This piece, like Selfe’s from last week and Brandt’s, appeared in CCC (College Composition and Communication, the journal of the college section of the National Council of Teachers of English). Note the abstract at the beginning which summarizes their argument.
On 643 the authors establish the gap—the things we don’t know and haven’t studied—that lead them to start this research. “we still know less than we might about the relationship between digital and nondigital literacies” (643). On 644 they note the 5 themes that emerge from the work they have done, and on 645 they explain the methods they used to do the work (see Brandt’s influence!).
Then follow two stories: Melissa Pearson and Brittney Moraski. In each story, the authors weave historical/social/political/technological context in and around the biographical narrative. They call this context the cultural ecology of literacy. They end the article (664) with an expanded discussion of what these stories suggest about the nature of literacy.
You should be able to see the relationship between the stories and the themes—and if you can’t, use your note-taking to try to work out some connections. You should also understand their method, and be able to see what parts of the stories led them to which conclusions.
