Health. Environment. Human.

The following wordle represents the reading by Daniel B. Smith, 'Is There an Ecological Unconscious?'

The idea of ecological unconsciousness was fascinating and new to me. I have never considered the relation of the human impact on the environment and the resulting psychological effects associated with the health of our planet.

The most noticeable words in white: human, health and environmental are the most aligned with my interpretation of the concept in the reading and serve to support two key theories.

Smith coined the term “solastalgia,” which he defined as “the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault . . . a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at home.” I interpret that to mean that if the health of the environment suffers, the health of the human will suffer as well. 

Doherty is an advocate of ecopsychology which supports the idea "that grief, despair and anxiety are the consequences of dismissing equally deep-rooted ecological instincts." Again, human health is connected to environmental health. 

Every time I look at this wordle, those three words continue to stand out even while my eye is drawn to varying secondary concepts such as ecological and environment. I definitely think that colour plays a major role in the interpretation and power associated with each word. 

To illustrate the point about colour consider the following image: 

Rubin’s vase: A classical example of figure/ground segmentation. The image is fundamentally ambiguous. People perceive a vase or faces, but not both at the same time. Wikimedia Commons

In both cases my eye is drawn to the negative space created by white on black. So I would presume, like in this sample, that interpretations of the wordle and where the emphasis has been placed will also vary.

Narratives of Protest - Influencing Opinion

While I was aware that social media was a large part of Obama's presidential campaign, and perhaps a large part of his success, I hadn't really been exposed to many of the tactics that were employed in this medium.

Kreiss's article provides an in-depth understanding of the potential that new media now holds in influencing pubic opinion.

The selfie and self-identification

Theories of self, serve to examine the ideologies of the actual self as well as the self that one hopes to develop and express in the future. According to Bargh, McKenna & Fitzsimmons, “Variation on one’s self are concerned with future, potential versions of self that do not yet exist in real time,” (2012, p. 34). It is this potential self that is perhaps the most applicable to the discussion of how selfies are used to create and control self image through the act of capturing and sharing self images online.

This blog will will examine the role that digital technology plays in shaping the nature of self, through the art and act of taking a selfie. This concept will be explored through an analysis using power, production, representation and identity as an underlying foundation to explore five categories of selfies:

1. Selfie as a powerful message
2. Selfie as documentation of a passing moment
3. Selife as identity formation
4. Selfie as a brand
5. Selfie as an interruption

Digital Literacy & Me (Jaylene Ulmer)

Podcast Note: The image used in this playlist is under standard licensing agreement from istock. The music and sounds are under the Apple Software licence agreement.
 


Podcast Reflection


Creating this (my first) podcast was an interesting and new experience for me. In my current position with Economic Development Lethbridge I often design and write speaking notes and keynote presentations for others to deliver so I enjoyed the challenge of writing something that I would verbally deliver.
 


The subject of the assignment is thought provoking and a great pre-cursor to the rest of the modules scheduled for this class. It made me do some self-reflection both on the definition of digital literacy as well as my own use and opinion of digital media as a communication tool.
 


The following links provide information that is well- aligned with my personal opinions on this subject. I have also included a few images (under the creative commons licensing agreement) which provide a visual representation of where my digital practices fit within this topic.
 


Links


I started my podcast with the following quote by Jason Ohler,

• “Being able to read and write in multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.”
• You can check out some of his most recent articles here: http://www.jasonohler.com/publications/articles.cfm 

I think that understanding the fluidity by which we are actively online is a valid concept to consider when tracking and analyzing consumer and societal behaviour. 

• Being Online has Become So Common That Some People No Longer identity It as Being Online
• https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121022/18144920795/being-online-has-become-so-common-that-some-people-no-longer-identify-it-as-being-online.shtml

In my opinion, this quick slide share was helping in on defining digital literacy and what this means.

• Digital Literacy Defined
• http://youtu.be/p2k3C-iB88w?list=PLPPY4Oh26YVJiysU1ewut2wFubgCOhEJn


I like the idea of exploring the range of elements and experience of digital literacy. This TEDx Talk provides some interesting context on the spectrum of literacy and the context for defining it.

• The essential elements of digital literacies: Doug Belshaw at TEDxWarwick
• http://youtu.be/A8yQPoTcZ78?list=PLPPY4Oh26YVJiysU1ewut2wFubgCOhEJn
 

And just for a laugh…
http://search.dilbert.com/search?w=social+media&x=-461&y=-788

Visual Representation

A tree is often used to portray knowledge and learning. I like the use of this traditional symbol with digital icons. To me this is what digital literacy is about...Mixing the traditional with the digital to create a "meaningful whole".




Digital literacy has so many interpretations. This image represents some of the keywords I would use to define it. 

 

I was intrigued by the idea of digital citizenship and what it means.