Week 10 reading and discussion

EDUC 6810 Reading and Discussion #10

Read Chapter #4: Critical Literacies and Social Media: Fostering Ethical Engagement with Global Youth and answer the following questions:

1. How has social media changed reading and writing processes in the digital age?

 The relationship between reading and writing  has changed in the sense that readers use social media to edit , click on links, add comments or change content. According to our text, they may actually be expected to do these things. The ability to be consumers and producers of knowledge  is now more widely available. This then lends itself to necessitate new ethics of exchange and interpretations to those distant and unknown.  

2. Explain "cosmopolitan practice" in relation to digital literacies and it means for learning in school.

This is a growing understanding of how to interact and exchange ideas across language, views and global boundaries.  It is a practice of hospitable stances in reading and composing, with emphasis on inclusivity and mutual respect. Many students have never  traveled outside of their neighborhood and now they can contact students from across the globe. They must learn that they are responsible for their writings.

3. How did the cosmopolitan conversation video challenge support critical media literacy?

The students were asked to think about the issues that were important to them and reflect on how it may affect others. They were asked to critically think and consciously maintain or alter their views, beliefs and values. They had to research, what and how they wanted to communicate their meaning, thus taking the responsibility for their video.

4. How does this quote from the text, "In this digital age, traditional content creation such as book reports, unit projects and essays, cannot be merely digitized and regulated to the end of the unit as capstone demonstrations of content mastery," make you think about how digital technologies should be used to support learning in school?

Mastery in the 21^st century involves more than the standard regurgitation of information in the form of a book report or essay. They must be able to interpret, critique and post creative compositions. They to chat amongst themselves , experiment with construction and maintenance of an online profile. And this should be done with the teacher who has interpreted, critiqued, posted compositions and guide the students in ethical and listening manner.

5. How do the digital stories you watch this week support the concept of cosmopolitanism?

These would all be considered cosmopolitanism because these students were from way around the world and taught through pictures, words and song about them and their country. These videos are something that would lose much of their knowledge through print. They can also be viewed all over the world and not just in specific texts, that may never be seen by other students.

6. In a blog posting, copy and paste a quote from the text :

 … “ Not only do we see this [complexity of student-produced texts or processes] as not representative of the writing/composition necessary for college, career and the 21^st century in general , we would argue that youth need experience composing across modes of communication, with others who are distant and unknown…exchange with these distant and unknown to others.” (2013, pg 80)

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

I feel we talk and talk about critical medial literacy but it is not incorporated into the curricula and pedagogies of the digital age students. If it is , it is as supplemental course or courses for children at risk for failing. In this age of digital everything, technical jobs and college classrooms are vacant due to the lack of skills these high school graduating student have.  Tyson and Eva developed skills in 4 weeks, but what happens after? These classes should be typical not extraordinary.

I am sure this is sure how many teachers feel. I know I did and I think this is one reason why it is just a complement to curriculum, and not the curriculum.

Which Came First - The Technology or the Pedagogy?

 

http://edt514tpack.wikispaces.com/file/view/techanded.jpg/90649811/techanded.jpg

Week 10 Activities

Activity #1
In a blog posting complete the tutorial on The Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling by answering the questions as you go.

Element #1: Take a look at the two examples and see if you can identify the purpose behind each story. What is the point of view in each?

• #1’s purpose is to show how the children 'make' salt. They are teaching us a life’s lesson.#2 Through mother nature all things are possible. Solar power to make electricity, rain water to fill the tanks for the fish. Cycle of life.   Whose voice do you hear? I hear the children in #1, they explain their jobs. I hear the adult very briefly explain the project.

Element #2: See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution?

• #1 question is why are people satisfied with making their beautiful island ugly? The children are bringing it out to the public. #2 is about wasting food and how to fix that problem with a salt water pool.

Element #3: See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.

•  #1 Is about the personal issues of teen depression that can lead to suicide. #2  Is about finding their roots through listening to their elders, and passing their culture to the next generations. #3 Is how children perceive stranger danger and what reality is true. They need to be taught that everyone may be dangerous.

Element #4: What impact that the voice plays on the overall effect of the story.

• #1 the woman’s voice personalizes the story. She is not narrating but answering a question without script. #2 The children singing makes me happy. I don’t understand a single word, but their little voices are so sweet.

Element #5: What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story? The chanting sets the mood and makes it seem that we are included in their rite.

Element #6: Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example?

• All 3 scenarios are stories with  different takes on the same theme. #1 was short and to the point. Each slide served a purpose and the narrator explained the story as it went along. It had a beginning, middle and end. #2 This is basically the same as number 1 only a little longer. However, each slide transitioned into the next with a narrator telling the story. There were no wasted moments or words. #3 Was a bit long, with a long transitions that made me lose interest. There were also added pictures that really didn’t add to the story. 

Element #7: How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story?

• The first story was too much too fast. The author was attempting to put a lot of information into a short period as a result spoke way too fast and sometimes words were not clear. Number two I felt was well done in the sense that a day in a small school was not typical of every other big schools. It was done with a sense of humor. 

Activity #2
Choose your favorite digital story and embed it in your blog and answer the following questions: I choose the health care stories and I cried through just about every one of them. It was very hard to pick one.


Point of View. What is the point of view in each?

• Each point of view had to do with the ordeal of disease of themselves or a loved one.  Whose voice do you hear? I heard from the caretakers. I am a care taker myself and I felt their pain on more than one story.

Dramatic Question. What is the dramatic question?

•  Not so much a dramatic question, but a dramatic statement. A statement that 

Emotional Content.

•  Every one of these videos were extremely emotional. I don’t think anything is worse than finding a parent is dying either from cancer or Alzheimer’s is causing the parent to forget. What is the emotional content of the story? How or why do you relate to it? I can relate to these, and I think that’s why I choose one, is because I have been there and now I am doing it. My Father died from leukemia and my Mother is slowly losing her memories. I thank heaven every day for my sister who shares the responsibilities with me. Where some of the authors were alone. 

Reading and discussion week #9

" The traditional hierarchy of adults as teachers and children as students also did not exist in the digital-storytelling learning environment because today's youth are 'digital natives' who bring their own areas of expertise with new-media practices to the activity." (Avila & Pandya, 2013 pg. 57).

I choose this because;  I am the teacher! I am the adult! I am also what is called a digital immigrant. I am trying to keep up. "Students between the age of 9-28 years old, are the digital natives".( Prensky, 2001) They bring their expertise to the classroom. A small portion of teachers today actually use digital media literacy in their class. I was one of those just a few short years ago. How many of us have asked our kids, either students or our own, to set DVRs, fix the computer,  teach us digital media? Once we, teachers, get over our own superior attitudes and believe in our youth, there may be peace in the classroom. Until then there will be tension between the students and constraints of the educational environment.

This presentation and it is very informative about today's teachers and students. 

 Go to http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/

Then click on the link, under “recent professional presentations” for this 

presentation: Digital Natives & Digital Immigrants: Exploring the Intergenerational Digital Divide

 

 References:

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

 

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, NCB University Press,9 (5), October 2001. Retrieved October, 2013 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Digital Storytelling and Reel Works

Reel Works

1.What do you like about the digital story?

• I liked the positive, happy feel of this video.
• I liked the positive influence that the Key Club has on students of diverse cultural populations, socioeconomic statuses, ages and genders.
• I liked the fact that this is a place where any student can go to get support from everyone. Not just the Mentors. Everyone participates.

2.What did you learn from the digital story?

• I learned that this club promotes equality in a diverse cultural societies.

3.What surprised you about the digital story?

• I was surprised at how mature and self-confident these women have become.

4. How did the digital story provide an example of how digital storytelling can build self esteem, help young people voice an opposition to social problems,  or create an alternative to stereotypes of adolescents typically portrayed in mainstream media?

• This was all about the story of how this club helped them when times were tough. One will never know if there were rules at what they could say, it seemed uncensored. This was about success building. There were many different cultures in this video and these students were showing that everyone can work together.

Media Literacy PSA

I think the Oscars are safe for another season. I'm afraid I am woefully inadequate. I was not real thrilled with this project. I absolutely hate my voice on tape so finding just the right pictures, text, colors and music was quite daunting. I am not proficient with videos so I am not real adept at creating this. I am satisfied with the final product, but there was more I wanted to do if, I had the appropriate knowledge on how to use my program, Photostory 3.
     ◾How did you create your PSA to reach your intended audience?
I want my audience to know that media literacy is very important in school curriculum for all ages. I used facts that I researched about adolescents and high school seniors. I think this appeals to all parents, teachers and administrators.
   ◾What persuasive techniques you used to get your message across?
I wanted to use flashy pics and text that I could move around. I ended up just using black and white pics so the text would show up better. Although it is still difficult to read. In the real world, I would have James Earl Jones or Robert Redford to narrate, and use better imaging.

PSA Storyboard

My PSA for digital literacy

Significance of Issue to the Public:

• My proposed issue is that if so much funding has gone NCLB, Reading First and Common cores why is there a problem with reading?
•  Describe the problem and why it is important to the public? The problem is 8 million adolescents are poor readers, 2/3 of high school seniors are not proficient.
• Are there any statistics involved which might be useful? Yes http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/writing/poorlyprepared.html

          www.arts.gov/research/ToRead .pdf

Target Audience:

• Whom do I want to speak to? (Choose One: Classroom teachers, parents, administrators) I really want to address them all. Anyone can read it.

Message:

• What is the proposed message?  Digital media in the curriculum is very important and should be addressed. What do I want the person who is watching this to understand? Funding is not going to high schools

Action Step:

• What is the call to action? Call the State and Federal legislators and complain. squeaky wheel gets the grease.What do I want the person to do? same thing What can an individual do in the home or community? Call , write letters. When I was in the PTA we had big campaigns for and against state actions. Some actually worked , especially at election time. How will the action solve the problem? It may not solve the problem, but no action will definitely NOT solve the problem.

Very rough draft PSA storyboard

Reading and Discussion Week #7

Reading #1
Identify three ideas you will use to inform your PSA of the need to teach critical media literacy in school

1.One of my ideas for my PSA comes from the comment… “Long range studies have shown increases in youths’ digital literacy habits in a relatively short period of time.” (2013 ,pg219) What I find interesting is that some studies were written in the late 90’s and in one article I read, 30 years ago. Digital literacy still seems to be looked upon as a passing fad. 86 % of teachers interviewed admit to technology in the classroom but 2/3 believe it to be supplemental and not a central part of the curriculum.

2. The other idea is very close to my teaching experience and that is the preparation of learners for life after graduation from high school. Whether it is college bound or workforce. My limited experience with college freshman is that they are not prepared in reading, writing and math. All of which are very important in the health careers field where I teach.

3. My third idea is about the IRA Standards for Reading Professionals which looks great on paper but several barriers to integration persist. Such as lack of resources, support, teachers’ attitude and beliefs and lack of professional development. I feel critical literacy goes much higher than the teacher. The policy makers need a wake-up call.

Reading #2:
Find an article that helps you understand how to implement critical pedagogy into your classroom setting. In a blog posting, summarize what you learned about enacting critical pedagogy in your own classroom and detail what like about critical pedagogy and what concern

The article I found described me exactly as I was 6 years ago when I started teaching at Pierpont C&TC in the Respiratory Care program.  I had read a little and attended a conference or two but didn’t have a lick of digital literacy. Today with the conclusion of my Master’s fast approaching, I am proud to say that through these digital learning classes I have incorporated critical literacy in my curriculum. Although this article centered on elementary educators, I felt some connections to these teachers.

In summary this article synthesized all of the definitions of critical literacy into four dimensions:
 1) disrupting the commonplace : study language to analyze how it shapes identity , constructs cultural discourses and supports or disrupts the status quo.
 2) interrogating multiple viewpoints: reflect on multiple perspectives, paying attention and making a difference.
 3) focusing on sociopolitical issues: using literacy to engage in daily life, challenging the unequal power relationships.
 4) taking action and promoting social justice: engaging in praxis, using language to exercise power to enhance everyday life. Challenging students to understand other diverse cultures.
They are all interrelated as none stand alone.

What I learned about enacting critical pedagogy in my classroom was mostly employing critical thinking in my students. I wanted them to be able think about a problem and not recite the textbook answer. I started research projects where they could not spout what they read. They have to present their findings in a public venue. I am having them create their own PSAs in the form of a teaching moment to the class. What I like is that they like it. They can choose their topics and this engages them in their own education.

My concerns are that high school students are not prepared for  rigors of college. They can text with the best, but can’t write a coherent sentence. Their critical thinking skills are nonexistent and rely on memorizing facts to pass classes. If critical literacy has been around for so long, why is it not a central part of curriculums?


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

Lewison, M., Seely Flint, A., Van Sluys, K. (2002). Taking on critical literacy: the journey of newcomers and novices. Language Arts 79(5) May 2002.