, giving them an incentive to trade, whether it is monetary, knowledge, or other items. However, since the sponsor obviously has the power to distort the power fluctuation, their control turns into what Brandt calls “misappropriation”.  This process occurs when a sponsorship is troubled by their funders, therefore the sponsor alters the balance of power to their advantage and then they gain higher literacy opportunities leading to a higher probability of economics prosperity. One example of how literacy sponsors can gain an advantage from their sponsorship includes an event drawn up within the article. In earlier days, Protestant Sunday Schools offered free education until parents became infuriated and demanded more intensive course work to gain a literacy leap forward. This works because the parents are the sponsors by allowing their children to go to these churches and basically own the power to leave. Another example is in the article, where it mentions how Baptist and Methodist ministries were sponsors for African Americans, and they allowed the literacy path for the slaves to eventually take up religion and education and pass it around with their people. But this led to smarter slaves, which could work for the ministries, giving an advantage to actually both. One example from my own experience would involve the relationship between my professors and myself. Not only do I grasp knowledge from his/her specific course but they also learn from me as I reflect on their material in my own perspective. Another example would include the sponsorship between my job and I. Where I work, I input labor into my company which in turn brings the company money, however the labor is multiplied to a lot more than the wage I receive, showing how the company’s sponsor power is dominant in this sponsorship relationship. 

Intro...

Hello fellow (former and new) classmates, welcome to my blog. I have created this blog site to not only fulfill my ENC 1102 requirements, but to greater express my thoughts, ideas, and emotions through means where everyone can see them and provide me feedback. With this idea, I feel that my writing ability will benefit as I can also compare to my classmates in UCF and my former classmates/friends from my high school, whom have went to scattered universities. So sit back and enjoy my friends.