LC from Laguna Beach to the Hollywood Hills.. December 15, 2009

Have you ever watched Laguna Beach or The Hills on MTV? Have you ever read her book L.A Candy or checked out her latest fashion line? If so, you know that this celebrity has superb talent and excellent creativity. Since Laguna Beach came on MTV in 2004, her fan base has grown to an extraordinary number. As her fashion progressed over the years so did her career. This celebrity is only beginning to expand her horizons. On Twitter she shares her daily activities and posts fun pictures for her friends and fans.

I think it’s interesting that Lauren is only following 31 people and has 798,139 followers. The number of people interested in finding out information about this celebrity through this social network is unbelievable. After looking through the people she is following, I recognized some of her old cast mates from her shows and other well known celebrities. Eleven of the thirty-one people she is following are not celebrities. I like how Lauren is only following friends or people that she likes to communicate with and not a bunch of random people. Since I like this celebrity, following her on Twitter is a great way for me to find out about new projects she is working on! I read her book L.A. Candy over the summer and loved it! She is coming out with a sequel to this book in February called Sweet Little Lies! Any one that likes her will mostly likely love this book! Check it out!

Also, she is currently working on a style guide. Ladies, get ready because I’m sure it is going to be awesome!

Click on the link to go to Lauren’s official website! http://www.laurenconrad.com/

Are you Pro-Literacy?! December 15, 2009

There are an enormous amount of people in the world that are illiterate. The statements above show how important and influential literacy education is. I discovered an outstanding program called ProLiteracy that believes the promotion of literacy will bring an end to poverty. The mission of this program is, “ProLiteracy champions the power of literacy to improve the lives of adults and their families, communities, and societies. They envision a world in which everyone can read, write, compute, and use technology to lead healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives.” It is extremely important for adults and children to be literate. I think this program is awesome and I am glad there are similar programs geared towards helping people and making differences in the world. Have you ever come across programs like this one but did not take time to learn more about them?  Click on the link below to find out how this program has made many differences in the world. It gives people the opportunity to learn how to promote literacy and become a member, advocate or even donate money!

http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=191&srcid=-2

Below is a sad video that shows how illiteracy and poverty are connected.

The Tweets of a Cartoonist December 14, 2009

One interesting person that I decided to follow on Twitter is Chris Haley. Haley is a cartoonist who, along with Curt Franklin, has created the website Let’s Be Friends Again. The site shows cartoons, either new or from their book Let’s Be Friends Again Volume 1: Under Pressure. Their comics are supposed to be simple comics about comics.

On Twitter, Haley follows many other cartoonists. Without even having to look at most of his friends twitter pages, I can tell that the majority is at least interested in comics because their picture is a cartoon. He also follows a few rock bands and a few graphic designers. Furthermore, I can tell that he has an interest and appreciation for all of the arts, not just in his own field.

His tweets are mostly about his day-to-day activities and interesting things he has discovered. Occasionally, he’ll post a picture or two. Both his main picture and his background have comics in them. Below is a comic from his website.

You Never Know Who’s Watching December 11, 2009

The anonymity of the internet has been both a blessing and a curse for its users. Whatever parts of your true identity that you choose can be displayed while the parts you don’t choose can be ignored or made up. This can be exhilarating to some, but at the same time, it leaves you wondering who to trust.

Another issue is with websites where you think all of your information is private such as Facebook or MySpace. Many people, often students, post pictures and other information that is often inappropriate. This has led to trouble with employers and colleges. There have been many cases where applicants do not get the jobs they hope for or college students lose scholarships or even their invitation to attend the school because of pictures they post.

It all comes down to taking the time to read privacy policies and being knowledgeable to what you post on the internet. You have to be literate about who you are talking to and how you’re being portrayed because you really never know who is reading.

Widga’ Say? December 8, 2009

In recent creation of a netvibes account, I have discovered the versatility and all encompassing types of widgets and feeds.  This form of literacy is an interesting way to keep track of your most favorite places to visit or partake in via the web or computer.  Widgets come in a variety of selections and languages so that the happy hunter can ultimately express their choices and identity.  The widgets that an individual adds to their account can provide little hints about what that person is like.  For example, do they have a ton of music feeds, are they about various types of artists and music styles or are they more skewed to a particular type and/or interest?  Or maybe, there are several news feeds, such as New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, or other local newsstands that provide daily updates about what is going on in a wide range of topics.  The widgets that people choose to include in their writing spaces help define identities, unite common interests, and also help individuals collaborate across town, cities, oceans, or even continents.  This form of communication is certainly a new, novel way of venturing further into the complex inner workings of ourselves and other individuals we happen to meet.  These widget literacy outlets and feeds help us learn about other people, they also help us learn about ourselves in a way that requires users to further develop and invent new ways of speaking, relating, and sharing.  So, let’s hear it, widga’ say?

Become a Celebrity without Leaving Home December 7, 2009

After watching the video, An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube, I was surprised to see what an impact Youtube has had on us. I had never thought of Youtube as something that could really impact others. I never would have thought the popular dance for the song “Tell ‘Em” by Soulja boy would have come from a user submitted video. This shows that fame can really be achieved by anyone who submits a video!

Here are a few other Youtube celebrities I discovered:

Straight No Chaser is an a capella group that got signed to Atlantic Records after Youtube success.

David After Dentist is a popular video that is often talked about and many remixes have been inspired by it. The video has over 100,000 views.

Amanda Baggs creates videos about her life with autism. This video was featured on CNN.

Twitter helps you Remember the Milk December 5, 2009

Twitter can do a lot of things. It can help you communicate with others about what you are doing, read about others, and make new friends. Now, twitter can even be your own personal agenda book.

With the Remember the Milk application, you can send tasks to yourself as a direct message and cross them off when you’re finished them. You can even send messages to your friends reminding them to do something.

This task, in my opinion, is most useful when used on your phone. If you’re a teacher and you have to remember to grade papers or create a specific part of a lesson plan for the next day, you can send yourself a reminder. When you get home and log onto facebook, you will instantly be reminded when you look at your direct messages.

The same goes for students. You can remind yourself to about a paper that is due, to study for a math quiz, or to read your history text book.

Remember the milk is a great application, especially for those who, like myself, are a little disorganized. A subtle reminder like this will remind you to do something instead of spending a ton of time browsing the web.

Interactive Reading December 5, 2009

We Feel Fine is a project created by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar thats expands both the purpose and methods of reading. The project explores feelings of people worldwide by recording  every time phrases beginning in I feel or I am feeling are shown anywhere online and posting it on their website in a unique way. By viewing we feel fine and clicking on the interactive version, you are experiencing a piece that is challenging the conventional rules we have for literacy.

The most obvious difference between the website and reading an article or book is that the website has no linear method of reading it. The floating balls fly every which way and it’s up to you to choose which one you want to view. You can  narrow down your material by choosing what age range, location, feeling, weather, date and gender. There is no right or wrong choice and the choice you make is not going to be the same as many other readers.Also, the website is constantly changing so the feelings you read today may not have been available to readers yesterday

The way this website was created also changes the way we think of authorship. Who is the author of a project like this? Some argue the authors are those whose feelings are shown but could the reader also be the author? Since the reader is picking what is read and in what order, he or is forming links between texts that a print author would create. Without the reader, the balls on the websites would be just as they are; The text wouldn’t make sense.

Finally, with the creation of the site, one of the purposes of reading has changed. When reading conventional text, there is a writer-reader connection that is created but not always what is being looked for. With a website like this, the reader is looking to identify with the authors. He or she wants to feel what they feel and see that they are not alone in their thoughts. This is similar to other websites such as Post Secret where readers seek connection with anonymous authors. As in the example below, readers who are having a rough day can see that they are not the only one who feels like crap.

The Literacy of Cows December 2, 2009

Let the stampede begin with literacy and…cows?

The great concept of cows, literacy, and art are now on display.  Cows on Parade are also reaching all over the coast, from Portland to Chicago to Atlanta to Europe; all over these colorful cows are expressing art, culture, and style.  Enjoy the cows and the literacy they bring from all over the world.  As a creative outlet, these cows depict the beautiful concepts of different topics, whether they be by country, visual depictions, or common day occurrences, such as the milkman…or in this case…milkcow, the literacy of the cows on parade is truly inspiration and innovative. 

In a recent promotion by Chick-Fil-A, the use of great works of literature have been    moo-ified! Based on a calendar event, twelve classic tales now feature the main character and concepts of cows!  Using literature at its best, the now tall tales have become even taller.  By month:  (1) The Three Brisketeers, (2) Steerlock Holmes, (3) Salisbury in Wonderland, (4) Old Mooer, (5) Robinson Cowrusoe, (6) Bulliver’s Travels, (7) Mooby Dick, (8) Ali Babacue and the 40 Chefs, (9) 20,000 Bales Under the Sea, (10) Flankenstein, (11) Porter Pan, and (12) A Christmas Cowbell. 

For information about how to obtain your own classic cow literature calendar, visit:  Great Works of Cow Literature at Chick-Fil-A merchandise store or visit your nearest restaurant.

Special thanks to Chick-Fil-A and Cows on Parade for the innovativness, creativity, and fun quirks that tie something moo-dane with literature to create a fun way of thinking about new things.

Literacy Alive with Kappa Delta Pi! November 30, 2009

The Kappa Delta Pi Educational Honor Society Chapter at Camden County College has truly embraced the concept of “Literacy Alive.”  Last April, as well as in the upcoming months, the KDP members have sponsored a group of students from an underprivileged school.  The students they sponsor are part of the Cool Kids Club, which is for grades third through fifth. The KDP members bring the Cool Kids Club to the college to experience a magical world decorated with different lands, activities, and books.  This past April, the theme for this Literacy Alive project was fantasy lands.  There were six different stations:  Wild West, Under Water, Out in Space, Renaissance, DinoLand, and Jungle Safari.  At these stations, the students would either have a book read to them or they would do a craft, such as suncatchers, create a spacecraft, or search for dinosaur bones that would create a model. 

 The floor was decorated like the game, Candy Land, with different colors for the different stations.  On the door that lead into the room, there was an elaborate drawbridge with wide gaping doors, a moat, and textured paper chains to bring the bridge up to protect the castle.  The kids were also served snacks, while a special reader would have a pre-selected book and read to the children.  Once the festivities were over, the students would get to take not only their crafts home, but also a book of their very own which were purchased or donated for the benefit of the kids.  As a special treat, the Literacy Alive program was featured that night on the Channel Six News in a short five minute segment.  Thank you KDP members for creating a fascinating world for kids and showing them that reading is always filled with imagination, creation, and wonder. 

A good book is like a good friend.  You can take it anywhere and it will always make you feel better.