Digital Literacy Guide

Digital Literacy Guide for Young Adult Learners at the Fashion Institute of Technology:

This guide is meant to be used as a learning tool for young college freshman that are entering their first years in a higher learning setting. Digital literacy is defined as the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share and create content using information technologies and the Internet. (Cornell Information Technologies, 2009, Cornell University) The general standards for research, writing papers, and plagiarism have changed since high school. This guide is meant to provide all students with the necessary tools needed to ensure that they are following instructors directions, meeting academic expectations as well as providing students with necessary tools needed for basic researching. While it is easy to copy and paste information from websites it is not acceptable to do so without citing your references in proper format. College life in regards to writing papers at FIT will introduce you to APA format and this literacy guide will teach you what that is and how to ensure you’re doing it properly. The college has a strict stance on plagiarism, which you will also find, located in this guide. If there are ever changes to any policies you can check back to this literacy guide where all information is current and up to date. The FIT library is available 24/7 at www.fitnyc.edu/library.

Literacy Type           Focus Area   Objectives                                Examples

Tools for Writing       Writing           How to write a college             Writing Center                                                                   Level paper                                        *Appointment must be

                                                                                                                                                                   Made in advance

                                                      Writing           Following APA format           Purdue Writing Lab

                                                                                                                                                                  Owl.english.purdue.edu

                                                      Writing           Citation machine                   Citation Machine

                                                            Automatically adapts            citationmachine.net

                                                            To proper citing format

                                    Writing           Code of Conduct regarding    www.fitnyc.edu

                                                            Plagiarism

Data Literacy             Research        Forecasting services for          -Fashion Snoops

                                                            Fashion related courses                     -Doneger     

                                                            *its best to use more then one                    -WGSN

                                                             source

                                                                                          **FIT online library offers databases

                                                                                          for all forecasting sites

                                   

                                                      Research        Current events and up-to-date       -NRF News

                                                            Industry information                          Briefs

                                                                                                                        -Business of

                                                                                                                          Fashion

                                                                                         

                                                  Research           Books on numerous topics               E-Books

                                                            Relating to fashion and liberal        available for

                                                            Arts are available through the        review or rent

                                                            Online library                                                Magazines

Visual Literacy       Research                        Preparing visual aids for projects   PowerPoint

                                                                                                                        Prezi

                                                            Videos for supplemental use           YouTube

                                                            In presentations

                                                            Develop or manipulate images        Adobe

                                                            For product related courses                        Photoshop

Tool Literacy         Learning              Any guidance needed for                 Blackboard

                               Systems               LMS including tutorials

                               Digital                  Conduct meetings digitally              Google

                                            Meetings                       for team meetings                             Hangout

                               Social Media        Creative work for classes or             Pinterest

                               Site Information Projects                                              Blogs

                                                                                                                        Facebook

                                                                                                                        Instagram

                                                                                                                       

                              

Citations:

Cornell University Digital Literacy Resource. What is Digital Literacy? Retrieved from

https://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/welcome/dpl0000.html

The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Citation Machine retrieved from http://www.citationmachine.net

Fashion Institute of Technology retrieved from http://www.fitnyc.edu/library/

Interview with an 8 year old

I found the assignment of interviewing an adolescent to be an interesting task. My 8 year old nephew is the oldest child in my life so I figured it was best to go with him as opposed to my own 3 year old. Comparing my interview to other classmates; it seems that I interviewed the youngest person. I knew from that start that he would be an excellent interview because he loves technology more then anyone I know. My nephew knows how to work an iPad better then most adults I know.

Cooper was very willing to help me with my "homework" assignment and found it very funny that I actually had homework to do. I was impressed with his maturity and how he took the questions seriously. My original expectations were that this was going to be a waste of time and I'd have to ask a random child to help me out. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong with my original assumption. Unfortunately I think my nephew spends too much time on his iPad on a daily basis and unfortunately it's the object that he likes the most which is why he's always getting it taken away. I was happy to hear that he wasn't playing games and watching irrelevant videos the entire time. I've learned through my own studies that games like Minecraft are challenging for the mind and it's players are allowed to use critical thinking. It allows kids to be creative and it also gives kids the opportunity to share tips and solve problems together with other players. Minecraft is also social media friendly and allows it's players to share information via YouTube which I think is an added bonus for older players, not necessarily my 8 year old nephew.

My interviewees response to social media questions was somewhat surprising to me, and I think it shows that his parents are restricting the use of social media at a young age. He is only aware of Facebook through his parents and other adults in his life. His knowledge of it is very simple and he thinks it is just a platform for sharing photos and opinions. I like that he is not aware of cyberbullying because I think he is too young to be exposed to something so harmful. I was surprised that he did not know what Instagram is because I feel that a lot of younger kids are allowed access to that platform since it is mostly just picture sharing. I was also happily surprised to hear that none of his classmates or friends has a social media account and that he actually laughed at me when I asked him that. His laugh made me think that even he knows it's ridiculous for someone of his age to have access to something like Facebook.

All in all I enjoyed the assignment very much. I had a good time crafting questions and really enjoyed having one on one time with my nephew to conduct the survey. I believe we take an adolescents opinions for granted when in fact we should listen to them more. I think that the answers to the questions that he provided also opened up his parents eyes and they are now limiting his screen time, and encouraging him to do more academic work when he is on his iPad.

Deconstructing a Print Advertisement

Looks can certainly be deceiving.....at first glance I see this advertisement and think, "Ohhhh John Snow," but as I dug through the ad more I started to see cracks in the surface. I didn't even see the words Jimmy Choo Man at first, I literally could not see past John (Kit Harrington) and then I said to myself that's odd why is he on an ad for Jimmy Choo??? At that first glance I obviously just flipped the page on the magazine and went about my day. Fast forward a few months and here I am looking at John in a different light.

I believe the people behind the ad chose my beloved hero John Snow for obvious reasons. He's sexy and attractive and women swoon over him. Is John selling the fragrance or is it the Jimmy Choo brand that is selling it? Based on the logo font that they used I would say John is doing the selling. The font blends in to the women's exposed leg and does not stand out at all. The bottle itself gets lost in the background of his jacket and you have to zoom in to see the bottom caption of the ad. As I dig deeper in the ad I see the women that is draped over him wearing an engagement ring. Does this mean that if you buy this cologne for your hot boyfriend that you too will get that large engagement ring on your finger? John's grip on the women's ankle seems odd to me, and the fact that we can not even see her face is even stranger. Why was the advertisement set up so we the viewers could not even see her face? All we do get to see is her exposed chest and bare legs, but we get to see all of John Snow in the photo. After first glance this advertisement seems very sexist and depicts to the viewer that men are in control. He's holding on to leg as she's casually draped over him in what seems to be a couch or chair. I question the brands intention on this ad, but based on other fragrance ads I unfortunately think it's in line with the competition.

I found this assignment to be very interesting. I learned a lot about dissecting an ad and seeing it from the publics point of view. I think sometimes being in the fashion industry clouds my judgment because I was taught that sex sells. We used sexy images all the time at my previous job to sell clothing, or sometimes the ads had no clothing so I questioned what we were even selling. The act of deconstructing an advertisement taught me how to look at something for a different angel and how you certainly can't judge a book by it's cover.....even if the cover has John Snow on it.

Television News as a New Media

In Television News is a New Mythic Form, Marshall McLuhan discusses how news coverage effects society in North of Ireland in the 60's. McLuhan states that the public is in their homes watching news coverage, and then they come outside when it is over to participate in covering the news and acting it out themselves. McLuhan goes on to say that he feels that the role of hired actor and the public itself is starting to merge. I could not agree more with McLuhan, I too feel that there is a blurred line between the public and the media in today's world which happens to be 46 years after this video was created. M.A. Mughal wrote a piece for Thedailyjournalist.com about three years ago that touches upon mass media's effect and influence on society. In the article he discusses violence on television and how watching it continuously could be traumatic. He specifically writes, "Our kids that are starting to grow and are shaping their personality values and beliefs can become aggressive or they can loose a sense of distinction between reality and fiction." (Mughal, Mass Media and it's Influence on Society, 2013)

Networked Publics by Varnelis touches upon the same idea of news and its effect on society but in a more current role. Varnelis writes that, "The balance of power between news providers and news consumers has shifted." (Varnelis, 2008 p. 67) He continues on later in the paragraph to write, "Video and text bloggers, DIY media activists, and professional journalists are struggling over the right to define the truth and to determine what form and practice of news production yields more credible product." (Varnelis, 2008 p.67) In this book Varnelis is saying something similar to McLuhan in that there is still a blurred line between the public and today's media. With the use of emerging technologies we the public are now able to get news out faster and sometimes more accurately then the media. The public does not need to look any further then social media to find out the latest news or what's happening in our world. There is no longer that need to wait until the 5 o'clock news to come on.

I personally believe that the use of technologies and new media has made reading about current events easier. There are also more options to researching topics and current events and more tools that can be used. We as a society have access to online databases, newspapers, and news outlets all at our fingertips. It's truly never been easier to find out what's happening around you then it is today. It should be the role of the teacher to help students understand how they can access any information at any given time of the day. As we continue to grow in the technology era I believe that we will see an increase in online news outlets and networks.




References:

References:
Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge, Massachusetts 

M.A. Mughal. (2013) Mass Media and it's Influence on Society.
Retrieved from http://thedailyjournalist.com/pen-and-pad/mass-media-and-its-influence-on-society/

Citizenship in the Digital Era

The youth today are knowledgeable in political and social issues, especially the issues that effect their future. I have the pleasure of teaching all levels of students in a college setting and I was pleasantly surprised to see how involved they are in their community and how much they care about the future. My students at FIT care more about the election and candidates then I have ever seen in the past. I will rightfully admit that I did not care nearly half as much as they do when I was in college, political issues were just not on my radar. I listened to my students discuss Bernie Sanders for two semesters. My students at FIT were, "Feeling The Bern," and wanted to see change. They wanted change that would benefit them and the next generation, and they were passionate about him and his campaign.  I disagree with W. Lance Bennett when he writes that, "Perhaps most notably, younger generations have disconnected from conventional politics and governments in alarming numbers." (Bennett, Lance W., 2008, p.1) I have seen the complete opposite in my "world." Students are illustrating, and designing products based on the election, and are actively debating the candidates in classroom settings. Perhaps this is the environment that I am in, but I am surprised yet happy to see this shift. 

I will agree with Bennett when he writes that, "Many observers properly note that there are impressive signs of youth civic engagement in these nongovernmental areas, including increases in community volunteer work, high levels of consumer activism, and impressive involvement in social causes from the environment to economic injustice in local and global arenas." (Bennett, Lance, W. 2008, p.2) My students and younger generation that I interact with are all passionate about the environment, sustainability and world hunger. My students at FIT opened my eyes to the refugee crisis last year when they presented projects on the humanitarian issue. I watched them dig through the Internet looking for information, and some even going as far as trying to connect with refugees via social media. The youth today have access to the world via the world wide web and they are using it to it's fullest capabilities and advantages. I will say that when I catch a student using their computers or smart phones in class, 9 out of 10 times they ARE NOT researching political or social issues.....we still need to remember that they are overstimulated, short attention span millennials. 

Bennett's paper also discusses the issues of students being active "online" in politically and socially charged conversations, but they are lacking in the "off-line" arena. I would agree with this because I think that students generally are more comfortable voicing their opinions and ideas to an online community as opposed to an in face conversation. I see this in my class lessons, students are more excited and active in discussion boards online then they are in classroom during face-to-face discussions. It is my belief that my students feel a sense of comfort and security in discussing topics behind a computer screen, it's safer. Bennett does suggest that, " In order for young citizens to feel comfortable engaging in more conventional politics, they need to feel invited to participate on their own terms, and to learn how to use their digital tools to better express their public voices." (Bennet, Lance W., 2008, p. 10)  I could not agree more with this statement. As we progress further in to the digital world we need to think about developing more tools for students to communicate through. Tools or networks that are not focused on superficial topics and photos, but more networking sites that are devoted to social and humanitarian issues and perhaps they could also include volunteering roles and positions. If businesses want to attract the new generation they need to create tools and sites that they will respond and react to. 

References:

Citation: Bennett, W. Lance. “Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age." Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Edited by W. Lance Bennett. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 1–24. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262524827.001 

Media Convergence and Networked Participation 

There was a shooting in an elementary school today, Brangelina broke up, who won the presidential debate.....these are all the questions and thoughts that ran through my head this week (it's only Wednesday cut me some slack). As these current events took place my mind automatically shifted to I need to know more, and where does one learn more about events today.....social media. I jumped on my Facebook page to learn exactly why Brangelina called it quits, I wanted to see what my "friends" were saying about the debate, and sadly I wanted to see if anyone was talking about the details of the elementary school shooting. Varnelis discusses the networked public culture that we have become so reliant on today, and how it is directed towards specific genres and styles. ( Varnelis, K. p.46, 2008) We now have outlets to voice our opinions, to debate certain topics and subjects as well as a network to "socialize" on. People no longer just try a new restaurant on a whim, we go on Yelp.com check the reviews and read the menu before hand; nothing is spontaneous. I don't think that this is a cultural change, I find it to be more of a societal change. Society has accepted this as the new norm and we now have businesses focusing on advertising on social media, being concerned more with reviews and ratings, and paying closer attention to what's being said about the brand or store.

Varnelis writes about Chris Anderson's description on how the global retailing giant, Amazon is able to be so profitable. He explains in detail that "Amazon.com does not achieve a profit from the short head-a small number of bestsellers-but from the long tail-a wide variety of niche products, each of which has relatively small circulation." (Varnelis, K. p.46, 2008) Amazon is able to connect special-interest groups which have helped to create new distribution channels. These new distribution channels have allowed small manufacturers and small audiences to find one another. Amazon is a hot topic in the fashion industry right now because they are changing the way that retailers think about  business. Amazon is teaching the retailing world that networking and partnering are a recipe for success. Digital communication gives business from all over the world the opportunity to develop relationships that can strengthen their brand. It's more important now then ever before that businesses understand and adapt to digital communication formats. This could mean teaching CEO's and heads of companies the nuances of digital networking.

The concept of viral marketing is not new to me coming from the fashion industry. The blogger/influencer has taken over the role of the celebrity spokesperson. Businesses care deeply about their "fan base" and how they are reacting to the new product or service. Today's younger generation feels that they can relate more to the influencer because they are someone in their niche market. I agree with Varnelis' statement that, "Viral marketing assumes consumers, not firms, have the most influence in the creation of brands." (Varnelis, K, p.62, 2008.) Fans now dictate if you're purchasing or designing the right product for your brand, they are even helping to make decisions about the brand that effect the end product such as colors being offered and details being used. The author goes on to say that, "Social networking technologies, from e-mail to MySpace, have given consumers the power to transform brands." (Varnelis, K, p.63, 2008.) Social networks are being used to spread information about products or services being offered and are taking the place of print advertising for most companies.  Brands are spending a majority of their advertising budget on digital communications and social media marketing because that is where the customer is.

This chapter in Networked Publics resonated with me because of the emphasis on marketing and digital communications. The fashion industry has evolved in so many ways since I originally entered it and the main reason for this shift is the growth in digital technologies. The Internet changed everyones business, some for the better and others for the worse. The author touches upon the importance of ensuring that your brand is putting out the right image because now more then ever if once bad thing is said or written by the company it will be passed along to the public via social media which could ruin your business. Abercrombie and Fitch is a perfect example of this. The CEO said to media outlets that his brand did not offer large sized clothing because they did not want to sell to a large sized customer. The comment went viral almost immediately, the CEO was forced to step down and business has been bad for the brand ever since. I believe that not only in business but also in personal life it is more important than ever to ensure that you're getting the correct message you want out because it can spread quickly either way.

References:
Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge, Massachusetts 

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

Reading and writing is something that I can't imagine NOT being able to do. It was embedded in me from an early age that I needed to learn how to do both. I even remember having to learn how to write in script  (which is now obsolete). I can remember practicing my letters and struggling to read "hard" books. Both reading and writing has changed so much since I was a child, and it continues to change as our needs and wants change. Gillen and Barton discuss the concept of Modality which they describe as the combination of writing and image on screen or page. (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p.6) They go on to say that by using images in reading we are not making it easier as some people may think, but instead we are demanding a new way of reading. We are teaching ourselves and our learners to think differently which I can relate to. 

My role as a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Technology keeps me on my toes in regards to modality. I've learned over the semesters that when you provide students with just text on a powerpoint presentation they will fall asleep. Keeping a proper balance of text and image is key to a successful lecture. I teach at a school that has visual learners who are creative so that makes it even more important. The above quote resonates with me because I feel responsible for teaching my students about the fashion industry while at the same time providing them with my own personal experience. I have to pay close attention to how I present information and what information I am sharing. I want to always be positive when discussing the industry while at the same time preparing them for the reality. 

Using text and images in a proper flow and sequence is something I learned last semester. We learned the proper balance between images and text and how to position both on a screen. As Gillen and Barton discuss the web has drastically changed the way we educate and are educated. We now have access to more information then ever before, and that includes informative and powerful images. We can use real images now to get points across or to help support a lesson. Mostly if not all schools use computers, and smart boards in their daily lessons. While I'm sure it was a hard transition for older and more seasoned teachers it was a change that had to be made. The way we research and learn on a daily basis is completely different thanks to Web 2.O. Gone are the days where it was difficult to research or find information. We now have a world full of resources at our fingertips. In fact according to the Free Library by Farlex we have estimated that somewhere between 40 to 80 million adults in the United States have access to around 320 million unique pages of content on arguably one of the most important communication innovations in history. ( Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the l(IT)eracy challenge?. (n.d.) >The Free Library. (2014)

References:

Gillen, and Barton. (2010) Digital Literacies. Retrieved from http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/33471/1/DigitalLiteracies.pdf

Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the l(IT)eracy challenge?. (n.d.) >The Free Library. (2014). Retrieved Sep 16 2016 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Literacy+and+the+new+technologies+in+school+education%3a+Meeting+the...-a063132991