I am attempting to create a blog for my final reflective literacy autobiography! I would rather take a risk by doing something completely out of my comfort zone and horribly fail and make a complete fool out of myself (ex making a blog when I have no idea what I am doing) than write a traditional boring ten page paper (which is quite frankly, not too bad)!!!!!
So here it is, this one is for you Dr. Thompson!!!
"A" for effort?!?!
I chose to do a blog because writing on a blog relieves the pressure of writing a "FINAL REFLECTIVE" paper. I used capital letters because that is how intimidating final papers are. I thought a blog would give me the chance to say what I want to say in a more relaxed environment allowing to focus more of my energy on what I was trying to say, basically allowing me to think about things more critically. :-)
Enjoy!!
This blog is proof that I have learned so much in LAI 552! For I never would have attempted such a thing before.
This blog touches upon, in one way or another, everything I have learned throughout this course. I have created something that represents everything I have learned- and it's not on computer paper!! Furthermore, this blog is a hypertext, a text, it is multimodal, it is tied to multiple literacies, it relates to my discourses, and in order to make it I had to use some of my critical literacy skills! ALL OF WHICH I WILL TAKE WITH ME WHEN TEACHING MY CONTENT!!!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Top Three Things I disliked about LAI 552
1. How the hell could I go through three years of undergrad and not know any of this?
2. It had to end
3. Peter had a girlfriend
2. It had to end
3. Peter had a girlfriend
Top Ten (11) things I learned from LAI 552!!
Here are the top ten things I learned from LAI 552!
1. Poetry can actually be used as a means of assessment!
2. Pokemon and other "out of school" literacies actually have worth! I know, right?!
3. Taking the time to research what your students are "in to" (researching it =officially uncool) will likely help you out in the classroom because you will know what "out of school" literacy you are trying to bridge (incorporating students' interests= meaningful)
4. Group projects can actually work and be meaningful learning experiences!! Who knew!
5. By using multimodality you are likely to reach all of your students in one way or another!
6. The term "discourse" is more than just a fancy word for "conversation"
7. Without a critical eye, advertising owns us
8. Literature circles are super fun!
9. Technology, technology, technology is to Education as Location, location, location is to Real Estate
10. As hard as I tried, No, my notebook is not a hypertext!
11. To censor or not to censor? Happy medium :-)
1. Poetry can actually be used as a means of assessment!
2. Pokemon and other "out of school" literacies actually have worth! I know, right?!
3. Taking the time to research what your students are "in to" (researching it =officially uncool) will likely help you out in the classroom because you will know what "out of school" literacy you are trying to bridge (incorporating students' interests= meaningful)
4. Group projects can actually work and be meaningful learning experiences!! Who knew!
5. By using multimodality you are likely to reach all of your students in one way or another!
6. The term "discourse" is more than just a fancy word for "conversation"
7. Without a critical eye, advertising owns us
8. Literature circles are super fun!
9. Technology, technology, technology is to Education as Location, location, location is to Real Estate
10. As hard as I tried, No, my notebook is not a hypertext!
11. To censor or not to censor? Happy medium :-)
Literature Circles and Roles
I hated the fact that we had to do literature circles at first. I complained about it while doing the assignments before meetings as well. It wasn't until during the literature circle that I began to really understand the whole purpose of the literature circle and in fact began enjoying it. I like having an assigned role beause I knew what my responbility was right off of the bat. I knew what I had to focus on and I took my job seriously because I wanted to share what I had come up with, with my circle mates. I absolutely loved reading Persepolis so much so that I had my dad read it. He is a hard one to please and even he loved the book- so much so that he passed it along to my older brother and tried to convince my brother (who is a toy designer/creater) to launch a Persepolis product line because he thought young girls, especially from the Middle East might like it. That whole short story is so powerful and I hope you see that.
I loved Step from Heaven too! And I also recommended that to many other people I know because it was a moving book.
From participating in literature circles I learned a lot. I liked that this class was more of small group discussions because it made it more meaningful for me. I really do not like to be in classes that are designed in lecture style- it is so hard to sit and listen to someone talk for three hours. Through participating in lit circles I was able to learn even more about the texts I read because when we all met and began to discuss the books, I found that different people had different perspective about the book, yet we all read the same book. It was like we had our own little book club in which we agreed on certain things and disagreed on other and happily agreed to disagree on some things too. My past experiences are probably some what responsible for how I intrepreted some parts of the book, or are responsbile for how I related to some parts more than others. And through discussing and sharing our roles, we were able to learn more as a whole group. Things were brought up that I hadn't paid attention to or thought much of. Essentially, it allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the text I read. Perspeolis' discussion even evolved into the whole censorship issue about what young children should know and what they should not know- and what to tell them when they ask a question and you know the answer- but don't think it is appropriate but you don't want to lie about it. And in the end, we didn't agree but that was okay because we left stronger as we were challenged to defend our beliefs. So I definitely loved doing the literature circles. I had not done them before either so it was a whole new learning experienece, as most of the class was!
Literature circles are totally applicable in my content area- being a Literacy Specialist I will totally use them for many of the reasons listed above. They make the reading so much more meaningful and they force you to look at the text differently and more critically allowing you to develop a deeper understanding. Based on whatever grade I teach, I would obviously change it to fit the needs of my students. I wish I would have done it student teaching because I think the students would have really enjoyed it. I also like how there are different roles becaues they appeal to the different literacies of students. Artful Artist? Brillant for the student who loves art- instantly getting them engaged and giving them a PURPOSE!!
I could use literature circles or the assignment of different roles in science, history, math and english, and even in foreign languages. In history students could be historians, investigators, reporters, etc as they investigate historical events. Same for science as students perform experiments or solve math problems in math. You could totally have an artful artist in Math- it would be totally cool! There is so much that could be done with literature roles and literature circles in the elementary classroom! Yeah!
I loved Step from Heaven too! And I also recommended that to many other people I know because it was a moving book.
From participating in literature circles I learned a lot. I liked that this class was more of small group discussions because it made it more meaningful for me. I really do not like to be in classes that are designed in lecture style- it is so hard to sit and listen to someone talk for three hours. Through participating in lit circles I was able to learn even more about the texts I read because when we all met and began to discuss the books, I found that different people had different perspective about the book, yet we all read the same book. It was like we had our own little book club in which we agreed on certain things and disagreed on other and happily agreed to disagree on some things too. My past experiences are probably some what responsible for how I intrepreted some parts of the book, or are responsbile for how I related to some parts more than others. And through discussing and sharing our roles, we were able to learn more as a whole group. Things were brought up that I hadn't paid attention to or thought much of. Essentially, it allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the text I read. Perspeolis' discussion even evolved into the whole censorship issue about what young children should know and what they should not know- and what to tell them when they ask a question and you know the answer- but don't think it is appropriate but you don't want to lie about it. And in the end, we didn't agree but that was okay because we left stronger as we were challenged to defend our beliefs. So I definitely loved doing the literature circles. I had not done them before either so it was a whole new learning experienece, as most of the class was!
Literature circles are totally applicable in my content area- being a Literacy Specialist I will totally use them for many of the reasons listed above. They make the reading so much more meaningful and they force you to look at the text differently and more critically allowing you to develop a deeper understanding. Based on whatever grade I teach, I would obviously change it to fit the needs of my students. I wish I would have done it student teaching because I think the students would have really enjoyed it. I also like how there are different roles becaues they appeal to the different literacies of students. Artful Artist? Brillant for the student who loves art- instantly getting them engaged and giving them a PURPOSE!!
I could use literature circles or the assignment of different roles in science, history, math and english, and even in foreign languages. In history students could be historians, investigators, reporters, etc as they investigate historical events. Same for science as students perform experiments or solve math problems in math. You could totally have an artful artist in Math- it would be totally cool! There is so much that could be done with literature roles and literature circles in the elementary classroom! Yeah!
RRC's
The most challenging part of doing the RRC's was the fact that they required me to break out of my schooling mold. I was so used to writing the traditional summary that it was hard to not write a traditional summary of an article. It still is a challenge and that is why I am doing my final reflective essay as a blog. I think that by using a blog it will prevent me from falling back into the traditional summary style final paper. A blog, to me, was more of a way of having a conversation and telling what I have learned and what I will take with me. I chose a blog because writing papers can be really intimidating. I become obsessive with the way my writing sounds and that becomes a huge distractant which prevents me from getting critical and reflective. For one of my RRC's I did a blog, for the other I made a puzzle and for the another I made a Zine. None of them were really that easy because when I first made my blog about supporting the troops it took forever because I had not idead what I was doing. I was frustrated and so badly just would have rahter done something else. It was annoying as I struggled to work with technology and a different kind of text. But by the end of it, I was having so much fun and I wanted to add more but I ran out of time. I was like wow this is really cool I can use pictures, movies, practically anything to get my point across. I was so excited that I even showed my dad when he came home for lunch and the next day the young boy I watch wanted to make a superhero blog so we did together because he is Batman. I even showed people in the armed forces in Afghanistan my blogs and they were happy to see something positive about the war- so I actually used the blog I created for this class, outside of class! It was applicable to the real-world!
I totally see blogs as being something that students would be interested in making and using in the classroom. I would totally use blogs to help me teach as well. Now, they are pretty easy to do and I'm sure I will get better at it as I make more. I think that having students create a blog on a specific topic would also be a valuable means of assessment and a way for them to bring their out-of-school literacies and cultures into the classroom. What young child would not love creating a blog all about dancing if dancing is what they love to do? Like I said, the 4 year old boy I watch wanted to make a blog all about Superheros and he took control of the situation and he is 4!
The zines were really useful too, but they were difficult to make in the beginning. I was like what is she talking about, why are we doing this, it is so stupid. But I quickly learned it was just an alternative way of showing what you know or what you have learned and an alternative way of expressing yourself. My zine was kind of bad and if I had to do it over I know how I could make it better. I would design it differently and use words. I was afraid to go too crazy because I did not want to offend anyone so I played it safe by just using images. When I looked at the comments people wrote upon completion of the gallery walk, I noticed that some people were unclear as to what I was trying to say, so I think words may have been more useful. I would use zines in the classroom and I am glad that we have that compliation of everyone's zines to use a models or examples for students. Examples always help clarify what it is you are trying to have them do. I do not see why you wouldn't use zines in the classroom. They have a purpose and they are meaningful so why not?
The two most difficult RRC's were creating the blog and the zine. They were difficult because I had never done either one before. I was at the frustrational level in trying to complete each assignment, but it was a healthy frustration, a learning frustration. I am glad that I went through with the assignments and completed them because I learned a lot. It definitely took a lot of pushing to get through it but in the end, it was well worth it because now I have a better understanding of two more tools I can use in the classroom.
Creating the multimdal response was probably the easiest just because I typically plan lessons using different modes, I just didn't know they were called "different modes" before. Creating an artifcat that was multimodal was by far the easiest assignment for the whole class.
If I were to write an RRC assignment I would ask my students to make zines and blogs but I would also have them make like a imovie or something of that nature. I orginally wanted to make a "True Life" episode called "True Life: Class with Dr. T" and document my experiences for my final reflective essay,like they do on True Life but I don't have a video camera and I have no idea how to edit and make things into a cohesive video (but I would have forced myself to learn for as assignment). My students made a video during student teaching and they absolutely loved it. The kids, even though they were in 5th grade, loved using the video camera to record and they knew how to edit things and make a somewhat professional looking video. It was so awesome and EVERY student was involved and wanted to be involved. I would have loved to have made our own Salem Witch Trials video where we acted out the Tituba part with Betty and Abigail! I definitely see myself having my students make a lot of videos when I have my own classroom. We could pretend we are experts and make "educational videos" to teach others. I had a teacher in undergrad who was all into technology and her husband was a teacher at a Montessori school and his students always made videos- like they actually wrote the scripts and designed the stage and video taped each other, and he got tons of grants and had digital cameras donated. He came in and showed us the videos his K students had made and they were awesome. Then he used to sell the videos to parts as a way of raising money for the class and he actually raised a lot of money because every parent wants a video with their child on it. So I would definitely make an RRC assignment of making a movie or some sort.
I totally see blogs as being something that students would be interested in making and using in the classroom. I would totally use blogs to help me teach as well. Now, they are pretty easy to do and I'm sure I will get better at it as I make more. I think that having students create a blog on a specific topic would also be a valuable means of assessment and a way for them to bring their out-of-school literacies and cultures into the classroom. What young child would not love creating a blog all about dancing if dancing is what they love to do? Like I said, the 4 year old boy I watch wanted to make a blog all about Superheros and he took control of the situation and he is 4!
The zines were really useful too, but they were difficult to make in the beginning. I was like what is she talking about, why are we doing this, it is so stupid. But I quickly learned it was just an alternative way of showing what you know or what you have learned and an alternative way of expressing yourself. My zine was kind of bad and if I had to do it over I know how I could make it better. I would design it differently and use words. I was afraid to go too crazy because I did not want to offend anyone so I played it safe by just using images. When I looked at the comments people wrote upon completion of the gallery walk, I noticed that some people were unclear as to what I was trying to say, so I think words may have been more useful. I would use zines in the classroom and I am glad that we have that compliation of everyone's zines to use a models or examples for students. Examples always help clarify what it is you are trying to have them do. I do not see why you wouldn't use zines in the classroom. They have a purpose and they are meaningful so why not?
The two most difficult RRC's were creating the blog and the zine. They were difficult because I had never done either one before. I was at the frustrational level in trying to complete each assignment, but it was a healthy frustration, a learning frustration. I am glad that I went through with the assignments and completed them because I learned a lot. It definitely took a lot of pushing to get through it but in the end, it was well worth it because now I have a better understanding of two more tools I can use in the classroom.
Creating the multimdal response was probably the easiest just because I typically plan lessons using different modes, I just didn't know they were called "different modes" before. Creating an artifcat that was multimodal was by far the easiest assignment for the whole class.
If I were to write an RRC assignment I would ask my students to make zines and blogs but I would also have them make like a imovie or something of that nature. I orginally wanted to make a "True Life" episode called "True Life: Class with Dr. T" and document my experiences for my final reflective essay,like they do on True Life but I don't have a video camera and I have no idea how to edit and make things into a cohesive video (but I would have forced myself to learn for as assignment). My students made a video during student teaching and they absolutely loved it. The kids, even though they were in 5th grade, loved using the video camera to record and they knew how to edit things and make a somewhat professional looking video. It was so awesome and EVERY student was involved and wanted to be involved. I would have loved to have made our own Salem Witch Trials video where we acted out the Tituba part with Betty and Abigail! I definitely see myself having my students make a lot of videos when I have my own classroom. We could pretend we are experts and make "educational videos" to teach others. I had a teacher in undergrad who was all into technology and her husband was a teacher at a Montessori school and his students always made videos- like they actually wrote the scripts and designed the stage and video taped each other, and he got tons of grants and had digital cameras donated. He came in and showed us the videos his K students had made and they were awesome. Then he used to sell the videos to parts as a way of raising money for the class and he actually raised a lot of money because every parent wants a video with their child on it. So I would definitely make an RRC assignment of making a movie or some sort.
ELL students
Some concerns I have for dealing with ELL
Honestly, I do not really have that many concerns. The primary concern is not scaring them or making them afraid to come to school. I also fear communication and the language barrier. Luckily for me, working with ELL is actually my favorite and I have always naturally gravitated towards them. I have learned that a smile goes a long way. I experienced first hand the language barrier when I spent a couple of weeks teaching in Panama. The children there knew no English and my Spanish isn't exactly the best. But that experience really taught me a lot because I was placed in a situation where I had to directly deal with it.
In the classroom, I foresee a problem with time and the problem of one on one time. As much as you want to work with them one on one, it is extremely difficult when you are responsible for twenty or twenty five other students. So probably, balancing time and being fair to everyone. Furthermore, being able to connect to the ELL's outside of school literacies and their cultural identities and giving them the opportunity to share their cultural identities with others in the class.
I do not have a classroom yet and I probably will not have one in the next year or two but I would plan on making things meaningful for them the same I would do it for non ELL's. I would try to integrate whatever it is they are interested in, in the classroom. I would also give them opportunities to share things about who they are and where they came from with the class so that students could understand them better. I could pair them up with others in the class to ease the learning process and make it more bearable. And always keep communication open so that they know that can come to you if they ever need anything. I would teach them using multimodality so that they could hopefully make some meaning from the different modes and learn something, and always model what it is I want them to do. During the Japanese lesson in class, I had no idea what it is you were talking about but pictures were used, body movement was used, number images, etc and you even modeled what you wanted to do and because of that I was able to do it. I will always keep the Japanese lesson in the back of my head when teaching ELL's as a gentle reminder of how difficult it is and can be for them. Trying to empathize with them and put yourself in their position. I onced as an ESL teacher what his teaching philosphy was and he responded with "empathy." He said that was really all you needed and once you have empathy towards those students, you can really feel what they are going through and that feeling will guide you in your instruction. You have to take into consideration who they are, recognize it, accept it and embrace it.
Honestly, I do not really have that many concerns. The primary concern is not scaring them or making them afraid to come to school. I also fear communication and the language barrier. Luckily for me, working with ELL is actually my favorite and I have always naturally gravitated towards them. I have learned that a smile goes a long way. I experienced first hand the language barrier when I spent a couple of weeks teaching in Panama. The children there knew no English and my Spanish isn't exactly the best. But that experience really taught me a lot because I was placed in a situation where I had to directly deal with it.
In the classroom, I foresee a problem with time and the problem of one on one time. As much as you want to work with them one on one, it is extremely difficult when you are responsible for twenty or twenty five other students. So probably, balancing time and being fair to everyone. Furthermore, being able to connect to the ELL's outside of school literacies and their cultural identities and giving them the opportunity to share their cultural identities with others in the class.
I do not have a classroom yet and I probably will not have one in the next year or two but I would plan on making things meaningful for them the same I would do it for non ELL's. I would try to integrate whatever it is they are interested in, in the classroom. I would also give them opportunities to share things about who they are and where they came from with the class so that students could understand them better. I could pair them up with others in the class to ease the learning process and make it more bearable. And always keep communication open so that they know that can come to you if they ever need anything. I would teach them using multimodality so that they could hopefully make some meaning from the different modes and learn something, and always model what it is I want them to do. During the Japanese lesson in class, I had no idea what it is you were talking about but pictures were used, body movement was used, number images, etc and you even modeled what you wanted to do and because of that I was able to do it. I will always keep the Japanese lesson in the back of my head when teaching ELL's as a gentle reminder of how difficult it is and can be for them. Trying to empathize with them and put yourself in their position. I onced as an ESL teacher what his teaching philosphy was and he responded with "empathy." He said that was really all you needed and once you have empathy towards those students, you can really feel what they are going through and that feeling will guide you in your instruction. You have to take into consideration who they are, recognize it, accept it and embrace it.
Group Final Project
Let me just say that in all honesty, working with the group I worked with was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I seriously loved it and it was honestly the best experience had working with a group. Up until this point in my life I have always somewhat hated working in groups because it has never been a group effort in the past groups I have worked in. It is always divide and conquer and meet up in a week- people want to be individual and take credit for everything they do- it has been very hard to truly experience the "group work" mentality and effort. But this time it was so different and I really loved working with everyone in my group. Obviously I have known Maria forever but I didn't know Peter, Mike, Emily or Lindsey prior to working as a group with them. At times it was difficult because someone would get a really great idea and before going forward with it we had to stop and think if it could be applied to all of the content areas involved. For my particular group we had math, social studies, library science, and three literacy specialits with backgrounds in special educatin and elementary education. Being an elementary education major, I have always been forced to look at topics from multiple perspectives because I did not pick a specific discipline, I was liberal arts so I picked three disciplines- math, social studies, and english for my undergrad. And I think naturally, elementary school teachers have to look at things from many different perspectives because they are typically the ones running the classroom and are responsbile for teaching all subject/content areas. Regardless, it was still a learning experience that "pushed" me.
Through working in my group I had to learn how to trust people. Typically in a group I would offer to do the majority of the work because I know I would do it and I would do it well. I had a hard time counting on other people because I would always invision something differently than others and I typically like to do things my way. From working with my group, I learned that you can acutally learn a lot and come up with really great ideas together, and that you can trust people to do their parts and they too will do it well. Of course we had little arguments a long the way in terms of the script and what to add and what to take out, but we were able to come together in attempts of making it the best it could be. We were fortunate enough to have really awesome people in our group, all of whom could be trusted to do good jobs. I learned that it is okay if I'm not in control 100 percent of the time and others have just as valid ideas. I know I would have never come up with the whole lesson my own and that's the beauty of working in a group- you develop amazing lessons. We had a lot of strong minded people in our group so that was a challenge at times because we all brought really great ideas to the table and it was hard to pick and choose which ones to use for the lesson we taught. I wish we had more time to teach, because I grew really connected to my lesson and actually would like to teach it in a real classroom to real high school/middle school ages students. I think that we had a hugh "so what" and that our lesson was so relevant to students today because we touched upong many issues they have dealt with or are dealing with. Intolerance is universal and relevant to the present, past and future. Althought it did take quite a while to agree on this issue and firstly it was more or less the topic of Salem Witch Trials but then we had to think about how that would be relevant to today or tie in to what adolescents are experiencing. Which lead us to the whole issue of intolerance/tolerance. So it acutally worked out quite well. Originally the group was divided between Native Americans and Holocaust and even the Great Depression. I was a bit reluctant to comply early on because like 4 out of the 5 members had agreed to do Native Americans until one spoke up and said she really wasn't in favor and we reevaluated and come up with issues of intolerance after we took a vote. In the end, we were all really excited because it was something that none of us were really familiar with so it was new and interesting. At times, it required a little more research and extra reading to get a deeper understanding of what exactly happened during that time period but it was well worth it because I learned a lot in the whole process and I think it is safe to say that all of the members in the group leanred a lot about each other, themselves and the content presented throughout our lesson. I was more than pleased with the final product. By starting with the history and relating it to today and discussing the various "witch hunts" over time, locally and globally, it really sends a powerdul message as to why intolerance is still present. Why is it? History is constantly repeating itself and we all have the power to change it and yet we don't. Are we funding intolerance or supporting institutions like the government or church that, when looked at with a critical lens, in fact are to some degree involved with intolerant acts? It is striking to think of such a thing. I think all semester we were learning about intolerance as well as evidenced in the viewing of the Hoover Elementary video and even the intolerance on behalf of schools and classroom teachers towards students' home litercies, popular culture, and cultural identities. Sadly even one has probably been intolerant of another person at some point in their lives, I know I am guilty of it. But through crafting that lesson and researching the statistics, it really hit close to home and I actually think (as pathetic as this sounds) that I have learned how to be more tolerant of others. Through making a blog and watching youtube videos from homosexuals points of view, I have seen the issue from their perspective and it makes you look at the situation completely different and I've learned to be more tolerant from doing this project.
If I could change one thing about the final product, if I could change anything, I would make it so that it never ended! I am really going to miss my group members and I am going to miss coming to class because I really had so much fun learning about everything I learned about. Time is always an issue and we unfortunately ran short on time and took a little longer than anticipated to get through the lesson so Mike and Emily were not alloted appropriate time to do what they would have liked to have done. I would change it so that they would have done their parts beacuse they had really powerful activities that really tied the issues of intolerance to present day. Emily's part was done in a sense because every one did break up into small groups and have a discussin about a zine. So at least in small groups we were able to get down to the nitty and gritty of some issues we currently are dealing with.
I am not so much sure if it taught me how to think differently in terms of my content area but it taught me how to work with others to make things better. So I guess that in turn that makes me look at my content differently because I realize that I may not know the best ways to teach things but throught consulting and working with others I can learn.
This was the first time I actually was planning out how to use multimodality throughout the lesson. I have used different modes before but never really thought about it. When planning this lesson we kept going back and asking ourselves the different modes we were using and making sure that we were presenting the information in a variety of ways and that all the modes were working together in a cohesive manner. We delibertly planned out using blogs, websites, books, scripts, movies, youtube videos, zines, newspaper articles, graphics, surveys, political cartoons, pictures, visual images, quotes, etc. I will definitely take the whole idea of multimodality with me in the classroom and I have learned to look at my content area differently because of multimodality.
If I were to teach this lesson inside of my own classroom, I wouldn't change too much except for modifying the information so that it is more appropriate to students and their age/ development. I would probably focus more on respecting everyone and embracing differences and teach them to tolerate others so that intolerance could perhaps fade in the future.
Through working in my group I had to learn how to trust people. Typically in a group I would offer to do the majority of the work because I know I would do it and I would do it well. I had a hard time counting on other people because I would always invision something differently than others and I typically like to do things my way. From working with my group, I learned that you can acutally learn a lot and come up with really great ideas together, and that you can trust people to do their parts and they too will do it well. Of course we had little arguments a long the way in terms of the script and what to add and what to take out, but we were able to come together in attempts of making it the best it could be. We were fortunate enough to have really awesome people in our group, all of whom could be trusted to do good jobs. I learned that it is okay if I'm not in control 100 percent of the time and others have just as valid ideas. I know I would have never come up with the whole lesson my own and that's the beauty of working in a group- you develop amazing lessons. We had a lot of strong minded people in our group so that was a challenge at times because we all brought really great ideas to the table and it was hard to pick and choose which ones to use for the lesson we taught. I wish we had more time to teach, because I grew really connected to my lesson and actually would like to teach it in a real classroom to real high school/middle school ages students. I think that we had a hugh "so what" and that our lesson was so relevant to students today because we touched upong many issues they have dealt with or are dealing with. Intolerance is universal and relevant to the present, past and future. Althought it did take quite a while to agree on this issue and firstly it was more or less the topic of Salem Witch Trials but then we had to think about how that would be relevant to today or tie in to what adolescents are experiencing. Which lead us to the whole issue of intolerance/tolerance. So it acutally worked out quite well. Originally the group was divided between Native Americans and Holocaust and even the Great Depression. I was a bit reluctant to comply early on because like 4 out of the 5 members had agreed to do Native Americans until one spoke up and said she really wasn't in favor and we reevaluated and come up with issues of intolerance after we took a vote. In the end, we were all really excited because it was something that none of us were really familiar with so it was new and interesting. At times, it required a little more research and extra reading to get a deeper understanding of what exactly happened during that time period but it was well worth it because I learned a lot in the whole process and I think it is safe to say that all of the members in the group leanred a lot about each other, themselves and the content presented throughout our lesson. I was more than pleased with the final product. By starting with the history and relating it to today and discussing the various "witch hunts" over time, locally and globally, it really sends a powerdul message as to why intolerance is still present. Why is it? History is constantly repeating itself and we all have the power to change it and yet we don't. Are we funding intolerance or supporting institutions like the government or church that, when looked at with a critical lens, in fact are to some degree involved with intolerant acts? It is striking to think of such a thing. I think all semester we were learning about intolerance as well as evidenced in the viewing of the Hoover Elementary video and even the intolerance on behalf of schools and classroom teachers towards students' home litercies, popular culture, and cultural identities. Sadly even one has probably been intolerant of another person at some point in their lives, I know I am guilty of it. But through crafting that lesson and researching the statistics, it really hit close to home and I actually think (as pathetic as this sounds) that I have learned how to be more tolerant of others. Through making a blog and watching youtube videos from homosexuals points of view, I have seen the issue from their perspective and it makes you look at the situation completely different and I've learned to be more tolerant from doing this project.
If I could change one thing about the final product, if I could change anything, I would make it so that it never ended! I am really going to miss my group members and I am going to miss coming to class because I really had so much fun learning about everything I learned about. Time is always an issue and we unfortunately ran short on time and took a little longer than anticipated to get through the lesson so Mike and Emily were not alloted appropriate time to do what they would have liked to have done. I would change it so that they would have done their parts beacuse they had really powerful activities that really tied the issues of intolerance to present day. Emily's part was done in a sense because every one did break up into small groups and have a discussin about a zine. So at least in small groups we were able to get down to the nitty and gritty of some issues we currently are dealing with.
I am not so much sure if it taught me how to think differently in terms of my content area but it taught me how to work with others to make things better. So I guess that in turn that makes me look at my content differently because I realize that I may not know the best ways to teach things but throught consulting and working with others I can learn.
This was the first time I actually was planning out how to use multimodality throughout the lesson. I have used different modes before but never really thought about it. When planning this lesson we kept going back and asking ourselves the different modes we were using and making sure that we were presenting the information in a variety of ways and that all the modes were working together in a cohesive manner. We delibertly planned out using blogs, websites, books, scripts, movies, youtube videos, zines, newspaper articles, graphics, surveys, political cartoons, pictures, visual images, quotes, etc. I will definitely take the whole idea of multimodality with me in the classroom and I have learned to look at my content area differently because of multimodality.
If I were to teach this lesson inside of my own classroom, I wouldn't change too much except for modifying the information so that it is more appropriate to students and their age/ development. I would probably focus more on respecting everyone and embracing differences and teach them to tolerate others so that intolerance could perhaps fade in the future.
Reading and Writing socially situated
According to Gee (1991), reading and writing are socially situated activities. Gee has made it a point over the semester along with Deplit, to explicitly teach about discourses which generally represent students and their home lives, and any other popular culture/ cultural identity then actively participate in. America is becoming increasingly diverse and with that being said, it is no surprise that classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse as well. So what does that mean for a teacher and how does that effect me? Well, in order to get the students on the same level and in order to keep the playing field level, it is important to take into account where the students are coming from. Part of taking into account where they are coming from- their "primary discourse" is recognizing their language and their home literacy. Their home literacy simply being the way in which they naturally interact with each other and use different modes to do so. Language is a very powerful thing- it has the power to unite a classroom which also means it unfortunately has the uncanny ability to destroy a classroom. Language is not static; it is always changing and evolving. Language is an identity- I use it differently based on the cultures I am involved in, and most do. I use language differently when texting my friends than I do when emailing professors or when talking with my parents. This then leads me to believe that language can very well be a barrier and incredibly exclusive or indeed inclusive.
In order to assist all students to take on the identity needed to succeed in my content area, I would scaffold them enough so that they know that school has a specific requirement for language. That is not exactly what I want to say but that is frankly the only way I can put it right now. What I mean is that there is a mainstream in school and there are things that are typically looked for that signal a successful student or a student that demonstrates a lot of strength and is likely to be called the "model" student. You may have students that use slang or speak in dialects that are not typically acceptable on standardized tests. To make it fair for everyone, I would have to teach students how to "code switch." Meaning how to use what language is acceptable in school when and how and teach them when it is appropriate to use other language (Gee & Crawford, 1998). They are who they are and it is important to embrace that in the classroom- actually you need to do that- you must recognize and accept their primary discourses what ever they are (Delpit, 1995). But it then also becomes my responsibility to teach students the language they have to use that will help them be more successful in school. As of now, text your friends "k" but it probably is not acceptable on a state test, I am sure they would rather you write "okay." This may be more difficult for some than others because some students may already be a part of the sought after "mainstream" and others not so much. Some problems with this that I can foresee are breaking a student's heart when I have to kindly explain to them that their primary discourse may not be what schools want their students to be like. No Ivy league college wants the top in their class giving speeches that exhibit slang because slang is not generally associated with prestige or success. "What" is likely to be spelled "wat" and that is not correct according to the Traditional School of Grammar. But language and the way students use it, is their identity.
This presents itself as a challenge in terms of relating my content to students' lives. However, by recognizing students' primary discourses and accepting that in the classroom, you are making it relevant to students' lives. By incorporating their pop culture and their out of school literacies content will automatically become meaningful and relevant to their lives (Hinchman et al, 2004).
In order to assist all students to take on the identity needed to succeed in my content area, I would scaffold them enough so that they know that school has a specific requirement for language. That is not exactly what I want to say but that is frankly the only way I can put it right now. What I mean is that there is a mainstream in school and there are things that are typically looked for that signal a successful student or a student that demonstrates a lot of strength and is likely to be called the "model" student. You may have students that use slang or speak in dialects that are not typically acceptable on standardized tests. To make it fair for everyone, I would have to teach students how to "code switch." Meaning how to use what language is acceptable in school when and how and teach them when it is appropriate to use other language (Gee & Crawford, 1998). They are who they are and it is important to embrace that in the classroom- actually you need to do that- you must recognize and accept their primary discourses what ever they are (Delpit, 1995). But it then also becomes my responsibility to teach students the language they have to use that will help them be more successful in school. As of now, text your friends "k" but it probably is not acceptable on a state test, I am sure they would rather you write "okay." This may be more difficult for some than others because some students may already be a part of the sought after "mainstream" and others not so much. Some problems with this that I can foresee are breaking a student's heart when I have to kindly explain to them that their primary discourse may not be what schools want their students to be like. No Ivy league college wants the top in their class giving speeches that exhibit slang because slang is not generally associated with prestige or success. "What" is likely to be spelled "wat" and that is not correct according to the Traditional School of Grammar. But language and the way students use it, is their identity.
This presents itself as a challenge in terms of relating my content to students' lives. However, by recognizing students' primary discourses and accepting that in the classroom, you are making it relevant to students' lives. By incorporating their pop culture and their out of school literacies content will automatically become meaningful and relevant to their lives (Hinchman et al, 2004).
Monday, April 27, 2009
Pop culture
For my RRC I focused on the War in Iraq and some of the positive that has happened. Often the media portrays things negatively because negative news draws more people in and produces better ratings, making more money, and money is power. Misery likes company. Even though I specifically deal with younger kids, I still think it is important to gently bring up the War because it effects everyone. I realize they may not understand everything, and they should not have to, but it is more about respecting the people who have served and who are serving overseas. Pro-war or anti-war, the troops deserve respect and support. More importantly, there is a group of people who choose to idenitify themselves with the armed forced. Those people have formed a cultural identity based upon their devotion to specific literacies, this particular literacy being that of the armed forces. Within this group are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and other family members and friends who know someone who is serving our country. Because they are part of an established cultural identity, they share some of the same ideas and beliefs and even perhaps have their own lingo or language that they use when in each others company. This cultural identity, or a discourse, then becomes part of their identity kit (Gee, 1991 & Mahar 2003). This concept can be applied universally. Schools are often a breeding groud for cultural identities and in fact they could be multiple cultural identities within one particular classroom. In 2003, Mahar wrote an article that dealth specifically this and she spoke about her experiences trying to become apart of her students' outside-of-school literacy and in order to do this she devoted a significant amount of time involving herself with her students' popular culture and in the end understood some more of her students' cultural identities. What I like about Mahar, is that she took a risk with her students and she attempted to bridge that gap too often seen in the classrooms. Throughout her involvement she also learned a lot about her students too. She particularly notes, "these out-of-school literacy practices opened my eyes to a world full of rich and complex communication strategies that far surpassed the linear expectations of print text often presented in the classroom" (Mahar, 2003). This article and that quote stuck with me because it serves as a reminder to make that jump in connecting with students. Once you show them that you are interested in what they are doing, they are so eager to share and they feel respected and cared about. And isn't that the main ingredient in a successful learning community? Having your students feeling respected and cared about? Well then doesn't it make sense to at times when appropriate, bring yourself to their level, ask questions and try to engross yourself in their cultural identities. Once that happens, you are able to then discover that in fact these pop cultural interests are educational. Pop culture is in fact what drives students' personal reading and writing. It is how to get them engaged and active in the learning process. By talking the time to learn their identities or associate with them (because you will probably never have as deep of an understanding as they do, since typically they are very passionate) you can better relate to your students. You can understand the language they bring with them to the classroom and make sense of the references and artifacts students bring into the classroom. You will understand the vocabulary they use, the character traits they discuss, the plots they obsess about and the sequence of events they long to change. And these out-of-school literacies actually encourage student to utilize multiple literacy practices in their pursuit of pleasure! Students were acutally able to take school-based strategies and retool them to fit out-of-school needs instead of seperating in-school and out-of-school literacy (Mahar, 2003). But it is not as easy as just associating yourself with your students cultural indentities, it is about taking it all in and applying it to the classroom and teaching them how to apply those skills and strategies they have learned through their popular culture involvement towards learning in the classroom and showing them the bridge that exists between the two. Mahar recalls, "they reminded me that if we choose not to examine the social and political uses of popular culture and not bring the serious analysis of its form into the classroom, these expressions of group identity may simply go underground, leading to the disassociation of that which figures most predominently in the the everyday lives of our students" (2003). The last thing we need is for students to become even more disassociated with school. And if all we have to do is examine the social and political uses of their pop culture and intertwine it into the classroom to get them engaged and active, then why isn't it being done? If we have been warned of the potential disengagment, why haven't more measures been taken?
Conclusion- yes I will integrate pop culture in my classroom and it will play a very pertinent role for the reasons mentioned above. If pop culture is a way to get children involved then why not use it? Furthermore, pop culture could be used to teach all of the aspect of my content. As I mentioned earlier on my blog, if something like Pokemon could be used to teach math and science (in addition to browsing skills, creative writing, strategy, problem solving, etc) than of course I would use it as an aide in teaching math and science (Vasquez, 2003). One time my students in undergrad choose to record their own news station as their economics unit final assessment and it worked out marvelously. It is something I showed interest in and gave them the go ahead because they so badly wanted to use the video camera and imovie to make their own news report about economics. Through their taped news report they were able to meet the standards and show that they had met all predetermined objectives for the unit in an alternative way and in a way that was far more meaningful. They had to work together, research, script what they wanted so say, record it, edit it, and create a final comprehensive piece. It was even better because students could relate their out-of-school literacies to the study of economics- for example, my animal lovers were "animal experts" and reported on how economics affects animals, my sports fanatics lead the "sports" section of the news report and tied in their love of sports to economics and related to the literacies together. So, yes, I believe there is always a way to use pop culture across my content and I know I will use it when I have my own classroom, though I am not sure what the pop culture will be at that time. Whatever it is, I am sure I will let it win me over so that my students will be more successful.
Conclusion- yes I will integrate pop culture in my classroom and it will play a very pertinent role for the reasons mentioned above. If pop culture is a way to get children involved then why not use it? Furthermore, pop culture could be used to teach all of the aspect of my content. As I mentioned earlier on my blog, if something like Pokemon could be used to teach math and science (in addition to browsing skills, creative writing, strategy, problem solving, etc) than of course I would use it as an aide in teaching math and science (Vasquez, 2003). One time my students in undergrad choose to record their own news station as their economics unit final assessment and it worked out marvelously. It is something I showed interest in and gave them the go ahead because they so badly wanted to use the video camera and imovie to make their own news report about economics. Through their taped news report they were able to meet the standards and show that they had met all predetermined objectives for the unit in an alternative way and in a way that was far more meaningful. They had to work together, research, script what they wanted so say, record it, edit it, and create a final comprehensive piece. It was even better because students could relate their out-of-school literacies to the study of economics- for example, my animal lovers were "animal experts" and reported on how economics affects animals, my sports fanatics lead the "sports" section of the news report and tied in their love of sports to economics and related to the literacies together. So, yes, I believe there is always a way to use pop culture across my content and I know I will use it when I have my own classroom, though I am not sure what the pop culture will be at that time. Whatever it is, I am sure I will let it win me over so that my students will be more successful.
Literacies involved in teaching your content area
It is not so much that I didn't think about literacies involved in teaching my content prior to taking LAI 552, it's that I wasn't taught to think about or incorporate those literacies. I don't mean to point fingers or put the blame on someone else, but I can't help but wonder why I wasn't directly exposed to this whole concept of "literacies." Obviously I have known about Pokemon, video games, poetry and other literacies that students choose to participate in outside of school, but I never thought to look at them in that way or from that perspective. Three years in undergrad, and 1/2 of that spent student teaching, I was never explcitly taught to look at students literacies critically. Video games were evil and technology was bad- as evidenced in the blockage of every single sight on school computers in the classrooms (hardly effective though as students usually knew how to get around them). Students' extra curricular activities was "just what they did outside of school" with the whole ideology of why bring it into school. This is school, school is for learning, learning is not fun, learning is passing standardized tests. I was actually told once never to say "fun" in an interview because fun does not equal learning. My student teaching supervisor seriously told me that when we met up once after she watched me teach a lesson. I agree to some degree that it's not all about fun and games- but perhaps would it be more meaningful if it was? I tend to learn a lot when I am having fun doing something I enjoy. Common Sense? I think so. People go fishing because they think it is fun. If they didn't like fishing, they probably wouldn't go fishing. If I am not interested in fishing am I going to want to go fishing? No. If I am not interested in school, am I going to want to go to school? No. Which brings me to my next point. How do you make school fun and interesting? Two words: meaningful and relevant.
Meaningful and relevant two words so commonly tossed around and over used by any up and coming teacher. Coined the buzz words that are likely to make you sound smart in an interview. I am guilty of using these words probably too much but it wasn't until this class that I really began to understand what meaningful and relevant really were. I mean of course I know what they mean but I never forced myself deeper into their definitions or asked myself what does it really mean to be relevant or meaningful? I did it! I really did it! I forced myself to look at it more critically. I'm glad I did.
"According to Pew Internet Study (2005) adolescents today are less interested in school than any previous generation." At first glance, this is no shocker. With the rate at which technology is evolving and creeping up into everything in society- even your banking can be done via your cell phone- schools simply can not afford to keep up. From my point of view, it's costly to update every technological piece of equipment and to have each and every school be fully equipped with the latest gadgets. Futhermore, it is probably increasingly difficult to train and retrain the educators in a school district so that they are familiar with and comfrotable with using technology so much so that they can teach it to others, likely their students. The truth of the matter is that younger students are better able and better prepared to use technology than many of the adults. The only problem here is that some teacher are not too fond of their students teaching them and feel threatened when their students know more about something than they do (this is true, not all the time, but more often than not). When teachers feel that threat and therefore no longer feel in control- they begin to view technology as being evil. They claim it is corrupting the minds of young children and the reason for so many behavioral problems as students can no longer focus becuase their brains are so used to the instant stimulation brought about by video games and their flashing colors, rapid movements, and noise. The problem snowballs when the students catch on, are upset because they can not watch the latest podcast online or skype their friends while sitting across from them in the classroom. Cell phones have been confiscated too and mom refuses to pick it up until next week as punishment for not behaving in school. The end result? Students grabble with the computer, figure out away to get around the blocks and perhaps even tamper with a few files- essentially deeping the hurt on behalf of the teacher and racking up some more after school hours spent in detention.
Classic scenario. The solution- critical literacy and the teaching of critical literacy skills. How so? With popular culture and other student literacies.
How will I critically engage students inside of my classroom?
I plan to engage my students and get them interested in school, not so much school but interested in learning. I plan to do this by making any and all activities relevant and meaningful. This is done by taking into account student interests (Schultz & Hall, 2002). Some hypothetical situations consist of using Pokemon to teach math and science. How so? By teaching adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing through using Pokemon character powers. Teaching science by relating Pokemon cards to the same ideas in science- water and electricity do not mix. Having struggling writers rewrite Pokemon cards and recreate the characters. Teaching browsing skills and researching skills through the use of Pokemon, strategy, problem solving, the list can go on and on. It is about using the students' interest to guide your instruction because if it is something they are already interested it, it is something they are going to gravitate towards. I think it was mentioned in class that students, in a study I believe to be conducted by Gee, were not able to name the 26 letters of the alphabet but could accurately recall Pokemon characters. What does this prove? This proves that when students are interested and when it is something they can relate to, they are more likely to learn it. Honestly, what relevance do letters out of context have to a three year old in Pre-school? And you honestly wonder why it takes the whole year to teach 26 letters?
The saddest part/ the most frustrating part is when you tell people this and they look at you like you are crazy. It is almost like some teachers want their students to fail. Make it meaningful? No way. Use Pokemon? I don't have time for that. I think some just don't want to believe there is a solution other than medication or special ed diagnosis.
It really is all about making it meaningful and by making it meaningful and relevant to students you are able to bridge that gap between "out-of-school" and "in-school" literacy because it gives the students a sense of purpose and validates school in their eyes and lets them know that you care about their interests and what they do out of school. That is my responsibility. As a teacher that is what I owe my students. Teaching is about teaching not torturing. Showing students how to look at things and relate it back to their lives and daily interests.
I would say I have to agree with the Pew findings. I do not think it is necessarily a competition with the "attention economy." I think "attention economy" just alludes to the fact that youth are presented with informatin so differently now than in the past. Practically everything is multimodal and technologically based. They are used to getting instant feedback- whether it be communicating with someone online, leaving someone a message on facebook, skying grandma 500 miles away, signing up for classes online, submitting homework online, participating in class discussions online, shopping online, watching the news online, walking their virtual dog online, paying the bills via cell phone, etc. You no longer have to ineract with people in a face to face manner. You can rent movies on the television you no longer have to drive and rent one. Believe it or not the world is rapidly changing and things are drastically different today than they were when I was younger which was only 21 years ago. That is scary. There is this "go, go, go" mentality and students are multitasking- listening to music, making a imovie, and facebooking their friend while texting their mother downstairs and ordering their new shoes online. And they do not like the shoes so they are leaving a suggestion for Nike on their website, so they have know also become co-creators. With all of this going on, it is no wonder students are not interested in school. School is apparently the last thing to change. It is still, for the most part, traditional. How many times have you walked into a classroom and witnessed rows of desks and tables? A nice classroom is considered nice because it has a tube tv..now really? Unfortunately school has not been able to keep up with the time and the changes. The scariest part of all, is that educators are preparing students for a future we know nothing about. How exactly do you teach a child skills when you do not know the skills they will need in 15 years? Suddenly it is no longer about states and capitals rather seeking out information, sifting through it and critically examining it to see what is true and what is not and then using that information (Pailliotet, et al., 2000). It is all about teaching students how to use the technology in a safe and effective way so that they can succeed later on. I mean I do not even think a computer is a technology anymore beacuse so many people have them and are born into a household that has one or more so they just assume it's a given, like I assumed a microwave and television were a given.
I think that the generations are so different. Like I said even twenty years ago things were so different. I did not have a television in my room growing up, I didn't have a cell phone until high school and an ipod until college. Now it seems like a lot of children grow up with technology that was not even necessarily in the majority when I was younger. I rarely used the computer in elementary school and hardly ever typed assignments on it until late in high school and in college. Now it seems like all classrooms have a computer or two for students to use.
This also plays into the horizontal and vertical accumulation of literacy. In my life alone, literacy has accumulated horizontally simply because I actually had a typewritter in my house growing up and I actually used to type on it. From the type writter came a huge computer then to a smaller desk top with a flat screen to a lap top with a drawing board attached and even wireless printers. I grew up using film in my camera and now it is all about memory cards on your digital camera. Can you even buy film anymore? It really is all just the changing ways of how we do things (Brandt, 1995). I had a cell phone that did not have texting in high school, then I got texting but only had 100 texts a month and no, only 4 years later I have unlimited texting, I can send pictures, check my email, download songs, pay bills, capture video, etc. I have experienced the evolution of the cell phone and camera within like ten years. This obviously affects my teaching and the role of literacies because these are the literacies that my students will have accumulated as well. It is just that there literacies will probably be completely different as their literacies may not have even been invented yet. Whatever they are, they will be important because they are what my students are going to be familiar with and what they have an interest in. As far as vertically, I think that the change in skill level is crazy. I know dad runs a successful business and has very little knowledge of how to use a computer- but he can get away with it. Now, it would never exist. If you do not have some computer skills than what use are you? No college degree? You are dampering your chances of a career in life. Are exceptions, of course, but is an advanced college degree becoming the norm? Absolutely. And that was not always the expectation.
Meaningful and relevant two words so commonly tossed around and over used by any up and coming teacher. Coined the buzz words that are likely to make you sound smart in an interview. I am guilty of using these words probably too much but it wasn't until this class that I really began to understand what meaningful and relevant really were. I mean of course I know what they mean but I never forced myself deeper into their definitions or asked myself what does it really mean to be relevant or meaningful? I did it! I really did it! I forced myself to look at it more critically. I'm glad I did.
"According to Pew Internet Study (2005) adolescents today are less interested in school than any previous generation." At first glance, this is no shocker. With the rate at which technology is evolving and creeping up into everything in society- even your banking can be done via your cell phone- schools simply can not afford to keep up. From my point of view, it's costly to update every technological piece of equipment and to have each and every school be fully equipped with the latest gadgets. Futhermore, it is probably increasingly difficult to train and retrain the educators in a school district so that they are familiar with and comfrotable with using technology so much so that they can teach it to others, likely their students. The truth of the matter is that younger students are better able and better prepared to use technology than many of the adults. The only problem here is that some teacher are not too fond of their students teaching them and feel threatened when their students know more about something than they do (this is true, not all the time, but more often than not). When teachers feel that threat and therefore no longer feel in control- they begin to view technology as being evil. They claim it is corrupting the minds of young children and the reason for so many behavioral problems as students can no longer focus becuase their brains are so used to the instant stimulation brought about by video games and their flashing colors, rapid movements, and noise. The problem snowballs when the students catch on, are upset because they can not watch the latest podcast online or skype their friends while sitting across from them in the classroom. Cell phones have been confiscated too and mom refuses to pick it up until next week as punishment for not behaving in school. The end result? Students grabble with the computer, figure out away to get around the blocks and perhaps even tamper with a few files- essentially deeping the hurt on behalf of the teacher and racking up some more after school hours spent in detention.
Classic scenario. The solution- critical literacy and the teaching of critical literacy skills. How so? With popular culture and other student literacies.
How will I critically engage students inside of my classroom?
I plan to engage my students and get them interested in school, not so much school but interested in learning. I plan to do this by making any and all activities relevant and meaningful. This is done by taking into account student interests (Schultz & Hall, 2002). Some hypothetical situations consist of using Pokemon to teach math and science. How so? By teaching adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing through using Pokemon character powers. Teaching science by relating Pokemon cards to the same ideas in science- water and electricity do not mix. Having struggling writers rewrite Pokemon cards and recreate the characters. Teaching browsing skills and researching skills through the use of Pokemon, strategy, problem solving, the list can go on and on. It is about using the students' interest to guide your instruction because if it is something they are already interested it, it is something they are going to gravitate towards. I think it was mentioned in class that students, in a study I believe to be conducted by Gee, were not able to name the 26 letters of the alphabet but could accurately recall Pokemon characters. What does this prove? This proves that when students are interested and when it is something they can relate to, they are more likely to learn it. Honestly, what relevance do letters out of context have to a three year old in Pre-school? And you honestly wonder why it takes the whole year to teach 26 letters?
The saddest part/ the most frustrating part is when you tell people this and they look at you like you are crazy. It is almost like some teachers want their students to fail. Make it meaningful? No way. Use Pokemon? I don't have time for that. I think some just don't want to believe there is a solution other than medication or special ed diagnosis.
It really is all about making it meaningful and by making it meaningful and relevant to students you are able to bridge that gap between "out-of-school" and "in-school" literacy because it gives the students a sense of purpose and validates school in their eyes and lets them know that you care about their interests and what they do out of school. That is my responsibility. As a teacher that is what I owe my students. Teaching is about teaching not torturing. Showing students how to look at things and relate it back to their lives and daily interests.
I would say I have to agree with the Pew findings. I do not think it is necessarily a competition with the "attention economy." I think "attention economy" just alludes to the fact that youth are presented with informatin so differently now than in the past. Practically everything is multimodal and technologically based. They are used to getting instant feedback- whether it be communicating with someone online, leaving someone a message on facebook, skying grandma 500 miles away, signing up for classes online, submitting homework online, participating in class discussions online, shopping online, watching the news online, walking their virtual dog online, paying the bills via cell phone, etc. You no longer have to ineract with people in a face to face manner. You can rent movies on the television you no longer have to drive and rent one. Believe it or not the world is rapidly changing and things are drastically different today than they were when I was younger which was only 21 years ago. That is scary. There is this "go, go, go" mentality and students are multitasking- listening to music, making a imovie, and facebooking their friend while texting their mother downstairs and ordering their new shoes online. And they do not like the shoes so they are leaving a suggestion for Nike on their website, so they have know also become co-creators. With all of this going on, it is no wonder students are not interested in school. School is apparently the last thing to change. It is still, for the most part, traditional. How many times have you walked into a classroom and witnessed rows of desks and tables? A nice classroom is considered nice because it has a tube tv..now really? Unfortunately school has not been able to keep up with the time and the changes. The scariest part of all, is that educators are preparing students for a future we know nothing about. How exactly do you teach a child skills when you do not know the skills they will need in 15 years? Suddenly it is no longer about states and capitals rather seeking out information, sifting through it and critically examining it to see what is true and what is not and then using that information (Pailliotet, et al., 2000). It is all about teaching students how to use the technology in a safe and effective way so that they can succeed later on. I mean I do not even think a computer is a technology anymore beacuse so many people have them and are born into a household that has one or more so they just assume it's a given, like I assumed a microwave and television were a given.
I think that the generations are so different. Like I said even twenty years ago things were so different. I did not have a television in my room growing up, I didn't have a cell phone until high school and an ipod until college. Now it seems like a lot of children grow up with technology that was not even necessarily in the majority when I was younger. I rarely used the computer in elementary school and hardly ever typed assignments on it until late in high school and in college. Now it seems like all classrooms have a computer or two for students to use.
This also plays into the horizontal and vertical accumulation of literacy. In my life alone, literacy has accumulated horizontally simply because I actually had a typewritter in my house growing up and I actually used to type on it. From the type writter came a huge computer then to a smaller desk top with a flat screen to a lap top with a drawing board attached and even wireless printers. I grew up using film in my camera and now it is all about memory cards on your digital camera. Can you even buy film anymore? It really is all just the changing ways of how we do things (Brandt, 1995). I had a cell phone that did not have texting in high school, then I got texting but only had 100 texts a month and no, only 4 years later I have unlimited texting, I can send pictures, check my email, download songs, pay bills, capture video, etc. I have experienced the evolution of the cell phone and camera within like ten years. This obviously affects my teaching and the role of literacies because these are the literacies that my students will have accumulated as well. It is just that there literacies will probably be completely different as their literacies may not have even been invented yet. Whatever they are, they will be important because they are what my students are going to be familiar with and what they have an interest in. As far as vertically, I think that the change in skill level is crazy. I know dad runs a successful business and has very little knowledge of how to use a computer- but he can get away with it. Now, it would never exist. If you do not have some computer skills than what use are you? No college degree? You are dampering your chances of a career in life. Are exceptions, of course, but is an advanced college degree becoming the norm? Absolutely. And that was not always the expectation.
Evolution of literacies involved in my teaching
Video Games are a huge part of my content area and they are indeed a literacy! It is not so much that I would utilize the daily playing of video games in my classroom but just because it is not in my classroom does not mean it's not a literacy connected to my content area. I realize that the majority of children have some gaming system at home whether it be the Play State, Wii, or Leap Frog. Children do not even have clean socks but they sure do have the newest and most expensive video system - probably hence the dirty socks!
I would have never considered video games, computer games, televisions, etc to be "literacies," let alone educational prior to taking this course. Vide games teaching children? Are you serious? I am an open video game hater and always have been. I have managed to maintain the belief that video games are brain killers from the beginning of time. I am definitely part of that gender gap in the video game world that Gee attempted to prove wrong when he successfully proved that middle aged women were heavy hitters in terms of late night solitare on the computer. I hate them so much and always promised myself that I would never invest any money in such a waste or contribute the video game world in any way. Simply beacause I always thought they were bad for kids. Since I was probably never directly taught to hate video games by my parents since my brothers had every and any video gaming system, and since I probably didn't assume hatred from my brothers since they used to play them laborously, I think I was subject by the media and believed that they were harming the minds of young children. Which is not totally untrue.
The reason I have decided to focus so much on video games is because they are my greatest ally, in conjunction with technology as a whole, when it comes to teaching children. Why? Because what child does not enjoy playing the Wii? As Norton-Meier notes, "the video game has the potential to push an individual to learn and think cognitively, socially, and morally" (2005, p. 430). This is indeed true as video games do have a way of teching children. I must admit, this hurts a wee bit because now I have to admit I was wrong and likley owe my brother an apology for all those harsh things I said about his excessive video game playing. Video games are my ally because they get young people thinking and doing so reflectively. When video games are used effectively (which is not automatic) they reap many positive benefits. Through video game playing students learn about complex systems, problem solving, strategies, they are able to think about the ways we interact and the consequences of those actions with others. Aren't those skills needed in the "real-world?" Don't we want students leaving school knowing how to interact with others, thinking reflectively, problem solve effectively? Those are the skills that students need and those are the skills that are not going to go away as time goes on. They are universal skills that probably will never fade. You may not have to know all 52 states and their capitals- that can easily be looked up online, but you are going to have to know how to think critically, interact with others and problem solve. Therefore, we need to use video games and be their friends so that they help us teach students the skills they need. And if you really want to get serious, it wouldn't hurt to take a more close look at video games as a whole and figure out why children gravitate towards them. Why are those kids succeeding at this game and not remembering how to spell those 15 spelling words when the game they are succeeding at is more difficult? What is it about the games that makes students want to play them? How is that different from my classroom? What is it about that game that is making that studnet think critically?
I willingly admit that I have never played a video game. Now that I think of them differently, I want to get to know them a little bit better so that I know how to incorporate them into the classroom. It would probably be in my best interest to examine what the game developers know about motivating students and compare it to what I know and use.
Why is it that a child deemed ADD/ADHD can be increasingly hyperactive in shcool and struggle to sit still for five minutes, yet sit still and play a video game for 20 minutes?
As Norton-Meier suggests, "video games have the power to blur the line between learning and playing while building in content, reflective thinking, and discussions about decisions and consequences" (2005, p. 449).
Video games are a huge "out-of-school" literacy and once I can bridge that gap and bring a little of that into the classroom, I am golden :-). But, students also need to be taught how to critique all aspects of the game, which is were critical literacy comes into play. Video games are not just this magical wand that will fix every classroom problem. But that isn't the point anyways. It is about using what studnets know and like to teach them skills they need.
I would have never considered video games, computer games, televisions, etc to be "literacies," let alone educational prior to taking this course. Vide games teaching children? Are you serious? I am an open video game hater and always have been. I have managed to maintain the belief that video games are brain killers from the beginning of time. I am definitely part of that gender gap in the video game world that Gee attempted to prove wrong when he successfully proved that middle aged women were heavy hitters in terms of late night solitare on the computer. I hate them so much and always promised myself that I would never invest any money in such a waste or contribute the video game world in any way. Simply beacause I always thought they were bad for kids. Since I was probably never directly taught to hate video games by my parents since my brothers had every and any video gaming system, and since I probably didn't assume hatred from my brothers since they used to play them laborously, I think I was subject by the media and believed that they were harming the minds of young children. Which is not totally untrue.
The reason I have decided to focus so much on video games is because they are my greatest ally, in conjunction with technology as a whole, when it comes to teaching children. Why? Because what child does not enjoy playing the Wii? As Norton-Meier notes, "the video game has the potential to push an individual to learn and think cognitively, socially, and morally" (2005, p. 430). This is indeed true as video games do have a way of teching children. I must admit, this hurts a wee bit because now I have to admit I was wrong and likley owe my brother an apology for all those harsh things I said about his excessive video game playing. Video games are my ally because they get young people thinking and doing so reflectively. When video games are used effectively (which is not automatic) they reap many positive benefits. Through video game playing students learn about complex systems, problem solving, strategies, they are able to think about the ways we interact and the consequences of those actions with others. Aren't those skills needed in the "real-world?" Don't we want students leaving school knowing how to interact with others, thinking reflectively, problem solve effectively? Those are the skills that students need and those are the skills that are not going to go away as time goes on. They are universal skills that probably will never fade. You may not have to know all 52 states and their capitals- that can easily be looked up online, but you are going to have to know how to think critically, interact with others and problem solve. Therefore, we need to use video games and be their friends so that they help us teach students the skills they need. And if you really want to get serious, it wouldn't hurt to take a more close look at video games as a whole and figure out why children gravitate towards them. Why are those kids succeeding at this game and not remembering how to spell those 15 spelling words when the game they are succeeding at is more difficult? What is it about the games that makes students want to play them? How is that different from my classroom? What is it about that game that is making that studnet think critically?
I willingly admit that I have never played a video game. Now that I think of them differently, I want to get to know them a little bit better so that I know how to incorporate them into the classroom. It would probably be in my best interest to examine what the game developers know about motivating students and compare it to what I know and use.
Why is it that a child deemed ADD/ADHD can be increasingly hyperactive in shcool and struggle to sit still for five minutes, yet sit still and play a video game for 20 minutes?
As Norton-Meier suggests, "video games have the power to blur the line between learning and playing while building in content, reflective thinking, and discussions about decisions and consequences" (2005, p. 449).
Video games are a huge "out-of-school" literacy and once I can bridge that gap and bring a little of that into the classroom, I am golden :-). But, students also need to be taught how to critique all aspects of the game, which is were critical literacy comes into play. Video games are not just this magical wand that will fix every classroom problem. But that isn't the point anyways. It is about using what studnets know and like to teach them skills they need.
How is literacy part of your content area?
Literacy IS my content area! Literacy is everyone's content for without it, what would there be? I have willingly abandoned my previous definition of literacy which stated literacy was the ability to read and write, make change, tell time, and follow a schedule. Granted all of those are important and do contitute a "literate" person, functioning illiterate at best. However, after taking this course, I have learned how to approach the term literacy in a different way. With that being said, my definition of literacy includes far more. I can't exactly tell you what I think it is in a sentence or two because I am still not sure. I do however, have what I have coined a "working" definition. I am completey satisfied leaving this class not being able to rattle off some memorized, text book definition of literacy. Which I have to admit was rather difficult- breaking that "schooling" mold! What matters most, and how I can verify that I have learned and that I am leaving this course having grown, is the fact that I understand what "literacy" means. I am content walking away with a "working" definition because I know the more I learn, the more my definition will evolve, expand, and change. I have learned how to focus more on the process of things and not the final product. The final product would essentially be that memorized, black and white, defintion of literacy. But the process of taking on the challenge of defining it, is much more powerful because you really have to stop and think..."well what is literacy?" "Could Pokemon or dance really be a literacy?" For me, it was the process of honestly and seriously evaluating my previous definition and "testing" it to see if it truly had any worth and if it was even relevant. The process also involved being open minded and reading researchers' insights and critically examining how they approached literacy. It also entailed engaging in candid conversations with my classmates and even arguing at times, just to again question what it is litercy could be. It was a process of constantly revisiting what I had thought it was and taking into account what I had just learned. And like I said, it is extremely difficult walking away from a class not having that solid, black and white "proof" that I learned. At times I begged, "just give me the written exam and let me recite and rewrite notes from textbooks! Please oh please, it makes life so much easier!! I want that instant feeling of accomplishment that I typically feel upon completing a written exam of which I haven't thought but rahter memorized everything you (the teacher) says I should know!" To walk away from a class without that written exam makes me feel like I haven't learned anything- when really I have learned a lot more because I have
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