So, as you can probably see, this website is changing around a bit. No longer am I writing solely about myself; now I am writing about art (or rather I'm showcasing it). I am creating an art niche blog that allows any artist, particularly college artists, to submit their artwork to me so that I may post their works in a place for all to see. I know that there are several types of art blogs out there that showcase all kinds of art, which leaves you asking me "Gabe, how is this blog going to be different from them?"
Well I am glad you asked. The Art of College is going to be a site that focuses on the college artist. I believe that most college art students are on the edge of new forms of creativity, which I love. I try to be as creative as possible in order to keep myself sane, and I want to give others the chance to do that as well. Any artist can submit a work to be part of daily postings that the whole world can see. It does not matter if it is literature, painting, sculpting, photography, singing, dancing, what have you. Any of these forms of art can be showcased here. All you would need to do is head to the submission page (titled Submit Art), and follow the rules of submission; it's that easy! In the future, I may also want this to become a platform for the college artists to find jobs and career opportunities. The world is full of ways that artists can utilize their talents for good; it's just not always easy to see them. I hope that this site will one day become a platform for college artists to find their careers in the world. An employer could contact an artist via their social media or contact information, and the artist could link whatever social media they wanted to in order to allow potential employers to see more of their talent. The possibilities for this site are endless! As I said, there are thousands of these art blogs out there on the Internet. In order to help make my site the best it could be, I decided to research some of these sites. My research focused on finding those that really matched with what I wanted to do with my own site, which is showcase art made by college students. The first site that I could think of was DeviantArt, which is a site that I have personally used for a few years now. This site allows artists to post anything from tattoo designs to photography to literature on the site. It also allows artists to sell their work for either real life currency or on-site points, which can be redeemed for on-site rewards. They also have something called Core Memberships, which allow users to get features such as ad-blocking, discounted prices on prints, and the ability to test new features. The format of the site is neat, clean, and easy to navigate and even if you don't post anything on there you can still look up art for just about anything you want. It's a site that I have enjoyed using for years and will take a lot of inspiration from for my own work. After looking at DeviantArt I looked up a few more sites that operated the same way I want to. I found sites such as Daily Art Fixx, BOOOOOOOM! , KoiKoiKoi, Ufunk, and HouHouHaHa, which all have wider focuses when looking at theme and form of art. These sites all have different sections depending on what type of art you are looking for as well as ways for readers and watchers to submit their own art. They also have similar layout in the sense that they separate their different art mediums into different tabs. This makes it easier for the average reader to find whatever they want. I would definately like to organize my art that I find into different sections, because then it would make it easier for viewers to find the exact form of art they want to see. I also found sites such as Unurth and Doodlers Anonymous, which both focus on one form of art. Unurth looks at different forms of street art that people create while Doodlers Anonymous looks at doodles that people have done. Unurth also has a political message behind some of its art, which is similar to the site Happy Famous Artists. I would like my site to remain neutral in the message it spreads, but If a political piece were to be sent in for submission then as long as it followed submission rules then I'd be willing to post it. I won't focus on one type of art like Unurth and Doodlers Anonymous do, but instead combine art together so that I can cater to a larger crowd. Finally, we take a look at a site that use art as part of a larger goal. IPaintMyMind is both an online platform as well as a physical space that allows different artists to show off their work. It is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that aims at getting the names of the artists out there in the world. Their ultimate goal is to get art recognized as a valuable commodity in society, and they certainly do a good job of it from what I see. Their site lists different galleries and events for artists to attend and participate in, and it also has connections with some employers. This website is another one that I think lines up closely with what I would like to do. I want my site to be a connection for artists to spread their work around, and potentially one day I would like my site to be a vehicle for other artists to gain employment. If I needed a physical space to do this then that would be something I'd address in the future, but for TAOC stays digital. I cannot wait for the future of my website! All I see is a blank slate that is brimming with potential, and I'm willing to work for that potential to be realized. So if you're new to the site, welcome! If you were following me since my days as a personal site, then thanks for sticking around! I hope you enjoy the new look, and I hope to see your art in my inbox sometime!
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I have been given the wonderful responsibility of writing and creating a digital literacy narrative about my experiences with technology. What to do, what to do?
I could talk about my first cell phone. I mentioned it in my last post (go ahead and check that out), but for a quick recap it was my first exposure to almost instantaneous contact. Sending a message to your friend and getting a reply back in less than a few seconds was mind blowing! I remember the first time I got the ability to text, I sent non-stop spam messages to one of my cousins. I still do that to this day! I could also talk about how the Internet and social media has been a driving force in the shaping of my political beliefs. These days, you can't be too sure about any sort of truth in the media, so I tend to skim through these articles with a fine-tooth comb. However, with the help of Facebook and, occasionally, Tumblr, I have become more aware of the world around me and all the beliefs and conflicts that go with it! I could also talk about video gaming a bit. I know, video games and digital literacy, how absurd! What are you thinking, Gabe? Well I'm thinking about the vast online community that has surrounded video games and what kind of knowledge you need to have these days in order to even play some games. The different softwares, the vast amount of engines used to run these games, the multitude of platforms that you can play the games on. It's insane! Crash Bandicoot would sure look differently if it were made today. But to be honest, I am not sure what I should write about. I've got so many ideas, and I'm sure that many of my classmates/peers have many more creative and better suiting ideas than I do. Hopefully, by the time I need to begin working on this project, I'll have an idea that will blow everyone out of the water! :New developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) during this first decade of the 21st century enabled many of them [the coauthors] to keep in touch with family, colleagues, and friends from around the globe, as well as acquaintances they had met only online, with an ease and speed that had been impossible prior to this time." -Berry, Hawisher, and Selfe Gail E. Hawisher, Cynthia L. Selfe, and Patrick W. Berry worked with several transnational co authors to write a study about digital literacy and the role it plays in their lives. The study, titled Transnational Lives in Literate Times, focuses on how these individuals from all around the world have traveled away from their home country to pursue high education and how technology has helped them to succeed. While reading the details of the study, I thought a bit about how my digital literacies have helped me to expand my knowledge about the world around me. When i think of all the technological advances that we have made in our time, I can't help but think, "Wow, what strides we have made." Our parents and grandparents used to spend hours completing tasks with large, cumbersome machines; we are fortunate enough to have the ability to do those same things within seconds and with small, compact forms of technology. This gift that we have is why we all need to develop some bit of skill with digital literacy. Digital literacy allows us to have a better understanding of the technology that we use as well as the information that it holds. It allows to tell truth from BS, fact from opinion, and reliable from unreliable. It is such a powerful skill for our generation to hold, and we cannot take it for granted. These days, I have learned to use my digital literacy in a way that helps me make informed decisions about the world around me. This was not how it always was, however. Back in the day, my digital literacy skills amounted to searching for Youtube videos and updating my Facebook page with tales of my mundane life. Before even that, my first experience with digital literacies was my first cell phone. The classic flip phones that held simple Tetris games and forced you to hit a number key several times before you got the letter you wanted. I remember the first time I ever got the ability to text, I texted my cousin non-stop gushing about how cool it was! This image below is the closest image I could find that looked like my old phone. I wonder, what nostalgic memories does this bring back for you? If you are interested in reading the study for yourself, you can read it in the link here.
Blogpost 2: Reading Barton and Hamilton's "Situated Literacies: Reading and Writing in Context"1/24/2017 As stated in my first blog post, I had two writing pieces that I was required to read for my Writing with Technologies class. Last blog post (which can be found down below, hint hint) was about Rhinegold's piece on why we as a society need the digital culture that is evolving. I highly suggest you read his piece (as well as the blog post I made on it).
Now onto the next piece. This piece was written (and edited) by David Barton and Mary Hamilton and its topic focuses on the concept of literacy. They do not define literacy the same way that you would expect. Barton and Hamilton define it as "a social practice in the form of a set of six proportions about the nature of literacy" (Barton and Hamilton 2000). This may seem a bit confusing, so allow me to translate with my personal interpretation. Barton and Hamilton seem to define literacy as a collaborative effort that follows a certain set of guidelines. The guidelines that are mentioned within the text seem to all state the same message; literacy is best used in a social context. In this context, literacy can allow others to share ideas and collaborate effectively by examining both written and spoken forms of literacy. Furthermore, Barton and Hamilton seem to talk about literacy in relation to other subjects, such as culinary literacy or computer literacy. This means that this concept of social literacy can be used in settings that we would not have originally thought of. Finally, Barton and Hamilton talk about literacy events, which are events that are driven by literacy. Literacy events often have some form of literacy that plays some sort of role to the individuals involved. This could be anything that engages the group to take part in the social elements of literacy that were discussed previously. Now that I have spent a bit of time reading and analyzing the piece, I have a better understanding of how literacy can be used in other situations. As an Early Childhood Education and Literacy Studies dual major, I am learning about how to use literacy as a educational tool. On one hand, that is only one aspect of literacy. Literacy can be used in so many different environments and in so many different careers that the possibilities are endless. If we were to use it as the social practice that Barton and Hamilton talk about, then it is a possibility that we could bridge a few gaps with this method. On the other hand, that does not mean that one use of literacy is better than another. When I eventually come to use literacy in a classroom setting, I will be using it just as effectively as if it were to be used in some other social gathering. Any social use of literacy is effective because as stated earlier, it allows groups of people to get together and share ideas about both written and oral text. It allows us all to take another look at a subjective subject so that we may better come to understand it. If you would like to read Barton and Hamilton's piece for yourself, I will leave a hyperlink for it here. Blogpost 1: Reading Rhinegold's "Introduction:Why You Need Digital Know-How--Why We All Need It."1/24/2017 Welp...this is my first blog post.
Go easy on me if it's not a literary masterpiece! This is my first time writing a blog post of this kind, so I won't be an expert just yet! Anyway, for my Writing With Technologies class, I was assigned to read two specific pieces for homework. The first piece was Howard Rhinegold's introduction chapter titled "Why You Need Digital Know-How--Why We All Need It". This chapter comes from his book How to Thrive Online (didn't read the whole thing but I may look into the book). The section itself specifically focuses on how this new digital culture we have created can either help or harm us, depending on how we use it. Rhinegold talks about how the use of this new technology needs to become more of a positive, collaborative effort than a individual one, and he also talks about five literacies that can help us attain this goal. These literacies are attention, participation, collaboration, the critical consumption of data (aka "crap detection") and network smarts. When I finished reading this piece, I felt like I had obtained a new appreciation for the technological world that we live in today. Previously I have only used the technology I have to either improve my own knowledge or to simply pass the time. Now I see that as a semi-average user, I have a responsibility. My responsibility is to help those who do not understand this new technology learn about all the ways that it can benefit our society; this can range from the young to the elderly. I have partial responsibility to ensure that any future technological advances are used for the benefit of our society instead of hindering us. However, this is not going to be an easy task. There are many obstacles that have prevented our society from already achieving this goal. From the stubborn individuals who refuse to even look at a smartphone to the internet hackers and "trolls" who insist on using their knowledge to create discord, there are those out there who see technology as a tool for malice. Some of those people may be persuaded to come to the side of good, but I guarantee that some of those people will be unmoving in their beliefs and ways. It's as they say, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". We can show these people the good that technology can bring, but in the end its their choice of whether or not they want to change their ways. These individuals are not my biggest concern. While they are a problem, they are a problem that will soon go away. In my opinion, the majority of our focus in this endeavor should be on the younger generations. While we are currently seeing the birth of new and incredible advances in technology, it is the younger generations who will see even greater advances. I want to ensure that they know how to use all of these new advances as tools for good. I want to ensure that this generation has mastery over the five literacies discussed earlier so that when they are faced with this new and wonderful technology they can tackle it head on. If you would like to read the introduction of this book for yourself, then I will hyperlink it here. It's a bit lengthy, but worth it. If you would like to check out the whole book, then I will try to find a link for it somewhere. If i find it, I will hyperlink it here. |
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