Workplace Learning Literacy Guide

This literacy guide is for adult learners who want to maximize their productivity with the Business Productivity tools they already have. This guide will reinforce ways in which a workplace learner could hone or improve the skills they have in many of the business productivity products available to them. The guide includes typical business operation scenarios in addition to general resources.

Using software, apps and the Internet can increase your productivity and save hours of time. In addition to general everyday use, there are features of each of the Office products will could result in a finished product in no time.  Some of those features are:

·         Creating a mail merge from Microsoft Outlook contacts (“Use mail merge to create and send bulk mail, labels and envelopes - Word,” 2016)

·         Inserting tables from Microsoft Excel (“Copy Excel data or charts to Word - Office Support,” 2016)

·         Using VLOOKUP to compare information from one Microsoft Excel worksheet to another (Baines, 2015)

·         Using Pivot Tables to quickly summarize information in Microsoft Excel (Duggirala, 2009)

For day to day or one off activities, the following resources are available to staff if examples or more clarification is needed.  Those resources are:

·         Lynda.com

·         Google.com

·         Support.Office.com

·         Chandoo.org

Unfortunately, workplace training is usually one of the smallest line items in a budget. This makes it’s even more important for employees to understand the tools on hand and use them to the best of their ability. I felt this literacy guide would be a quick helpful tool for those looking to improve their productivity and save time in the process.

References:

Baines, S. (2015, April 5). Excel – Using VLOOKUP to compare two lists | Pain in the Tech Blog. Retrieved July 2, 2016, from http://www.paininthetech.co.nz/?p=1246

Copy Excel data or charts to Word - Office Support. (2016). Retrieved July 2, 2016, from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Copy-Excel-data-or-charts-to-Word-35f668e8-671a-4b78-b064-7a4ca61250d4

Duggirala, P. (2009, August 19). Excel Pivot Tables Tutorial : What is a Pivot Table and How to Make one | Chandoo.org - Learn Microsoft Excel Online. Retrieved July 2, 2016, from http://chandoo.org/wp/2009/08/19/excel-pivot-tables-tutorial/

Use mail merge to create and send bulk mail, labels and envelopes - Word. (2016). Retrieved July 2, 2016, from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-mail-merge-to-create-and-send-bulk-mail-labels-and-envelopes-F488ED5B-B849-4C11-9CFF-932C49474705?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Lynda.com. (2016). Retrieved

from http://www/lynda.com

Google.com. (2016). Retrieved

                from http://www.google.com

Adolescent Interview with my 11 year old son

This week’s assignment was to do an adolescent interview on their use of technology and social media.  My adolescent interview was with my eleven-year old son.  He got to stay up past his bedtime to help so he was pretty talkative.

I wasn’t completely surprised by his answers but I did have to stop myself from giving him answers I wanted him to say.  Suffice it to say, I did well. I held my tongue except to gather more information. I will add however, for the record, he is never on his devices “all day”.

Me: I read an article that talked about “Netspeak”.  It’s a language brought about by the web.  What words do you think you use that you learned on the web?

Son: Repetitive.

Me: Repetitive?

Son: Yeah. When ads pop up you can close out of them.  Then they ask you why you closed them and I answer, Repetitive.

Me: What else?

Son: Irrelevant, Inappropriate, Website, Download, App, Load

Son: GUI (said in a high-pitched voice)

Son: Oh, you should say it in a really high voice.  Stampy Cat and iBallisticSquid say this all the time.

Son: Lol (spelled out)

Me: Chuckles

After this question, I wasn’t sure how the interview would go.  Getting these words out of him were like pulling teeth. Perhaps it was a ruse to stay up later.  My Walter Cronkite days were over, I decided on an easier question for the next one.

Me: What types of devices do you use?

Son: iPad, iPhone, Computer in school, Chrome Book, Wii U

Me: What do you use them for?

Son: States project, Reflex Math, YouTube, Netflix, Minecraft, Text, Journey’s reading

Me: What do you really want to use them for?

Son: Movie making device, engineering and designing and I want to have a phone so I can text and call whenever I need to.

Swoon…  He had me at “Engineering and designing.”  He mentioned this past winter that he wanted to be a programmer like his mom.  Well, Santa gave him three, really cool coding books for children.  Scratch Jr., a program for coding and fun, just so happen to end up on his iPad.  Santa is really crafty.

Me: What do you think you learn when you play games or use your device?

Son:

o    Never to go in a Mob Spawner in Minecraft because you die.

o    Never delete an app when you have a lot of stuff in it, because you can’t get it back.

o    Reset things.

o    There are inappropriate ads on YouTube and I know how to x out of them.

o    Never to say things you will regret in the future because we went over that, sadly.

o    If you see something inappropriate don’t click into it, I’ll tell you.

I have to say, I thought we were going to get into the specifics of Minecraft here, needless to say I was happy that he chose to talk about other things he was learning.

I am glad he remembered the item about regretting things you say in the future.  This started with a text that I felt wasn’t appropriate for an 11-year-old and it was the reason we discussed and signed a social media agreement.

Me: How often do you use your devices? 

Son: Ah, pretty often. 

Me: How often is pretty often? 

Son: Twice a day and weekends, but now that we have summer vacation, once a day, maybe more.

I’m not sure what that means.  We have a rule, no iPad during the week unless it’s for homework.  I don’t see that changing.  Hmm, I think he might be a little disappointed.

Me: Do you think using your device is positive or negative? 

Son: Probably both

Me: Why?

Son: You get grumpy and I don’t like being grumpy. 

Me: Why do you get grumpy?

Son: When you are on the electronics all day and that’s all you want to do then if someone distracts you get annoyed.

Me:  What’s a positive?

Son: Some of the games help you in learning such as Hocus and Scratch.

Me: What is Hocus?

Son: You have to use your brain to get the cube into the slot.

Me: What is Scratch?

Son: It uses math because you learn to code.

See note at beginning of blog.  All Day?  Blink, blink.

Me: When you grow up do you want to do something with technology?

Son: Me, Alex and Hussan [his friends] are already planning our company called The Arcaders.  It’s going to be a famous video game company that makes awesome video games and put learning into it like Hocus and Scratch.  Like Club Penguin where you have to earn things. 

This was surprising to me.  I didn’t know he was having conversations like this at all.  I have a little entrepreneur on my hands. Swoon again.

Me: Do you think you pay attention when you are using your device?

Son: Kind of.  Sometimes I talk with my head looking down.  Other times, I pause what I am doing and look up.

Um Yeah. The answer is rarely.  We need to call his name several times.  Even when he is doing his homework. I’m glad that he recognizes that he sometimes doesn’t look up.  I guess that’s a start.

Me: Do you like reading on your device? 

Son: Yeah. 

Me: What have you read?

Son: I read the sample books because I can’t buy them. I read my journey stories.

He doesn’t have access to the account but I wish I knew he wanted to buy books.  He has plenty of money in his iTunes account thanks to his relatives.  We will make a change this summer when we read books together and he practices his reading comprehension and writing skills getting ready for 6^th grade. Won’t he be surprised.  

Me: What you learned about the Internet and your games?

Son: Sometimes things do not go as planned but they might if you try again. Sometimes it is inappropriate so all you have to do it tell someone and they will figure it out.

He says the word “inappropriate” a lot.  I wonder how much inappropriate content he sees.  I wonder where he gets it.  I’m usually close by when he is online so I think we need to review his social media contract again.

Week 5, Media Education Journal Post Assignment

Our introduction to new media struck me as thought-provoking.  The topic of immersion into media was intriguing to me.  Particularly when two videos, Living in an Acoustic World and Television News as a New Mythic Form appeared to be most appropriate.  Both videos were taped in 1970 but listening to them brought me back to how social media plays a role in our lives today.  Both videos talked about reporting news and talked how now (1970) instead of the news being reported folks were becoming the news.  McLuhan made reference to the phrase,  “Making the News” when talking about Sirhan Sirhan in Television News as a New Mythic Form and how that was strange at the time (Wolfe & McLuhan, 1970, p. 2).  Prior to 1970, you didn’t “make the news,” you watched the news.  In Living in an Acoustic World, McLuhan talks about being immersed in the media.  In the talk he states that we are, “Immersed in the feeling of the whole situation.” (McLuhan, 1970, p. 5).

Although the immersion is different toady in 2016 than it was in 1970 we are more immersed in the news than ever. We can, as McLuhan puts it, “make the news” on a regular basis.  Today we can be the news and we can have the news happen to us, because of us. Justin Bieber became news because he posted his songs to YouTube.  Chewbacca Lady became news because she made a short video and uploaded it to her Facebook page.  When tragedy strikes, we see it on some social media site such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram before looking at more reliable news sites simply because we are in the moment. Then we might later read details on a more reliable news outlet. In this in the moment information gathering, we also tend to get “both” sides of the story in what McLuhan called,  “Objective Journalism” (McLuhan, 1970, p. 5).

The challenges that arise with these types of media outlets is that there isn’t time to fact check.  There are a lot of untruths reported on social media.  In our need to get it now, we might miss out on whole facts.  Jenkins points out the problem with this for young people.  In his white paper on Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, Jenkins about how blogs and other social media outlets are so prevalent, that there are consequences that the young may not understand.  He mentions that content being posted is not being supervised by adults because it is often misunderstood by them.  However because of this, the posts of young people, “can bring unwelcome attention from strangers” (Jenkins, 2008, p. 17).  The key issues here in regards to Green’s 3d Model of Literacy is critical.  Those consequences Jenkins mentions could have life-long effects if our children are not taught proper skills.  So we are back to parents and teachers stepping up to ensure our young are well informed.  It means embracing change and even as an older generation, changing what we feel are important skills for literacy and media and adapting some new ones. 

Jenkins, H. (2008, October 19). White Paper: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century by Henry Jenkins — MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved May 23, 2016, from https://www.macfound.org/press/publications/white-paper-confronting-the-challenges-of-participatory-culture-media-education-for-the-21st-century-by-henry-jenkins/

McLuhan, M. (1970). Living in an Acoustic World | Marshall McLuhan Speaks Special Collection. Retrieved from http://www.marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/lecture/1970-living-in-an-acoustic-world/

Wolfe, T., & McLuhan, M. (1970). Television News Is a New Mythic Form | Marshall McLuhan Speaks Special Collection [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/interview/1970-television-news-is-a-new-mythic-form/

Deconstruction of an Advertisement

Deconstructing an ad was interesting exercise. I chose to deconstruct a print ad for a protein powder.  At first glance I was taken by the ad, my initial thoughts were positive, I felt informed, and almost committed to the ad’s “good for you” vibe.  My initial notes had positive adjectives to describe various parts of the ad such as glowing, sun-kissed, and healthy. 

Shape Magazine, Purely Inspired Organic Protein

As a started to write the observation portion of my final deconstruction, I had a change of heart. I realized that even if I didn’t believe all of the product’s messaging, it was easy to be swayed by the fonts and size of typeface.  Although Varnelis was talking about reality games, he states in Networked Publics, “thoroughly blurs the boundaries of reality and fiction”.(Varnelis, 2008)(Kindle Location 2122). Kindle Edition. As I looked closer to the ad, I found myself questioning the if the grass and trees were real.  I was getting angry.  If I had just glanced at the page in the magazine, as I normally would have, I would have been sold without question, that this is a product that I would be willing to try. 

Once I reached the purpose portion of the ad, I found my anger dissipate and I started to review the product with a clearer mind and in a positive light.  As I look at the picture in the ad, I realized that the company needed to sell a product with one page, how else were they going to do it? This particular company was careful to be socially responsible, they created an ad appropriate for the women’s health and fitness magazine in which it was located. 

This exercise made me realize how little I look at ads.  I do try products based on the ads I see and I sometimes buy according to the way a product looks.  Sometimes it works, most times I am disappointed.  The deconstruction assignment made me realize I needed to know what was good for me and although the ad may help me understand what’s outs there, I still had to rely on my research and knowledge to truly make the best choices.

Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics (Kindle). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Kindle Edition

Purely Inspired [Advertisement]. (2016, march). Shape Magazine 53(6), 109.

Language and the Internet: Week 3, Reflective Post

I found the PDF document on “Language and the Internet” the be the most fascinating. In the document, David Crystal explores how the internet is impacting language.  In the Linguistics Perspective section, Crystal writes about how language has adjusted and over the years and what the internet could mean to language.  Crystal recognizes, “The electronic medium, to begin with, presents us with a channel which facilitates and constrains our ability to communicate in ways that are fundamentally different from those found in other semiotic situations” (2004, p. 5). He further states that the internet has been called a “global Village” where he questions, “whether the Internet is emerging as a homogenous linguistic medium, whether it is a collection of distinct dialects, reflecting the different backgrounds, needs, purposes, and attitudes of its users” (Crystal, 2004, p. 6)

The document is addressing the cultural dimension of Green’s 3D Model of Literacy.  Our language has been evolving for years.  As a 70's child I have seen a large number of language modifications, the deprecation of old terms and introduction of new terms alike.  Because of the internet, we are becoming more aware of these linguistic modifications, when we hear the list of “new” words are being added to the dictionary.  While I was reading the documents, I found myself remembering creating terms such as “Cool Beans” and when these terms started to become mainstream.  We heard some of these terms in the You Tube Video on Networks, Power, and Democracy, Sassen discusses the terms, Blogosphere and Civil Society sphere and mentions that these are participatory cultures.  A term most of us were introduced to in Jenkins whitepaper on Participatory Cultures (Jenkins, 2008).

“This is the first such technology to be conventionally identified with an initial capital.

We do not give typographical enhancement to such developments as ‘Printing’, ‘Publishing’, ‘Broadcasting’, ‘Radio’, or ‘Television’, but we do write ‘Internet’ and ‘Net’ (Crystal, 2004, p. 3).  I have no doubts that the internet will continue to change our language, as language has been evolving for years, it will be interesting to see the “new” words from the Net.

References:

Crystal, D. (2004). Language and the Internet. Cambridge University Press.

Jenkins, H. (2008, October 19). White Paper: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century by Henry Jenkins — MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved May 23, 2016, from https://www.macfound.org/press/publications/white-paper-confronting-the-challenges-of-participatory-culture-media-education-for-the-21st-century-by-henry-jenkins/

 

Sassen, Saskia, Jul 26, 2012, Networks, Power, and Democracy [Video File].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpw1GpHzAbc&feature=youtu.be

Week2 Blog Post, Reflective Journal Entry

When reading Networked Publics, the term accessibility stood out to me. Although listed as, “four key trends: accessibility to digital tools and networks”, Kazys Varnelis. Networked Publics (Kindle Location 54), the book, a bit dated, discusses the fact that digital tools and equipment are more mainstream.  Thus giving the common person the ability to do things they might not typically be able to do without a professional.  Additionally, the book discusses the how whole households have multiple mobile devices and may use them as a primary way to communicate.  Although the book is 8 years old, the topic of social norms came up.  A topic still relevant today.  “We are still very much in the midst of negotiating appropriate social norms in this era of layered presence” Kazys Varnelis. Networked Publics (Kindle Location 116).

I have to admit that my first thought on seeing the term accessibility was on Accessibility and Usability.  Accessibility and Usability pertains to making content accessible to people with physical disabilities and other restrictions such as, those that might be related to the economy and the environment.  As we discuss digital tool and new literacies, I have found that this factor of accessibility is barely mentioned.  A cultural key issue, as everyday people use these digital tools, adaptations have to be made to accommodate a variety of accessibility and usability features.  Usability from the standpoint of making sure the tools or result of the tool is easily navigable.  Can you get back where you were? Are you using consistent branding, etc.? Accessibility, not only limited to people with disabilities, but including styling and branding.  Consider your smart phone.  Like most of us you are quick to hop on the web to find something.  If the page you find is not styled to render on a mobile device, your ability to navigate the site is either restricted or extremely difficult.  As a user, you will probably leave that site and go to another one.  I’m sure that is not what the site creator meant for you to do. Just  one more thing to add to the growing list of new literacies.

Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics. Kindle Edition

R U Reading?

“Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?” Response

Parenting a tweener, I am privileged to experience, first-hand, what new media is available to him and the new literacies that he just simply understands.  I watch my son texting his friends from his iPad with the same excitement I had in my own childhood talking for hours on a land-line.  Similar to the mom from The New York Times article, “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?”, Deborah Konyk, I read to my son from infancy through his childhood years.  I hoped that by reading to him, he would share my love of reading.  However, as excited as he may seem at the time about a series of books, I find that I leave the school book fair with the next volume of the last book purchased so that I can continue the series. 

Most of my son’s time is spent on his iPad for the purposes of entertainment and school work.  As a rule, we restrict iPad use during the school week for entertainment, so it’s not surprising that my son is eager to do anything on his iPad.  Ranging from reading his weekly readings and library books to studying his vocabulary words and math.  Given my son’s affinity for his technology, I can certainly appreciate both sides of The New York Times article, “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?”.  I understand the scientist’s concern that the Internet “could rob developing readers of crucial skills” (2008, para. 41). As well as, considering the argument of cognitive neuroscientist, Ken Pugh who states,  “Reading a book, and taking the time to ruminate and make inferences and engage the imaginational processing, is more cognitively enriching, without doubt, than the short little bits that you might get if you’re into the 30-second digital mode” (2008, para. 41).

However, I also understand Nadia’s eagerness for online book reading and taking in to consideration that “Web proponents believe that strong readers on the Web may eventually surpass those who rely on books. Reading five Web sites, an op-ed article and a blog post or two, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book” (2008, para. 42).

The New York Times article debate raises the question, what counts as literacy?  Is it test scores that rates a student’s reading and comprehension? “One early study showed that giving home Internet access to low-income students appeared to improve standardized reading test scores and school grades” (2008, para. 38). This becomes an important argument when Linda Jackson, who lead the study, made the point that these same students typically wouldn’t use their free time to read.  In addition, consider that another study of over 700 low-income students found the web to be their primary source for reading  (Motoko, 2008).   

It seems that there are enough arguments for changing literacy in response to the new media landscape where some literacy experts want to redefine reading to include the interpretation of videos or pictures (Motoko, 2008). Consider the low income study referenced earlier, “The only kind of reading that related to higher academic performance was frequent novel reading, which predicted better grades in English class and higher overall grade point averages” (2008, para. 36). Elizabeth Birr Moje stated, “novel reading was similar to what schools demand already. But on the Internet, she said, students are developing new reading skills that are neither taught nor evaluated in school”   (2008, para. 37). In the on-demand world my son is growing up in, it makes sense that he would prefer online reading.  As the article states, novel reading is time consuming whereas a reader obtains more information from a variety of viewpoints in a fraction of the time from the internet (Motoko, 2008).  

I’m convinced that literacy is evolving and that readers, such as Nadia and my son, will get the benefits of reading online as much as they would a short story or a novel.  We certainly don’t want these digital technologies to go away.  In addition, let’s also take into account the other benefits of online reading, such as, availability, improved reading comprehension scores, and as a valuable resource for folks with learning difficulties.  When I read, I image myself in the story or looking at the story from a distance.  As these tools and resources emerge and evolve, my son can virtually submerge himself into the story.  It actually sounds like fun.  If the technology excites him and he reads, then I’m all in and maybe I’ll even join in on a few experiences.

References

Motoko, R. (2008, July 27). Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? - The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&