Define print culture.
Print culture encompasses all forms of printed text and other printed forms of visual communication. Visual communication is communication through a visual aid and is described as the conveyance of information through forms that can be read or looked upon (signs, drawings, topography, illustrations, body language, animation, emoticons,etc...) Print culture can also be thought of as the cultural products of the printing transformation and the mass effect on human societies that is created by making printing transformations.
What are the benefits of print culture compared to oral and scribal culture?
Oral to Scribal to Print: Oral culture was all that existed at one time. Then, a need to save or document what was being said transformed into scribal culture. Scribal culture could be text (alphabet or non-verbal communication). Scribal culture can be thought of as very tedious, time-consuming and not always accurate or a "lost in translation" account/documentation of what is being said or performed. (I've actually had my students play various games of "passing on words, text" to be scribed or spoken aloud. Students learn that oral and scribal culture doesn't always keep the original meaning.) The benefits of print culture in comparison to oral and scribal culture is the ability to produce a mass amount of literature pieces and reach many people for various reasons.
What was the impact of print culture on society?
There have been many events in history that have been shaped or defined due to print culture. Print culture has the ability to guide or shape the minds of a society. Various wars, and conflicts were formed by what the government wanted the mass of people to believe through print culture. Today, people have expectations of what we are reading to be true, and correctly cited. However, I think it would be remiss to ignore the fact that print culture has the ability to guide and shape the minds of today's societies as well.
How are changing technologies influencing print culture?
Anyone that owns a device or several devices should be able to describe the effects that technology has had on print culture. From the numerous, more than ever before online articles, magazines, journals and books that are published online by authors and anonymous authors to the endless possibilities of using devices for email, acquiring library databases, books, newspapers, etc.... Technology provides "open spaces" for anyone and everyone to publish, comment, and solicit without much restraint. I find it interesting that even though the immediate accessibility brings society closer, it can also isolate.
What are the implications of these changes for learning in school?
The implications for schools would be to help our students apply critical media literacy skills. As teachers, there is a need to understand the "new media age" and become an expert guide for our "new media age students". It's my opinion that a teacher's fear of understanding students of today could be alleviated if teachers were assisted in the development and understanding of taking printed text and transforming to digital text and new age media. Also, educators need to realize the pace at which our students are able to locate and analyze information. Students of today, have learned to skim, scan, and keep or discard at a very fast pace. Students are often asked to complete long, time-consuming tasks, but, many students realize that there is a better, faster way to complete the task. In summary, educators need to be aware of the needs of the students in today's classrooms.
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