Winters-+CLUE+Step+2b

Stephanie Winters I decided to observe at the Panera Bread where I live. It seemed to me that many people came here to do work. I figured that this may be a place where students who live off campus can come to study. Based on what I found I was correct in assuming this. I observed this restaurant a little after noon. Many of the people there around this time were college students. Many of these students had lap tops and with them. This Panera Bread is located around three community colleges in the area. It seemed like a favored place to go by these students. After talking to a few of these students I found that many of them were commuters who just got done with class. One girl mentioned how she did not have a meal plan at her college because she lived at home. On her way home from class she would stop at this restaurant to get something to eat along with getting some work done. The building contains different sections of seating. Some sections are more secluded than others. I noticed the people in the more secluded sections were often alone and working quietly on their computers. The restaurant had free wireless and many comfortable seats and tables. It seemed like the students here tended to get something to eat while doing their work. Many of them got bagels and pastries. The back areas contained a larger amount of people than by the door. It seems that this places offers students with an optional place to study and do work. Another student I talked to mentioned that he did not have class that day and would rather study here than going to the library at his school. I also noticed that many of these students continued to stay here even after they were done eating. It seemed like the main purpose to come to this place was to do work and getting something to eat was an added bonus. 

What does the data you collect suggest to you about the literacy practices of that community? I think that this data shows that people in this community tend to use their computers for many of their readings. Many of the students at this restaurant worked alone and did not have much interaction with the people around them. The people who were working on their computers in groups usually only took short breaks to ask questions and associate with the people they came with. Although many of the people in here seemed to be doing work there were a few groups who were sitting in the more open section who were talking to each other. These groups tended to talk louder than the groups who were doing work.