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Rating: 
Summary: "Technologically" Outdated
Review: "Literacy, Technology, and Society" by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe did not impress me much. The book contains articles about the combination of technology and other aspects of society. I found the articles to be very outdated and not consistent with today's technology. I expected the book to be helpful in introducing the thoughts on today's technological advancements and problems that occur, instead I found myself reading articles that were written in the late 80's to the early 90's. It boggled my mind, I felt as if I was reading a history time-line of the "new and amazing" Internet. The Internet today is definitely not as controversial as it is presented in some of the articles. A perfect example would be "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi back in 1994. Kadi seems to think of the Internet as this terrible new thing that is only used by rich white males and costs $120 per month. The author seems so bitter towards the same service that many Americans use on a daily basis today. It is very outdated, quite boring, and somewhat pointless. There are actually a few positives about this book that I will explain, but they do not outweigh the negatives.I purchased this book for my Intro. English college course, luckily there were many used books available and it was priced at about $38, which is a pretty good deal compared to many other textbooks. But, now that I have actually read some of the content of the book, I realize why there were so many used books. There is no use or value in this book beyond a class required text. I cannot see myself using or referring to this text for any purpose in the future. It cannot even be used as a very credible reference because all of the contents are taken from other sources. Even though there are many faults, there are a few good aspects of the book. The text is organized in a easy and simple manner. Even though all of the articles deal with technology, they are separated in specific categories. These categories are organized as follows: Social Issues and Technology, Education and Technology, Ethics, Law, and Technology, Gender and Technology, and Government and Technology. The organization allows for teachers to pick a focal point on assignments. We had class discussions on articles in specific sections in this manner. The professor assigned articles (usually with opposing views on a topic) and we discussed them in class. Discussing the articles is a beneficial to students because it is interactive learning. (But I cannot credit the text with that, because it depends on who is teaching the class). What I found helpful was the questions at the end of each article. Answering the questions makes the reader think and read critically about the style, tone, and different writing mechanisms in the article. They help in deciphering the articles more in depth than just words and ideas. A very good aspect is the additional appendices at the end of the book. They help aid the reader in a deeper understanding of an issue and clarify unanswered questions the reader may have about a specific article. Appendix D: Bill of Rights, helped me comprehend the way Jesse Lemisch, who wrote "The First Amendment Is Under Attack in Cyberspace," actually interpreted the First Amendment, and which specific part the author feels most strongly about, in this case the freedom of speech. Another good addition are the Extended Writing Activities that are inserted at the end of each section. They're another tool to help the reader go more in depth with the articles and think more critically of what he or she is reading. As for the overall appeal of this book, it is boring. It is all black and white with some poor attempts at making it entertaining by employing random technological advertisements. They don't quite do the trick. I found myself getting bored and sleepy while reading the articles. This is in part because many of the articles are too wordy and lose their effectiveness. I would not recommend this book as a good instructional tool, especially in technology. "Technology," the word itself hints towards advancement, new things, and new knowledge. Everything in this book is old, outdated, and passed. It reminds me more of a history book about the Internet, than "...,Technology, and Society."
Rating: 
Summary: Confronting issues
Review: "Literacy, Technology, and Society" written by Gail Hawisher and Cynthia Selfe, really confronts the issues of technology. This is a book enriched with articles discussing the different matters of technology. The authors' opinions in these articles vary to the opinions of cited work. While readers go through these articles it will be obvious that the book was designed to help students think critically about articles covering various issues on technology. In my opinion, "Literacy, Technology, and Society " can serve as a good and useful introduction to college students during their earlier years while taking English classes. Most High School students do not do enough readings in English classes and college has definitely higher standards and more requirements that have to be satisfied. The articles presented will satisfy the need for understanding and practicing critical thinking, for both beginners and those who are interested in more knowledge of technology.
Regardless of the negativity of some articles due to the complications or understanding such as "Myth information" written by Langdon Winner on page 42. The organization of other articles throw off readers because the paragraphs are not connected. An example is, Common Law for the Electronic Frontier, written by Anne Branscomb on page 315. In some other articles information given by the author was outdated such as in Welcome to Cyberia, written by M. Kadi on page 37. Inaccurate information and lack of citation is another complication such as in Paul Strassmann's article "Information Systems and Literacy" on page 134(show and example here and cite it). Also "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi on page 37. Steve Silberman's article "We're Teen, We're Queer, and We've Got E-Mail" on page 58 was not even cited. Finding these negativities about these articles prove that I have been thinking critically while reading them.
Some articles really deserve to be read because the issues they discussed are very informative and interesting and some have not been introduced before. "We're Teen, We're Queer, We've Got E-mail" and "Welcome to Cyberia" are examples of this.
We're Teen, We're Queer, and We've Got E-mail" is an article written by Steve Silberman. This article shows how homosexual teenagers can benefit from the internet, more precisely by E-mail. Gay teenagers have difficulties expressing themselves and revealing their identities to other people because they fear of being not welcomed. However this article unmasks the kind of people who can be participating online. This point came through a gay teenager's writings :"I would like to write to someone that I can talk to about issues I can't talk about with my friends" (Silverman p.59). In the article, "Welcome to Cyberia", the author informs us about technology and at the same time complains about the cost of entering the cyberspace or internet, and the limited numbers of individuals who choose to spend their free time on line. These two factors, cost and time, will definitely affect the diversity of the online Population. This fact is shown when the writer says: "People are drawn to topics and folders that interest them and therefore people will only meet people who are interested in the same topics in the same folders" (Kadi p.40). The article " Information Systems and Literacy ", defines the word literacy and presents communication in different ways and times. Also, the writer presents data and charts that support the given information in the article even though they were not accurate. Barbara Kantrowitz In the article " The information gap " compares the students in poor and rich schools, and the ones who use and do not use computers regularly. She tells the audience to all share the same problems which create the information gap. She uses the word choice to make the article clear and easy to understand to all types of readers. The article has all three different rhetorical appeals. The example of the two students Kantrowitz started the article with falls under the emotion or pathos rhetorical appeal because it gets the reader's attention when he/she feels bad for Michael who had no computer at home. Then, logic comes along because the information provided in the article is true and visible to readers. Authority is also presented in the quotes given in the article which certainly support it. The article in general is well organized and the writer's ideas are connected to each other, they don't get the reader lost or make it unable to see the connection of sentences. However, the article's length didn't affect the issue the author was trying to present. The article " The First Amendment Is Under Attack in Cyberspace by Jesse Lemiseh, tries to persuade the readers that the first amendment is being attacked. The author stated that to accomplish the purpose of persuading the readers that the first amendment is under attack in cyberspace, he has to describe the many obstacles to free speech that are later encountered in the article: " censorship, capricious rejection of messages, and a sacrifice of freedom to personal messages" (Lemiseh, p 277) . I found the articles above greatly interesting and made the whole book get my admiration. I am sure there is more similar articles listed in the book which I have not read yet.
One other negativity about the book is the price of it. I think it is a little too much for it. $51.00 can buy a lot more than one book. There should be a more encouraging price for the people to purchase it even it is not required.
Despite the negativities, I believe the book is still good and can be very useful to all types of readers. This information given in it is very valuable.
Rating:
Summary: "Technologically" Outdated
Review: "Literacy, Technology, and Society" by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe did not impress me much. The book contains articles about the combination of technology and other aspects of society. I found the articles to be very outdated and not consistent with today's technology. I expected the book to be helpful in introducing the thoughts on today's technological advancements and problems that occur, instead I found myself reading articles that were written in the late 80's to the early 90's. It boggled my mind, I felt as if I was reading a history time-line of the "new and amazing" Internet. The Internet today is definitely not as controversial as it is presented in some of the articles. A perfect example would be "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi back in 1994. Kadi seems to think of the Internet as this terrible new thing that is only used by rich white males and costs $120 per month. The author seems so bitter towards the same service that many Americans use on a daily basis today. It is very outdated, quite boring, and somewhat pointless. There are actually a few positives about this book that I will explain, but they do not outweigh the negatives. I purchased this book for my Intro. English college course, luckily there were many used books available and it was priced at about $38, which is a pretty good deal compared to many other textbooks. But, now that I have actually read some of the content of the book, I realize why there were so many used books. There is no use or value in this book beyond a class required text. I cannot see myself using or referring to this text for any purpose in the future. It cannot even be used as a very credible reference because all of the contents are taken from other sources. Even though there are many faults, there are a few good aspects of the book. The text is organized in a easy and simple manner. Even though all of the articles deal with technology, they are separated in specific categories. These categories are organized as follows: Social Issues and Technology, Education and Technology, Ethics, Law, and Technology, Gender and Technology, and Government and Technology. The organization allows for teachers to pick a focal point on assignments. We had class discussions on articles in specific sections in this manner. The professor assigned articles (usually with opposing views on a topic) and we discussed them in class. Discussing the articles is a beneficial to students because it is interactive learning. (But I cannot credit the text with that, because it depends on who is teaching the class). What I found helpful was the questions at the end of each article. Answering the questions makes the reader think and read critically about the style, tone, and different writing mechanisms in the article. They help in deciphering the articles more in depth than just words and ideas. A very good aspect is the additional appendices at the end of the book. They help aid the reader in a deeper understanding of an issue and clarify unanswered questions the reader may have about a specific article. Appendix D: Bill of Rights, helped me comprehend the way Jesse Lemisch, who wrote "The First Amendment Is Under Attack in Cyberspace," actually interpreted the First Amendment, and which specific part the author feels most strongly about, in this case the freedom of speech. Another good addition are the Extended Writing Activities that are inserted at the end of each section. They're another tool to help the reader go more in depth with the articles and think more critically of what he or she is reading. As for the overall appeal of this book, it is boring. It is all black and white with some poor attempts at making it entertaining by employing random technological advertisements. They don't quite do the trick. I found myself getting bored and sleepy while reading the articles. This is in part because many of the articles are too wordy and lose their effectiveness. I would not recommend this book as a good instructional tool, especially in technology. "Technology," the word itself hints towards advancement, new things, and new knowledge. Everything in this book is old, outdated, and passed. It reminds me more of a history book about the Internet, than "...,Technology, and Society."
Rating: 
Summary: Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the Issues
Review: I have read many reviews for books and textbooks, but none are going to be as useful for both students and teachers alike as this one. Literacy, Technology, and Society: Confronting the Issues is a compilation of essays and articles most of which have appeared in periodicals. Even though the book does a decent job in trying to get the reader to be critical of various aspects of writing such as style and context, and does try to familiarize the reader with a more technological aspect of writing composition, for many reasons which I will discuss in this review, I cannot recommend the use of this book. A great majority of the essays which the book presents to the reader are biased, presumptive, un-factual, and most importantly severely antiquated. The latter of the flaws completely negates the purpose of the book; technology in today's society. In reading the books preface, the reader is informed of the authors' intent, of which can best be summed up when the authors write, "the essays and accompanying apparatus are intended to immerse students in the kinds of reading, writing, thinking, and activities that foster critical inquiry and response." The authors also states that they believe another audience, one in which is involved with working in computers and composition studies, would be able to use this text as a resource for their on teaching. I might be wrong in thinking this, and I mean that sarcastically, but I do not believe that college students who are involved with working in computers would be able to benefit from articles so absurdly outdated. "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi, is prime example of how old and antiquated some of these articles are. Kadi's entire article is based upon a now false premise that internet costs, on average, approximately $120 a month for limited internet access. She states that because of the approximate $120 a month internet fee, that the internet itself is severely limited in its diversity. To come to this amount, she describes internet connection rates ranging from $3 to $10 an hour! But that's not where it ends. My favorite example of how grossly outdated this article is can be found in this excerpt: "for purposes of this essay, we will examine the smallest of the major user-friendly commercial services-America Online (AOL)." No one in America could argue that this could be any more false. American Online is now, by far, the LARGEST online community. Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the Issues... yeah right. How can you confront the issues if, because their so outdated, the quote on quote "issues" don't even exist any more. The organization in this book is also very poor. It is divided into 5 sections; Social Issues and Technology, Education and Technology, Ethics, Law, and Technology, Gender and Technology, and finally Government and Technology. One great example of the book being organized inadequately can be seen in the Information and Technology section. The authors choose to put the article, The Information Gap, by Barbary Kantrowitz, into this category. The entire premise of Barbara Kantrowitz's article is the gender gap in the use of computers and technology. This article is misplaced, and should be located in the Gender and Technology section, not the Information and Technology section. Disorganization greatly destroys the credibility of any book especially, and I don't know how to stress the word especially enough, in a textbook. I would also like to use this article to point out a great example of how biased and generalized some of the articles in the book can be. Kantrowitz writes her thesis and her entire article, describing how much of a gender gap there is in technology and computers, completely based on one example. How can you make any assumptions on as grand of a scale as she does, based on one article? It blows my mind. I could not get past the fact that so many of the essays in the book were are biased, presumptive, un-factual, and for the most part outdated. My recommendation is not to buy this edition of this text, and for teachers not to use this in their curriculum. I would hope that the authors come out with a completely updated and revised edition, one in which they paid more attention to the articles found in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the Issues
Review: Review: Literacy Technology and Society: Confronting Issues
By Courtney D. White Text Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the issues, successfully presents a wide range of topics involving technology. Each author prepares the reader by offering a brief synopsis before the article. The synopsis prepares readers to focus critically on the issue of technology by highlighting key issues.
The authors within the book analyze issues while focusing on different types of electronic writing. Diverse and sometimes controversial positions are presented favoring and opposing technology. One article describes the freedom felt by a gay participant as he openly shared his feelings and thoughts. He believed that he would be free from the sting of prejudice. He also felt he could meet people anywhere in the world. Articles target users, limited users, and non-users of technology. The authors are attempting to develop our critical thinking about technology which requires a different mindset or paradigm. The author push readers to see themselves beyond being customers.
In addition, the accompanying writing activities are designed to make us think critically as we read argumentative discourse and analyze the issues. The authors attempt to connect complex issues to technology while exploring their effects on societal and cultural developments. They ask us to look backwards at the past, as well as looking forward to the future, seeing interaction among literacy, humanity, and technology. Historically, how have we learned in shared information? Is technology affecting literacy? University classes are creating document free environments through on line submissions. Also, readers are examining issues that relate to morals and ethics. This causes people to think about values, judgments and behaviors. This is where issues such as racism, gender biases and pornography become topics of focus. How far can the limits of the law be stretched? Do we ignore or abandon morality? The reading and writing exercises encourage people to think about the role that technology plays and the impact on different areas of our lives.
Furthermore, there are discussions about societal issues government, ethics and the law and education. For example, look at the educational development of society. Will people be required to know more about technology to be more skilled? One author stated that learning opportunities aren't balanced. Literacy is the foundation a developing society. Yet, many people are illiterate. Can technology change this condition? What effect does access have? Regarding ethics and the law another author describes technology as a frontier that will require lawyers to expand their knowledge. A the same time government or Congress will be required to view laws to determine whether they are adequate, too broad or too restrictive. In the area of gender, have women been excluded or minimized? Kramarae and Taylor report that in discussion forums using cyberspace as the platform, many of the old social practices of females being treated as inferior to men still exist. First amendment rights supporting freedom of speech are routinely brought into question. How far can people go in self-expression? Are there or should there be imposed limitations?
Consequently, readers are asked to examine the importance of technology and to identify the extent to which it's important to them. A person's interest in technology and need for technology may go no further a home office or den. Whereas, technology may be a critical part of others professional and personal lives. Critical thought should be given to the cost, the control of cost and its potential effect on equity. The unit cost of computers, the monthly costs of internet service and the contributing costs of government are all factors that must be addressed to ensure total equity. Presently, there are in balances in urban and rural school districts, as well as urban communities. Economically many people are unable to participate in the technology revolution. This will impact literacy levels if information is to be available to everyone.
Some of the articles are difficult for readers to get into. Elevated language along with the frequent use of technological terms are disruptive to the flow of the articles. words such as demarcation, eleemosynary, austerity and proprietary along with references like nuPrometheus affect comprehension and flow. Words such as demarcation, eleemosynary, austerity, and proprietary along with references like nu Prometheus affect comprehension and flow. Also, the chapters are categorized clearly, so readers know what they can expect to read and transition from one focus to the next is relevant.
The required writing responses keep the subject in focus while causing readers to compare and contrast one article to another. Readers are developing both critical thinking and writing skills.
Rating:
Summary: Literacy, Technology and Society
Review: The book Literacy, Technology and Society, is a wonderful instructional tool, bringing about in depth discussions and new views. Literacy, by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe, presents students with a well balanced view of technological issues facing today's and yesterday's society. From articles about feminism on the internet, to lack of technological funding in classrooms, this book covers all the bases. Offering articles that address different sides of one argument allow the audience to compare and contrast, eventually expanding their view of the particular topic. It is this combination of opposing viewpoints that add a great deal of value to this book. Reading opposing arguments such as "The First Amendment is Under Attack in Cyberspace," and "Free Speech on the Internet," gives the audience a chance to see how two people look at the same issue differently. In the first article the author is a huge supporter of free speech on the internet, and believes that it does not really exist currently. While in the second article, the author thinks that the standards of free speech on the internet is sufficient, and that the speech should be monitored. This two sided argument allowed for an interesting and lengthy discussion in my college English class. Students shared what they believed the two authors were trying to say on the topic, and how they felt about it. They even allowed for some to see the issue of free speech online in a new light. Students realized the message boards and chat rooms were more heavily monitored than they thought. Realizations like these come from reliable sources. Including the sources used by the authors' of each article, adds to their credibility. The more credible the author, the more respected their words are. The authors of this book prove their respectability through the production and organization of this book. The organization of this book plays a large role in recognizing just how the audience relates these opposing articles. The way that this book is organized makes it so much easier to read, and follow. The articles are not thrown together into randomly numbered chapters, however, they are placed into sections, each relating to a specific topic in technology. There are five sections in all; social issues, education, ethics and law, gender, and government. Each section focuses on these topics and the issues of technology under that particular topic. Having a book organized in such a way allows for instructors to focus on one topic at a time, while examining the different issues and positions that fall under these issue. The way that the book is organized adds to its effectiveness. Having the articles broken down and placed into groups with identical articles, illuminates the importance of each topic. Knowing that there are many different ideas about a certain topic makes the audience more aware of the technological world they live in. All while opening their minds and encouraging discussions. But the book is not entirely prefect. As good as this book is, it is not without its flaws. While the introductions ahead of the articles are helpful, some rely solely on these in understanding and interpreting the article. These should be kept to a minimum, the original publication and some qualifications of the author. This is to ensure that students actually read the articles, not just the introduction with a full summary. One major component that effects the credibility and respectability of the entire book are the articles that are used. Many of the articles, like "Welcome to Cyberia," are very dated. Claiming that internet access is $125 a month. One way to improve the respectability and effectiveness of this book would be to remove some of the dated materials, replacing them with more modern day article, addressing modern day issues. Overall this is a good book, one that should be used in classes dealing with technology. Offering the many facets of many issues, this book provides insight into the technological world that we live in. Literacy, allows the audience to open up their minds to new ideas and opinions in the technology field.
Rating:
Summary: Literacy, Technology, and Society .....Joe Taylor
Review: There are many great books that can be used in a college writing class. The book used in my class is "Literacy ,Technology, and Society; Confronting the Issues" by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe. It teaches readers to read critically, proves how important organization truly
is, and uses different types of language and word choices to show how it affects the writing style.
The content of this book helps to teach significant critical reading. Literacy, Society, and Technology (L.T.S.) has all types of writing from the most fine tuned author to an everyday news article. There are articles that have ridiculously advanced vocabulary but the organization is
absolutely brutal. This is perfect to teach students how to read article critically. So there vocabulary is pretty large but if none of it makes sense is the article believable? Absolutely not, how do you know that this is not just some person that bought a dictionary and is toying around with writing. There are other examples of articles that are written at a sixth grade level, but with good organization and the strong points they make, in some cases unforgettable points that will stick with you through the entire article. Now don't get me wrong there are some very well written articles from some highly noted authors. The bill of rights is noted and referred to as an example of critical reading and most of these articles directly relate to it. Reading these articles is
a great way to teach students to break down articles and really dig deep into what they are saying and at times implying. Its amazing the difference between just reading an article and reading an article critically. Like everything, this book does have some down falls.
This book is not an ordinary educational textbook that most classes require. Most books have chapter tests and lots of questions for the students to answer that relate to the articles but this book just barely grazes that issue. It has some questions, like four at the end of each article,
but they are all really weak and have nothing to do with critical reading or organization. They ask you to write questions the had to do with the article and other high school oriented questions. The articles have to be looked at in a critical way and that is up to the professor. In my case the
professor creates questions purely about critical thinking. And we have discussions about reading the article critically and weak points that we found. There are no chapters test or anything even close to that in this book. There aren't even chapters, its just a bunch of articles that are pieced
together perfectly.
Another down fall of this book is that it is fairly out dated. Some of the text in this book is from the early nineteen nineties and even date back to the late eighties. In most cases
this would be a big deal except for one, technology which isthe main topic of this book. The book deals with internet costs and security issues on the internet that have been dealt with and
overcome. It doesn't take away from any educational purposes. There were some points that were harder to relate to because of this time gap. It talks about the internet costing about $100
and in today's economy it is possible to get it for free in some cases. That kind of makes these articles seem like they are much more out of date then they truly are.
This book is all about organization. That is what it teaches and is why it is so effective in learning. Every article in L.T.S. is showing different examples oforganization. Teaching the difference between smooth writing and real choppy texts. There aren't any questions, it teaches completely by examples. When reading these articles it teaches the difference between choppy and smooth writing and helps you to learn from the example and create a smooth flow for your own papers.
The best thing about this book is how it proves that vocabulary does not make a paper. Language is the key to writing. Through it's text it proves that word choice is the biggest factor in writing. Sure if you has a large vocabulary you can use it, but that is not the only thing to looks at. Word choice helps to prove your points, and pulls your reader into the article; that is "style." Pathos and Ethos are created by word choice. This book reinforces that. It shows that a paper written at a six grade level can actually be more appealing and draw the reader in more than some person using words that can not even be interpreted by the read. This book stress the importance of writing at the level of the expected reader.
This is a great book for the everyday college writer. It gives good examples of critical reading, importance of organization, and how language and word choice affects the style of writing. It caters to issues that plague students in there writing and makes writing problems more apparent. The examples assist the college students to recognize the problem and develop ways to work through them.
I recommend this book to students developing their writing skills at the college level. It has helped me organize my writing and become more aware of my word choices.
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