Greetings! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Beth Thornburg and I am a graduate student preparing to become an elementary school teacher. I created this blog for a class project and I hope you'll find it interesting and informative.
The ways we use literacy can tell a lot about who we are. I documented the ways I used literacy in both print and non-print text over a three day period. Some of the patterns, or routine ways in which I used literacy were what I expected but other ways surprised me.
I use text all the time in communications. This includes both print and non-print texts. I use print texts like Facebook, Gmail and instant messenger online. I like reading teachers' blogs to get ideas for my classroom! I use non-print texts for communication via my cellular phone, Bluetooth headset device and Skype, although nowadays, I text and email so much through my phone, it is a great tool for print text usage as well!
Nothing is more important to me than my family and friends. Since I live far away from most of them, these communication tools (email, Skype, Facebook, my cellphone...) are essential for maintaining our relationships. My friends and I also use Skype to work on craft projects together, which is a way for us to demonstrate techniques while spending quality time together. When my husband was deployed, I was able to share with him a comical story about the neighbor boy and his dog walking HIM around the neighborhood... sometimes it is very good to hear and see a loved one laugh!
I also use text (both print and non-print) for entertainment. I love to read, especially fiction. Comedies, fantasy, light-romance, or children's books are my favorites. You discover this rather quickly if you either a) know me and have seen my vast cluttered bookshelves or b) have read my ethnography. I enjoy television, although I am usually so busy I watch it online. My current favorites are Army Wives Season 4 and Merlin (the BBC version). During the week of my ethnography I watched an episode of Merlin to take a break from school and yard work.
Another non-print text I use for entertainment is my i Pod. My husband and I download audio books to listen to when we go on trips together and I have downloaded a new fiction book and a book for learning Spanish to entertain me on the commute to school. I also rock out while I mow the yard... it makes the work go much faster.
What most surprised me is how much I rely on virtual text sources to gather information. I rely heavily on my cell phone's navigation system for directions, we own a paper dictionary but I do not know why because if I want to look up any information I "Google it" without considering another option and even for my hobbies, such as sewing and scrapbooking, I search for ideas and patterns online. I was researching prices for fabric and the first place I looked was online. I was rather startled at how much I have come to depend upon the internet as my source for information. Since the school year has begun, I use the internet to gather information daily for my job, about classes, for materials and even for directions and traffic reports.
The ways I use literacy tell a lot about my cultural identity. My socioeconomic group is at least middle class because I am able to afford these electronic devices. As much as I talk on my phone, I must have a good cell phone plan with plenty of minutes! Who I talk with is also important. I mention my husband, so I am married and I am female. I am a student, a commuter and I work at least part-time. I habitually talk to/see via Skype friends and family which leads one to believe that perhaps I am not living close to them. I mentioned doing yard work which means that I am at least physically fit enough to do semi-strenuous exercise. I am online a lot: checking email, checking Facebook, Skyping, gathering information, chatting, shopping, etc. These Generation Y traits, as well as being married, in graduate school, and interested in the types of books I'm interested in suggest that I am 20-30 years of age.
Can you believe that you can discover all of that about yourself just by recording the kinds of texts you use? We traded ethnographies with a classmate during class and I could hardly believe how much I discovered about her in only a few minutes.
It all began when I created a Pinterest account to discover new teaching ideas... as I was scrolling through tons of creative pins I uncovered the wonderful world of quiet books. I instantly fell in love with the concept of teaching my daughter through homemade, tailor-made books. Some pages are just for fun and to keep her entertained during church, plane rides, doctor's visits, etc. but others facilitate mastery of basic life skills such as tying one's shoes, and preschool skills like counting and letter recognition. They are also fantastic for fine motor skill development. My "theme" is travel/going places. So far I have completed an "outerspace" two-page spread using Imagine Our Life's rocket ship and astronaut templates. I also created one page of an arctic spread I am working on. This page was created using an ice skate template from FantastINK's blog and inspired by a Pinterest pin to this wonderful quiet book pattern from shelleywallace on Etsy. The arctic idea came from a quiet book that can only be described as a phenomenal work of art found here by Meli Melo Deco. I plan to create an igloo puzzle for the other page in the spread. I'm still trying to decide whether to do an ice skater doll, ice fishing color match, or an arctic animal theme with my igloo. Other page ideas include a rainforest habitat, beach sandcastle building and seashell counting pages, and a circus "under the big-top" adventure. I'm starting early, so hopefully I will have it completed by the time she is ready to use it!
