So I discovered the online mapping program Frappr the other day while looking at a friend's Myspace page. I was intrigued because it keeps track of people who view his site by pin-pointing where they live on a map of the U.S. He already had over 300 pins on his personal map, so of course I had to create my own to stay up to date.
So I created my own map, and after four days, I've only gotten five pins on my map. It's interesting to see how much, or how little, my friends look at my Myspace, but it was also interesting to see how far some of my friends have moved since we left.
I told some of my friends here in Gainesville about my new discovery and most of them wrote the program off as another means of stalking. Maybe it is, but that didn't make me take mine off of my site. I think it's pretty interesting myself.
Here's the link: www.frappr.com
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Spelling... important writing tool or the next victim of the Digital Age?
I was reading another blog on The Orlando Senitnel's Web site the other day and came across an interesting entry by a reporter that was covering the Central Florida Spelling Bee that really struck me. Aside from having to cover what some would consider the most boring event on the face of the Earth, the reporter had come across an interesting phenomenon in the process. They write: "Do e-mail and text messaging and all the shorthand they [students] create to make spelling seem unnecessary? Does spelling still count?"
The writing in me wants to say yes, but the digital natives proudly screams, "HECK no!"
Why the dichotomy? Well, I relate back to my own conversations on programs like AIM or Yahoo! Messenger... do I follow proper grammar and diction when chatting? No. Do I catch myself slipping into AIM shorthand when writing papers for class? Yes.
Uh oh.
Have we given up on proper writing or is it time for the wizzes that make the English grammar rules to catch up with the times and make "lol" and "jk" words? Maybe it's a combination of both that needs to happen.
While the old-fuddy-duddys that have been teaching English courses for decades still support the traditional writing habits, their students are creating new ones to meet the demands of the times. Let's face it, many of these old-school professors and instructors can't even tell you what AIM stands for, much less run the damn program. So who are they to set the rules for mechanics in the Digital Age?
My point exactly.
Some responses to the reporter's blog:
From Anonymous: "I know that when my recently promoted boss sent an e-mail which included the word "2day" instead of "today," it only demonstrated how dumb and unfit she is for the position."
Harsh, but Anonymous is probably a digital immigrant.
Another response: "B4 I go on, lemme say 2 yoo, lol, brb, ismee, hola, lol, rol, imo, kenu, cuz, :-), }:(, bfn"
Most likely a digital native.
See, there's a disparity between generations now on what's acceptable writing. Personally, I think in a professional setting proper grammar is still the preferred method; however, I think inter-office e-mails and IMs should leave room for the new wave of communications: Digispeak.
The link to the blog is: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog
The writing in me wants to say yes, but the digital natives proudly screams, "HECK no!"
Why the dichotomy? Well, I relate back to my own conversations on programs like AIM or Yahoo! Messenger... do I follow proper grammar and diction when chatting? No. Do I catch myself slipping into AIM shorthand when writing papers for class? Yes.
Uh oh.
Have we given up on proper writing or is it time for the wizzes that make the English grammar rules to catch up with the times and make "lol" and "jk" words? Maybe it's a combination of both that needs to happen.
While the old-fuddy-duddys that have been teaching English courses for decades still support the traditional writing habits, their students are creating new ones to meet the demands of the times. Let's face it, many of these old-school professors and instructors can't even tell you what AIM stands for, much less run the damn program. So who are they to set the rules for mechanics in the Digital Age?
My point exactly.
Some responses to the reporter's blog:
From Anonymous: "I know that when my recently promoted boss sent an e-mail which included the word "2day" instead of "today," it only demonstrated how dumb and unfit she is for the position."
Harsh, but Anonymous is probably a digital immigrant.
Another response: "B4 I go on, lemme say 2 yoo, lol, brb, ismee, hola, lol, rol, imo, kenu, cuz, :-), }:(, bfn"
Most likely a digital native.
See, there's a disparity between generations now on what's acceptable writing. Personally, I think in a professional setting proper grammar is still the preferred method; however, I think inter-office e-mails and IMs should leave room for the new wave of communications: Digispeak.
The link to the blog is: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
