Baron Response

Dennis Baron Response

        By Kyle Loftus

Summary:

In his article From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Techniques Dennis Baron talks about the concept of literacy technologies. Baron argues that there have almost never not been literacy technologies as they are everything made and used for literacy. Baron talks about the development of the computer early in his article and how it is so useful and effective in this day and age. Baron then goes further in depth explaining how this literacy technology sprang up from many other forms such as the first idea of literacy technology was carving into stone. Baron talks about how the technology then developed into the ink pen, then the pencil, the typewriter, the telegraph, the telephone and then finally the computer. Baron explains and argues how all of these started off as a ridiculous idea but it is these ridiculous ideas that bring about great new inventions. Baron argues they all would go through a process of introduction and use at minimal level because it was wanted to be a secret or it was hard to make. Then when it becomes easy and cheaper to make it begins to reach the public. After reaching the public it expands and gets accepted but later receives updates and changes to better the device. Baron talks about how this is never ending with these literacy technologies as they are always being critiqued and worked on to create the next best thing.  Baron also discussion humanist like Thoreau and their opinions on the growth and development of technologies and what they did to try and prevent it. Baron argues for how they couldn’t prevent the growth of technology in writing and writing in technology (computers). Lastly baron discusses the differences in writing and these technologies and how they were made, used and developed.

Synthesis:

This article is like John Dawkins article Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool because they both are about the influences of time on writing and its growth and change. They discuss how it is ever adapting and changing to the time, how people are always looking for the next best thing or development. Also they both discuss and argue on those that try and keep it the way it always has been or try and prevent advancement. Dawkins is talking about grammar in writing and Baron is talking about literacy technologies but both are about the change in writing and uses revolving around it over time.

2. Questions for Journaling and Discussion:

I think that he almost implies this in some parts of the article because he does literally say it’s hard to see the growth and development of the computer happening. However, in the article he talks about how nobody ever thought after something was developed and useful something else better would take its place but it always has. Also he mentions there is always changes and developments being changed. Baron may mention the idea of further growth seems unimaginable and wild but based on his whole article his message is the opposite that over time the computer will become nothing like the pencil and some new necessity will take its place.

4. Questions for Journaling and Discussion:

The overhead is an old technology that was in every single classroom when I was younger. This was a device where you put a paper on a flat surface and using a light and reflection device it would project the image onto a wall or some other surface. This technology soon became useless and irrelevant in the classroom just like the pencil and the typewriter because better developments were made. These are all useful items but are almost more time consuming and overall less efficient than later models made therefore they were throwing away and the new tools became a necessity. For the overhead this was the projector itself which you could just hook up to a computer and post anything onto a surface or wall that you wanted.

3. Applying and Exploring:

When you think about technologies that keep and don’t keep information there are a few positives and negatives that come to mind. The positives are that if you forget something or want to show something to friends and family you can easily. Also it might be something you want to look at later or maybe have someone explain it to you. Although these are all good there are some bad things that come with it as well such as you could maybe say or send something on accident and you can’t take it back and now this other person has it or knows it. Also you could say something mean or wrong and this person now has this to hold against you. When you think about not keeping hold of information it is pretty much the exact opposite of what I just said. I think that you could say word and other document uses on the computer are because if you don’t save your information then it is eliminated and gone.

Meta Moment:

I think that it makes sense to think of writing this way because it is a technology by definition. The problem is that when people hear technology they think just computers and machines and so on. When in fact technologies are just developments, ideas and objects that are made and used with a specific purpose. This can alter my understanding of writing because it is now a process of knowing writing is among everything and is part of all growth and change throughout.

Article Discussion:

I think that Barons article was an interesting one and was in a sense intriguing to understand what he meant by literacy technologies and so forth. Also I was curious to read on throughout to develop better understanding as well as learn what it all entails. The article used examples very well to helping to make it relatable and easier to understand. Overall I think this article was very interesting and useful because it opens your view on writing and technology and how they go hand in hand. This was very fun to examine and give attention to especially getting to see writing in a whole new perspective.