1. What is the main argument being made by the speaker?
The main argument being made by the speaker is that our goal in education should not be focused on test scores, but rather, maximizing each students' creativity; to motivate them, and foster their passion and confidence.
2. Do you agree or disagree?
I agree with the argument being made. Schools focus too much on teaching for the test, and in the process, creativity is pushed to the side. We want everyone to be on the same page, but every student is not the same. We need to focus on enhancing each of our students' strengths.
3. Make connections between the ideas presented by the speaker and concepts explored in this course.
In the video the speaker talks about the importance of confidence, and how it is related to success. In week four we read an article from Adlington, who says, "Walsh found that his students became empowered as authors, producing sophisticated pieces of multimodal work that would have been very difficult in a conventional essay." I agree with the speaker that confident students will have more success. Confidence is motivating; if you don't believe in yourself, will you even try? Walsh is a great example of a teacher empowering his students; he gave them the confidence to produce great work.
The speaker in the video also stresses the importance of risk taking. During week six we learned about a person using a new form of technology for the first time. "I can recall my first IM experience. I felt anxious and rushed..." (Carey) It is important that we encourage our students to take risks and try new things, even if it scares them. If we simply stay in our comfort zone we will never know how far we can reach.
Passion is another topic the speaker discusses. Our students today come to us technology rich and passionate about social media and gaming. And we have the opportunity to incorporate those interests into our curriculum. YALSA says, "Social media has many positive uses...it provides an ideal environment for teens to share what they are learning...receive feedback...create a sense of community." According to Hayes, "Gaming is both a form of consuming (reading) and producing (writing)." Both social media and gaming provide teachers the chance to tap into our students' passions while also teaching them valuable skills for the future.
Lastly, the speaker talked about personalizing education. Not all students learn the same. "...we had to shift our thinking and position ourselves as learners in the process, watching to see how his interests constantly shifted and changed." (D.E. Alvermann) What we think a student will get out of a reading or lesson is not necessarily what they will. They have their own interests and reasoning, and that is the reason it is so important to get to know our students. So that we can make education personal to each of them.
Sources
Adlington, R., & Hansford, D. (2008, July 6). Digital spaces and young people’s online authoring: Challenges for teachers. Retrieved June 10, 2013, from National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy: http://www.englishliteracyconference.com.au/files/documents/AdlingtonHansford-Digital%20spaces.pdf
Carey, J. (n.d.). Instant Messaging: A Literacy Event. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vYWdXV2RacF9EVXc/edit
D.E. Alvermann, M.C. Hagood, & K.B. Williams (2001, June). Image, language, and sound: Making meaning with popular culture texts. Reading Online, 4(11). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/action/alvermann/index.html
Hayes, E. R. & Gee, J. P. (2010). No Selling The Genie Lamp: a game literacy practice in The Sims. Retrieved from: http://www.wwwords.co.uk/pdf/validate.asp?j=elea&vol=7&issue=1&year=2010&article=6_Hayes_ELEA_7_1_web
ISTE Videos. (Producer). (2012, July 9). ISTE 2012 Tuesday keynote featuring Yong Zhao. [You Tube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKXeNKsjoMI
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). (February 2011). Teens and Social Media in School and Public Libraries. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/yalsa
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