My post today deviates a little from the reading this week because I really wanted to talk about my experience with my Literacy in Context essay.
I was very confused at first when Dr. Vee kept stopping each of us when we kept using the word “technology” last week. It seemed like one of those trivial things where she was just busting our chops for the sake of it, but I later realized that she had a very good reason for doing so. As I sat in Starbucks for 2 hours awkwardly staring at people, I realized that there are new sorts of literacy technologies and innovations made every day. Most notably was the lingo I heard the Starbucks staff slinging around. While at first it didn’t really phase me, I realized that nobody else in the entire place had any idea what they were really saying at all. As far as we were concerned, it may as well been a made up language.
This “New Language” wasn’t really new, but it represented a new form of communication and vocabulary that required a certain know how and understanding that the general population did not have. After seeing it in action I realized that technology isn’t just about new gadgets, but about new innovations and inventions that make your lives easier each and every day.
I like that idea of technology as more than just new gadgets. We have spent a large portion of this class talking about technology outside of the contexts of gadgets, and I think that it is good to put a definition on what this type of technology is. The Starbucks example is really interesting because it isn’t something that I would have thought of if I wasn’t in that particular situation. But, when I really think about it, most occupations have their own specialized vocabulary and technologies that are useful for that particular job. Technology doesn’t have to be something as sophisticated as an iPad, it can be something simple like slang and abbreviations to make life easier.
It is also important to realize that technologies included so many thing that we take for granted today, such as mechanical pencils or ballpoint pens. These common household items were once newfangled “gadgets” that the population was astounded by. So it is no wonder Professor Vee was “busting our chops” about how we threw around the word “technology” because we have to be very specific about meaning technology of today. Even if we say “modern technology” we might be addressing anything from as far back as the printing press and movable type because that is included in the “Modern” era. Just a thought.