A primer on semiotics (the study of signs) and media: “The MCS (pronounced ‘mix’) site is an award-winning portal or ‘meta-index’ to internet-based resources useful in the academic study of media and communication.”
Monday September 24, 2007
COMM Juniors Awake!
Posted by Stephanie Jo Kent under COM375: Argument Analysis, COM375: argument summary, teaching (previous)[19] Comments
A Place in Space 
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:35 pm
How did they come to this conclusion?
What prompted them to find the definition of learning?
How did they use logos ethos and pathos to come to this conclusion?
Where did these definitions come from?
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:36 pm
We were asked to take the quote from definition #4 and research how Steph could have taken just the quote and found who the author was. https://aplaceinspace.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/comm-juniors-awake/
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:44 pm
The definitions come from different areas of study that all come to one conclusion. The first is based on a biological standpoint on how the brain actually functions. The others base information of what happens when you learn. These definitions state that learning a process based on experience. The definition come from the experience each of the authors have in learning and what suits their learning style best. I believe that learning and the different methods people use to learn is important in this situation because we are conducting this assignment in an English class, an environment where learning takes place and is a priority.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Analysis
1) This is a literal, scientific explanation of learning as a mental process in the human body. This was cited from a pharmacy glossary from which we can infer that the purpose of this definition was to be medical.
2) This one uses the word “brain” to show that the learning process and knowledge are contained specifically in the human brain. The site this is cited from is all about the brain, so we can assume the writers are interested in the human brain and its processes.
3) This is more of a scholarly definition, rather than medical. It is a description of what must happen in order for learning to be achieved. They state that a learner is, “require[d] to be mentally active rather than passive; interpreting rather than recording information.” It is cited by a department of higher education, so we can assume that academia is a large part of the writer’s life.
4) This quote sounds more psychological. We can assume that the author is possibly a psychologist because the phrase shows the direct link between behavior and learning.
5) This quote describes the effect learning has on people in groups and as individuals. How there are different learning processes among groups of learners and individual learners, and how learning can be measured.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:47 pm
The definitions come from different areas of study that all come to one conclusion. The first is based on a biological standpoint on how the brain actually functions. The others base information of what happens when you learn. These definitions state that learning a process based on experience. The definition come from the experience each of the authors have in learning and what suits their learning style best. The fact that these definitions were chosen shows that steph she is more biologically oriented.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:47 pm
The first definition comes from an anti-aging glossary this means it is dealing with biology. It is clear that this author looks at learning from a scientific view with their use of the word “neurons”. The next three definitions deal more on the line of psychology. They talk about changes in the brain and affecting your behavior. One of these three definitions was actually developed by a psychologist, while the other two come from places of higher education. The last definition talks about learning as a group activity not just something that one can do on their own.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Analysis
1) This is a literal, scientific explanation of learning as a mental process in the human body. This was cited from a pharmacy glossary from which we can infer that the purpose of this definition was to be medical.
2) This one uses the word “brain” to show that the learning process and knowledge are contained specifically in the human brain. The site this is cited from is all about the brain, so we can assume the writers are interested in the human brain and its processes.
3) This is more of a scholarly definition, rather than medical. It is a description of what must happen in order for learning to be achieved. They state that a learner is, “require[d] to be mentally active rather than passive; interpreting rather than recording information.” It is cited by a department of higher education, so we can assume that academia is a large part of the writer’s life.
4) This quote sounds more psychological. We can assume that the author is possibly a psychologist because the phrase shows the direct link between behavior and learning.
5) This quote describes the effect learning has on people in groups and as individuals. How there are different learning processes among groups of learners and individual learners, and how learning can be measured.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Analysis:
The first is a precise definition cited from a specific website pertaining to the Meadus Pharmacy Anti-Aging Glossary. Within the definition it says “neural function,” which clearly can be related to the scientific field.
The next two definitions fall along the lines of psychology. They talk about “changes in the brain” meaning that once any new information is emitted and then processed in the brain, it can go through changes and critique. Also changes in cognition and behavior. Everything is influential to the brain and thought process, nothing can go unnoticed.
The last definition deals with the quote “with every action there is a reaction.” The body and brain can process actions differently, individual and group activities can change the way one views something.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:49 pm
The definitions come from different areas of study that all come to one conclusion. The first is based on a biological standpoint on how the brain actually functions. The others base information of what happens when you learn. These definitions state that learning a process based on experience. The definition come from the experience each of the authors have in learning and what suits their learning style best. I believe that learning was chosen as a term to learn in depth because we are students in an english class, an environment where learning takes place and is a priority.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:52 pm
The definitions we’ve been given suggest learning is an active task and causes changes in the brain. Some of the definitions of learning focus on how the brain handles knowledge, while others focus on how behavior is influenced. The definitions call learning anything from an acquisition to an exercise. Only definition number five uses the definition as a positive experience. The term “effective action” is something positive, while the other definitions just mention that your brain records information and that it is an active action. These definitions are all along the same line, but differ enough so that distinctions can be made between them. The medical definitions focus more on how the brain handles this experience, and the ones from higher educational sources focus on it as an activity and how knowledge is gained from learning. These were chosen to show how different people in different professions can define even the most simple terms in ways that are similar, but not quite the same.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:56 pm
The interactions we’ve had as a class are the context for this analysis. Many students expressed frustration and didn’t see the connection between the wiki and the content of our class. Steph connected our use of the wiki to the idea of writing as communication. To communicate with her and be self sufficient as writers and learners we need some degree of independence and ability to make connections and sense of words, be they on a blackboard, a wiki, or a book. The definitions function to connect our experiences in class to the learning process. It seems likely that Steph picked these definitions because they refer to much of the content of our class; including experience, skill acquisition, actively interpreting information, and an increase in our capability for effective action. These definitions are similar in that they all refer to a change of some sort. Each definition does bring a different idea to the overall meaning of learning, thus broadening the potential for change and progress.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Analysis:
What is the link that combines all of these definitions into one idea?
How are the definitions different and a like?
Are the relevant to each other as well as the final idea?
The reason I believe that Steph choose these definitions to have the class analyze was because they are on the basis of learning incorporated with communications. Definitions such as non linear and learning were found in Wikipedia. The relation between learning and non linearity is the idea of behavior. Non-linearity is the idea of irrational behavior; where as the traditional behavior of learning is engaged. Her definitions dealing with a change in neural function and as a consequence of experience seem to relate to the adaptation of the brain engaged in learning. How the brain changes after learning, and what it can form in to. For an individual to be mentally engaged his or her brain must be functioning at a level where information is being stored and changing the brain function of the individual. The relation of these definitions is how they relate to the understanding of an individual due to learning that comes out in an organizational form.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:03 pm
How are the definitions relative to what we have been learning?
What events prompted Steph to post those particular definitions?
What are Steph’s intentions when providing these definitions?
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:04 pm
The given definitions on the course wiki website are all based on active learning. They are all about being proactive, learning from your mistakes, and not to be single minded. This relates back to the discussion we had in class on Tuesday about learning new technology.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:05 pm
The definitions where taken from various sources, all who provide a unique perspective on learning:
1. An Anti-Aging Glossary provided by MedausPharmacy 2. NIH Curriculum Supplement Series for Grade 7-8, ‘The Brain, Our Sense of Self,’ Glossary 3. Maine.gov Overview of Higher Education, Glossary 4. Northeastern Illinois University, HRD 408: Instructional Design II, Glossary 5. Mountain Quest Institute, Definitions
Through all the definitions, the function of learning remains the same. However, there are contextual differences between each authors point of view. Therefore, each definition’s content is unique and provides us with an insight into ‘learning.’
There is another context which should be acknowledged. This exercise is the product of our instructor, who found and selected these definitions for us to read and analyze. Why?
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:12 pm
The given definitions on the course wiki website are all based on active
learning. They are all about being proactive, learning from your mistakes, and
not to be single minded. This relates back to the discussion we had in class on
Tuesday about learning new technology.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:13 pm
The given definitions on the course wiki website are all based on active learning. They are all about being proactive, learning from your mistakes, and not to be single minded. This relates back to the discussion we had in class on Tuesday about learning new technology.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Com375: Argument Analysis
What is the link that combines all these definitions? All these definitions deal with neural functions, the brain, learning, and behavior. The act of learning changes the brain and these changes comes from experience. These ideas are similar to our class because they incorporate communications i.e. this is a communications writing class, we are here to learn how to look at ideas and methods and distinguish how they can be linked together.
Thursday October 18, 2007 at 2:21 pm
The group of English text that we are being asked to dissect are descriptions of the term active learning. They were provided as text for educational definitions. Our instructor provided these definitions on our course wiki to send two messages to us. The first was to practice using the semiotic method again. The second is to clarify the communal understanding of the term learning so that we accept her method learning. I still feel that learning is best in a less congested environment, linear or non-linear.