Ch 6 Reflection: Toward More Comprehensive Composition

This chapter poses the question: How does the nature of thought and composition change in a culture increasingly driven by digital communication? This is an unavoidable issue in a society that is becoming increasingly digitized. Considering the nature of thought, it seems as though an entirely new intelligence is emerging related to one’s ability to navigate through advanced and advancing technology. The idea of multiple intelligences is further pushed to include this idea of tech intelligence. Beyond thought is its expression in the form of composition. Digital communication has especially changed the ways young people share ideas. The manner in which these ideas are composed takes on what can be considered a new language. Consider texting and the language of technology that has infiltrated their daily speech...right now “texting” is not identified as a word by this word processing program, I am sure by next year spell check will understand! That’s just how quickly the language and manner of communication and composition is changing for youth in modern society.

As communication and composition adjust to the digital age, expectations for what skills teachers must teach in order to keep students updated and competitive on a global scale of communication will also change. This is clearly already happening. As a new teacher it is interesting for me to see the resistance of some more seasoned teachers to teaching this skill set that they themselves are not necessarily comfortable with. Meanwhile, other veteran teachers jump right in to what is new and innovative; always want to be on the cutting edge of the tech opportunities at their school. I also see many new teachers bringing their knowledge of new technology into their classes and integrating different methods of composition into curriculum. This blend of old and new, high and low experience, makes for a wide spectrum of composition styles udes at the school where I teach.

The topic of what transformational possibilities exist within the realm of teaching with multimedia intrigues me. Is it possible that we have not considered all of the avenues of education on which the integration of multiple media sources could take us? Should it transform the very meaning of "composition course" or writing class that is a staple of education at many levels? This is an essential question for educators to consider. I do not know that an entirely new definition of composition is upon us at this point in technology’s advancement; however I could foresee the need to seriously consider a shift within this definition within a generation.

The connection that exists between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children is not one to be overlooked. Supervision and vigilance on the part of parents is what I believe is most important in alleviating this problem. The safety, physical and emotional, of our children is the responsibility also of the manufacturers of video games that involve high levels of violence. They can label such games appropriately, but unless parents are willing to step up and limit, or prohibit, their children’s use of such games, the labels will mean nothing. Exposure to media violence involves much more than video games. Just watching prime time television and news programs exposes children to high levels of violence, real and fake. Again, I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to limit this exposure for their children.

The evolution of literacy and its scope has moved rapidly in the past decade. What was once a reference to one’s ability with reading writing and speaking, now also included the skills of the multimedia age. Comprehensive composition involving many media sources is a new form of literacy that truly extends what was once based on ink and paper. The implications for every classroom teacher are tremendous!