EDUC 6810 Philosophy

            As an educator, my goal is to inspire my students to have a passion for learning, and to seek knowledge throughout their lives.  I want to help them build a solid foundation that will prepare them for their future.  In today’s world, that foundation revolves around being a digitally literate citizen.  “…successful participation in our digital society includes the ability to understand, think critically about, reflect on, and respond to the societal, cultural, and economic forces that shape our interactions with and through technology…” (Avila and Pandya)

            There are very few places you can go without encountering some form of technology.  To simply ignore that it is there, and insist upon using the “old school” way of teaching, is to do a huge disservice to our students.  “When educators and policies deliberately exclude the opportunities demonstrated through mobile media and participatory media pedagogy, they are perpetuating an achievement gap that further cleaves society.” (Jenkins 2008)  In other words, if we don’t prepare our students for a digital world, we are hindering their potential to fully engage in the world around them.  They simply won’t be equipped to keep up with their peers.

            Whether it’s a smart phone, IPad, or social media account, digital media plays an important role in our students’ lives.  Why not embrace that opportunity and use it to our advantage?  “…as images push words off the page and as our lives become increasingly mediated by a popular visual culture.” (Avila and Pandya) Technology shouldn’t be a tool that is pulled out once or twice a month to meet a demand of “I have to have technology in my lesson plans.”  It should be integrated into everything that we teach.  The possibilities are enormous.  You can create a classroom blog, where students could discuss a book they are reading.  They can read their peers’ thoughts and provide authentic feedback.  Your students can Skype with other students or experts in another country.  They can do research, create digital stories, or create a podcast featuring what they are studying.

            As a first year teacher, I realize just how lucky I am to have the availability of the technology resources that I do.  It enables me to provide a student-centered learning environment where the students have the technology in their hands.  They are engaged and DOING something, not listening to me lecture about it.  They are thinking critically, collaborating with their peers, and creating solutions to problems.  They are laying the foundation for a bright and promising future.

Resources

1.     Digital Wish.  Website with multiple lesson plans for creating digital stories.  http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/view_lesson_plans?keyword=storytelling

 

2.     Edutopia: A Blog on Classroom Technology.  http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/classroom-technology

 

3.     Global Warming and Climate Change.  A lesson plan that integrates science and technology.  http://www.mrsoshouse.com/pbl/globwarm.html

 

4.     Kidblog. A safe and simple blog for students and teachers. http://kidblog.org/home/

5.     Problem and Project Based Learning Activities.  A great site with numerous lessons plans that integrate technology.  http://www.mrsoshouse.com/pbl/pblin.html

 

 

 

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #14 and Digital Story

"...as images push words off the page and as our lives become increasingly mediated by a popular visual culture."

 

I chose this quote because I think it sums up why digital stories are so powerful and so important to our audiences.  Words are no longer enough.  To really connect with someone and their story, we want to see images and video; to feel like we are a part of their story.  We are more likely to watch a digital story about someone's life than to read an essay about it.

 

 

I chose this image because it goes with what I was saying above: digital stories are a great way to connect with others.

 

1. How does digital storytelling support academic literacies?

 

Digital storytelling supports academic literacies because even though you are making a video, there is still writing and problem solving involved.  You have to problem solve what you want your message to be and create a storyboard for it.  You can have written or verbal text.  You either have text scrolling across the screen, or you write a script to be recorded.

 

2. Now that you have created your own digital story, do you think that using images, words and music to create a message is simplistic compared to traditional alphabetic print based argumentation?

 

I think creating a digital story is a powerful way to tell a story.  The story becomes interactive to the audience because they can view your images and hear text and music.  Telling a digital story is more involved than traditional print, but it so much more meaningful.  You can really set the tone with music and sound.  And you bring the story to life with images.

 

3. After creating your own digital story, do you see how digital storytelling can help develop a stronger sense of agency in their own lives? Do you think this might have a positive impact on students academic lives? How? Why?

 

Yes, I believe creating digital stories would have a positive impact on students' lives, both emotionally and academically.  They are given the opportunity to use their creativity and really have a voice in their storytelling.  I think they will be proud of the finished product, and want to share it with others.

 

Sources

 

At Last: Youth Culture and Digital Media: New Literacies for New Times by Glenda Hull in Research in the Teaching of English Journal Vol. 38 no. 3 229-233.

 

Image obtained from Langwitches Blog.  (2013).  Retrieved from  http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/04/19/digital-storytelling-part-i/


Digital Story

  

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #13

"...successful participation in our digital society includes the ability to understand, think critically about, reflect on, and respond to the societal, cultural, and economic forces that shape our interactions with and through technology..."

I chose this quote because it lays out what is most important for our students to be able to do with the technology they have access to.  Being digitally literate isn't about typing a paper in word, creating a generic Power Point, or playing drill math games; there is so much more out there.  Students could be using technology to do authentic research about issues going on in their own community.  Then, they can analyze the data and think critically to come up with a possible solution.  They could create a digital story, podcast, or blog post to get the information out to the pubic.  Technology should be used as an interaction with the world around them.

1. Why do the authors of this chapter chose to use the term "critical digital literacies" rather than just "digital literacies"

These are skills that are vital in order for our students to be successful in their future endeavors.  As I stated above, technology is more than just typing on a computer.  In the workplace, people have to be able to use technology to communicate and problem solve.  These are critical digital literacies, because if they don't know them, how will they function in a digital world?

2. How well did our own teacher education program prepare you to use technology in your teaching practices? Was it more tools based or literacy based?

I feel it was more tool based.  I learned a lot about technology (portfolios, blogs) but I really didn't at that point feel ready to integrate it into a classroom.  My graduate classes are where I have learned the most valuable information.  I have been bringing in what I have learned into my own classroom.  My advanced reading class has their own blog, and last week they began creating their first digital story, a PSA about animal cruelty, which ties into our reading of the novel "Shiloh."

3. What should  teachers be thinking about when they engage in critical thinking as it relates to technology use in school?

First, they need to determine what their outcome is.  What do they want the students to be able to do?  What do they want them to learn from the experience?  Then, they need to determine how their students will use technology to think critically about an issue, and problem solve for a possible solution.  Finally, they need to decide what medium they want the students to present with; blog, podcast, video, etc.

4. On page 149, it is stated that students have certain rights with respect to "critical digital literacies." Do students in your teaching context have these rights? Give an example or non-example of at least one of these rights.

Yes, my students have these rights.  We are very fortunate at our school, where we have access to so much wonderful technology.  Students have access to technology on a daily basis.  Our staff routinely gets together to discuss new ideas for technology integration. 

Additional Resource

The 5 Resources Model of Critical Digital Literacy

Source

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

 Coombs, Antony and  Hinrichsen, Juliet.  (2013).  The Five Resources model of Critical Digital Literacy.  Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/dlframework/home

Rough Draft

* Still deciding on the music I want to go in my digital story

Storyboard: My First Marathon

Point of View:  My story will be told in first person.  The target audience will be anyone with a dream.  It is important to tell, because everyone has something they want to accomplish.  The message of my video is that if you believe, and work hard, you can achieve anything.

Dramatic Question:  26.2 miles...what was I thinking?!?

Emotional Content:  The emotional content is about how scary it is to try something you've never done before; to go out of your comfort zone.  And the fear of failing.  And all of the time, hard work, determination, and sacrifice you put into something you really want.  And finally, achieving your goal and seeing how it can change you as a person.

Voice:  Informal tone

Soundtrack:  Not sure yet, still looking, but I want something inspirational and upbeat

Economy: The script will focus on the journey from training through race day.  The story will end with the impact it has had on my life.

Pacing: Medium


My Storyboard

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #12

"When educators and policies deliberately exclude the opportunities demonstrated through mobile media and participatory media pedagogy, they are perpetuating an achievement gap that further cleaves society by race and class (Jenkins, 2008)."

I chose this quote because I strongly agree with it.  I have heard several teachers dismiss technology because they believe it is nothing more than a distraction.  They describe it as playing, and say that no meaningful learning is taking place.  I have also heard teachers say that students get enough media outside of school. 

That is exactly why we should be integrating media into our curriculum.  Media is something meaningful and prevalent in our students lives.  So why not use that to our advantage?    We can use media in authentic ways to prepare our students for the future.

I have witnessed so many benefits of media with my own students.  It has changed their view of reading.  They are excited about the novel we are reading and about their blog.  When they come in, they tell me "I can't wait to blog about this" or "I wonder what the other kids will say about this."  They are reading and commenting on each others' posts.  They are doing the same thing they would be doing if we were using pencil and paper (discussing and analyzing the reading), but by using technology they are engaged and motivated. 

We should be looking for opportunities to bring our students' school lives and out of school lives together. Instead of fighting technology, we should embrace it.

1. How did the Ask Anansi game support critical literacies?

 

The students were using the clues to promote a deeper understanding of issues that were important to them: trash, violence graffiti, pollution, stereotypes, and love.  When they discovered the clues, they had to read, analyze, and question the messages.  The clues appeared in multiple formats: posters, barcodes, text messages, email, etc.  They had to be able to read these different formats in order to successfully find the next clue.  When they were done, they taped the clues around their school, where other students could read about the issues.

 

2. How did the Ask Anansi game support academic literacies?

 

Throughout the game, students had to analyze, think critically, and problem solve.  They also conducted research and documented evidence.  They wrote narratives and counter narratives about their experiences.

 

3. How did the Ask Anansi game support digital literacies?

 

A digitally literate person can use technology to find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content, and use the Internet and technology tools to achieve many academic and personal goals.  The students had to create, find, and evaluate the clues to the game.  They collaborated with others first by working as a whole, then as a pair, and finally individually.  Even though they were working individually at the end, they still had to rely on each other for the clues.  They shared their work through the displaying of the clues and in their narratives.  They used the IPods to take pictures and document evidence.

 

4. What is meant by the term "reading the word and reading the world and writing the world"? Give an example from the chapter.

 

It means making literacy relevant to our society and culture.  What we read and write is no longer confined to traditional print.  A majority of what we read is now digital.  It is important we understand how to read digital information and write digital information in order to be successful in our technology rich world.  An example from the chapter is the students reading the QR codes.  It was something they had no experience with before, but they had to learn in order to participate in the game.

 

 

I thought this cartoon was cute and it describes critical literacy perfectly; you have to think differently.

 

Sources

 

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

 

Literacies, School, and Communities. (November 2011).  Retrieved from http://literaciesfall2011.wordpress.com/ 

 

Brainstorming my Digital Story

Describe a vivid or important memory from any time in your adult years.  

 

A memory that really stands out for me is the day I ran my first marathon.  I remember every detail.  It took place in Columbus, Ohio, it was a really cold morning, and there were over 15,000 runners.  I was there with four of my running friends, who I had spent the last five months training with.  I remember standing in the crowd waiting for the start, and I was a nervous wreck.  I kept thinking "Why did I sign up for this?" and "What if I can't do it?"  But I did, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.  I remember being at mile 24 and realizing I only had 2 more to go, and that I was actually going to finish.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would run a marathon.  I cried the entire last 2 miles because I was so overwhelmed.  I felt so happy, proud, and strong. 

 

Running has really changed my life.  It has given me confidence, and the knowledge that I can do anything I set my mind to, as long as I am willing to work hard.  It has not only made me stronger physically, but emotionally.  Running is my go to when I have had a stressful day or am facing a difficult time.  When I was having a particularly rough time a few years ago my running friend gave me some advice that has stuck with me, "We'll just run through it." 

 

Running has also given me an incredible group of friends who have loved me, supported me, and made me laugh for the past 6 years.  I don't know what I would do without them.  Running has had such a positive impact on my life, and it has inspired me to share it with my students.  A fellow teacher and I are starting a girls' running club at our school this spring.  I hope that it will give them the same joy it has given me.