Core 1: part I

In terms of my multiliteracy I believe that I’m at a place where I can effectively use many technologies, but I am not knowledgeable enough to know what to question or improve in regards to the technology. Since I am a Business Administration major we were required to take a computer fundamentals for business class, which taught me how to use many of the available technologies that are used in today’s business environment. Some of the technologies included: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and the basics of HTML formatting. I feel confident in my ability to use Word, PowerPoint and Excel, but not as much when it comes to designing a website. Also, this summer I worked at a bankruptcy law firm and while I was there I learned to use tools such as: Microsoft Outlook and Timeslips. Seeing these tools used in the actual working world made me appreciate the technology more and made me more knowledgeable in using the tool. I am much stronger in the area of business related technologies rather than tools used to create entertainment for other people.

I would love to improve my knowledge in the area of creating websites using html because that could be a wonderful way to start a business and create money making opportunities for myself. If learning how to design websites was made easier than I think I would spend more time trying to learn. Obviously until I get to the point where I could design my own spreadsheet tools or word processing tools then there is always room for improvement. I need to constant refreshing of my memory of how to use certain tools, but knowing that it will be used in my future career motivates me to continue to learn new technologies.

Analysis of Digital Communications and the Conduct of Science: The New Literacy

The article, "Digital Communications and the Conduct fo Science: The New Literacy," was written by a man named Joshue Lederberg, a senior member of the IEEE. The author is an enthusiastic user of packet-switched communications, which is a new form of communicating and is called the 'EUGRAM'. The main purpose of this article is to encourage the reader to support EUGRAM systems because it helps ease the utlility of all new scientific knowledge. He also talks about how in due course, the two-way conversation may disappear, to be replaced by messages stored on tape recorders. In another place in the article Lederberg discusses the emergence of the new digital literacy and goes so far to say that, "The author who does not interface directly with his own words with a text-display and editor is missing a powerful and precise organ of expression." This was a well thought out argument and the author does a great job imprinting his views about new digital literage into the article.