Richard Beach's message on xact seems relevant to
>the broader audience of xmca so I am passing it along.
>
To xmca-ers interested in Tom Erickson's reponse to David Russell's essay,
"Rethinking genre. . . An activity theory analysis" (Written
Communication, Vol 14, No 4 October , 1997), below are the comments of
another seminar member who is raising questions about the shaping
influences of new forms of (electronic) mediated communication:
Carol Berkenkotter
>Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 11:57:18 -0500 (CDT)
>From: "Linda A. Jorn" <ljorn who-is-at mailbox.mail.umn.edu>
>Reply-To: "Linda A. Jorn" <ljorn who-is-at mailbox.mail.umn.edu>
>To: rhet8515 who-is-at plato.agricola.umn.edu
>Subject: Paper #4
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Precedence: bulk
>Sender: rhet8515-owner who-is-at plato.agricola.umn.edu
>
>Class: Here are my thoughts on Russell's article. Also, after our discussion
>yesterday, it seems to me that Russell's triangle should visualize the
>concepts
>of power, identity, change, and commodification of information. These
>seemed to
>be key concepts that activity system theory and genre theory allow us to
>investigate and understand. thank you, Linda Jorn
>
>
>
>Activity System theory and Genre theory as a framework for analyzing impact of
>"internet and new media operationalized social activities" on Higher Education
>and Society.
>
>Linda Jorn, 4.30.98
>
>There will be no research universities in the 21st Century. Businesses
>will take
>over this business.
>
>Learners will learn only from virtual instructors in the 21st century.
>
>Myth or Reality. A little bit of both.
>
>
>Do instructors in higher education consider internet and new media tools
>as new
>genre (operationalized social activities) that are impacting students identity
>and power issues as they flow between school and society and work
>environments?
>
>Do instructors consider new media and internet genre in their selection of
>reading and writings?
>
>Can we even identify the issues and impacts of new media and internet genre?
>What changes in power, identity, motive, and tools used in our schools,
>society,
>and work environments will occur because of new media and internet genre?
>
>How are these new media and internet genre accepted in higher education
>and what
>tensions will emerge between instructors and students?
>
>Russell makes a strong case for the usefulness of activity system (a new word
>for context??) theory and genre theory as a framework for understanding
>how new
>media and internet genre shape society and how we in turn shape these
>genre. The
>following issues, questions will benefit from the use of genre/activity system
>theory.
>
>We need to understand the relationship between society, work environments and
>school in terms of how it impacts students identity - will they stay in
>school?
>Can they do all their learning online? What new power relationships occur
>between instructors, administrators, learners, business community, global
>organizations?
>
>What are the new motives that drive decisions made in the classroom or
>administration?
>
>What are the operationalized social activities -genre in online learning
>systems? Based on this, how do we design or select tools that allow us to
>learn
>in these systems?
>
>What writings and readings de we select in online learning systems? Will
>readings be less packaged? Will learners participate more in knowledge
>creation?
>
>Are the power, identity, motive issues so different in online learning systems
>that change and innovation will occur more rapidly? Are online learning
>systems
>the ultimate "virtual disturbance- and innovation-producing machine?" p. 531
>
>
>ljorn who-is-at mailbox.mail.umn.edu
>***********************************************
>Linda A. Jorn
>Acting Director, Digital Media Center, University of Minnesota
>http://www.umn.edu/dmc/
>
>15 Walter Library, 117 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455
>612-626-7320; Fax 612-625-5525
>
>"Think and act global and local" George S. Yip, 1992
>***********************************************