1.2 Definitions
Literacy
Literacy is the ability to read and write symbols of language, mathematics for the purposes f communication
New Literacy
The new literacies are aligned with new technology. They include computer literacy, global and cultural literacy and are based on the knowledge/ information basis of society.
Multi-modal text
Text can now be presented in many modes or styles. These include synchronic- chat formats online, the Internet, search engines, CD Rom and Online print based information, PALM, SMS and Video-conferencing modes. Asynchronous text is seen in discussion lists, Blogs, Wiki, Email format.
Multi-literacies
These are the ability to read and integrate information from a number of sources, as above.
Text
Written symbols that constitutes language and visual based communication.
Reading
New times, new literacies’, Literate futures, pp. 1–12, viewed 2 February 2005,
3a Reflection
Changes in the Workplace
Social organization
Little changed in the workplace since the Industrial Revolution. Marx discussed the problems of class separating the rich and the poor based on economic structures. The new middle class became a majority, but was still stuck in a hierarchy in the 1950’s. Post WWII possibly required this structure as mass production fuelled the boom of the recovery period.
Since that time a number of processes have occurred throughout the world.
Technology seems to have been the catalyst for most of them. Democracy and middle class power has created a more equal society. Unions held power for some time since the 1950’s bringing the under classes into power.
Streamlining and re-engineering following the recession was also fuelled by a flatter, more horizontal organizational structure in the workplace. Innovation used the new technology to set a faster pace of change. Knowledge became a fast changing but vital supply in the new innovations.
Nationalism has changed and people see themselves as global citizens. Despite this local issues are important. The Green slogan, think globally, act locally is common philosophy that drives communities.
Technology, Knowledge and Skills
The knowledge society, information highway was made possible by the computer, Internet and library services. The Internet as a free service brought the power of knowledge to everyone. The increased communications as well as free trade agreements brought globalization. People can now work from home, communicate with staff, suppliers, customers, retailers, accountants, financiers, media, government and publicity experts in synchronized or asynchronized communication. What took weeks to months to achieve in communication in the1950’s now takes seconds. Software can link visual and text based information and maintains secure pathways.
In the 1950s usually women were typists. There were mechanical typewriters. Handwriting was the usual format for most documents. Today school children learn to type and the keyboard, reflecting changes of equality and the feminist movement, is not gender biased. Text is digitally produced and easily manipulated. Pictures, digital photographs, digital designs have superceded 1950’s literature. There are a multitude of colors, designs, fonts, formats and automatic spelling and grammar checks that have revolutionized literature. Copy techniques, which were easy and cheap to use increased the flow of literature. These are now superceded by digital information that is relatively cost free and instantly transmissible.
Intercultural communication
As the world began to communicate more readily, American English became to language of the world. Although individual differences and multiple languages are still retained, bilingual literacy became more important. Organizations that originally moved from a parent body that had international agents began to move into virtual space and become globalized.
Organization, Positioning
The consumer, and other stakeholders, rather then the shareholders, now drive the workplace. There is a bottom–up process in organizations. Innovative teams, brainstorming, team structure, networking have become the job of everyone in an organization. Knowledge is the key to successful competition and this is provided with computers, Internet, intranet, web-based and formal education as key aspects of organization function. In the past a person obtained skills or qualifications early in their life and then remained stable in a job for their whole life. They rarely needed to learn anything new. Learning is now life-long and life-wide as a continual process and people change their careers every 5 years on average. There are less permanent jobs but more contracts, self-employment and performance based remuneration,
Structure
Capitalism has driven an economic structure to everything, including education. The demand for more and better market share in the macroeconomics of business structure has driven rapid changes. The large entities are disintegrating and small businesses take up 70 % of the GNP share. There is a large voluntary force of labor, 90% from the recent statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Just -in -time processes have changed the structure of business towards a matrix network that relies on good communication in a globalized environment. The virtual structure has alleviated many overheads and communication difficulties. Elimination of the middle- man, less middle management has moved businesses from large hierarchies to small networked, flatter horizontal organizations that are networked with other stakeholders.
Social relations and Process
Originally organizations were very powerful. They used resources such as water, electricity, air and human resources as free commodities with little thought for its effect on the human and other aspects of the world. The product and price were most important. These were important ways to help people rebuild, expand and move into new area across the world. Countries like Australia needed to sell its raw materials to create wealth and survive in the post war period. It has taken many years of protest and political lobbying but the green revolution has reigned in the massive expansionism. Stakeholder theory replaced shareholder theory and thus corporate social responsibility as altered the social relations between the business organization and people power. Technological advances drove most of the green revolution. In this way organizations, like Green peace, brought information rapidly and globally into play.
Learning is part of the process of participatory democracy. If he population is well educated it can lead sensible democratic process.
3bPedagological thought
Although the term pedagogy implies child based learning, from its derivative roots, the term andragogy has dropped out of favor.
Creativity, Innovation and entrepreneurship are the keywords for the future in the workplace. These will outstrip Discipline based curriculum and learning. Discipline based learning will stifle some students and reflects the hierarchical process of 1950’s style business and learning strategies.
A new pedagogy for the new economy, new technology, new social order of globalization, capitalism and democracy is needed. This learning style needs to develop the skills of the learner to fit into the new society and to lead it to the next phase of development.
Technological and information based literacy is important as part of the new education. Networking and global communication using multiple languages, computer based language and cultural literacy are important components of the new education.
This pedagogy requires people to learn how to manage the explosion of information They will never be able to assimilate it all. Gone is the possibility of the universal man like Leonardo da Vinci when all knowledge was learnable in a lifetime. This pedagogy requires that learning be about understanding information, putting it into practice and communicating with team members in a practical way. Knowledge need not be memorized, as it is forever available at just a click away. Vygotsky used a concept of scaffolding for learning that reflected upon new information, obtained communal information and stepped up to deeper levels of understanding in a stepwise fashion.
The current trend is to use Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory to bring about communities of practice, critical and reflective thinking, scaffolding of students understanding and networking skills. Multi-literacies using web based computer technology is capable of such processes in a simple and cost effective way. Once learned as a skill, the technique fits well into the tem based networked organization of the postmodern era. Networked learning uses a situated learning, cognitive apprenticeship and communities of practice. It is a synthesis of pedagogies, based on prior learning, goal oriented learning. The concept of deficit of knowledge is the motivation for discovery and finding social meaning underpin the new learning paradigm.
So this is all the “right” thing to be espousing, Sounds somewhat like newspeak to me, thought control if we are not careful.
I have a visual fancy of a networked world of people attached to their computers, like a part of the computer providing the DNA components. Despite the fact that we think we are invisible, secure and in private, there are a million listening devices in the system and the ‘thought police” are everywhere. We will be promoting computer geeks to the to of the social order, those with expertise in technology will have the power. Real communication may become obsolete. Rue the day! Ultimately science fiction may be proved right and we can become jars with brains inside and computers and robots can do the physical things of life. Well maybe that is far fetched but Plato had a powerful analogy of the cave where people were chained to see things n one direction. They could only see the shadows of a story played for them to keep them blinded to the truth. So if you break free of the bonds and go outside the cave and see the real light- what do you do about it?
4 Context
Contextual learning means that the team identifies its values. There is a pooling of prior knowledge and learners obtain an overall picture, clarify their own conclusions, use a continuous learning loop and foster a global vision.
Within the context of my work, I would like to extrapolate to the place I would like to be in. I would like to educate MBA students towards ethics, applied philosophy and Corporate Social Responsibility. I believe that Online learning is a particularly good way of increasing the number of MBA students who will learn these issues and the community of practice m using true to life scenarios in a team approach to learning about the ethical issues of business management is best served with a socio-historical- cultural approach. Globalized teaching with multiple literacies, languages and cultures will be important experiential learning for these students. The ability to discuss debate and learn from each other is perfectly suited to ethical discussion and learning. This virtual community can be similar to Plato and Socrates discussing, debating and using Socratic didactics in their place of learning.
5 Reflections in the reading
The most important part of the reading is the color, font, formatting and style of the paper. There are pictures, photographs, collages, artistic payouts, boxes of information and meta-analysis. There is dot point presentation of the important issues and minimal academic presentations. Reflection points and questions promote thought and critical reflection. There is space for note taking and comparisons like the old newspaper to highlight the changes in the last 50 years.
His paper presents like a piece of government propaganda, which is what it is. Its format is to appeal to a professional organization, of teachers, who do not want their intelligence slighted. Where it invites reflection however, the text has cleverly hidden agendas. My initial impression of the paper was revulsion of government interference.
Keeping an open mind however, the content of the paper was well written and summarized the issues well. The equation of learning towards economic competitiveness raised my sense of equality. Government investment in education however is made on the basis if future productivity, wealth creation and economic buoyancy. Education for education’s sake must remain a purely personal quest.
The dramatic changes from the 1950’s provides a stark reality to modern education and society needs. I wonder of the 1950 s were chosen because of the greater comparison or this was a statistical fact for the teachers who were digital immigrants and found information technology difficult to understand.
Bibliography
New times, new literacies’, Literate futures, pp. 1–12, viewed 2 February 2005,
John Anderson 2004 Politics of Inclusion and Empowerment: Gender, Class, Citizenship United Kingdom , Palgrave Macmillan.
Andy Blunden 1997 Vygotsky and the Dialectical Method www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/works/comment/vygotsky.html
Peter Goodyear (2002), Psychological Foundations for Networked Learning in Christine Steeples & Chris Jones eds Networked Learning :Perspectives and Issues , Great Britain, Springer- Verlag.
Judy McKim 2004 www.le.ac.uk
Jenny Moon 1999, Reflection pdp.bournemouth.ac.uk/reflective-skills.html
Sherry Wulff, Joan Hamer & Robert J Bulit 2000 The roles and interrelationships of presences , reflection and self-directed learning in effective World Wide Web-based Pedagogy in Robert A Cole Issues in Web-Based Pedagogy; A critical Primer m Westport Connecticut , London , Greenwood Press.
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