Weekly Reading #10

The main points that I got from the webcast was that technology is not being used to its potential in this country.  Current education is limited; the focus is “looking good” through test scores.  We are focusing on the wrong things.  Just because a country’s education looks good on paper with high test scores, that does not mean there are entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs.  Even though Asian Americans are achieving academically,  doesn’t mean they are achieving in the workplace.  America’s education isn’t getting worse; it’s never gotten better.  Even Albert Einstein said, “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”

I thought that Zhao made some very good points and agreed with his arguments.   I actually explored Zhao’s website; he had a list of conclusions, one of them that worded my conclusion of the argument made was this one, “To cultivate creative and entrepreneurial talents is much more than adding an entrepreneurship course or program to the curriculum. It requires a paradigm shift—from employee-oriented education to entrepreneur-oriented education, from prescribing children’s education to supporting their learning, and from reducing human diversity to a few employable skills to enhancing individual talents.”  

When I think to previous readings this semester, several chime in with Zhao’s argument.  “Children (and adults) learn best when engaged in complex, socially constructed, personally relevant, creative composition and interpretation of texts that incorporate a variety of meaningful communicative modes or symbol systems (Sanders).”  This came from Weekly Reading Three.  Personally relevant learning is most important.  Beating a country’s test score is not a personally relevant goal.

It is important that teachers don’t just “use it to say they used it.”  Effective, powerful, and meaningful writing is the ultimate goal. “Knobel and Lankshear(2006, p. 91) suggest that for effective powerful writing to take place using blogs, the focus should be on ‘genuine affinity spaces’ that will interest and challenge students into writing effective pieces for significant purposes (Adlington 2008).”

Digital texts are not as linear as printed texts. They open up the creative mind.  "...the reading path of printed texts is well established, and although you can certainly move around a text, the trajectory is linear. With digital texts, however, the reading path is “to-be-constructed” by the reader (or by the image or nature of the multimodal text; Kress, 2003). When reading online, you do not know where you will end up at the end of the reading event (Roswell 2009)."

Zhao mentions that we need to be supporters not prescribers of our learners.  Students need authentic education.  "As our relationship with the technical world evolves, it is our responsibility as educators to find authentic ways to shape learning that encompasses this form of digital literacy because reading and writing is at the center of this practice (Carey).”

We need to teach according to the child’s culture, not the world’s culture.  "This analysis has shown how children introduce themselves through their writing, how they signal identity in their online communication and how they act as bricoleurs, borrowing discursive fragments from popular culture (GUY)."

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will go on its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Reference:

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 30, 2013, from Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vYWdXV2RacF9EVXc/edit

GUY MERCHANT (2004) Imagine All that Stuff Really Happening: narrative and identity in children's on-screen writing, E-Learning and Digital Media, 1(3), 341-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/elea.2004.1.3.2

Rowsell, J., & Burke, A. (2009, October). Reading by Design: Two Case Studies of Digital Reading Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(2), pp. 106-118. doi:10.1598/JAAL.53.2.2

Sanders, Jennifer and Albers, Peggy. Multimodal Literacies: An Introduction. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ZnRBedCgj_IJ:https://secure.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/32142Intro_x.pdf+are+literacies+and+Discourses+used+interchanably&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjE9pBd2JmN_g_xuDVosAj01ImYkr6u-oyjriG0tREXG8fzwbyeuhcmDw0rrbTA1rug-bgizHwuiUlocJcQwdvcCiPOxZYWVExNgQ8BmulksyeRUcUX4LJmfxLlw7e8UTdG2TuT&sig=AHIEtbSZ7RHTNL_Rfe2bglUQRg9zzCD2JA

Week 10, Rubric for Learning Adventure

Link to Rubric

Weekly Reading #9

Quote:
"In one classroom, students evaluate samples of writing, ranking them and providing criteria for each ranking. The discussion is synthesized on a handout given to students. In another classroom, students create wall charts of features of good writing, revising them throughout the year as their ideas about writing evolve. And finally, students and teachers generate lists of statements about what makes good writing, and this list is used by students selecting pieces for their portfolios. In each of these scenarios, students learn to write by learning to assess. (Huot 171)"

Why this Quote?:
I made the font large in the part that I want to discuss.  Learning how to assess will help students learn to write.  This is a tool that I like to use in my math classroom.  If I am ever beginning a project I like to show students a "good example."  I also like to show students "non-examples;"  I show students non-examples sometimes and ask questions like, "Why isn't this a good response?" or "What is wrong with the title?" or "What is wrong with the answer?"  It is also nice to show students mediocre examples and question, "Could we add anything to this to make it better?"  When students know how to find error and know the difference between correct and incorrect examples, students "know how" to do what is asked of them.  This is very true in writing.  I know that even in this class(6809) we are often given "samples" of a correct, completed assignment.  We are given rubrics.  Sometimes reviewing correct examples and reading the rubrics help me realize how my work will be assessed and in turn helps me successfully complete the assignment.

Additional Resource:
Article on Benefits of Student-Generated Rubrics

Explanation of Additional Resource:
I thought this was a neat example of how students inputs towards their assessments can be very beneficial. Obviously, we don't want every assessment in the classroom to be student-generated.  However, it is something to think of.  As the article author states, "Developing a rubric is a reflective process that extends the experience and the knowledge gained beyond simply turning in a project for a teacher-initiated grade."

Questions:

1. What should the assessments of multimodal text provide for students?
• It should teach the students composition.  They should be productive, not just a score with no explanation gets thrown away.  It needs to be instructive evaluation or instructive assessment. Both terms denote that help students learn to assess texts rhetorically—their own texts and the texts of others, as they compose and after they do so.  In this way, assessments of student work become part of instruction. 
2. What are the benefits to using formative assessment when asking students to compose multimodal texts?
• Formative assessments provide feedback to students while they are still working on assignments or project. This kind of approach helps to focus students’ attention on a rhetorical understanding of a text as they are in the process of composing it. 
3. How do you feel about collaboratively constructing rubrics or assessment criteria with students?
• I agreed with the author's statement, "Collaboratively composed rubrics can also serve a summative function—providing teachers and students a strategy for evaluating the rhetorical effectiveness of a final composition product. Because such an approach to instructive assessment offers an effective way to make sure that students understand the role of rhetoric in a conventional composition classroom, it is probably an even more important strategy to use in a course that includes multimodal texts."
• I like the idea of students creating the rubric.  It just adds to the authenticity of the project.  Plus, there will be less "arguing" over the final assessment; i.e. "I don't like the way you are grading this."  This is a collaborative assessment so the student had a say in how something was being assessed.
4. Find a rubric or modify this Digital Composing Rubric to assess the multimodal product students will creating as a result of their Multimodal Learning Adventure and link to it from your Blog. You can use RubiStar to find, create, or modify your rubric.
• weather newscast rubric

Reference:

Borton, S. C., & Huot, B. (n.d.). Chapter 8: Responding and Assessing. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7veC02bzZxTGVZT1k/edit

Multimodal Learning Adventure - Sample NewsCast

The following CSOs would be addressed with this portion of the Multimodal Learning Adventure:

RLA.O.8.2.8 
conduct research by gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing data from a variety of sources:

Internet
databases for periodicals/newspapers
interviews
reference books
card catalogue
miscellaneous resource materials

• Students will have to research valid weather forecasts from reliable sources.

RLA.O.8.3.1 
model effective oral communication skills (e.g., tone, volume, rate, audience, etiquette, standard English) through the presentation of
compositions
reports
scripts with documented sources, using multiple computer-generated graphic aids.

• One student will be selected to orally report this broadcast.  There could be "NewsCaster" auditions so everyone gets a chance to at least practice reporting.

RLA.O.8.3.7
plan, create, organize, and present an age-appropriate media product that demonstrates format, purpose, and audience.

• This obviously contains all of these elements.  Students have to stick to the purpose: appropriately present local weather.  They have to understand their audience (student body).  

LEARNING MULTIMODAL LITERACY

This was created with PhotoStory.  Students would be collaborating, using new technologies, and creating an authentic project.  Students would need to learn how to format the videos, work the cameras (for other video segments), edit the clips, broadcast the news across the school, have effective sound, report efficiently, research ethically, etc.  Students would develop new and authentic literacies. 

Weekly Reading 8

Quote:
"It seems that adults are in a conundrum when we examine our assumptions about our own positions related to adolescents’ interests in popular culture: we run the risk of appearing to know too much or seeming to know too little.(Alvermann, Hagood, & Williams, 2001)."

Why this Quote?:
Although this article doesn't necessarily summarize or highlight the beneficial points of pop culture in the article, this was a quote that really stuck with me because I've had that "knowing too much" or "too little" feeling.  As an 8th grade teacher, there is a fine line between the "knowing too much" or "too little" when it comes to popular culture.  I have had students' jaws drop when they find I have not read or watched a single Twilight book/movie.  I have hadn't that same gaping reaction when they find out that I have tickets to a Kenny Chesney concert and so do they.  The article does make me realize that this conundrum that I find myself is okay: "Though it might appear to be a no-win situation, we think that attending to these assumptions can in fact aid in developing more in-depth understandings about meaning making when both adults and adolescents are involved in literacy activities that invite popular culture into the discussion. Certainly in our engagement of texts with Ned and with other young adolescents like him, we struggled with our assumptions about meaning making in texts we knew and didn’t know; and, to be sure, we continue to think about it. Based upon the tenuous positions we took up related to Ned’s and to other adolescents’ interests in popular culture, we did, however, locate two points helpful in designing spaces for the inclusion of popular culture that recognized the legitimacy of the meaning-making and literacy strategies adolescents use:In-depth observations of their uses of popular culture texts as part of their literacy repertoires, Discussions about the multiple positions they created while using such texts.  In many ways, these activities also served to help us grapple with being both teacher and learner."

Related Source:
Using Pop Culture in Elem School
I am currently teaching summer school in an elementary setting and loved these ideas! It is definitely worth a look and try.

Questions:

1. What is your stance on using popular culture texts in school?
• I think it is important to identify with students and incorporate their personal interests.  However, it needs to be appropriate, not some movie or song lyric that is full of negative sex, drug use, and foul language.  Just because you have a student that watches South Park, doesn't mean you must incorporate it; you can find something that is appropriate and popular among students.
2. What are your concerns about using popular culture texts in school?
• As mentioned above, I don't want to do something that will "get me in trouble."  I don't want to read/watch/listen to anything that glorifies sex, drugs, violence, etc.  
3. How can popular cultural texts support school-based writing?
• Ned and Kevin conversed via email.  In these written emails, Ned shared his interpretations and ideas about a rapper that he admired. “Youth can know more or less what they like about such texts; they frequently know and can articulate why they like what they like" (Alvermann, Hagood, & Williams, 2001).  It is easier for students to express themselves through something that they know and like.
4. Find and link to a  web-based popular culture text you might use to support writing in your teaching context.
• http://www.metrolyrics.com/maths-song-lyrics-one-direction.html
• These are One Direction Lyrics to "Maths Song."
• I would have my students listen to the song, read the lyrics, and determine, "What kind of math, if any is done?"  "What is the purpose of this song?"

Article Reference:

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

Week 8, Activity 2

I am excited for this final Multimodal Learning Adventure Project as last week, I found a great video (I actually found it in EDUC 6816): 

I liked the idea of having a News Cast in our school so much that I wanted to mention having a "NEWS" elective to my principal.  While looking for a learning adventure, I found this: Broadcast Media: Enhancing Literacy Through Student Production.  I am excited about developing an assessment and meeting standards to get the administrators at my school "on board" with this idea.

About this Project:

Students will work together to create a NewsCast that the whole students body will  watch.   I like the idea of having specific roles: camera operators, news directors, news anchors, writers, and researches.  I may have to modify this project because we may not have access to a teleprompter.  I might vary the length, but aim to keep it at five minutes.  I would like the students to rotate roles; this  will give students a chance to experience other position and help "teach each other."

Learning Outcomes:

I teach math and although we could occasionally try and incorporate some sort of math outcome, this project would be part of an elective class. We have an extra period during the day where I help small groups of students with math or students are provided, but I believe that our schedule could be adapted so that those students would get extra help from other math teachers if needed.  What I am trying to say, the outcome wouldn't necessarily be a math outcome, as this would take place in an elective setting. Students could even rotate into this elective class on a 9-week basis.

Several Language Arts WV CSOs could be targeted:

RLA.O.8.2.8
conduct research by gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing data from a variety of sources:

• Internet
• databases for periodicals/newspapers
• interviews
• reference books
• card catalogue
• miscellaneous resource materials

RLA.O.8.2.9

select and use a variety of resource materials to plan, develop, and deliver a research project 

RLA.O.8.3.1

model effective oral communication skills (e.g., tone, volume, rate, audience, etiquette, standard English) through the presentation of

• compositions
• reports
• scripts with documented sources, using multiple computer-generated graphic aids.

RLA.O.8.3.7

plan, create, organize, and present an age-appropriate media product that demonstrates format, purpose, and audience.

RLA.O.8.3.5

perform a variety of roles in group discussions:

• collaboration
• facilitation
• persuasion

How does this address multimodal learning?

This is the perfect example of multimodal.  Students are collaborating, using new technologies, and creating an authentic project.  Students would need to learn how to format the videos, work the cameras, edit the clips through editing software, broadcast the news across the school, have effective sound, report efficiently, research ethically, etc.  Students would develop new and authentic literacies.  

Week 8, Activity 1

After reading my peers' case studies, I made the following generalizations about how young people who live in the Appalachian region use of digital technologies outside of school and the implications for educators:

1. Technology is used and accessed.  I know some still think that majority of young people in the Appalachian do not have access to technologies outside of school.  This is obviously not the case.
2. Social media is at the heart of digital technologies outside of school.  Students enjoy sites like Twitter and Facebook.  They interact with their friends through these sites.  Students are comfortable with the applications within these sites.  
3. Social media is not used in the classroom.  Although social media is the most popular technology outside of school, social media is not present in the classroom.  It seems as though students are not excited by technology in school. 
4. Gaming is more social that solo.  Students are involved with gaming, but it is not the anti-social, sit in the room and play Mario by yourself gaming.  Students can interact with other students through gaming, even if that other person is not in the same room.

Weekly Reading #7

First Reading: Imagine All that Stuff Really Happening: narrative and identity in children's on-screen writing 

Summary:

This article explores the relationship between narrative and identity in children’s on-screen writing. Using archived emails, and story fragments, the article shows how children borrow and transform the writing practices and voices of others. The study illustrates how children draw on popular culture texts and blend them with classroom material to produce hybrid narratives.The research conducted in this study suggests digital media and the new forms of communication provide rich possibilities for redefining interaction, and establishing participation and production that reach out beyond classroom spaces. 

Quote:

"This analysis has shown how children introduce themselves through their writing, how they signal identity in their online communication and how they act as bricoleurs, borrowing discursive fragments from popular culture (GUY)."

What I Learned:

So much learning takes place from a child's culture.  We as educator's need to be culturally responsive to our students.  Bringing the popular culture into school can provide a tremendous learning opportunity for students.

Second Reading: Milford Schools Embrace Scoial Media

Summary:

As the title suggests, this article is about a school system that is embracing social media in their schools.  Previously, if a students was on facebook or twitter at school it would have meant the student illegally navigated past a filter blocking the popular social media sites.  School officials believe that social media sites will enhance a student's education.  It is a very controversial move in the district.

Quotes (I included several.):

• Amity Regional School District Superintendent of Schools John Brady summed up the opinions of many school leaders.
  "We feel the Internet resources we do provide and allow access to are more than adequate for educational purposes," he said. "The term 'social media' says it all."

• Foran Principal John Barile said the policy is "progressive."
  "We can't ignore (social media) or bury our heads in the sand," Barile said. "We certainly want to enhance our education for children."
  
• "There has been a long-held fear that kids would abuse such programs, but, as a school system, we need to help students learn how to use technology responsibly. I teach this to my students all the time, and we rarely have issues," Turtola said.

What I Learned:

It might not be such a bad idea to allow students to access social media sites that they use adamantly at home.  Let's face it, social media has become part of our society.  Just about every business has a Facebook page.  I understand that it may be hard at first to monitor all students.  I understand that allowing social networking in schools may bring up a liability issue when it comes to cyber bullying. However, students can and will use this sites outside of school.  Why not teach students how to use these resources responsibly?  

References:

GUY MERCHANT (2004) Imagine All that Stuff Really Happening: narrative and identity in children's on-screen writing, E-Learning and Digital Media, 1(3), 341-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/elea.2004.1.3.2

McCready, B. (2011, Sep 25). Milford schools embrace social media. New Haven Register. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/893953649?accountid=10797

Weekly Reading #6

Quote

• "As our relationship with the technical world evolves, it is our responsibility as educators to find authentic ways to shape learning that encompasses this form of digital literacy because reading and writing is at the center of this practice" (Carey). 

Explanation of Quote

• I chose this quote because it is important for educators to realize that they have a responsibility.  At times educators get caught in traditional methods and sometimes feel that their responsibility is to preserve "the lecture style classroom" or preserve "using actual dictionaries and encyclopedias, not the Internet or computers."  However, it is important to realize that as the technical world evolves our responsibility is to shape learning that encompasses this form of digital literacy.

Extra Resource

• No more print dictionaries: a ‘sad day’ or a ‘day of liberation’?
• Reference: http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/no-more-print-dictionaries

Explanation of Extra Resource

• This made me consider the usefulness of things like dictionaries, an encyclopedia set, etc.  I think it is fair to say that equally reliable sources (and actually more up to date) are available on the computer.  Is doing away with the print form of a dictionary a "sad day" or just an evolution?  I think it is more of just an evolution.  I am actually reminded of a veteran English teacher that I work with.  I was in working on something in another teacher's room and asked how to spell a word, he jokingly said there are dictionaries on the book case in his room. My immediate reaction was, "I'll just look it up on my laptop right beside of me."   Of course there are doubters as publishing companies publish fewer and fewer dictionaries, but technology is evolving.  The way we learn and find information is evolving.  Sorry, thick and heavy dictionaries; we don't need you anymore.  

Questions

1. How can instant messaging support reading and writing in school?  As the article states, "Online discussion groups can act as an alternative to class discussions, which would allow for a greater number of shared ideas and opinions, which could also serve as an assessment tool.  An effective reading and writing curriculum allows for maximum opportunities for critical reflection and analysis.  It is imperative that we do not overlook IM as an appropriate and meaningful technological tool for the purpose of thoughtful examination in the academic setting." I have participated in online discussions and I think it is a valuable IM-ing experience in the education setting.  Every student required to come up with a response.  The teacher can also see responses to student responses.  I have also done assignments through a recorded chat room session; also a very neat experience.  No one can sit quietly in the corner of the classroom.  IM cause all student to become active members of class discussions.
    
2. How did your attitudes and beliefs about the value of instant message as a result of reading the research on Instant messaging as a literacy practice?  It just reassured me that Instant messaging can be a proper literacy practice.  As stated previously, educators have a responsibility to adapt to the ongoing technological advances because they DO involve reading and writing.  

Article Citation

Carey, J. (n.d.). Instant Messaging: A Literacy Event. Retrieved June 30, 2013, from Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vYWdXV2RacF9EVXc/edit

Assignment #4 Media Ecology Case Study Continued

Hanging Out: 

• My young person's favorite thing to do on the computer is "Connect with friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Twittter (posts, photos, etc.)." These social media sites obviously facilitate social interaction between my cousin and her friends.
• My young person asks for help from her friends with these sites if she cannot figure something out on her own.  So not only is social interaction facilitated through the site, but in person or on the phone if she can not figure out everything with the sites.

Messing Around: 

• My young person said that she "figures things out" if she does not know how to do it.  If she still cannot figure it out, she ask a friend.
• She also admitted to "googling" answers in school.  At some point as a students, the idea of "googling" an answer had to come to her so she "messed around" and figured out it was a valid solution.

Geeking Out:

• I know this partially because she mentioned "posting pics" in her interview, but mainly because I am friends with her on some of the social media networks that she is active in, but this young person is very good at editing and doing photograph collages.  She will put words and different photos together; she'll change the lighting and make the photo look neat.  It seems to be something she enjoys.  She primarily does these collages and edits of friend photographs.

Schooling: 

• Her schooling experience with technology seems pretty typical.  She writes papers in word.  She creates an occasional PowerPoint.  She wishes she could submit things online and create YouTube videos in school.  

Weekly Reading #5

Quote:
"With Peter and Patty in mind, it is clear that digital reading not only demands a different set of skills than printed texts do, but also it carries a different set of assumptions and epistemological framings based on how a text is designed and produced" (Rowsell & Burke, 2009).

Why this quote?
It is important for the educator to realize that reading online requires and demands a different set of skills that reading printed text.  Different assumptions can be made depending on how a text is designed and produced.  Just because is literate with one text or site online doesn't mean that that student will be literate with all sites on line.  Digital media adds new layers like complex visuals.

Extra Resource:
Muffy's Wardrobe
This is a great PBS game that young students could play in which the student chooses an "activity" for Muffy.  Based on the activity, the student has to select the wardrobe.  If the student chooses something that does not make sense (i,e. a fishing vest for ballet), Muffy will let the student know that they do not quite have it.  I chose this link because it reminded me of Webkinz.  The level is a little lower (more kindergarten), but it is a very interactive and multimodal tool for young student to learn that different activities require different attire.

Questions:

1. What did you learn about how reading of digital texts differs from the reading of print texts?

"...the reading path of printed texts is well established, and although you can certainly move around a text, the trajectory is linear. With digital texts, however, the reading path is “to-be-constructed” by the reader (or by the image or nature of the multimodal text; Kress, 2003). When reading online, you do not know where you will end up at the end of the reading event."  I never considered this before, digital texts are not as linear as printed texts.  There may be a link to explore further, there may be a video or image in between paragraphs, there may be an unrelated pop-up or ad.  


2. Do agree the the reading of digital texts are complex?

Absolutely.  As stated before, digital texts are not as linear a printed text.  You do not read from top to bottom.  There are often thinks to click and interactivity for the reader of digital texts.  It is not just reading until you get to the end.

3. Do you think that reading digital texts has value for reading in school?

Yes, especially since the Internet and digital texts are becoming a bigger part of our society.  Not that reading novels is completely frivolous (it is something I enjoy; it increases vocabulary and intellect), but a person will rarely be given a task in the real world such as, "Read and summarize A Tale of Two Cities by next week."  However, every business has a website; often job hunts begin online.  Submitting resumes online or providing a digital portfolio is becoming standard.  

4. How might a teacher connect Peter's online reading skills with academic reading? How might this improve Peter's academic reading?

Peter is able to discuss the nuances of each character at length.  Character analysis is a skill that student need when reading in their English/Language arts classes.  When Peter discussed the plot of the Naruto TV series and videogame, he demonstrated a deep understanding of characterization and sense of story.  The teacher could have Peter create some sort of diagram like a character web to show the connections between characters of the Naruto TV series.  Peter could then take this knowledge and create a character web from a printed text.  The connections between something Peter like outside of school and school would be very beneficial.   

Reference
Rowsell, J., & Burke, A. (2009, October). Reading by Design: Two Case Studies of Digital Reading Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(2), pp. 106-118. doi:10.1598/JAAL.53.2.2

Analyzing the Interview

I interviewed my 18 yr old cousin who is a senior in high school (well she just graduated a couple of weeks ago).

• Hanging Out: The young person spends a lot of time on social networking sites like facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  In fact, that is what she mostly uses her computer and smart phone for.  Interacting with her friends on the Internet is very important to her.
• Messing Around: I know that these social networking sites involve things that not everyone know how to do: Creating an sharing a photo or photo album.  Sharing another post or video.  Tagging other friends to posts.  Sending private messages.  Editing photos before posting. My cousin is what you could say VERY ACTIVE on the these sites and knows how to do things that I don't even know how to do.
• Geeking Out:  From viewing her Facebook and Instagram, she like editing photos.  She sometimes combines multiple photos in a collage and adds a song lyic or quote and changes the lighting and effect of the photo.
• Schooling: The young person mention "looking up answers," creating PowerPoints, and typing papers (in Microsoft Word- I'm assuming).  I think that my cousin would benefit from networking in school, whether it be through a blog, edmodo, etc.  She enjoys social networking so much outside of school.  She mentioned she wished she could make YouTube videos and submit things online.  My cousing would benefit from sharing presentations with the teacher and class online.  

google doc

Interview with Student

1. Do you have a computer /iPod/MPC playerWii/ ect....?
   Yes.  My family has a laptop, Wii, and computer.  I have an IPhone 4.

1. What kinds of things do you use the computer for?
   Facebook, Instagram, twitter, email, writing papers, look up stuff for school, look up videos on youtube.
    
2. What is your favorite thing to do on the computer?
   Connect with friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Twittter (posts, photos, etc.).
     
3. How did you learn to do that?
   I just figured it out myself.  If there is something I don't know how to do something, a friend will know how to do it.
   
4. What are some other things you use the computer for?
   I write papers for my English classes.  If I can't find an answer in my book for an assignment, I google it.
   
5. What is your favorite game? Why?
   Just Dance for the Wii because it makes me and my friends dance like idiots and laugh.
   
6. Do you know other people who do this?
   Other people my age.  My mom does it sometimes and it is hilarious.
   
7. How do you use the computer at school?
   I had a health teacher that would take us to the lab to research a part of the chapter we were on and then we would make a PowerPoint with pictures and stuff.  My English teacher would let us go to the lab a day to type papers.  We would take these really hard tests on the computer a couple times a year in reading and math classes when I was younger, but I didn't do that this year.
   
8. How would you like to use the computer at school?
   I would like to submit stuff online (like papers- like people in college do) because it is annoying and wastes paper to print it off; there are always problems with the printer at our school.  I would like to do something fun like create a YouTube video about a topic instead of writing a paper about it.
   
9. Do you think teachers would let you use the computer to do those things? Why? Why not?
   No, not really.  My English teacher likes "HARD COPIES" because I have asked about emailing stuff to her before and YouTube is blocked at our school.
   
10. Anything else you would like to tell me?
    No

Illuminated Text Final

Changes: music all instrumental and music does not start until after title page.

Weekly Reading #4

Quote:

“While computers, the Internet and electronic gadgetry were once perceived as the

playthings of young ‘nerds’ and ‘geeks’, this is no longer the case.” (Adlington & Hansford, 2008).

Image Source: http://tiger.towson.edu/~cwilli48/New_Folder/Billgate.jpg

Why I chose this quote:

I chose this quote because growing up in the early 90s, I remember computers being a geek thing and not applying to everybody.  I remember my brother, a computer nerd, trying to explain to me what the Internet was when I was in third grade.  I remember feeling like the Internet was only for those really intelligent computer nerds.  However, I now use the Internet on a daily basis and communicate through the Internet with hundreds of people for both education and leisure purposes.  I think it is important to realize that we are not talking about technology that just a few geeks use.  This is something that 90% of teens use on a daily or at least weekly basis!

Questions:

1. Why is it important for teachers to use digital media to support writing instruction in school?

• As the passage suggests, “The point of literacy education is to engender powerful communication dexterity in children that they may draw upon regardless of context, which can only occur as a result of embracing a wide range of texts and masteries as legitimate (Dowdall, 2006). Dissonance can be lessened, particularly for students who do not make the transitions between texts and contexts easily, by focusing on the aspects of texts that are assonant (Dowdall, 2006).”  It is important for teachers to use digital media because that is what students are using at home and that gap needs to be narrowed.

2. What are the differences between writing online and writing in school? 

• There is no one common digital language.  Writing online is more of an enjoyable activity for students.  Many times, students use online journals and blogging to express themselves. “Both texts provide opportunities to establish social identities, demonstrate social, cultural, technological, personal and linguistic masteries’required to position the author, draw on intertextual associations and elicit feedback from audiences (Dowdall, 2006, p. 161). But the school text focuses on endorsement of lingustic and cultural masteries and the locus of control is located away from the teenage author.”

3. How should teachers use digital spaces to support writing instruction in school?

• “Knobel and Lankshear(2006, p. 91) suggest that for effective powerful writing to take place using blogs, the focus should be on ‘genuine affinity spaces’ that will interest and challenge students into writing effective pieces for significant purposes.”  It is important that teachers don’t just “use it to say they used it.”  Effective powerful writing is the ultimate goal.

4. What are some of the challenges to using digital spaces for writing instruction in school?

• “One dilemma for teachers, then, is the pedagogical challenge of designing meaningful tasks that will ‘engage and enrage’ (Prensky, 2001) students. Out‐of‐school blogs may well be considered interesting, but in themselves do not, as Knobel and Lankshear put it,require ‘grammatically correct sentence rules’ (2006, p. 88).”  

5. The authors of the reading provided some excellent examples of how teachers used the social purposes of new texts to support learning in school. Please find another example (Lesson plan or student created product) that provides a good example of how a teacher kept true to the social purpose of a new digital text to support learning in the classroom. Please provide explanation for you example.

• This is a great example of how a class worked together to create a photostory to help share and learn about slavery.  This goes beyond a presentation in class; it is a class presentation for the world.

Reference:

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

Illuminated Text Draft

Illuminated Text Upload (music not cooperating)

Illuminated Text - Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Upload From Computer (music cooperating)

More PowerPoint presentations from Sarah Cline

Weekly Reading #3

Reflections:
1. What is the main argument presented in  this article?

• Multimodality and 21st century literacies are here and  importanct to literacy and language arts learning, and must be a part of curriculum. Not only must we embrace these aspects of language learning, but we must begin to play with them as students do daily.

2. Why is it imperative that teachers and educational policy makers recognize the role multimodality plays in redefining literacy in the 21st century?

• The world is changing and in light of the diverse student populations that we serve, we need bridge the gap between at home literacies, societal literacies, and school.  We need to prepare are students for life and literacy in the 21st century. Period.

3. What is the fundamental philosophical orientation of educators who engage in multimodal literacy instruction?

• Children (and adults) learn best when engaged in complex, socially constructed, personally relevant, creative composition and interpretation of texts that incorporate a variety of meaningful communicative modes or symbol systems. 

4. What is the rational for engaging children in learning through the arts promoted by educational philosophers like Maine Green and Elliot Eisner? Do you share this philosophical orientation? Why? Why not?

• Elliot Eisner (2003) has championed the arts as developing different forms of thinking, including an ability to see qualitative relationships within and among texts, an understanding that form and content are inextricably linked, an understanding that how something is expressed is only a part of what is meant, and the awareness that not everything knowable can be expressed through written language. The arts, argued Greene, leads to informed or critical talk by positioning learners as active viewers and perceivers while providing more precise and imaginative language to elucidate a deeper perception of the everyday world. 

5. Name three benefits of multimodal reading and writing for students? Be specific and use quotes from the text to support your claims.

• "In creating such texts, the textmaker considers how each of these elements interrelates and how this relationship will inform a viewer’s interpretation." --- Students benefit from thinking of how their words and representation will be interpreted by other viewers.
  
• "Design, the conceptual side of expression (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001) and separate from the actual product, refers to how people make use of the materials and resources that are available to them at a particular moment to create their representation."--- Another benefit is that students learn to make use of the materials and resources that are available to represent personal meaning of literacies.


• "...within multimodality inherently lies a critical perspective enacted when examining the textmaker’s choices regarding the materials used," --- Students learn to critically examine own work along with other work. For example, does the song make my point or does it take away from the presentation?

6. Give an example of how blogging supports the  four aspects of multimodal theory proposed by Kress and Jewitt.

• Materiality - When blogging we choose images, fonts, colors, etc. to represent a part of us.
• Framing - As in this blog posts, I decided to give each question a number and parts of the answers bullets to organize the information.
• Design - I use the options available in my text toolbar to create my blogposts.  I might bold or enlarge font that I want to stand out; while doing so, I always keep the viewer in mind: "How will the viewer perceive these font choices?"
• Production - I organize my information and posts. For example, Weekly Reading- I give my input on the reading first, include something personal second, and reference last.  I think of my viewers when organizing the information.

7. What can teachers learn about their students from their image productions? Why is this important?

• Teachers can learn about students' lives, interests, struggles, strengths, weaknesses, etc.  This is important because it can help teachers make culturally responsive decisions in classroom instruction for optimal learning.

8. According to this article, why should teachers use technology in their teaching?

• In order to become successful in the 21st century, our students need to be successful with more than just reading and writing. Technology in education is one way for teachers to provide students with 21st century for success in life (not just the classroom).

9. How does multimodal literacy relate to 21st century literacy?

• Through multimodal literacy, teachers and students create something significantly new, experiment with new technologies, and share innovative learning that moves well beyond the four walls of the classroom.

10. What project described intrigued you the most?

• The “DC Area Literary Map Podcast” interested me where Vasquez aimed to create a project that would (1) help teachers become more resourceful when choosing books for students; (2) move beyond the immediate needs of students; (3) be generative, ongoing, and sustainable  beyond the life of the course; and (4) be accessible to a larger  audience outside of the class. Teachers generated questions around a book that reflected a social issue, found other texts (music, visual, photos of statues, poems, among others) that might accompany this book, and then created a four-minute podcast that addressed their learning about the social issue.
• This interested me because I could imagine how valuable of an experience this could be for students to connect literacies and their own culture.  

11. What challenges to integrating multimodal reading and writing into schools do you most identify with?

• Sometime  technological tools like PowerPoint can be frustrating.  I'll know what I want my transitions and animations to do, but making it happen takes time, research, and patience.  However, the more we familiarize ourselves with any program, the easier it will be to use.

12. Why is mulitmodal literacy essential in preparing students for work, play and democratic participation in the 21st century?

• As stated above, "Through multimodal literacy, teachers and students create something significantly new, experiment with new technologies, and share innovative learning that moves well beyond the four walls of the classroom."

13. Find an embed an image in your blog posting that relates to mulitmodal literacy.

Image Source: http://faculty.uoit.ca/hughes/Contexts/multimodal.gif

Source:
Sanders, Jennifer and Albers, Peggy. Multimodal Literacies: An Introduction. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ZnRBedCgj_IJ:https://secure.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/32142Intro_x.pdf+are+literacies+and+Discourses+used+interchanably&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjE9pBd2JmN_g_xuDVosAj01ImYkr6u-oyjriG0tREXG8fzwbyeuhcmDw0rrbTA1rug-bgizHwuiUlocJcQwdvcCiPOxZYWVExNgQ8BmulksyeRUcUX4LJmfxLlw7e8UTdG2TuT&sig=AHIEtbSZ7RHTNL_Rfe2bglUQRg9zzCD2JA

Weekly Reading #2

How the Multigenre & Mulitmodal assignment related to each of the readings:

• Writing Outside of School - I used digital media.  This helped make me aware of my audience and how my story would be perceived.  
• Literacy Learning in the 21st Century - 21st century writers need to be able to: create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media. I created a story based on my analysis of different types of literature. 
• Reading and Writing Differently - "Visual culture and the proliferation of multimedia texts have changed literacy practices both inside and outside the classroom."  Writing has changed.  Creating digital stories is a literacy practice that is very accepted among the visual culture of today.
• Writing Now - We write differently now.  I practiced a new form of writing and expressing myself with my digital story.  
• Adolescent Literacy - The reality is that "Literacy encompasses reading, writing, and a variety of social and intellectual practices that call upon the voice as well as the eye and hand. It also extends to new media—including non-digitized multimedia, digitized  multimedia, and hypertext or hypermedia."  I could have written a paper about my favorites quotation, but people really "get" what I feel and think of with a digital story.  Literacy is beyond the print and "just reading and writing." 

Three ways the readings changed or reinforced my thinking about the role of digital technologies/media in teaching children adolescents to read and write:

1. It reinforced something that I know, but often forget.  Literacy goes way beyond how well a person can read and write. Sometimes we think of an illiterate person to be one that can't read or write, but people can be illiterate in other 21st century areas.
2. Reading and writing has changed!  The skills my grandmother was taught in school are different than the skills taught now.  This doesn't mean we haven't turned into some illiterate society.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  We need to be literate in more areas than ever before.
3. Building on extracurricular writing and connecting school and home is very important! Research shows that learning about writing in students’ home cultures leads to significant improvements in schoolbased writing instruction. Teachers benefit from learning about the purposes, types, and languages of the writing their students do and observe outside the classroom.

Digital Technologies that support Reading in Writing in Math:

PBL

In this PBL, students are planning their Dream Vacation.  In the process, they use the internet to research distance and gas prices.  They will also research attractions, restaurants, etc.  They also become familiar with Excel.  The student will report all costs of the trip in an Excel Spreadsheet.

Sources:
National Council of Teachers of English. (2009). Writing Outside of School.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2009). Literacy Learning in the 21st Century.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). Reading and Writing Differently.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). Writing Now.

National Council of Teachers of English (2007). Adolescent Literacy.

Underwood, D. (2008). Dream vacation. Retrieved from http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/Guide.cfm?upid=3326&tsele1=2&tsele2=108 

Textual Lineage

Digital Media Effects on Conventional Reading and Writing Practices

• Quote and Reaction:


• from "Does Digital Media Make Us Bad Writers?""According to Lunsford, the writing we produce is not getting worse.  Instead, it is simply adapting to the modern world."
  I like this idea of writing.  Granted that I am only 24, I feel somewhat part of the technological age.  I feel insulted when coworkers, friends, teachers, etc. of other generation snub the writing of my generation.
• from "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?"
  " In fact, some literacy experts say that online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs."
  I also agree with and like this outlook.  Why "look down" on something (internet) that has become such an important part of today's workforce?  Why discourage children from internet literacy when they are faced with it in today's society?


• Where I stand:
• I am far from the traditionalist view.  I understand that, like it or not, the way we work, communicate, read, and understand life is changing.  We cannot ignore the technological advances that have taken place in this country.  Instead, we must adapt.  
• Online Resource:
• link: Cursive Writing: A Thing of the Past
• I have very close colleagues that would probably roll over at what I am about to say.  However, this goes along with the traditionalist vs. web evangelist thing.  I know several people who are very sad to see less emphasis on cursive writing.  To some, good hand writing is just as important as reading comprehension,  Why? I honestly believe because TRADITIONALLY that is what they were taught.  The older generations were forced to perfect their handwriting.  I am not saying that there is no need for legible writing.  However, I think it is safe to say that "hand writing" is not as important or necessary with the word processing technological advances of today.  A quote from the article that I enjoyed and agree with was, "“As we decrease our focus in one area, we have to increase our focus on another.”  It is important to remember the curriculum of the past will get altered, but only to make way for new curriculum that applies to societal needs.

Introduction

• A. Hello! I am Sarah Cline(Pryor-maiden name).  I did my undergrad. at FSU and graduated in May 2011 (Elem Ed and Math 5-9). Within a month of graduating, I got married, moved to Lewisburg, WV (due to my husband's job), bought a house,  and got my first teaching job (7th Grade Math- Summers Middle School- a 45 minute commute).  My second year of teaching I lucked out and got a job 5 minutes from my house and will probably be in this position for a while:) (8th Grade Math - Eastern Greenbrier Middle School).  I will be finished with my Master's at the end of the summer.  Looking forward to this class and looking forward to having a Master's at the end of July!

• Other side info about me: I am a Zumba Instructor.  I love the outdoors; hiking, kayaking, camping, skiing, etc.  I will be very busy this summer teaching summer school 3 days a week, instructing zumba, taking vacation on my off weeks, and doing the outdoor activities I previously mentioned (minus the skiing, of course, but I already have my season pass for Snowshoe this winter!). I love teaching middle school math (Strange, I know, but would prefer it over kindergarten any day).  

• I hope that this class enables to grow professionally.

• You tube video:
  This is a student-made video made video that causes viewers to realize/remember that literacy goes far beyond, "How well you can read and understand a book/passage"  Being literate in the 21st century might mean expand your idea of literacy itself.

• Comic about Literacy Uses of Today:
  Even my 75-yr-old grandma tries to "facebook,"  but like many in her generation, she is confused by its purpose and how to use it.  This made me think of the confusion that my grandma often when trying to "understand facebook:"

Photo Source: http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/grandma-on-the-internet.jpeg