I was talking with my parents and I asked them how their literacy practices changed from when they were a kid, to where they are at now. They talked about how as children they were required to read more books as younger children. And through school everything was about writing on paper, and reading books. Both my parents say, that literacy seems to be moving to the more electronic world with computers and cell phones. We both talked about how I have yet to write anything really, like an essay or a longer piece of work on paper. Everything is electronic, and written on a computer and sent through online.

As Brandt talked about sponsors, it really made me appreciate everyone that encouraged me to read and write. There are people that I can remember that really pushed me to read and write, that encouraged me to read and write what I wanted to pursue. I look back and I feel like that is why I am really into music lyrics and poetry. One author really stuck out to me, Edgar Allan Poe, whose poetry always inspired me to read and write more. Literacy is my life and it consumes everything I do and I’m thankful for where literacy has brought me, and I look forward to the changes it will bring like with my parents.

When i read these authors, and hear ” a social view of literacy,” I immediately think of what someone is reading and where they are reading it. What is their environment? As we have already covered, everything we do in some way or another involves literacy, but to take it in a deeper look, literacy all depends on what someone is reading/writing and why they are reading/writing. Are they reading/writing for school? Are they working on stats for a baseball player? Are they shopping for food at a grocery store. There are countless and countless of variations that involve literacy, and it all depends on what environment you are in to look at the “social view of literacy.”

But in addition, it is also important to take into consideration the “social view of literacy,” in the work environment. There are different things people read or write just for a certain job or occupation. Whether it be a nurse reading blood pressure and writing prescriptions for patients, or a a chef reading recipes for a sauce and pasta, these variations must acknowledged. One form of literacy is more useful to others and may be unimportant to others. It all depends on the environment.

It is important to realize that like in a job, students in school need to read different material and write about different things, in order to keep them fully engaged with the class. “Social view of literacy” is extremely interesting because you lose track of everything that involves literacy and take it for advantage because it is always around us.

Hello everyone, my name is Derek Miller and I am a senior here at Chico State. I have been involved in several different majors during my years here at Chico. I am currently in my 4th major, and I finally think I found my calling. I’m so happy that I changed my major to be an English Studies major. I am from San Diego but have lived and traveled to many different places in the United States, and other parts of the world. During my four years here at Chico, I have been on the Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team for the school, which competes and travels to other big schools all along the west coast. I have at least another year here in Chico, but I cant complain and am excited to see what Chico has still to offer me.

I found the Szwed article very interesting, because it made me really think about what was literacy, and how is it involved in my life. It made me stop and think about what I do everyday that involves literacy, and it basically involved everything. I have always had an interest in reading and writing, but there have always been those times in school I haven’t liked reading or writing something a teacher wanted me to do. I really liked how Szwed talked about how it depends on the person, and what they are doing and what they are reading and writing. “Or a student who shows little interest or aptitude for reading may read Jaws in study hall.” I agree with Szwed that it is all about what motivates them, and what gets students excited about reading and writing.

For me, as a student, I have always found an interest when it comes to reading and writing about fiction. I’ve always enjoyed coming up with stories and using my imagination. On the other hand I get bored with reading and writing about facts. It doesn’t give me the same excitement as coming up with something on my own.

Last, I found that it was interesting that Szwed stated that “Educators often assume that reading and writing form a single standard set of skills to be acquired and used as a whole by individuals…” I think it is tough as an educator to make standards for all of their students, when all students learn differently and it takes certain students to learn in different manners. I don’t think these considerations are always taken, but they should to treat all different types of people and students.