Ch 15 & 16

"Lessig (2005) claims that at a very general level all of culture can be understood in terms of remix, where someone creates a cultural product by mixing meaningful elements together (e.g. ideas from different people with ideas of one's own), and then someone else comes along and remixes the cultural artifact with others to create yet another artifact" (Lankshear 312).

First of all, I really like this description or definition of "remix". This definition shows that a remix is more than just changing something around. It shows that it is a way of expressing one's feelings about something by making it one's own. Before reading this chapter, I was one that thought a remix was only something in music, and I also thought that there was nothing special about a remix..."It's just changing up the original, right? They couldn't even come up with their own idea?" But after reading this chapter, and this definition in particular, I now see that a remix is a way of expressing one's thoughts and feelings. It is a form of creating a new literacy, and I now realize that creating a remix is a form of creating something, not just copying something.

(I thought this was funny because a lot of times the remix is better than the original.)

"These enabling services and applications are not packages, or artifacts, or consumables, but resources that have to be performed" (Lankshear 338)

When I was growing up, if you wanted to use a computer to create something, you had to do it on Microsoft Word or Paint. Now, there are hundreds upon hundreds of Web 2.0 applications that allow people to create or produce something. The text goes onto say that "you have the opportunity to drive them" and "what you get from them depends on how you perform them". 

(I recently started writing my own blog, and I love that I am finally able to write for others to view.)

Ch 13 & 14

"eBay calls for interesting new constellations or 'batteries' of ways of reading and writing in order to achieve one's purposes as an online buyer or seller" (Lankshear 264).

I have learned my eBay lesson on reading thoroughly before you click "Buy". We have been re-doing our sons' room, and we wanted to order another roll of Avenger's border. I found what I thought was a roll for a pretty good price on eBay, so I just bought it. Then, my order was delivered...in a flat envelope...and I realized I did not read the description close enough. (Apparently I ordered an 8x10 sample, so it was absolutely useless.) It was a valuable lesson, and I am glad it only cost my $11.50. I am sure others have lost much more because of not reading thoroughly.

"Wikipedia entries are written by anyone who wants to contribute their knowledge and understanding and are edited by anyone else who thinks they can improve on what is already there" (Lankshear 291).

This is exactly what I try and explain to my students when we are beginning research skills and evaluating websites. I always use the illustration that if I watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory and they are discussing string theory (which I can tell you I know nothing about...I mean does it even involve strings?), and I think I picked up a little bit of knowledge, I may now make a Wikipedia page on string theory, or add to a page already made. You do not have to be qualified in anything in order to write or edit on Wikipedia, and while I know they have people that fix incorrect information as quickly as they can, someone out there may be getting incorrect information and taking it as fact. 

Ch 11 &12

"But like information, attention moves through the Net" (Lankshear 213).

We all know about Internet fads...the dress (is it gold or blue?), the find the 1 panda in a picture of snowmen image, phrases like #BlackLivesMatter, and so many more. There are always fads and trends on the Internet, and I even see this in my classroom. Every once in a while, my students get free computer time. For the longest time, THE game to play was Agar - ee- O (I don't actually know how to spell it). I was surprised when just yesterday, a small group of students got their work done for some free time, and they were all playing the same game...a game called Slither.

"A teacher who could appreciate and celebrate tactics might have been able to reward the potentially fruitful and genuinely subversive element of Jacques's 'trick' and extend it pedagogically" (Lankshear 250).

Did this student do his assignment? No. Did this student work as the teacher thought he should? No. Was this student producing something? Yes.

It is clear that the student was obviously not doing the work he was expected to do, and maybe the teacher was right to be a little frustrated, but we cannot overlook student production. This falls under what I said in an earlier post about not all students going the traditional college degree--full time career route. Some students will never be able to write a 5-page research paper in perfect MLA format or create a chemical creation. There is a chance this student may be a children's book author. Instead of being overly critical, this teacher may have tried to foster his ability to write little stories for small children.

Can You Just Tell me the Answer, Mrs. Long?

"being able to read means that you can follow words across a page, getting generally what's superficially there [improper literacy}; By contrast,being literate means you can bring your knowledge and your experience to bear on what passes before you [proper literacy]" (Lankshear 39).

My sixth grade students are right in the middle of their big research project. They are each researching a chosen career. They are answering questions on various aspects of their careers, and they are using the Internet to search for the information. I assumed that I would be answering a few questions here and there but that students would work independently for the first part. I was mistaken.

The first day of research, I have never walked so many laps around my room. Constant hands in the air..."Mrs. Long, what website should I go to?", "Mrs. Long, what should I type into Google?", and so many more questions. Then, I cam across a student who did not have his hand in the air, but I could tell he was stumped. I came up and asked him what he needed. His response--"I can't find anything, can you just tell me the answer?" I looked at his screen, thinking maybe he was just on a site that was above his level, but I found his screen on a blank Google screen. After talking to him for a few minutes, I discovered he had only tried one website. This was not a student on an IEP, and he is typically a very good student. 

I gave him a few suggestion websites to start with, but I did make sure to explain that I was not going to give him answers. After our conversation, he seemed to begin working. This made me wonder...as Lankshear stated in the quote above, is this student able to read without being literate? Maybe he is able to read what is on a page and pick up the general information, but when a website provided more description or information, he may not be literate enough to decipher the information. I think this is an issue of Digital Competence. He seemed to struggle with finding information and deciphering information.

Ch 9&10

"Standard-setting and benchmarks only seem to make it easier for students to 'fail' because literacy--or more accurately in such contexts, reading, writing, and spelling--is constrained to school literacy" (Lankshear 165).

I am about to tell you something that may shock or disgust you, but I cannot help it, it is how I feel...school is not for everyone, and not everyone is for school. Okay, now that, that is out of the way, let me explain because I do not feel we should start letting students drop out of kindergarten or anything like that. What I mean is that there are some students who are cannot do algebra, but they know more about cars than I do at 27; some students may not be able to read Shakespeare, but they may be the most amazing cook of their age. I do believe all students should finish school up through high school, but I do feel they are delivered an injustice because we expect them to master skills that their brains are not wired to master. (I really hope this makes sense.) In my school, we no longer have a home ec. class or a shop class. I find this extremely upsetting because these types of courses appeal to those who may not succeed in math and science, but they are not given any other opportunities.

"MEME-ing is a powerful metalevel literacy:  an enactive project of trying to project into cultural evolution by imitating the behavioral logic--replication--of genes and viruses" (Lankshear 196).

Can I just start with...I LOVE MEMES! They usually entail one of my favorite tings...sarcasm. They are so witty, and I could read them for hours. I have not introduced meme creation to my classes, yet, but I plan on doing that as an end of the year project. They show comprehension and understanding of topics, and they have a way of explaining complex ideas but in an easy-to-understand, humorous way.

(Okay, they don't all explain complex ideas...)

Ch 7&8

"A National Science Board publication, Educating Americans for the 21st Century, claimed that alarming numbers of young people Americans are ill-equipped to work in, contribute to, profit from, and enjoy our increasingly technological society" (Lankshear 134-135).

I have caught myself frequently thinking, "Wow, for growing up in such a technology age, my students know nothing about using technology." We have to remember that even though students today may know how to Tweet, Snapchat, and Instagram, that does not make them technology proficient. They may be able to figure out how to use a new phone immediately and how to download new apps on a tablet with ease, but they cannot do some of the most basic things to show productivity. Using Microsoft Word, for example, is one that I notice. I actually began teaching my students last year, and have now carried the lessons to this year, basics to using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. I figured it would be boring, but most of my students have never used bullets, italics, bold print, added a picture, word art, or even saved a document to a folder. We have to realize that teaching our students how to be productive using technology is a major goal.

"At the time the research was done the great majority of teachers in Australian state schools had relatively little personal experience with computing applications, and many of those who participated in the project expressed their unease with the pressure they felt to integrate new technologies into their teaching, often seeing themselves as, at best, muddling through" (Lankshear 139).

It is somewhat comforting to know that teachers in other countries feel the same as we do here about implementing new technologies. I have talked to several teachers while at Professional Developments with new technologies as the focus, and a lot have felt this way. I have found myself feeling this way before. I had an assistant principal that wanted me to try using the Pleckers application in my teaching, and this was without a PD. I am usually very willing to try new things, especially when it is a new tech tool, but I could not figure out the program. It is almost not right to expect teachers to implement a multitude of technology tools without proper trainings, and sometimes, 1 Professional Development is not enough to feel comfortable with a new tool.