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1. One of Brandts main point is that printmaking is a key to literacy development. This is because while the apprentice would be in process of printmaking they would be applying the reading and writing skills needed to be successful. Brandts paradox is formed when she discusses her love hate relationship with the production of printers. She explains that they are a great investment for mass production, but they are lowering the skills of reading and writing. The skills of reading and writing are being lowered to apprentices are no longer repeatedly using the techniques of spelling out words and having to reread work to understand a story. This brought an end to literacy sponsorship because they no longer needed help revising papers they are now done automatically.
2. The main thing Brandt talks about in her reading is the concepts of being a sponsor. She explains a sponsor as “any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy – and gain advantage by it in some way” (Brandt 556). Brandt’s concept of being a sponsor is very similar to what Gee explains as an apprentice. In Brandt’s reading she uses Raymond Branch as an example of sponsorship. He has many different sponsors that helped him succeed in his major of computer software. He had many references that helped support him with the materials he needs to finish the work he needed to do. There was an support system there for him to help him find his way. Another example is from my own experience. My mom has always been my sponsor she is always there to help me with whatever and show me how things should be done. Through out my English career I have struggled with writing. As stated in my narrative “I trusted my mom the most to look over my papers, and revise them. It was her way of helping me, instead of reading to me she would help with my writing instead” (Manuels 3). She showed me how to be more professional with my writing by modeling what’s right and wrong while revising my papers. With the on going support she was able to show me how to be a responsible adult and learn that being confident in yourself is the key to being successful.
3. Both Gee and Brandt express the idea that literacy is the most important concept someone ca adhere. If that is true why do so many people including myself struggle with both reading and writing. After reading the two different stories the main point I understand was people lack literacy because of how they are exposed to it. By that I mean that some people just aren’t raised in a well environment with great recourses or sponsors. That is not the child’s fault. It is not their fault that their school that their parents placed them in only offers certain materials. They are important concepts to have as successful adult. That is why so many people push the idea of secondary education and that English is a requirement for almost all majors. For the reason that if someone didn’t receive a great literacy background then they can then improve it in secondary education.
4. Gee explains the differences between social groups as a discourse. There are two different kinds on discourses dominant and non-dominant. Gee explains a dominant discourse as “Brings with it the (potential) acquisition of social ‘goods’(money, prestige, status, etc.)” (8) and a non-dominant as “Solidary with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods” (8). In Brandt there is an example that examples Gees theory on literacy. Brandt introduces us to Branch a rich boy that has many sponsors that he can trust, and then Lopez that has some sponsors but not as great as she would like. Branch had what a Gee explains as a dominant literacy background, something that brings him the newer technology, labs, and materials. Where that is not the case for Lopez she had to try much harder and apply herself. She had her parents as a sponsor but they could only bring her the most generic materials. Some people would argue that she is trying to fake her way into a discourse as Gee would explain because she is entering a dominant discourse with an educator not an apprentice like Branch is with his fancy professor that are specialized in a field and are giving him and advantage to learn.

Keyword: Collreadwrit2e

Above are my annotations for Sponsors of Literacy by Brandt. Throughout the reading I found that the method of color coding was the most helpful. My main focus was trying to understand her concepts and apply them to Gee’s concepts. I did that by using the color green. When I though that a concept of Brandts was similar with Gees I would highlight it in green and explain why they related to each other. This reading was advanced so I did have quite a few questions throughout the reading. When I had a question about a claim or thought I would highlight it in orange as a conflict and then ask my questions in the margin with a pencil. The key of annotating is being organized and being able to determine key thoughts that the writer it getting into, so when I recognized a key point I would highlight it in pink. If I had a explanation I would then explain it in pink so the reader of my annotations would understand why I thought it was a key point.

Keyword: Collreadwrit2e

One annotation I made while reading Brandt was when I highlighted the sentence “This even as we recognize that the most pressing issues we deal with – tightening associations between literate skill and social viability, the breakneck pace of change in communications technology, persistent inequities in access and reward – all relate to structural conditions in literacy’s bigger picture”. However, I want to know what the bigger picture is. What is the bigger picture they mention in this reading?

Another annotation I made was when I highlighted examples of sponsors… Older relatives, supervisors, military officers, editors, and influential authors… These are all people who can have an impact on your learning and life.

Lastly, one of the annotations I made was when I highlighted the different types of lifestyles two people had in the cases that were explained. “Raymond Branch, as the son of an academic was sponsored by some of the most powerful agents of the university… Dora Lopez was being sponsored by what her parents could pull from the peripheral service systems of the university”. This shows how different two people’s lives can be and how they both come to self teach what they need to know.

collreadwrit2e

50 minutes