Meme's

I read a little of, A New Literacies Sampler. . . I was intrigued about Meme's, chapter 9.

From what I understood, Meme's is a network that survives on social contribution. It requires a networked human “hosts” in order to survive. This reminded me of Rebecca Black's article when she mentioned "Participatory Culture". A Meme's survival all depends on Participatory cutlture, having enough people contribute to the network. The issue is, Is the contribution frutiful or just garbage!?!

I can see what you mean about Meme's being fruitful for educators. It's a way for educators to focus on getting new ideas for new forms of social participation in the world that is the Internet. Like the wiki's we all had to do. We all had to participate and contribute new and different ideas for others to read and think about. Memes can be a resource that can be used in classrooms to promote discussions about each meme's topic, whatever it may be, such as a social issue wherein everyone can see and read a persons informed point of view. The power of memes to spread contagious ideas and to infect minds with particular ideas is a big truth. Many people in these online communities live by what they see and read on the internet.

I like how you said that engaging with online memes as examples of new L/literacies can help educators to equip students with important strategies for identifying the memes that infect their minds, and for evaluating the effects these memes have on their (ethical) decision-making, social actions and their relations with others.Well-informed and savvy online meming may well provide students with a fruitful and accessible practice for bringing about positive social changes in the ways people think and, perhaps, act towards others. I agree that memeing can defintely be fruitful, but there are many vulnerable minds that thier minds are easily infected with non fruitful ideas. And being able to evaluate ethics and ones own values is very important as it is one's identity. Hope Im making sense. =) Very intersting stuff!