You are responding to Jenkins' idea of the "anatomy of a knowledge community." Jenkins defines knowledge community as the community that comes out of a shared knowledge-base. I want you to discuss your version of the anatomy of a knowledge community using one of your own knowledge communities.
I should, after seeing your post, understand your version of a knowledge community in relationship to Jenkins' explanation as well as how it connects to your own being--as a literate person, a FSU student, a member of the EWM major, a composer, an editor, etc.
***Your audience for this is other members of your knowledge community.
***Be creative and think outside the box. It should be more than you fulfilling an assignment--more about who you are as a composer and pushing yourself to think creatively using your own language.
***Per normal this should be based in evidence and engage with other posts.
Due: Monday, July 25, 2011 by classtime.
As FSU students, EWM majors, and writers/composers, we are already a part of three knowledge communities. Each of these communities has certain qualities that define us as members and make us unique from those who do not belong. For example, before I became a member of the FSU knowledge community, I did not know that Osceola was Florida State’s mascot, I thought it was simply an Indian. Renegade, Potbellies, Club Stroz, and the Leach were also among many things that were not in my vocabulary. It wasn’t until I officially joined the “Nole” knowledge community that I eventually learned what all of things were, and began to apply them to my everyday life. These are things that only those within the FSU knowledge community would normally recognize. The same goes for EWM majors. Before declaring my major, and even before taking this class, there were so many things that I did not know. Now, however, I have a shared understanding of many things with so many different people because our major and all of its elements tie us together. The EWM major itself can be a subgroup or part of the writer/composer knowledge community. Because of this, I believe that some knowledge communities can overlap or even be combined into a larger community. For example, the writer/composer community would consist of the EWM community and the Creative Writing, and maybe even English communities.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a knowledge community that I belong to would be my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Although it may not seem as intellectual as other knowledge communities, it belongs to this group nonetheless. The members of this community all have collective knowledge about our events, philanthropy, ritual, etc. We are the only people that have this shared knowledge, and each member has something to contribute to that knowledge. Jenkins states “brain trusts represent the return of hierarchy to the knowledge culture, the attempt to create an elite that has access to information not available to the group as a whole.” Alpha Chi Omega definitely has a “brain trust.” It is our executive board. The exec board has the inside scoop about what is going on within the sorority and with its members. They are our leaders and our elite. They have more knowledge about Alpha Chi than anyone else. They may even be a knowledge community themselves. (Going back to my theory that there can be knowledge communities within bigger knowledge communities). The exec. Board also gets information from “secret sources” about events coming up, new additions, or even house renovations, and sometimes this secret information gets leaked or spoiled, as Jenkins calls it. Members are always “trying to get their hands on the knowledge the other (exec) is trying to protect,” to quote Jenkins. Alpha Chi is a very collaborative knowledge community that involves the input of each member for its success, and sometimes-even failure. At the end of four undergrad years of course, the original community disbands, but the legacy remains forever due to new additions to the community each year. This is what knowledge community is: a constantly changing group that fosters and even gains collective knowledge from all of its members.
When Jenkins talks about the knowledge community of the hit show Survivor, he says that, “Survivor is television for the Internet age—designed to be discussed, debated, predicted and critiqued”. Growing up in the “Internet age” means it is almost necessary to take part in social networking. I find that Twitter is by far the quickest way to find out information. Twitter is not only a community of celebrities, and friends, but you can also network with people from school. This is a way that two knowledge communities can join together. You can follow coaches and athletes from FSU, which makes you feel like you are really involved with the team on a personal level. You can “tweet” with them and find out information about what is going on in the sports world or read about what is going on in their lives. Also, many professors have now started to have twitter accounts. This is a great way to find out what’s going on with them and their subject. If involved with the EWM community, you may possibly follow professors or other scholars and see what kind of information they have to share in an instant. There are numerous accounts sharing quotes from philosophers, and news about Writing. Twitter is something that is accessible through your phone, and you update it anytime. For example, I found out about the death of singer Amy Winehouse today via twitter just minutes after the news was reported. In this knowledge community, when a bit of information is discovered, it trends (top tweeted topic) within minutes! Some may argue that this wouldn’t be something good, but I believe the pros outweigh the cons. It is also an excellent medium for composing. However, it is not particularly great for composing large articles. You are only allowed 140 characters per tweet. This makes us as writers learn how to get our point across in as few words as possible. We may have a paragraph of things to say, but we must learn to edit ourselves in order to share it. Some news Twitter accounts, like CNN, often share a headline or a quick summary of the story, then provide a link to their web page that has the full article. This is an easy way not only to spread news, but also to get all the info out there. Being a part of this Twitter community has opened my eyes to how news and other information can be shared, as well as how quickly it can!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Jenkins piece, “Knowledge Community” I have a better grasp on what I feel like my version of the knowledge community is. I come from a very small town called, Keystone Heights. Nobody has ever heard of it unless you have lived there; have family there or maybe driven through there. This to me is my first “knowledge community.” In Keystone there is nothing to do. We have one red light, a McDonalds, a Wendy’s and a hardware store. However, in our small, conservative, Christian community everyone knows everyone, maybe even a little too much about everyone. What I mean by this is drama gets around quickly. It is like dominoes once someone hears it collapses down to everyone else. For example, Indian moms, Johnny’s and powder puff are only words that people from keystone can relate too. This is a “knowledge community” that only I know and a few others know because we live in this quaint town. My second “Knowledge Community” would be our WEPO class. Only the few of us that are taking this class over the summer know the information that has been given. For example, our class has a blog site where we compose every night a 500 word post. This is a system that allows only us WEPO students to show our writing skills to our professor. We also have the availability to communicate to each other during class and outside of class via mass email. For example, rhetoric, rhetorical situation, ethos, pathos, logos, these are just a few terms that only we WEPO students know. My third “knowledge community” would be my water ski team, Gatorland Water Ski Show Team. I have been a part of this team since I was 8 years old. We put on shows all around the United States at festivals and events. We are a show ski team located out of my own lake, Lake Lilly. For example, Trios, pyramid, doubles, swivel, and barefoot line are terms that only we as a ski team know how to perform. We have a president and vice president in our ski team club. They hold all the confidential membership info and money orders. I would call them a bigger “knowledge community” and the team my own personal community. I agree with what @caroline said, I find that Twitter is by far the quickest way to find out information.” Our ski team has a facebook and twitter account along with email. We find out when shows are and what to bring through these accounts. Also, we can talk with other members of the ski team and plan out when practice will be. I think my theory of a “knowledge community” is much more simplified then Jenkins put it. My small communities all start off from a source and spread to those around and interested.
ReplyDeleteJenkins defines knowledge community as the community that comes out of a shared knowledge-base. In his article, “Spoiling Survivor”, he discusses how online communities use collective intelligence to predict the outcome of the TV show “Survivor”, because it is filmed months before it airs on TV. This creates a rivalry between the “spoilers” and the producers of the show because the spoilers are trying to collect new information while the producers attempt to keep it secret. The internet has allowed for new” communities in which things which we could not “know or do on our own” we now have the potential to do collectively (Jenkins, 27). These online communities makes it much more difficult for producers of shows such as “Survivor” to keep what happens a secret because people can share information with each other. This may be a struggle between the viewers and producers, but it also creates a cat-mouse game, and ultimately can raise ratings. In this article, Jenkin explains how individual information is collected, and distributed through the community. Media convergence has changed the way information is collected and received because new mediums have formed that provide a basis for collective intelligence that we have never had before.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenkins that the anatomy of knowledge communities are changing as the Internet is becoming a part of the everyday lives of consumers. Online communities allow for shared knowledge, or “collective intelligence”. Information is being shared and spread faster than ever before, because of the immediacy and accessibility of information on the internet. For instance, when big news stories break, I most often have found out through Facebook. This is how I found out the U.S. killed Osama Bin Laden, the tornado that went through Tuscaloosa, and most recently, Amy Winehouse’s death. The convergence of media and new media technology have expanded knowledge communities, as Jenkins defines them. The expansion of collective knowledge is important to me as a student because I have immediate access to knowledge and the ideas of the community through these new digital mediums. Being the first generation with access to digital media, there will be a great effect on the relationships between mediums of the past, as well as the relationships between mediums of the future. The convergence of media has changed the way mediums relate to each other, as well as formed new knowledge communities, that allow for the fast spread of information and knowledge that exists outside of our individual experiences. It should be interesting to see how media develops in the next ten years, and how it is going to affect the way we communicate. The convergence of new media will affect the way we work in the future, and will surely be incorporated in individual lives, crossing and blurring the boundaries between work communities and social communities.
In response to Shannon, I found it interesting that you categorized the separate knowledge communities you take part in. When I read the article, I was thinking in a much broader sense, and how "collective knowledge" has affected my experiences. I never thought about the separations between the knowledge communities I am a part of, so this gave me a different perspective. It allows me to see the separation that may be present in this idea of "collective knowledge" or "knowledge communities."
“ It takes a village to raise a child” can be used to define what makes up a knowledge community. As we have learned about knowledge, some of it we are born with and other parts of knowledge we are taught. This is where our communities come into play. Some of the first communities we belong to are our families, friends, and primary schools. Here we learn about the culture that makes us who we are with our families. We learn more about who we are and what we like in general when it comes to friends we choose to hang out with. And with schooling we learn the knowledge that allows us to further our communities as a whole. In college, our knowledge communities change quite a bit. One of the major knowledge communities that we all share is being a part of the FSU knowledge community. Over the course of four years, we learn about the tradition that our school was founded upon. We learn about what our majors can do for us as alumni when we are finished with our journey here, as well as how to leave a legacy behind for other AWESOME people who decide to join our knowledge community. The “brain trust” that is talked about, is extremely visible when dealing with the FSU knowledge community. Our professor’s lecture us and send us on the right path for our future, our advisors also help to make sure we are placed in the right area for our liking, financial aid deals with the money that our parents work hard for to send us to school, and the registrar office makes sure we all are able to get out of here in a timely manner. This elite group holds so much power over the residents of their knowledge community. With all of these brain trusts working together, the knowledge community is able to last and continue to help others out. This knowledge community works for our majors and classrooms as well. The Teacher is the one giving the information; we the young grasshoppers are taking the information in hoping we understand it. The elite system however can also be on lower levels as well. Student athletes are “worshiped” by people who pump money back into the school making sure that we are able to continue on. The research labs that our school offers give us national ranking and accreditation with the constant break through that we find, and our Greek life sometimes seems to take over the school when rushing starts. Like Julia said, there can be knowledge communities within other knowledge communities. The fact that you belong to the larger knowledge community does not give you the privilege of belonging to another knowledge community that is within or next to your community. I loved the analogy that Caroline used for twitter and knowledge communities. Twitter is a great way to get fast updates about communities you belong to such as following stars or your peers.
ReplyDeleteThroughout middle school and high school I was part of a knowledge community known as band. As a band nerd, I knew how to read music and play an instrument along with everyone else in the organization. Each instrument is played differently, with its own set of keys and levers. Yet we were all required to play the same scales and songs as a group. We were all taught the same music theory and told to practice difficult rhythms. We have all had the “one time at band camp” experience. Everyone in band became a family with our own inside jokes and musical aspirations. As an organization, band was composed of many different entities. In high school, band was made up of three areas: marching, concert, and jazz. Individuals in each area knew how to read music and play their instrument. However, marching band, concert band, and jazz band had their own individual style of playing. In marching band, everything had to be clean and precise whereas concert and jazz allowed a little room for improvisation and dramatics. Jazz band was also played with a more relaxed rhythm. Even though some students took part in only one or two areas, we still interacted with each other and kept one another up to date on what was going on. There were times when an advanced concert student would help a jazz student with a hard section of music. As Jennings stated in the reading, people may belong to more than one community at once. In band, most students were involved in marching and concert band throughout the year. Some of the ones who were eligible (played a jazz instrument) took part in jazz band as well. Every area of band had it’s own set of afterschool practices but it was all taught under the one teacher. Jennings also discussed the concept of “gated (knowledge) communities” in which the highest skilled of the group created their own sub group. In band, we had officers and section leaders that knew information outside of the main group. Section leaders ran practice sections within their instrumental section and officers were in charge of doing behind the scenes work, primarily with marching band. The officers and section leaders were the ones students went to with questions before asking the band director. Only people involved in band truly understand how it works and what it entails, similar to EWM majors. Members of EWM are specialized in the publishing field. Each EWM student needs to take a WEPO class and as @shannon mentioned, only the students in the class know what it entails. Reading about knowledge communities was interested because they can promote interaction between people with similar interests. Although each experience is different, all band members share a love of music.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Jenkins’ article on knowledge communities, I can’t help be consider myself a member of many different knowledge communities that I have experienced throughout my entire life. First and foremost, my family is the knowledge community that I have, and always will, be a part of. Each member of my family brings something to the table and we will always be ever-growing and developing individually and as a group. The “brain trusts,” as Jenkins calls it, are definitely my mom and dad. They make the rules, they provide the money and the privileges that I have always received, and they ultimately hold the power and responsibility of the family. They have taught both my sister and I so much throughout our lives. Also, within my familial knowledge community, there are many things that only we know about each other that most people don’t know. We know each others’ quirks, imperfections, tempers, etc. It usually takes living with a person for a long time to figure out all of the things about them. Another knowledge community I’ve experienced in my life is the summer camp I attended for 10 years and worked at for 1 year. At Camp Greystone, there are so many traditions and secrets that only campers and counselors can understand after experiencing them. In this knowledge community, each person contributes to the experience you have during the 3 or 5 weeks camp session. Not only could counselors be considered the “brain trusts,” but there is also a team of “head staff,” “camp directors,” and camp owners who ultimately make the rules and plan all of the amazing things that happen each summer. Counselors know many things that campers do not find out about until they are about to happen, such as what the evening activity will be or what the end-of-session banquet theme is. Another knowledge community was my competitive cheerleading team. As a whole, the competitive cheerleading community understands the different skills, levels, and types of competition, but as a specific cheerleading team, my teammates and I were the only ones who understood the specifics of our routine. We knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we had pump-up cheers that we would do backstage as a team before going on stage to compete. Within the team, there were two captains who held more responsibility than the individual team member. The team coaches were more powerful than team captains, and the gym owner was more powerful than all of us. Now that I’m in college, I realize that this is yet another opportunity to be in multiple knowledge communities. Like Julia said, before I came to FSU, I had know idea who Osceola was, what Club Stroz and Club Pub were, and I definitely could not have led you to Landis Green or Westcott Fountain. But now, as a member of the FSU knowledge community, I have learned what all of these things are. Inside the large knowledge community/bubble of FSU, I belong to smaller knowledge communities: my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi and my majors, Psychology and English. After reading Jenkins’ excerpt, I have definitely realized how many different knowledge communities I have been involved in throughout my life and I know that I will be joining many new ones as my life progresses.
ReplyDelete“New forms of community are emerging, however: these new communities are defined through voluntary, temporary, and tactical affiliations, reaffirmed through common intellectual enterprises and emotional investments.” – Jenkins
ReplyDeleteInitially the first knowledge community I thought of was Facebook. After reading Shannon’s, Julia and Caroline’s posts I realized all the intricacies of knowledge communities. I went to high school in Boca Raton and was part of a tight group. This group still interacts socially thanks to Facebook. It allows us to see who is in town and who isn’t and get the word out about a party or “beer-b-q”. I went to a medium sized Catholic High school in a very exclusive town, where, even if you didn’t know a person, you knew their name, grade, what group they belonged to, a sport they played, as well as the latest scandal in their lives. Its just as Jenkins says individual information is collected and distributed throughout the community. My hometown is the town over, Delray Beach. I am a local and know who people are. I can have a conversation with someone who knows I did not go to school in Delray yet still know the person being spoken of. I like to say, “I don’t know them, but I know of them”. People my age just know whom each other are. Even if we have never met, through some connection we have.
Media networking sites and television stations provide instant coverage allowing viewers to follow celebrity and athlete’s every move. As I said in class I view Perez Hilton’s website numerous times a day. When my roommate came into my room Saturday morning saying Amy Winehouse died I checked his website to confirm if it was true or not.
Knowledge communities can be as simple as an invisible group of people who view the same website, hometown connections and shared histories or students in the same class. We all pull together, be it intentionally or unintentionally, to share information and pass it on. People communicate verbally or technologically, either way what they know gets passed on to add to his/her knowledge community and gets added to.
I agree with Caroline’s opinion on having a Twitter account. Being a student at Florida State is an example of a knowledge community. I enjoy following football players and coaches as well because it really does make you feel more involved in what is going on. By being able to interact with them sparks an even stronger interest and passion for the game and my school. Another page I also follow is the FSU Alert system. As a young college student it is so important to be cautious and aware of your surroundings. Sine I have twitter available on my phone I can know instantly if there are weather alerts or if there was criminal activity near or on campus. Twitter is an easy way to get updates on almost anything you can think of. From weather reports, sports scores, the latest celebrity gossip, political information (no matter how boring or interesting) and everything in between, you get it all from your Twitter account. From elementary school through high school a knowledge community I was a part of was my cheerleading team. I know it does not sound quite as impressive as other communities, but it was a huge part of my life so might as well embrace it. Each girl brought something different to the table. Each stunt group was made up of a main base, side base, flyer and back spot. If we did not all work together and get the timing right then someone could get seriously hurt. Each of our personalities, strengths and capability to work together is what helped our team succeed to its fullest potential. In this article Jenkins describes brain trusts by saying “think of these ‘brain trusts’ as secret societies or private clubs, whose members are handpicked based on their skills and track records.” The brain trusts of my particular community were the coach and captains. Our coach had to keep track of the financial stuff. She had to calculate uniform costs, competition fees, hotels, gas and other things to make sure they were all reasonable for the parents. The captains helped motivate the girls and keep everyone getting along. Bonding was a vital part of cheerleading since it revolves around team work. Jenkins states “members may shift from one group to another as their interests and needs change, and they may belong to more than one community at a time.” I believe this is an example of us growing up. As I got older I became a part of the EWM community, journalism, young Republicans and so much more.
ReplyDelete“As we learn how to live within a knowledge culture, we can anticipate many such discussions centering as much on how we know and how we evaluate what we know as on the information itself.” I understood Jenkins theory on knowledge communities being apart of any type of particular community. By nature humans are social individuals, we need to feel apart of something to feel validated. I find that the knowledge community I can identify myself with with most clarity is FSU. Like many of my peers have mentioned, there is lingo and nicknames for everything it appears. I transferred to FSU after my freshman fall, affiliating with my sorority to girls that had already been in Tallahassee and knew the “key terms” of Tallahassee. I had no idea that Gordos had the most delicious Cuban sandwiches until I asked around where a good place to eat was and I was told, “Gordos! Get the gordo sauce, it’s delicious.” Furthermore, as others have discussed, there are the obvious sudonyms that us college kin like to throw around for simple necessities like “club pub” and “club stroz.” I believe that many different students would be able to attest to assuming that the vast majority of the student body, regardless of interests, athletics, or organizations they take part in, they know these terms. Jenkins touches on how the use of the internet widened the occurrence of spoiling. I see today where items such as Facebook and Twitter have advanced the communication within a knowledge community. Business, restaurants and now even Tutoring Zone are on Facebook, most likely because they know how much mindless time we waste using it. The entirely all-too-public life we all lead on the internet helps enable us within knowledge communities to know where people are via check in (I still think it’s super creepy), what they’re doing and photos to document it all the while. Our life as Facebook creeps is one huge spoiler alert. Getting off my high horse for a second, knowledge communities serve as..well..a community. Like I said before, we all naturally need to feel accepted and to feel as though we are identified within a mass of people. As Florida State Students, we are all united in the community of Tallahassee and the life style it brings. Each of us I’m sure has their own particular smaller knowledge community but essentially we are currently involved in a mass cluster of specific words, thoughts, and even goals. My smaller community at FSU is my sorority. I identify myself with the other sisters because we are all similar and we mesh well. Much of my activities are based around what’s happening within the chapter, even down to when the meals are, and I believe most of the girls would say the same.
ReplyDeleteJenkins defines knowledge community as the community that comes out of a shared knowledge base. Jenkins' idea of the "anatomy of a knowledge community." Jenkins describes that the age of media convergence enables communal rather than individualistic modes of reception. Spoiling follows a logical sequence. The spoiling community allows the viewer to learn more about how it all works and it impacts the reception of a popular television series. To have a better understanding of spoiling a community Jenkins states, “And even the spoilers get it right, there is a thing, thing line here between investigating those who have been chosen to insert themselves into the public spotlight and stalking them at their home or workplace… The community spends a great deal of time debating exactly where you draw the line.” Also, good ways to think of “spoiler communities” are paparazzi and the media itself as a whole. It really depends on what the media thinks of you and they make you into the person they play you out to be; except “the general pattern of this knowledge held true.”
ReplyDeleteHowever, Jenkins goes into detail that the anatomy of a knowledge community has different stages. The first phase is focused on identifying the location, because the impact of the production is felt first where the series was shot. The second phase is focused on identifying the contestants, since the second impact is felt on the local communities where these “average Americans” come from. The collective has its feelers out everywhere and responds to the slightest brush.
An anatomy of a knowledge community does not always have to be set in a “celebrity based” setting; it can also be taken place in a college setting. A great way to look at it is being the best football player on your team at a University; I like how Shannon agreed with a sports team as well. Another way to see it is also in my major, Editing, Writing and Media. EWM allows students to use this type of an audience tool to use my members in my knowledge community. Saying that, I can better connect with my audience on an entirely different level. From the two that I have stated, an anatomy of a knowledge community can permit me to work on many different mediums in just an audience. Popularity alone, Facebook or any other social network for that matter is what my generation can relate as a knowledge base community. All in all, these three aspects have one thing in common; the audience is what determines their fate. Although that may sound dramatic, it is true to its word. Jenkins did go into detail that spoiler communities are difficult and not an easy task to take on. Making the decision to become known in a community is not one to make so quickly. Jenkins talks about a show, Survivor, and uses that type of media, television, to discuss an anatomy of a knowledge community. Furthermore, Jenkins went into great detail in supporting his thoughts. I had a better understanding of his teachings the minute I read his article to its entirety.
As Jenkins describes a celebrated television series Survivor, I can think of one knowledge community within the FSU community. Florida State University's WVFS radio station. Known as V89 and found at 89.7 FM. Pierre Levy describes two terms regarding knowledge communities. Levy defines shared knowledge as common information that an entire group believes to be true. He also defines collective intelligence. Collective intelligence is the what the entire community believes about the information individually. By answering specific questions the individuals reveal their view on the topic.
ReplyDeleteAs students we find ourselves apart of three communities. Florida State University students, study under a specific department (English), as an EWM major. This WEPO class serves as another knowledge community. As a whole we understand our goal is to become more familiar within our field of study. We strive as a whole to diverge information from various tasks, projects, and ultimately through our experience. Being a writer/composer is another example of a knowledge community.
The FSU radio station clearly states their mission, goals, and philosophy as a community. Their mission, "To provide diversity in programming to the Florida State campus and Tallahassee community while acting as a top-notch training facility for students and community members interested in gaining experience in radio station operations". The radio station acts as one successful machine due to their components; ten departments with various positions. Just as many individuals make up a community. Each individual brings their own wisdom, knowledge, and opinions. Employees bring diversity and personality to the station. Without each department playing their significant role the station would not experience as much success.
The station provides the mass audience with many different tones and messages. The station's sponsors allow them to operate financially. Every now and then "a word from their sponsor's" is necessary for continual production. The station is limitless, offering endless genres of music, which also helps to appeal to mass audiences. V89 began airing live in 1987 with no intention of stopping. They have developed a fan community with loyal listeners, sponsors, and "employees".
As Jenkins included, "Levy writes: 'How will we be able to process enormous masses of data on interrelated problems within a changing environment? Most likely by making use of organizational structures that favor the genuine socialization of problem-solving rather than its resolution by separate entities that are in danger of becoming competitive, swollen, outdated and isolated from real life.' "
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ReplyDeleteSorry I just realized that I did not completely copy and paste -__- (LOL) But here is my post !
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy that this class introduces ideas of English that I knew nothing about. Jenkins explores the idea of the anatomy of a knowledge community. His definition explains knowledge community as a community that comes out of a shared knowledge based. Really, based on that definition everyone is apart of a knowledge community of some sort. My question is, what defines knowledge? In a previous post, we as a class explored the term “knowledge” and how it is attained and can we create new knowledge. I think it is important that we apply that to this theory. In our individual knowledge communities, what knowledge is shared between the members? Does that information or knowledge contribute to the bonding and thought process of the community? I think I serve in quite a few knowledge communities: Majorettes (baton twirling), EMW major, Communication major- and that is just at FSU alone. I want to discuss the community of baton twirling, or the majorettes. I feel as if it is a small community of women who can actually baton twirl. There is a certain bond and knowledge that is shared with everyone who participates in the sport. It is a very costly sport and it takes a lot of your time. There have been plenty of birthday parties I missed because of all day competitions. In particular my team, the South Florida Super Stars we share knowledge of the skill unlike any other team. We have been exposed to different choreographers around the world and even competed for the World Cup. Jenkins explains brain trusts the return of hierarchy to the knowledge culture, the attempt to create an elite that has access to information not available to the group as a whole. Like any group, or community it is natural to develop a hierarchy or to respect elders of the community. In Super Stars we are divided into teams based on our skill level. The most skilled twirlers are in Seniors, below that we have Hot Shots, Simply Super, Starburst, Star Blazers, Twinkles, Star Attraction, Star Studded, Shooting Stars, and Beginners respectively. @Whitney I agree with your response to Shannon. I definitely, thought about the theory in broader terms. Living in the digital age, has expanded the location of knowledge communities or rather eliminated them. Community members are no longer limited to meeting face to face! Knowledge can be shared online. In a sense of social networks, I guess the people you follow or are friends with are in… a knowledge community. The information appears on a timeline for students to see. If they choose to, they can share that same knowledge with their constituents by RE-tweeting or sharing. @Caroline I love you girl and you know that LOL and you know I love twitter so I have to agree. Twitter has become a great place to acquire knowledge about current events. For instance, this weekend Amy Winehouse has found dead in her London flat because of a drug overdose. I knew all of that because of Twitter. So where we get our knowledge for are group is important to know.
As for myself I believe that I am apart of various knowledge communities at Florida State. I am apart of the general student community, EWM majors, and the African American Student community. I feel that the experienced that I have gained from being apart of the African American student community has played a valuable role in my life. I believe that the knowledge I have gained from other African American students on campus has been amazing. Some don’t like to admit it but I feel experience at FSU is somewhat different for black students here on campus. Another great knowledge community that I love being apart of at FSU is the group of EWM majors. It is great to be apart of a community of students who share the same interest and career goals.
ReplyDeleteAside from being apart from the awesome communities here at FSU, as the text stated Survivor was the show for the “ internet age. Caroline made a great point when she pointed out social networking. I feel that social networking is an entire community of its own aside from the many different sites that is apart of it, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, ect that have made up their own little individual communities. I have gained so much information from certain blogs and even Twitter. With Twitter yes some people share random useless information but in the mist of the same time line with the foolishness there maybe a tweet to store into your knowledge bank that may later be beneficial. Like the forum mentioned in the text, SuvivorSucks, is a way for fans to communicate, discuss, and critique the show Twitter serves that same purpose. Lots of time on Twitter when there are major award shows airing or popular reality shows or sitcoms there will be something on Twitter called “Live Tweeting”. Just like the Survivor forums, live tweeting allows for members of Twitter to give their opinions, predictions, and spoilers of the shows they are watching.
I think that my immediate family is a knowledge community because of all of the things we share. Together we have encountered many experiences and have shared the same memories. I think that discussion is one of the main characteristics of a knowledge community and that makes me think of when my family is gathered around the dinner table and talking about our days or our thoughts. We also have many of the same interests. The text talks about a knowledge community based around the hit show Survivor. The fans themselves all share a passion for the show. I think that this text made me think of my family because I watched the very first episode of Survivor with my dad and my family has loved the show ever since. We all love prime time TV and it brings us close together as a family and before the show starts we try to guess what is going to happen. I belong to many knowledge communities including FSU, and the English Department, but my family seems to be the most connected. We help each other pursue interests and expand each other’s knowledge on different topics. The text states, “they [knowledge communities] serve as sites for ‘collective discussion, negotiation, and development’.” This automatically makes me think of my family because my parent’s role is to help us develop and now that I am of age, we collaborate to help each other grow. Now that I am considered an adult, my parents and I are more like friends rather than them being care givers. We discuss things going on in our lives, and grow together.
ReplyDeleteJulia discusses how her sorority is a knowledge community, and I strongly agree with that because a sorority seems like it should be a family away from your family. I think that a sorority is about as close to a family you can get.
A lot of people bring up the point that everyone who is an EWM major is a part of a distinct knowledge community and I found that to be interesting. A lot of people don’t even know what EWM is until you really explain it to them and hash it out. We are a part of a newer major where you learn things that have never been taught before. I think that we share the knowledge we learn in our classes and have to expand on it among one another. Both of my writing classes this summer involve us going online and posting our opinions and interacting with each other’s writing. I think that school is an obvious knowledge community but our EWM major is a more unified one than say the Economics knowledge community. Writing brings people closer together and that is what an EWM major’s life is about – writing.
We are all associated with what Pierre Lévy calls a “knowledge community” and based on the reading it would appear that there are rules or structures to these communities based on common knowledge. One such community that I associate myself with is that of the legal knowledge community. As a paralegal working for a corporate or small business law firm you obtain access to a plethora of information, public or private, that most people outside the legal realm do not. In terms of the anatomy of the legal community, there is a level of trust and respect that is shared among its members similar to that shared by Spoiler communities. The ability to network is another element to the legal community. Young attorneys fresh out of law school have access to more seasoned lawyers who further have access to or excellent relationships with judges. This works well for young attorneys because they can request a seasoned attorney to be co-counsel in a case; judges tend to be a little more lenient and less hard on young attorneys with whom they have a relationship. The paralegals and attorneys have access to software, websites, politicians, and business entities that can provide non-public or soon-to-be public information. Paralegals that have good business relationships with their attorneys or office management also have access to the networks of the attorney. A friend of mine needed some legal assistance outside of the Area of Law that my attorney practices, but my attorney contacted a friend of his (also an attorney) who was able to provide his services to my friend at a discounted rate; he has even offered to provide me with legal assistance on a “pro bono” basis. The legal community is what Lévy calls a “gated knowledge community” in that we never disclose 100% of the information we obtain (or receive) while working a client’s case, not even to the client, but the client is expected to disclose 200% of the information that they possess with respect to their case. Attorneys and paralegals act as “brain trusts” within the legal community. Further subdividing the legal community are various organizations or associations that most attorneys and paralegals gain access to by virtue of a paid membership. The Tallahassee Barristers is an association for judges and attorneys or the Tallahassee Association for Legal Assistants is an organization for paralegals whose purpose is to disseminate information about changing laws, community events, job opportunities, even educational opportunities and scholarships. My community relates to me in that I am academically trained as a paralegal but I acquired most of my knowledge through on-the-job training, and forming an business-personal relationship with my attorney and other staff at the law firm through interpersonal skills. My writing style or process was also altered after working in the legal community because it was the first time that I had to literally consider my audience when composing letters, pleadings, business proposals, etc. I agree with Michelle that “knowledge communities…promote interaction between people with similar interests…. Although each experience is different” because this affirms my belief that knowledge communities can foster future networking contacts and personal relationships.
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