https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g88MCptW38u0yUTXGvjapZfrZE0zzYc-JYX912ryClM/edit
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Changing Literacies; Changing Pedagogies
Chapter 7
"Robinson and Mackey caution against assuming that pre-service teachers are "insiders" to the full range of digital technology; the pre-service teachers they surveyed rarely used certain technologies, such as computer games" (Carrington).
I selected this quote because I felt it restated that one should not assume that younger people are digital natives, only this time, it was discussing young teachers. I wonder how many times new teachers are asked to do certain things using technology, with the assumption that they should know what they are doing. Just as we cannot assume all children are digital natives, we also cannot assume all teachers are, either.
Chapter 8
"The advent of digital technologies has also precipitated a move from consumer to producer dispositions with recognition of the 'participatory potential of new technologies' constituting a challenge in educational contexts which have traditionally constructed students as readers and synthesizers rather than creators or designers of knowledge or ideas" (Carrington; quoted from Buckingham 2003).
I chose this quote because I think this highlights the changing of standards to Common Core and the switch from standardized assessments to assessments like the Smarter Balanced Assessment that ask students to create. This shift will continue to occur as long as new technologies continue to be created and applicable for our students.
Chapter 9
"When it comes to popular social practices with visual texts among youth, including video gaming, web surfing, and now, uploading short films and television shows to video iPods, it is often unclear to educators what stance we might take"(Carrington; quoted from Bruce 1997).
I selected this quote mostly to answer the question that followed: "Are such practices a distraction to literacy education, or are they a part of literacy itself?" I am sort of torn because I do think, in some cases, if they are not implemented in an effective way, these can be more of distractions than tools. I also feel like they are a form of literacy, though, especially if we truly take a look at the skills and abilities our students have outside of school. I think the answer is that they can be part of literacy instruction, if they are implemented the correct way. They should be balanced with regular instruction, there should be constant teacher guidance, and they should be collaborative.
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"Robinson and Mackey caution against assuming that pre-service teachers are "insiders" to the full range of digital technology; the pre-service teachers they surveyed rarely used certain technologies, such as computer games" (Carrington).
I selected this quote because I felt it restated that one should not assume that younger people are digital natives, only this time, it was discussing young teachers. I wonder how many times new teachers are asked to do certain things using technology, with the assumption that they should know what they are doing. Just as we cannot assume all children are digital natives, we also cannot assume all teachers are, either.
Chapter 8
"The advent of digital technologies has also precipitated a move from consumer to producer dispositions with recognition of the 'participatory potential of new technologies' constituting a challenge in educational contexts which have traditionally constructed students as readers and synthesizers rather than creators or designers of knowledge or ideas" (Carrington; quoted from Buckingham 2003).
I chose this quote because I think this highlights the changing of standards to Common Core and the switch from standardized assessments to assessments like the Smarter Balanced Assessment that ask students to create. This shift will continue to occur as long as new technologies continue to be created and applicable for our students.
Chapter 9
"When it comes to popular social practices with visual texts among youth, including video gaming, web surfing, and now, uploading short films and television shows to video iPods, it is often unclear to educators what stance we might take"(Carrington; quoted from Bruce 1997).
I selected this quote mostly to answer the question that followed: "Are such practices a distraction to literacy education, or are they a part of literacy itself?" I am sort of torn because I do think, in some cases, if they are not implemented in an effective way, these can be more of distractions than tools. I also feel like they are a form of literacy, though, especially if we truly take a look at the skills and abilities our students have outside of school. I think the answer is that they can be part of literacy instruction, if they are implemented the correct way. They should be balanced with regular instruction, there should be constant teacher guidance, and they should be collaborative.
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Changing Literacies
Chapter 4
"The lengthy apprenticeship in learning to read and write in order to access information is linked, in this view, to maturation and the path to adulthood. In the 1980s, Postman and others expressed deep concern that television's undifferentiated content and broadcast media was eroding the division between adulthood and childhood" (Carrington).
First off, I am not the type of person that believes violence on television causes violent acts in the world. With or without television, there will be darkness and evil and hatred. With that being said, though, I can see what the author means with this quote. I teach middle school, but it has also been just a little over ten years since I have been in middle school myself, and I can definitely say that it is a different world. I overhear my middle schoolers say things and act certain ways that I never would have dreamed of saying or doing. As a matter of fact, some things that I see or overhear I probably did not even hear or see when I was in middle school. Students mature, not in the sense of becoming well-adjusted adults, but in the sense of their knowledge of the good and evil of the world, much earlier these days than they used to.
Chapter 5
"In this most basic sense, a blog can provide an analytical record of learning, or an online learning journal" (Carrington; quoted from Boud 2001).
After reading the multiple sections on blogs, and realizing that this is exactly how our blog is used in this course (as an online learning journal), I instantly had an Aha! moment. Why could I not adapt this exercise into my Library classes? It would be very easy to set up, and it would be a great way for me to measure the understanding of concepts while implementing digital technology. This WILL be on my list of new things to do for next school year.
Chapter 6
"The idea that digital technology might help to motivate reluctant learners and provide more meaningful contexts for literacy has captured the attention of an increasing number of educators" (Carrington; quoted from Merchant 2007b).
Observe any classroom, today, that implements digital technology and this idea becomes pretty clear, at least it does in my classroom. We had something in my classes last year called Wonder Wednesday, where students would be going to Wonderopolis.org, choosing a wonder to read, watching a related video, and answering questions. I had such an easier time getting students excited for Wonder Wednesdays than I did Independent Reading Days. Something about reading on the computers made even the most reluctant students eager to participate.
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"The lengthy apprenticeship in learning to read and write in order to access information is linked, in this view, to maturation and the path to adulthood. In the 1980s, Postman and others expressed deep concern that television's undifferentiated content and broadcast media was eroding the division between adulthood and childhood" (Carrington).
First off, I am not the type of person that believes violence on television causes violent acts in the world. With or without television, there will be darkness and evil and hatred. With that being said, though, I can see what the author means with this quote. I teach middle school, but it has also been just a little over ten years since I have been in middle school myself, and I can definitely say that it is a different world. I overhear my middle schoolers say things and act certain ways that I never would have dreamed of saying or doing. As a matter of fact, some things that I see or overhear I probably did not even hear or see when I was in middle school. Students mature, not in the sense of becoming well-adjusted adults, but in the sense of their knowledge of the good and evil of the world, much earlier these days than they used to.
Chapter 5
"In this most basic sense, a blog can provide an analytical record of learning, or an online learning journal" (Carrington; quoted from Boud 2001).
After reading the multiple sections on blogs, and realizing that this is exactly how our blog is used in this course (as an online learning journal), I instantly had an Aha! moment. Why could I not adapt this exercise into my Library classes? It would be very easy to set up, and it would be a great way for me to measure the understanding of concepts while implementing digital technology. This WILL be on my list of new things to do for next school year.
Chapter 6
"The idea that digital technology might help to motivate reluctant learners and provide more meaningful contexts for literacy has captured the attention of an increasing number of educators" (Carrington; quoted from Merchant 2007b).
Observe any classroom, today, that implements digital technology and this idea becomes pretty clear, at least it does in my classroom. We had something in my classes last year called Wonder Wednesday, where students would be going to Wonderopolis.org, choosing a wonder to read, watching a related video, and answering questions. I had such an easier time getting students excited for Wonder Wednesdays than I did Independent Reading Days. Something about reading on the computers made even the most reluctant students eager to participate.
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Analyzing My Previous Interview
Hanging Out
She only mentioned friends once in the interview, and that was when I asked her about knowing people who did this [used technology the same way she did]. She said that all of her friends play Minecraft and Candy Crush, too. She also mentioned that she thinks everyone does. I think this shows how little kids sometimes think the world truly is. In her mind, because her and her friends all played these two games, everyone must. It also shows that she, like most kids, partakes in activities using technology that she feels others her age are participating in.
Messing Around
When examining her responses, it seems that Minecraft and CoolMath could both serve as possible informal learning opportunities. I also feel like her using YouTube is an experience for her to learn tech savvy skills, such as using a search engine.
Geeking Out
It is clear that her interests fall around music. She mentioned several times that she plays games that deal with music, she listens to music a lot, and she searches for music videos.
Schooling
My student did not mention using technology in any of these forms, but she did mention that she has used her home computer for research before for school projects or homework.
She only mentioned friends once in the interview, and that was when I asked her about knowing people who did this [used technology the same way she did]. She said that all of her friends play Minecraft and Candy Crush, too. She also mentioned that she thinks everyone does. I think this shows how little kids sometimes think the world truly is. In her mind, because her and her friends all played these two games, everyone must. It also shows that she, like most kids, partakes in activities using technology that she feels others her age are participating in.
Messing Around
When examining her responses, it seems that Minecraft and CoolMath could both serve as possible informal learning opportunities. I also feel like her using YouTube is an experience for her to learn tech savvy skills, such as using a search engine.
Geeking Out
It is clear that her interests fall around music. She mentioned several times that she plays games that deal with music, she listens to music a lot, and she searches for music videos.
Schooling
My student did not mention using technology in any of these forms, but she did mention that she has used her home computer for research before for school projects or homework.
Digital Texts In and Out of School
Chapter 1
"Media education, therefore, needs to draw on the cultural experiences of young people, recognize the barriers to participation, and provide students with skills to analyse and produce media in ways which extend and build on their existing knowledge" (Carrington).
Being a Library Media teacher, I could not agree more with this statement. I am always trying new forms of tech tools in order to appeal to my ever changing middle schoolers. I also have to understand that not all of my students are able to participate in the same way as others because not everyone in my classes has the same opportunities outside of school with technology. Analyzing is definitely the hardest concept to get students to grasp. They are very much like the State Farm commercial that pokes fun at everything being true if it is on the Internet. As for producing media, I am always trying to build on the skills my students already have, but I also allow a lot of choice when it comes to producing. Some students choose to use tools they already know how to use, and some try new tools.
Chapter 2
"Fourthly, with digital texts becoming increasingly multimodal, we now need to broaden our notion of what it means to be literate and include image production and analysis as part of normal procedure in the literacy classroom" (Carrington).
Again, this statement speaks to me as a Library Media Specialist. I understand that the term literacy must be adapted to fit the changing times and the changing technologies, which is why I provide graphic novels to my students because some would prefer to read them as opposed to traditional books. I also give my students opportunities to read using technology. One way I do this is with the website Wonderopolis. This site is full of thousands of nonfiction articles that are all about things kids might wonder about. I give students free choice sometimes as to what they read about.
Chapter 3
"Digital Literacy is the awareness, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyse, and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process" (Carrington; quoted from Martin 2006).
I believe this quote is important because it just continues to build on what we have already learned about digital literacy and what it means to be a digital native.
"Media education, therefore, needs to draw on the cultural experiences of young people, recognize the barriers to participation, and provide students with skills to analyse and produce media in ways which extend and build on their existing knowledge" (Carrington).
Being a Library Media teacher, I could not agree more with this statement. I am always trying new forms of tech tools in order to appeal to my ever changing middle schoolers. I also have to understand that not all of my students are able to participate in the same way as others because not everyone in my classes has the same opportunities outside of school with technology. Analyzing is definitely the hardest concept to get students to grasp. They are very much like the State Farm commercial that pokes fun at everything being true if it is on the Internet. As for producing media, I am always trying to build on the skills my students already have, but I also allow a lot of choice when it comes to producing. Some students choose to use tools they already know how to use, and some try new tools.
Chapter 2
"Fourthly, with digital texts becoming increasingly multimodal, we now need to broaden our notion of what it means to be literate and include image production and analysis as part of normal procedure in the literacy classroom" (Carrington).
Again, this statement speaks to me as a Library Media Specialist. I understand that the term literacy must be adapted to fit the changing times and the changing technologies, which is why I provide graphic novels to my students because some would prefer to read them as opposed to traditional books. I also give my students opportunities to read using technology. One way I do this is with the website Wonderopolis. This site is full of thousands of nonfiction articles that are all about things kids might wonder about. I give students free choice sometimes as to what they read about.
Chapter 3
"Digital Literacy is the awareness, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyse, and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process" (Carrington; quoted from Martin 2006).
I believe this quote is important because it just continues to build on what we have already learned about digital literacy and what it means to be a digital native.
Interview Transcript
I sat down with a child, age 10/female, to discuss her technology use. The following is the transcript of the interview:
Ask your young person to choose a pseudonym for you to use in the writing of your case.
My interviewee decided she wanted to be known as Princess Tinker Tot. (I have no idea where she came up with this, but I loved that she was that creative.
Me: Do you have a computer /iPod/MPC player/Wii/ etc....?
Princess Tinker Tot: I have an iPod Touch and a Nintendo DS. My parents have a computer, and my dad has an Xbox 360. I am sometimes allowed to use the computer.
Me: What kinds of things do you use the computer/phone/iPad etc for?
Princess Tinker Tot: I use my iPod to listen to Bruno Mars, mostly. I have a whole bunch of games downloaded, too, but I mostly just listen to music. Sometimes I watch funny movies on YouTube or music videos. I do the same thing on the computer.
Me: What is your favorite thing to do on the computer?
Princess Tinker Tot: Watch movies on YouTube or music videos.
Me: How did you learn to do that?
Princess Tinker Tot: Ummm...I don't really know. I think I just heard about YouTube, and then once you get on there, it is pretty easy to find things.
Me: What are some other things you use the computer for?
Princess Tinker Tot: I have used it to do homework, before. Like, when I needed to something up or I needed to type a story or something. I have found pictures to use for a book report before.
Me: What is your favorite game? Why?
Princess Tinker Tot: That is hard. I really like Tap Studio because it goes to music. I also play Fruit Ninja and Candy Crush on my iPod. I like to play Minecraft, sometimes, on the computer.
Me: Do you know other people who do this?
Princess Tinker Tot: A lot of my friends play Minecraft and Candy Crush. I am pretty sure everyone does.
Me: How do you use the computer at school?
Princess Tinker Tot: We go to the computer lab to do Tech Steps (I think that's what they call them.) We also have to take tests on the computer. Sometimes they let us on a site called Cool Math. I like to play the Pancakeria game on there.
Me: How would you like to use the computer at school?
Princess Tinker Tot: I wish we could play Minecraft or do other fun things like games or listen to music. We can't get on YouTube at school, but I always try.
Me: Do you think teachers would let you use the computer to do those things? Why? Why not?
Princess Tinker Tot: Probably not because I always ask if we can get on YouTube in the Library but the teacher always says it's blocked. I don't get it, though, because YouTube has a lot of funny videos so they should not block it. Maybe they would let us get on Minecraft because it is sort of a learning thing.
Me: Anything else you would like to tell me?
Princess Tinker Tot: It would be cool if my school gave us iPods or iPads or something like that instead of a bunch of heavy books. My grandma has an iPad that I can sometimes play. She even has a pottery game that is really cool, and it lets you make pottery.
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Quotes from this week's reading:
"for example, he [Gee] says that learning through game play is active, meaningful, multimodal, scaffolded, entails participation in social networks, encourages learners to take risks and allows for self-reflection" (Carrington; quoted from Gee].
"there needs to be a shift away from the concept of an individual learner and that notions of mastery and pedagogy must be decenterd" (Carrington; quoted from Lave and Wenger 1991).
"Rather than focusing on technological skills, newmedia literacy involved a set of cultural competencies and social skills" (Carrington; quoted from Jenkins 2007).
Ask your young person to choose a pseudonym for you to use in the writing of your case.
My interviewee decided she wanted to be known as Princess Tinker Tot. (I have no idea where she came up with this, but I loved that she was that creative.
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Quotes from this week's reading:
"for example, he [Gee] says that learning through game play is active, meaningful, multimodal, scaffolded, entails participation in social networks, encourages learners to take risks and allows for self-reflection" (Carrington; quoted from Gee].
"there needs to be a shift away from the concept of an individual learner and that notions of mastery and pedagogy must be decenterd" (Carrington; quoted from Lave and Wenger 1991).
"Rather than focusing on technological skills, newmedia literacy involved a set of cultural competencies and social skills" (Carrington; quoted from Jenkins 2007).
Monday, July 6, 2015
Digital Natives: A Stand Alone Presentation
I used the assigned text to pull important points out in order to give a visual representation of Digital Natives. My presentation answers the following questions: What is a Digital Native, Who falls under this label, and What characteristics define a Digital Native. The main point that I hope others gain from my presentation is that we should not assume that all young people are considered Digital Natives because there are various factors, such as access to technology, that effect their interests and abilities when it comes to technology. This is so important for educators to realize because we have a responsibility to our students to help them become twenty-first century learners, and this means we must implement new technologies that they may need to know how to use in their futures. By us doing this, we will ultimately help them become more successful.
Digital Natives by Jessie Long
More presentations from Jessie Long
Beyond Digital Natives
Chapter 10
"young children are immersed in practices relating to popular culture, media and new technologies from birth" (Thomas; quoted from Marsh 2005, p.5).
I feel like anyone who interacts with anyone from the ages of 4 to 17 can plainly see that what they are stating in this quote is 100% accurate. I do not mean that as a stereotype that all young people are tech savvy because, after all, this is the stereotype we have been learning about. I do mean, though, that almost all young people are savvy in some sort of popular culture/media. For example, some students can master a new video game within days, some are social networking moguls, some know everything there is to know about the happenings of the rich and famous, and some simply download and master every new app to hit the app stores. At least one of these things consume young people's thoughts a majority of the time.
Chapter 11
"from Prensky's (2001) articles in which he describes young people as "Digital Natives" who are immersed in the world of digital technology and compares them to older "Digital Immigrants" who struggle to adapt to this brave new world" (Thomas; quoted from Prensky 2001).
So, over the course of all of our readings, we have learned what makes some a Digital Native and what makes someone a Digital Immigrant, as Prensky so eloquently described again for us. I found myself thinking, though, while reading this quote that basically restated the same premise that we have been reading, that there is no term for someone in the middle. Someone who is not necessarily eager to jump on every new technological bandwagon or is maybe not extremely tech-savvy, but someone who is also not unwilling to try new technologies that serve a relevant purpose.
Chapter 12
"Many-though not all-young people are using digital media in ways that are changing how they learn and how they relate to one another, to information, and to institutions." (Thomas)
I feel like this quote just reiterates a point that has been pretty consistent throughout the text, but I think it so important for us, as educators, to grasp. If we are unwilling to accept that technology, has an important impact on the lives of our students, than we are never going to aide them in becoming 21st-Century learners. It is our responsibility to teach them to use these new technologies appropriately and effectively.
"young children are immersed in practices relating to popular culture, media and new technologies from birth" (Thomas; quoted from Marsh 2005, p.5).
I feel like anyone who interacts with anyone from the ages of 4 to 17 can plainly see that what they are stating in this quote is 100% accurate. I do not mean that as a stereotype that all young people are tech savvy because, after all, this is the stereotype we have been learning about. I do mean, though, that almost all young people are savvy in some sort of popular culture/media. For example, some students can master a new video game within days, some are social networking moguls, some know everything there is to know about the happenings of the rich and famous, and some simply download and master every new app to hit the app stores. At least one of these things consume young people's thoughts a majority of the time.
Chapter 11
"from Prensky's (2001) articles in which he describes young people as "Digital Natives" who are immersed in the world of digital technology and compares them to older "Digital Immigrants" who struggle to adapt to this brave new world" (Thomas; quoted from Prensky 2001).
So, over the course of all of our readings, we have learned what makes some a Digital Native and what makes someone a Digital Immigrant, as Prensky so eloquently described again for us. I found myself thinking, though, while reading this quote that basically restated the same premise that we have been reading, that there is no term for someone in the middle. Someone who is not necessarily eager to jump on every new technological bandwagon or is maybe not extremely tech-savvy, but someone who is also not unwilling to try new technologies that serve a relevant purpose.
Chapter 12
"Many-though not all-young people are using digital media in ways that are changing how they learn and how they relate to one another, to information, and to institutions." (Thomas)
I feel like this quote just reiterates a point that has been pretty consistent throughout the text, but I think it so important for us, as educators, to grasp. If we are unwilling to accept that technology, has an important impact on the lives of our students, than we are never going to aide them in becoming 21st-Century learners. It is our responsibility to teach them to use these new technologies appropriately and effectively.
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