Deborah's Final Reflection (Great Class--Thanks to All)

                                                            
My mind jumbled with virtual matter from a month long trek through cyberspace. The discourse of educators on the page, screen and in class have enhanced my perspective. I have often searched for the source of what appears to me as cultural dysfunction. My concerns about our "education" system have been confirmed by Jessie and Humaria sharing their classroom and board of Ed. experiences, as well as Thierry's presentation. It seems "No Child Left Behind" concerned with the child is neglecting thousands of children and misdirecting important resources. Is this the fault of over theorizing not put into practical applications? Is the focus on digital literacy creating not just a divide but a chasm and ever growing under-class?

Berth's presentation was inspirational. I had worked with children of abuse volunteering in the NY Foundling Hospital but through Tweeter and social networking I maybe able to put my time to more effective use. It seems to me that the print/digital discourse is premature, and somewhat elitist unless it benefits society as a whole from the bottom up. Bertha appears to have hit on an accessible solution.

Bakhtin is top on my reading list for this month between classes. Although, I have referred to The Dialogic Imagination and have been familiarized with Bakhtin's discourse on literature through other sources, Stroupe's essay has whet my desire for a direct encounter with Baktin. Until we are conscious of how the language we employ reinforces cultural bias--until we question our rhetorical choices not from our closed perspective but within their cultural context the chasm will grow. Doesn't conscious interaction in each infinitesimal encounter make the greatest impact? Won't understanding the source of our biases unconscious seepage into our daily encounters and language do at least as much good as volunteering our time and money? And isn't social networking, as Bertha has pointed out, one tweet a day effortless?

I don't know how much use I will make of my newly acquired digital tool literacy, however my interaction with the page is informed and this will inform my writing. I do know Digital Literacies, (readings, responses, tools, projects) Professor Peele and the other class members have been invaluable to my cultural and human comprehension. Aren't new levels of awareness the most useful literacy?