My Final Draft of my PowToon is based on the key knowledge that I learned in my Digital Media and Literacy course. I feel as if I have expanded exponentially over the last couple of years while in my Digital Lit classes. I feel confident that I can help the next generation excel in decoding, understanding, and creating multimodial media.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Draft for Final Project
I chose to list key insights I learned from EDUC 6810 through a PowToon. I could have used much more than the 5 minutes PowToon allows for the free version. I wanted to additionally touch down on self-expression gone too far in social media.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Brainstorm Final Project
Reading and Discussion #1 ~ Students as responsible and literate "digital citizens"
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| Brainstorming |
- "Bullshit and the Art of Crap Detection"
I think this is a "to-the-point" point and very valid in creating a responsible digital citizen. This will be a point that I expound on.
- Is not something I think many adults would believe was created by teenage minds. I think often we forget they have a voice on important issues such as illegal immigration or gang violence but after watching the videos - it is pretty obvious that they do. I think projects like Reel Works creates an outlet that allows teenagers to develop their thoughts in a creative way.
This is from my own writing and I still find it true. Students have a voice, we need to show them how to express it.
- Reel Works has also figured out how to take video making from the classroom into "real world" applications as is such in the HBO 8 week course in documentary making and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) camp for girls, which mixes STEM based careers with videography. As with any learning experience "learning by doing" is considered one of the most effective ways to teach in the 21st century. Authentic learning has become the preferred way for students to learn and teachers have noticed a propensity towards student motivation in learning when given a real-world problem.
Authentic learning goes beyond the textbook to show students why they are learning a subject. Without context many students lose their way and begin to wonder why they are sitting in the classroom. This is something I work hard to avoid.
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| Brainstorming |
- However, Moore reassures the educator that they don't necessarily have to have a grasp on current pop culture to be able to utilize it to help students identify credible sources. He does warn teachers that celebrating or criticizing students in regards to their choices in pop culture does not lend to a constructive learning environment…
Moore brought reassurances into some of my fears with today's pop culture. I know I am not the cool teacher with all the updates on current pop culture but that doesn't mean I should lack compassion.
Reflecting on our Love/Hate Relationship with Media
Reflecting on our Love/Hate Relationship with Media
- The biggest idea I saw in the digital media board is that it promotes creativity. It helps us create unique material for personal and professional reasons.
I think this quote from my reflection basically sums up my revelations as to how multimodal media increases and promotes creativity.
During deconstruction of a magazine, I learned how to critically analyze content in a magazine from the color, boldness of lettering, agenda behind the magazine, targeted audience, techniques to hold and attract attention, who is benefiting from the message, subtext, etc… All of this will help me guide my children and my students to viewing media from a critical point.
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| Brainstorming |
- It is the information age. Our students are inundated with media everywhere they go. It has become a dominant force in our culture. Making sure our students are media literate will arm them with the tools they need to be responsible citizens that are knowledgable on a variety of topics that could positively and negatively affect their lives.
This reflection from my reading follows the same logic of making sure our students can think beyond what is being put in front of them and gain a better perspective. Common Core curriculum promises to follow these guidelines.
- I agree that students across America should have the opportunity to receive the same high quality education.
This seems to be a side note but Common Core offers to bring everyone to the same level. I do believe that all students deserve the right to the same education. I'm not sure Common Core has all the answers but I understand the logic.
- I am having trouble with the creative aspect in Common Core... but at the same time I believe all students should have the same high quality education… but at the same time - am I not capable of picking the right things for our students to learn that will make them high level, critical thinkers who can decode situations and scaffold their knowledge? See my issues?
My thoughts on Common Core are still the same - I feel we will sacrifice creativity (highly needed in the global market) and the time I need to create critical thinking skills.
- "Some of the best project-based learning assignments using media and technology give students a combination of structure and freedom, where they can develop communication skills and exercise their creativity but have some constraints that omit and shape their work" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 86)
This quote goes back to utilizing multimodal text to bring out creativity as well as the thought process in an assignment. Multimodal text gives students the tools they need to go beyond paper writing skills to express themselves in several literacy modes.
- It goes on to mention that teachers are having a hard time distinguishing between imitation and self-expression.
I think it is par for the course to expect students to react in various ways if we want them to use self-expression. I think we need to be ready to read, see, and hear things we don't find "acceptable." But this give us an additional learning experience to teach students what is acceptable for social media and our society and what is not.
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| Brainstorming |
- "It was challenging for Mrs. Jenkins not to betray her shock at the very serious sense of engagement and connectedness her seventh grade students were revealing" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 108).
I think this proved the point that if you make learning authentic and students can connect to it, then the lesson will be more engaging.
In this particular reading we were looking at T.V. ads and the motives behind them. We pointed out true motives combined with metonymy and metaphor to make the ad more visual. We pointed out prospectives used to sell a product such as cultural stereotyping to make the buyer laugh. We also pointed out unrealistic situations to make the product more attractive. Decoding ads to sell a product is one more important step in making our students media savvy.
- "A middle-school student in Costa Mesa, California, created an online group on Myspace with the title, "I Hate Classmate's Name." There was an expletive, an anti-Semitic reference, and a post that read, "Who here wants to take a shotgun and blast her in the head over a thousand times?" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 125)
Part of making a lesson authentic is exploring all avenues. I think one topic that is always important to talk about is Human Rights and the boundaries of those Rights. Tackling media and literacy will lead to where self-expression and slander cross those lines and are no longer protected under Freedom of Speech and Expression.
- "...The Internet is not a separate place a person can go to from the real world. The Internet is the real world. Only faster" (Hobbs, 2011 page 139).
The only way our students are going to understand that the Internet is bigger than their family, classroom, network of friends, and even their community is to teach them just how big the Internet is. Students need to understand the global ramifications of publishing on the World Wide Web.
- "Teens may have thoughtful and often sophisticated reasoning processes that reflect their decision making about what's OK and what's not. Dialog about these issues builds critical thinking skills and gives teens a chance to reflect upon and articulate their values" (Hobbs, 2011 page 136).
I like this quote in particular because I do think teens have thoughts on issues that should be taken seriously. I think we also have the power to focus these thoughts into productive reasoning.
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| Brainstorming |
- Hobbs pointed out that News is a responsibility.
News has the fantastic ability to deliver information to people quickly and remotely. Often the ability is used, misused, and abused. But I think it is one more avenue we can bring our students to if we teach them the responsibility that it holds. I believe if we are teaching them to post responsibly young, we may be able to produce News Journalist that want to do the same. And of course, it also boils down to…
- If we focus on news today, beyond celebrity news, we help our students decipher more relevant news.
Weekly Reading #12 ~ Infusing Digital and Media Literacy Across the Curriculum
1. To improve students' writing and communication skills by enabling them to use a wide range of message forms, symbol systems, and technologies.
2. To develop students' skills in using digital technology tools.
3. To promote creativity and self-expression.
4. To help students use their own voices for advocacy and social change.
5. To strengthen discrimination skills in distinguishing between high-quality and low quality messages.
**The above 5 motives derive from all the reflections I made above in previous posts across my blog over the last semester. I am sure I could add more. But what I have learned is that multimodal tools provide our students with a creative outlet to express themselves and their thoughts. Within this context we can take their self-expression and bring it to a point that is productive and logically based. We have that ability as their educators and within this context we should use it.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Weekly Reading #12 ~ Infusing Digital and Media Literacy Across the Curriculum
Your Motivations for Digital and Media Literacy
But there is a limit to the amount of digital technology can be added to a core subject before it starts to lose its meaning. If we can also introduce Digital Media and Technology as a class, then we can touch down on the subject on a more generic and larger scale. It would be a great way to analyze various technologies, digital media influences, cultural impact, etc… Just as we have in this course.
3. "A deep commitment to student voice is at the heart of digital media literacy" (Hobbs, 2011, pg. 175)
I feel as if over the last 4 years in my various digital technology classes at FSU, I've seen how digital media can bring forth creativity and self-expression. Every time I watch a classmates video or view a digital product he or she has made, if feel as if I get a better idea of who they are and their stance on a subject. And it is always an interesting peek into their thought process. I know the product is probably something they are proud of and it they probably researched the topic a bit more, just to make sure the final product was polished. As such, I'm sure they gleamed more from the ideas behind the topic, then merely reading a text book.
It has been this way in the classroom for me as well. I have always looked forward to what the student produces in the end - each being unique and each reflecting the way the student feels about the subject. It is that 3rd dimension that is added to the product.
From least to greatest the five that are most closely related to my goals and motives for integrating digital and media literacy in my classroom are:
- To improve students' writing and communication skills by enabling them to use a wide range of message forms, symbol systems, and technologies.
- To develop students' skills in using digital technology tools.
- To promote creativity and self-expression.
- To help students use their own voices for advocacy and social change.
- To strengthen discrimination skills in distinguishing between high-quality and low quality messages.
Three Quotes from Rene Hobbs' Chapter 9 in "Digital and Media Literacy" that I find interesting…
1. "Should digital and media literacy be offered as a separate stand-alone course or should it be integrated into the curriculum's existing subject?" (Hobbs, 2011, pg. 171)
1. "Should digital and media literacy be offered as a separate stand-alone course or should it be integrated into the curriculum's existing subject?" (Hobbs, 2011, pg. 171)
Why not both? I think there should be a class that specifically touches down on digital and media literacy for various grade levels. AND then it should be backed up in different subjects as an integrated model. That way the subject stands out as a significant part of today's literacy AND how it is interwoven into various real-life core subjects. I think the integrated portion should play a heavier role because it is going to be a heavy hand in adding an authentic approach to teaching such as looking at science from a media standpoint and having the ability to pinpoint the bullshit…
**Thank god there was a real scientist present when this politician decided to share his knowledge on "Global Wobbling."
2. "For nearly 15 years, this course has enable every student in the school district to develop the kind of critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills that are described in this book" (Hobbs, 2011, pg. 173)
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| Clapping Hands |
15 YEARS!!! I had no idea there was a school out there that had been focusing on cross-curriculur media literacy into the existing subjects. It seems so revolutionary to me today but that's because my eyes have not been open to this idea for very long. I've only been out of high school for 20 years. I can't believe that 15 years ago there was a high school in New Hampshire that delved into media literacy head first and have been producing digital citizens that have the critical thinking skills needed in the 21st Century. BRAVO Concord High School!
3. "A deep commitment to student voice is at the heart of digital media literacy" (Hobbs, 2011, pg. 175)
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| Student Expression |
It has been this way in the classroom for me as well. I have always looked forward to what the student produces in the end - each being unique and each reflecting the way the student feels about the subject. It is that 3rd dimension that is added to the product.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Weekly Reading #11 ~ Teaching with Current Events
Before I begin the connection between Hobb's chapter 8 in her book Digital and Media Literacy and the Tedx video below. I want to begin by talking about a the WVSTA Conference (West Virginia Science Teacher) I attended this weekend. First as an employee NASA's IV&V Educator Resource Center supports the WVSTA Conference every year in more than one way, which essentially means I go every year and get to meet some pretty awesome people and experience some amazing Keynote speakers. This year's Keynote was Dr. Fredric Bertley from the Franklin Institute and his powerful speech called The Bridge to the Future, and it revolved around the scientists of today (not yesterday), their contributions in technology today, and how much we know about them. Here is an example of one of Dr. Bertley's slides:
He asked, "Which of these individuals do you recognize?" This was an animated slide, therefore the phones were not visible. Of course, everyone in the room recognized Morgan Freeman. He is a pretty awesome actor. No one recognized Prof. James West the co inventor of the foil-electret transducer that revolutionized cell phones, hearing aids, microphones, and other acoustical equipment. His technology exists in almost ALL of these devices. Why don't we know who he is? Is it because the media chooses to focus on sensationalizes Hollywood instead of the heros of today's STEM-based inventions? Does anyone know who created the touch screen we use on everyday on our various Smart tablets, computers, and phones? Have you ever thought about who he or she even is? I know now after Dr. Bertley's speech but only because he pointed these individuals out, not because of my curiosity of ever wondering who these present day inventors were. Maybe I should blame the media but I don't like pointing fingers. As an educator I need to start pointing out who these people are. Hell, maybe I'll create a sensation and the media will want to report on these individuals more than celebrities. For Dr. Bertley's full presentation click on this link: Dr. Franklin Bertley ~ The Bridge to the Future.
TEDxRainier - Sarah Stuteville - Journalism Revived
Sarah Stuteville is a different kind of journalist. She and her friends where able to see the direction of journalism as well as the death of the art of journalism. They sought out a way to travel the world and deliver the news on individual and groups of individuals that were making a difference in the world. Telling stories they felt the world should know.
Hobbs pointed out that News is a responsibility. We all know that bad news is good for business. Although I don't actually understand this concept. Case and point - when I talk about the creation of NASA's IV&V Facility in West Virginia, I refer to watching the Today show in 1986 when the News included more than just celebrity news. I avoid the news at all cost. I want to see relevant news not just celebrity and "bad" news. I want to see inspirational news. I want to see news that brings the unknown forward. News such as Stuteville brought forth like the former child soldier that works to rid his country of explosives that he once was forced to plant.
As Hobbs points out that once we reveal news, then action can take place. If the environmental disaster of the shrinking Aral Sea in Asia would have come forth sooner, then action to stop over irrigation could have started sooner. Instead, we watched its death in the end. Today nearly nothing is left and it has been labeled as the worst man-made natural disaster. I attempted to use the Aral Sea in the classroom as an example of a real world problem and future career option in conservation and ecology. Unfortunately it really is too late to correct the Aral Sea disaster, so my students are not going to be able to gather efforts to stop the degradation of this precious sea. I can be proud in the fact that I opened the eyes of my students to this sort of news so they can seek it on their own. But I do have to ask, where is all the News to make the public aware?
If we focus on news today, beyond celebrity news, we help our students decipher more relevant news. Once again, how many of our students know who today's heroes in technology are? How often do our students question where their technology was born from? This is Civic Based engagement in the Science Classroom. Sure Einstein was an important scientist in our PAST but who is the scientist today that has made strides in Einstein's work? Anyone? There is a key scientist TODAY that has furthered Einstein's work but our students don't know who he is. That is relevant information today. THATS the news our students need to hear because anyone of them could become the next scientist who furthers a past scientists work.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Student Self-Expression PSA
My Public Service Announcement (PSA) is focused on Student Expression - the RIGHTS and Responsibilities of this powerful tool. I did attempt to show a balance in my PSA by pointing out what the First Amendment does not protect an individual against. That's because while I believe our students should be able to express themselves, we should be showing them the correct usage of the First Amendment - how to be a respectful and responsible citizen.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this PSA is the student. My beginning title frame shows an individual with their mouth taped shut, the American Flag, and the words, "Freedom of Expression: A Student's Right and Responsibility." These 3 items together are intended to produce shock value because at least 1 item (the picture of the woman with her mouth taped shut) seems contradictory. I also used a suspenseful and inspirational song - Epic Story by the artist Dreamer to hook the audience. The question: "What is student expression?" on slide 2 was intended to pull in not only the audience but specifically a student audience. I also added specific cases, along with dates to show that this is an issue that is being questioned by the law.
Persuasive Techniques
I definitely used fear as a persuasion technique. We are terrified of losing our Freedoms and basic Rights. I touched down on a fairly hot topic - Freedom of Speech, our First Amendment. I upped the intensity by highlighting, using bold type, and special fonts to point out Freedom and Rights deficits. I used plain folks that were tied up in loss of the Freedom of Speech by pointing out specific cases from 1969-2010. I used symbols such as images that show loss of freedom (taped mouths, screaming students, and abused student) to by out intensity. Timing is involved in this message but only because there are certain Freedoms that we are defensive about. Freedom of Speech arguments seem timeless since it is a basic human Right that has been argued since Socrates mentioned it in 399 BC.
As a Mother
As a mother, I try to make sure my kids can express themselves reasonably. Often that means they like to wear artistic images of skeletons and dye their hair unnatural colors - all of which falls under gray laws in student self-expression in schools and are susceptible to suspension and expulsion. This worries me in a day and age when we finally realized that creativity is the key to becoming a successful adult that can think outside the box in our growing international economy. However, if our students are not free to think for themselves, then we essentially stifle their creativity and produce students who have trouble with critical higher level thinking skills.
Citations
FindLaw.com. (n.d.). First amendment - u.s. constitution; first amendment - religion and expression. Retrieved from http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html
Calister, D. (2011, June 3). 7 things you can’t claim first amendment rights to say. Retrieved from http://debmcalister.com/2011/06/03/7-things-you-cant-claim-first-amendment-rights-to-say/
Center for Public Education. (2006). Free speech and public school. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/The-law-and-its-influence-on-public-school-districts-An-overview/Free-speech-and-public-schools.html
DoSomething.Org. (n.d.). 11 facts about free speech. Retrieved from https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-free-speech
DoSomething.Org. (n.d.). 11 facts about free speech. Retrieved from https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-free-speech
FindLaw.com. (n.d.). First amendment - u.s. constitution; first amendment - religion and expression. Retrieved from http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html
First Amendment Schools. (n.d.). Speech. Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12994
First Amendment Schools. (n.d.). What are the free expression rights of students in public schools under the First Amendment? Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12991
Kritsonis PhD, W. A. (n.d.). Student expression. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/Will1945/student-expression-dr-wa-kritsonis?related=1
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Life Online Public Service Announcement
My Public Service Announcement will be focused on Freedom of Expression and Student's Rights. My audience is actually going to be the student. I've always felt that the school system purposely hides Student Rights from students to keep them from objecting. Although, I will admit it is easier when you can sway and mold a minor in the way you want them to behave - it is not something educators should be practicing if we want our students to become responsible and successful citizens. I think we can actually limit outbursts and unexpected behavior on a higher level if we teach our students from the beginning on how to act out on their expressions. I think we have a group of frustrated students that feel their voice cannot be heard or simply - no one is willing to listen. At the end of the day - the creative minds we are seeking to create that can think at a higher level and will bring America to the cutting edge with foreign industry... we just squashed by taking away what we consider disgusting behaviors and opinions by our standards. I think we often forget what it was like to be that student. I don't. I remember being that frustrated student. And though often I think I was probably somewhat rebellious, opinionated, and my thoughts were young/immature maybe.. angry at times- there should have been a mentor there to help me develop my creativity. Turn it into something fruitful.
Evidence
Supreme Court Decisions
I think there are enough cases across history that clearly show a violation of Freedom of Expression that went as high as the Supreme Court. Due to this the Supreme Court has to develop a three test rule based on some of the more popular cases (First Amendment School). In my own opinion, some of these cases go too far in censoring our students' Rights.
Student Writing
My second piece of evidence is going to focus on the First Amendment in Schools. The First Amendment according to FindLaw.com in a nutshell states:
At the First Amendment Schools website I found an interest piece of information:
Risky Internet Behavior Involving Freedom of Speech
Where is the line drawn? It must be fairly fine between what is considered creativity and what is threatening to school safety. What if what is said it blunt? The Internet is a fairly big world and hard to monitor. In fact, the Supreme Court stated (:
Evidence
Supreme Court Decisions
I think there are enough cases across history that clearly show a violation of Freedom of Expression that went as high as the Supreme Court. Due to this the Supreme Court has to develop a three test rule based on some of the more popular cases (First Amendment School). In my own opinion, some of these cases go too far in censoring our students' Rights.
- The Tinker Standard - 3 students protest the Vietnam War with black arm bands. The school responds with a "no armband policy." The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court in which they ruled that if student expression did not disrupt school learning, then the questioned student expression could not be banned just because the admin didn't like it.
- The Fraiser Standard - A high school student during an assembly used vulgar terms and sexual references in nominating a classmate to school council. The use of vulgar language was announced by the Supreme Court as prohibitive:
"the freedom to advocate unpopular and controversial views in schools and classrooms must be balanced against society’s countervailing interest in teaching students the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior."3. The Hazelwood Standard - 2 students write articles on teen pregnancy and divorce, to which the Supreme Court ruled that the admin did not go too far in banning their articles. Furthermore they stated that the school is responsible for setting a high standard.
"educators do not offend the First Amendment by exercising editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored expressive activities so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."The problem I have with this statement, besides the obvious, is that female students have been discouraged in class for speaking about Womens' Rights when male students groan and moan about this topic. Controversial topics such as Womens' Rights, teen pregnancy, divorce, etc… should not be stifled in the classroom. These are real world topics that students have to deal with. If we, as educators, cannot broach these topics then what are we teaching our kids - Shame? Silence?
Student Writing
My second piece of evidence is going to focus on the First Amendment in Schools. The First Amendment according to FindLaw.com in a nutshell states:
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| First Amendment |
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
At the First Amendment Schools website I found an interest piece of information:
From a legal perspective, schools can restrict student speech in the name of safety if (1) they can reasonably forecast substantial disruption under Tinker, or (2) the student expression is a true threat.The issue around this statement is:
- How far is to far if the First Amendment can be broken in the name of school safety?
- If we want our students to write to strengthen their literacy skills, then can punishment be so severe that we expel them from school the moment they reveal emotions.
Risky Internet Behavior Involving Freedom of Speech
Where is the line drawn? It must be fairly fine between what is considered creativity and what is threatening to school safety. What if what is said it blunt? The Internet is a fairly big world and hard to monitor. In fact, the Supreme Court stated (:
...the Internet is a protected free speech zone, calling it “the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed.” But there is a wide berth between speech that is offensive, obnoxious, and insulting—all of which is protected—and speech that places the safety of others in jeopardy.An instance that can be noted is when a student for Pennsylvania created a website and placed a $20 ad for a hit man. This could be considered a joke but in recent light (the past decade or so) of school shootings, I think in this case protecting the Rights of students in the school means there should have been a consequence. I cannot tell from the source what kind of consequences resulted. I do know that as an adult, consequences for such a joke could range from minor to severe. I believe that we do have a responsibility to teach our students what is a joke and what could be considered harmful intent in an appropriate manor for a student - as a lessons learned.
Citations
Center for Public Education. (2006). Free speech and public school. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/The-law-and-its-influence-on-public-school-districts-An-overview/Free-speech-and-public-schools.html
FindLaw.com. (n.d.). First amendment - u.s. constitution; first amendment - religion and expression. Retrieved from http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html
FindLaw.com. (n.d.). First amendment - u.s. constitution; first amendment - religion and expression. Retrieved from http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html
First Amendment Schools. (n.d.). Speech. Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12994
First Amendment Schools. (n.d.). What are the free expression rights of students in public schools under the First Amendment? Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12991
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Weekly Reading #10 ~ Life Online
Below are 3 quotes I pulled from Renee Hobbs' Digital and Media Literacy, Chapter 7.
1. "A middle-school student in Costa Mesa, California, created an online group on Myspace with the title, "I Hate Classmate's Name." There was an expletive, an anti-Semitic reference, and a post that read, "Who here wants to take a shotgun and blast her in the head over a thousand times?" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 125)
You read about cyber bullying all the time but seeing cyber bullying in action is completely different. I
saw my first case directly before this school year started. It was my friend's 13 year old and the social platform was Instagram. Instagram is a picture/video sharing app that connects the user to social media directly on the Instagram site or indirectly on Facebook, Twitter, etc… In any case, an Instagram page was created with the title "Kill Student's Name." I was shocked and not at the same time. I knew this girl was being bullied but this was a new level. I had witnessed the interaction she had with these girls or "queen bees" as I like to call them. She had battled with them previously through text messages and her mother had tried to take a stand short of calling the police. But the social media message page was a whole new level. Where were these girls' sense of what was right and wrong? I couldn't decipher. I urged the mother (my friend) to take this to police but naysayers convinced her the police in Fairmont would stand idle and that the News reports across the country that law makers were taking a stand were far and few between. The older daughter figured out how to hack the webpage on Instagram and took the page down and locked the bullies out. I'm not sure that was the best stance to take seeing how easy it is to set up a new page. What I do know is that this form of bullying doesn't have an off and on button. It continues all day long and into the night. Our students are not resting, instead they watching their schoolmates jump on the bandwagon unable to turn their eyes away.
"But how should these disputes be handled?" (Hobbs, 2011 page 125)
In our school, this dispute was handled by the admin and teachers in an inappropriate fashion from my point of view. They discovered that my friend's child was actually attending the school from out of district. To stop the "drama," she was kicked out of school without a warning. My friend had to go to the Board of Education to keep her child in the school she's been attending since she was young. In this instance, not even the admin or teachers were willing to fix the situation at the root of the issue. Award the bullies? To me this is the way I saw the situation. In this situation, the school abandoned creating digital responsible citizens. Instead, they sought convenience.
That day my son called me at work to let me know what happened. He was distraught. He'd seen the link of Facebook. I tried the best I could to calm him down. However, in the same breath he asked if could have an Instagram account. What do you think my answer was?
2. "...The Internet is not a separate place a person can go to from the real world. The Internet is the real world. Only faster" (Hobbs, 2011 page 139).
If nothing else, I think this could possibly be one of the largest take home messages we can relate to our students. I often think that students have a hard time realizing just how fast a message or image can be sent across the Web with or without our permission. Our students are used to their world being much smaller even if they do think it is "large." Just to prove this fact some educators are posting messages on FB to show how fast (or how viral) their message can travel across FB through sharing and "Likes". Out of morbid curiosity I wondered how the campaign went. I found this educator's plea on a webpage titled, "If you are reading this, please click LIKE': Teacher who warned students about internet dangers with online note goes viral." As of November 29, 2013, 9 days after she started the campaign, it had been liked more than 392,000 times and shared more than 30,000 times. I cannot even imagine what that number is currently at - 1 year later.
3. "Teens may have thoughtful and often sophisticated reasoning processes that reflect their decision making about what's OK and what's not. Dialog about these issues builds critical thinking skills and gives teens a chance to reflect upon and articulate their values" (Hobbs, 2011 page 136).
I think we need to give our teens more credit. We forget they have powerful thoughts and feelings on the world around them. And when we do realize they have an opinion - often we shrug it off as silly or immature. However, instead of shrugging off a teenager - why not use their opinions (whether negative or positive) to build critical thinking skills, especially in light of all they are being bombarded by in the media. Below is a video I found of a teenage girl who is trying to articulate her thoughts on life in general. She's using multimodal media to "talk" to the world. In this case, I believe (I could be wrong) she has a strong mentor in her life to teach her how to share her opinions in a positive light via social media. She may have created this video herself and bravo if she did. I'd like to think that teachers are helping students create products like this. It is the direction we need to move in.
A Dollar Short and a Blog Late
I am a post late in posting this video. It actually would fit well with Weekly Reading #9. I can't embed so I'll post a link. However, I will warn you - the video contains very explicit language. If you don't like the F word and disagree with it being used to make a point, especially by little girls - Don't Watch! Seriously! I'm not even half kidding. Don't say I didn't warn you. Me on the other hand - I don't offend very easily.
Little Girls Swear Like Truck Drivers to Make a Point about Sexism
Citation
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom. (p. 125, 139, 136). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin; A Sage Company.
1. "A middle-school student in Costa Mesa, California, created an online group on Myspace with the title, "I Hate Classmate's Name." There was an expletive, an anti-Semitic reference, and a post that read, "Who here wants to take a shotgun and blast her in the head over a thousand times?" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 125)
 |
| Social Media |
saw my first case directly before this school year started. It was my friend's 13 year old and the social platform was Instagram. Instagram is a picture/video sharing app that connects the user to social media directly on the Instagram site or indirectly on Facebook, Twitter, etc… In any case, an Instagram page was created with the title "Kill Student's Name." I was shocked and not at the same time. I knew this girl was being bullied but this was a new level. I had witnessed the interaction she had with these girls or "queen bees" as I like to call them. She had battled with them previously through text messages and her mother had tried to take a stand short of calling the police. But the social media message page was a whole new level. Where were these girls' sense of what was right and wrong? I couldn't decipher. I urged the mother (my friend) to take this to police but naysayers convinced her the police in Fairmont would stand idle and that the News reports across the country that law makers were taking a stand were far and few between. The older daughter figured out how to hack the webpage on Instagram and took the page down and locked the bullies out. I'm not sure that was the best stance to take seeing how easy it is to set up a new page. What I do know is that this form of bullying doesn't have an off and on button. It continues all day long and into the night. Our students are not resting, instead they watching their schoolmates jump on the bandwagon unable to turn their eyes away.
"But how should these disputes be handled?" (Hobbs, 2011 page 125)
In our school, this dispute was handled by the admin and teachers in an inappropriate fashion from my point of view. They discovered that my friend's child was actually attending the school from out of district. To stop the "drama," she was kicked out of school without a warning. My friend had to go to the Board of Education to keep her child in the school she's been attending since she was young. In this instance, not even the admin or teachers were willing to fix the situation at the root of the issue. Award the bullies? To me this is the way I saw the situation. In this situation, the school abandoned creating digital responsible citizens. Instead, they sought convenience.
That day my son called me at work to let me know what happened. He was distraught. He'd seen the link of Facebook. I tried the best I could to calm him down. However, in the same breath he asked if could have an Instagram account. What do you think my answer was?
2. "...The Internet is not a separate place a person can go to from the real world. The Internet is the real world. Only faster" (Hobbs, 2011 page 139).
 |
| Social Media Messages |
3. "Teens may have thoughtful and often sophisticated reasoning processes that reflect their decision making about what's OK and what's not. Dialog about these issues builds critical thinking skills and gives teens a chance to reflect upon and articulate their values" (Hobbs, 2011 page 136).
I think we need to give our teens more credit. We forget they have powerful thoughts and feelings on the world around them. And when we do realize they have an opinion - often we shrug it off as silly or immature. However, instead of shrugging off a teenager - why not use their opinions (whether negative or positive) to build critical thinking skills, especially in light of all they are being bombarded by in the media. Below is a video I found of a teenage girl who is trying to articulate her thoughts on life in general. She's using multimodal media to "talk" to the world. In this case, I believe (I could be wrong) she has a strong mentor in her life to teach her how to share her opinions in a positive light via social media. She may have created this video herself and bravo if she did. I'd like to think that teachers are helping students create products like this. It is the direction we need to move in.
A Dollar Short and a Blog Late
I am a post late in posting this video. It actually would fit well with Weekly Reading #9. I can't embed so I'll post a link. However, I will warn you - the video contains very explicit language. If you don't like the F word and disagree with it being used to make a point, especially by little girls - Don't Watch! Seriously! I'm not even half kidding. Don't say I didn't warn you. Me on the other hand - I don't offend very easily.
Little Girls Swear Like Truck Drivers to Make a Point about Sexism
 |
| Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism by FCKH8.com |
Citation
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom. (p. 125, 139, 136). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin; A Sage Company.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Media Deconstruction
Below are 2 media deconstructions on Century Link and AllTel.
Century Link
Do you agree with the claims made in the deconstruction?
I agree with some of the interpretations. The images in each scene are very clean, cut images which could be interpreted as success. I'm not sure I would interpret the stairs as progressive since the slinkies are moving downwards. That's the one idea that caught in my mind as I was watching it - why would anything be moving downwards in a metonymy and metaphorically filled commercial? I do agree that the various backgrounds states that the service can be used anywhere.
Is the Century Link ad really a cover for a company that is making profits over customer satisfaction?
Through experience with any data/communication service, I have to agree with the deconstruction. There is no way that the whole country in various regions are experiencing the same good connections. I've been promised that one too many times. And like the deconstruction stated - Frontier (one of the 3 competitors) disappointed me to the point I cancelled it, as well as Verizon - "Can you hear me now?" Yea…. I had to ask people that all the time because they never could hear me when I finally did get the service to work. I will have to note that there has to be some sort of concern with regards to customer satisfaction. If there isn't, then they won't last long. The claim has to be partially correct.
What is your interpretation of the commercial?
When I look at the Century Link commercial a slinky toy is the obvious "link" between all of the images. The word "slinky" can refer to something that is "graceful and sinuous in movement, line, or figure." I believe the image of a slinky is meant to convey the company's commitment through metonymy- to offer services that are connected gracefully. The slinky being a spring could also represent the physical representation of a link, such as in a chain link, meant to "link" the two companies together. This would be another use of metonymy. I also want to add that the slinky is a beloved toy in American Culture. You can't look at a slinky without some sort of happy childhood memory, well… except for the fact that a I never successfully got the slinky to go down the stairs and my brother always knotted it up for me. I'm sure the ad company spent a long time on trying to find the right visual representation that pulls away from the fact that Century Link is still a company seeking profit.
I think the clean, cut images of the various groups of people is meant to bring a personal perspective in on a huge corporate take over. I know when AllTel was taken over by Verizon - I freaked. Rightly, so at that. Verizon did not own it's own towers like AllTel did and the fall out was huge. I was often refused service when trying to make important phone calls. There are other times when corporate take overs affected other services I had as well. I think Century Link is trying to cover up the skepticism of the public with "warm and fuzzy" images.
I don't think AllTel is promoting racism as much as trying to make a funny, non politically correct joke towards Gypsies. It doesn't mean I agree with it. In America, there are several different groups of Gypsies so placing a certain "ethnic face" on them would be a stereotype. But I don't think it was an intentionally meant to hurt anyone. I think the idea was to make the Gypsies wildly, crazy different from the family that lived there as a shock and humor factor. I wander how the Center for Media Literacy would have interpreted the commercial if the family would have been Hispanic as opposed to white? Someone (no matter the race or ethnicity) had to question their cell phone bill. I know from paying my $285 cell phone bill today, I'm ready to begin renting out the kids rooms. I really don't care who the renters are.
What is your interpretation of the commercial?
My interpretation of the commercial is that someone with a bigger house than mine is complaining about their cell phone bill. I expect the house to be clean. It always is in television and commercial life. That does not bother me. You can't sell a product in a sloppy environment. It is not attractive. AllTel appears to have a friendly company service because the family has let them into their home with welcoming arms and are freely talking to company service. Customer service obviously has all the right answers.
The one thing I do agree with in regards to the interpretation by CML, is that pricing is completely hidden by cell phone services. They are never truly honest with what your cell phone bill is going to be. AT&T is very friendly when you walk through their doors but a $160/month bill quickly turns into $285/month once factors such as the cost of the phone under contract, taxes, fees, and other made up (honestly, I think it is made up) charges are added to the bill. It is never as affordable as the commercial states.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Weekly Reading #9 ~ Protection and Empowerment
Listed below are three quotes I had a reaction to from Chapter 6 ~ Protection and Empowerment by Renee Hobbs. I will say, I could probably add another handful. What a "powerful" chapter.
1. "It was challenging for Mrs. Jenkins not to betray her shock at the very serious sense of engagement and connectedness her seventh grade students were revealing" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 108).
I am honestly surprised the teacher is shocked in regards to how engaged her students are when she began mentioning celebrities. The public in general intertwines the fantasy of celebrities into their "every day" lives. "We" love their risks, their "marriages, " their sex lives, their drug induced fights, their failures… the list goes on. No one gets more wound up in their lives more than teenagers. I'm not sure if it is the extra time they have to devote to celebrity lives or boils down to the fact that their frontal lobe is not quite developed and it enjoys more primal behaviors. In any case, I can remember David Coverdale from Whitesnake having me "totally" wrapped around his finger in the late 80s and then being in love with Kurt Cobain in the early 90s. If I recall, the adults in my life weren't quite privy to my celebrity fantasies. If I would have had the chance to talk about celebrities in class - my teacher would have never shut me up. And then there was New Kids on the Block. I remember exactly what my males classmates thought of them. And with that being said, I can only imagine how the debates in the classroom would have ensued. I know exactly how it went in the school courtyard. Ugly, ugly.
I'm not sure if it is my total disconnect from pop culture but I don't know what is what or who is who anymore. Maybe not having cable television has a lot to do with it. I do have a "new" favorite song. I heard "All About the Bass" by Meghan Trainor for the first time this last weekend while traveling to a Boy Scout STEM camp to teach robotics. When I shared it with my husband he looked at me like I lost my mind. He said, "That's been out for several months now." And my son said, "Wow mom! You really are behind the times." This song does contain sexual content along with "skinny" women bashing. I did find out that this song has an edited version that plays on the radio when I was playing it in front of my 12 year old daughter. The video below contains the additional explicits. I do have to state I tend to be the mom that Hobbs describes as viewing my, "… children as capable and well able to manage the sometimes challenging, ugly, and difficult aspects of their environment" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 112). My children and I talk things out that we happen across that may not being appropriate. My kids are not afraid to ask me questions and I am not afraid to answer those questions.
2. "However, the critics have got one thing right: When parents and teachers stand on a soapbox and bemoan the problems of media culture, that's not an effective form of education" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 113).
~I'll admit - I hate reality television. Maybe it is because of the Writer's Strike of America in 2007, which caused an onslaught of crap shows, I mean reality shows. It is obvious that the show is scripted and I don't find pleasure in watching people argue for 1 hour. So much negativity really rubs off on the watcher. It makes you feel different and if you're not careful you can get too caught up in the drama. I haven't actually seen a reality television show since the first few episodes of MTV's The Real World in 1992. Like I said, the arguing and drama gives me a headache. Several of my friends have teenagers and almost all of the students that come to visit me are teenagers. I don't share my opinion with kids because I know it isn't a popular one and my goal is not to make them shut down. Sometimes I make fun of myself for being backwards and a "science geek" and the kids think it's funny and they will open up and tell me what attracts them to certain shows like "Buck Wild."
I do think it is important to find role models outside of media for kids to look up to. I also think we need to find positive ways to allow girls to see their own self worth beyond the media image of sex and whatnot. As with anything we need balance. We need to be able to celebrate our celebrity fetishes but be able to separate and celebrate the real world too, not MTV's version. We should be able to point out the positive and negatives in a neutral way, which does not cause student's to shut down or become offended.
3. "Some people believe that TV shows are just entertainment. But becoming a critical viewer means recognizing that all messages are educational in some sense" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 121).
~I couldn't agree more. Media isn't created without some sort of intentional background message whether it be positive or negative. Helping our students sit down and critically think about the message will help them become a responsible adult. I honestly like the suggestion of having students collaborate to determine a message as the book suggests. I think getting them to talk to each other in their own "language" and hash out a message is a good idea. Each brings their own experience to the table having been exposed to media all of their lives. If they are given a chance to logically debate a topic, I think critical thinking skills would begin to emerge on their own.
Positive Media Messages with the intent to Sell a Product A media message I like is the one GoldieBox has, which basically points that that we tend to buy girls toys that are stereotypical (dolls and kitchen sets) and don't forget all the pink and purple. Girls can be engineers too and with that being said, Goldieblox came out with a line of engineering toys for girls. What we can't forget is they are selling a product designed to meet the new hottest topic - Girls in Engineering.
LEGO finally realized that they had not been marketing to girls and developed the LEGO Friends set. At first people were pretty excited. I even bought a few sets for my daughter. The excitement wore off when we realized that all the "girl" LEGOs were pink and purple. So LEGO put their heads together and came out with the female scientist set.
It is so popular that it remains on back order. It is cool to have our girls playing with LEGOs that can be subliminal mentors. And of course, LEGO is making money.
1. "It was challenging for Mrs. Jenkins not to betray her shock at the very serious sense of engagement and connectedness her seventh grade students were revealing" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 108).
I am honestly surprised the teacher is shocked in regards to how engaged her students are when she began mentioning celebrities. The public in general intertwines the fantasy of celebrities into their "every day" lives. "We" love their risks, their "marriages, " their sex lives, their drug induced fights, their failures… the list goes on. No one gets more wound up in their lives more than teenagers. I'm not sure if it is the extra time they have to devote to celebrity lives or boils down to the fact that their frontal lobe is not quite developed and it enjoys more primal behaviors. In any case, I can remember David Coverdale from Whitesnake having me "totally" wrapped around his finger in the late 80s and then being in love with Kurt Cobain in the early 90s. If I recall, the adults in my life weren't quite privy to my celebrity fantasies. If I would have had the chance to talk about celebrities in class - my teacher would have never shut me up. And then there was New Kids on the Block. I remember exactly what my males classmates thought of them. And with that being said, I can only imagine how the debates in the classroom would have ensued. I know exactly how it went in the school courtyard. Ugly, ugly.
I'm not sure if it is my total disconnect from pop culture but I don't know what is what or who is who anymore. Maybe not having cable television has a lot to do with it. I do have a "new" favorite song. I heard "All About the Bass" by Meghan Trainor for the first time this last weekend while traveling to a Boy Scout STEM camp to teach robotics. When I shared it with my husband he looked at me like I lost my mind. He said, "That's been out for several months now." And my son said, "Wow mom! You really are behind the times." This song does contain sexual content along with "skinny" women bashing. I did find out that this song has an edited version that plays on the radio when I was playing it in front of my 12 year old daughter. The video below contains the additional explicits. I do have to state I tend to be the mom that Hobbs describes as viewing my, "… children as capable and well able to manage the sometimes challenging, ugly, and difficult aspects of their environment" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 112). My children and I talk things out that we happen across that may not being appropriate. My kids are not afraid to ask me questions and I am not afraid to answer those questions.
2. "However, the critics have got one thing right: When parents and teachers stand on a soapbox and bemoan the problems of media culture, that's not an effective form of education" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 113).
~I'll admit - I hate reality television. Maybe it is because of the Writer's Strike of America in 2007, which caused an onslaught of crap shows, I mean reality shows. It is obvious that the show is scripted and I don't find pleasure in watching people argue for 1 hour. So much negativity really rubs off on the watcher. It makes you feel different and if you're not careful you can get too caught up in the drama. I haven't actually seen a reality television show since the first few episodes of MTV's The Real World in 1992. Like I said, the arguing and drama gives me a headache. Several of my friends have teenagers and almost all of the students that come to visit me are teenagers. I don't share my opinion with kids because I know it isn't a popular one and my goal is not to make them shut down. Sometimes I make fun of myself for being backwards and a "science geek" and the kids think it's funny and they will open up and tell me what attracts them to certain shows like "Buck Wild."
I do think it is important to find role models outside of media for kids to look up to. I also think we need to find positive ways to allow girls to see their own self worth beyond the media image of sex and whatnot. As with anything we need balance. We need to be able to celebrate our celebrity fetishes but be able to separate and celebrate the real world too, not MTV's version. We should be able to point out the positive and negatives in a neutral way, which does not cause student's to shut down or become offended.
3. "Some people believe that TV shows are just entertainment. But becoming a critical viewer means recognizing that all messages are educational in some sense" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 121).
~I couldn't agree more. Media isn't created without some sort of intentional background message whether it be positive or negative. Helping our students sit down and critically think about the message will help them become a responsible adult. I honestly like the suggestion of having students collaborate to determine a message as the book suggests. I think getting them to talk to each other in their own "language" and hash out a message is a good idea. Each brings their own experience to the table having been exposed to media all of their lives. If they are given a chance to logically debate a topic, I think critical thinking skills would begin to emerge on their own.
Positive Media Messages with the intent to Sell a Product A media message I like is the one GoldieBox has, which basically points that that we tend to buy girls toys that are stereotypical (dolls and kitchen sets) and don't forget all the pink and purple. Girls can be engineers too and with that being said, Goldieblox came out with a line of engineering toys for girls. What we can't forget is they are selling a product designed to meet the new hottest topic - Girls in Engineering.
 |
| LEGO Friends |
LEGO finally realized that they had not been marketing to girls and developed the LEGO Friends set. At first people were pretty excited. I even bought a few sets for my daughter. The excitement wore off when we realized that all the "girl" LEGOs were pink and purple. So LEGO put their heads together and came out with the female scientist set.
 |
| LEGO Female Scientists |
Citation
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom. (p. 108, 112, 113, 121). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin; A Sage Company.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
WV Students Make Model of the MMS
Students from Paw Paw, WV created a life-sized model of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellite in their school workshop. Currently it is being displayed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. What an honor! Way to go WV students!
Weekly Reading #8 ~Composing with Media Across the Curriculum
Listed below are three quotes I had a reaction to from Chapter 5 Digital and Media Literacy by Renee Hobbs.
1. "Some of the best project-based learning assignments using media and technology give students a combination of structure and freedom, where they can develop communication skills and exercise their creativity but have some constraints that omit and shape their work" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 86)
~I have seen this in action. In fact, my 2 large projects when I was doing my student teaching in Biology were both project-based. The first project was a claymation of mitosis and the second project was a mock ethical debate on genetic cloning. Assessment wise they both turned out really well in all of the sections of Biology that I taught. Watching the creative, collaborative process was beyond amazing. I think we often forget the breadth and depth of our students thoughts and feeling towards topics until we watch them in a setting where they are producing an authentic product. The mock ethical debate was mind blowing. The students got into it so deeply that they had each other crying during the mock debate. I think they learned something during the 2 weeks we worked on the debate. They had to learn how to defend a topic they may not have fully supported to play the "role." In other words, they had to research the "other side" of the debate to understand it and be able to argue it at an informative level. I had to give a short lesson on developing a logical debate even when you wholeheartedly disagree with a topic. I gave them a chance to write their feeling on genetic cloning at the end to "clear the air." They performed at a level that made me proud. Below are embedded video artifacts from both PBLs.
Lesson Plan: Mitosis Claymation
2. "Writing and art teachers experience this problem frequently because they invite students to reveal their hearts, minds, and imaginations. As a result, students often depict scenes of darkness, evil, violence, or self-harm" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 94).
~It goes on to mention that teachers are having a hard time distinguishing between imitation and self-expression. I have videos on my YouTube channel that my son made without my permission. It is fairly easy to get on one of my devices while I'm busy with homework - create a video and then post on my YouTube. It is always logged in. So what I found was this…
~It goes on to mention that teachers are having a hard time distinguishing between imitation and self-expression. I have videos on my YouTube channel that my son made without my permission. It is fairly easy to get on one of my devices while I'm busy with homework - create a video and then post on my YouTube. It is always logged in. So what I found was this…
As you can see he was locked in his room. I think I have 11 videos just like this on My Channel. James, my son, went through a few months of creating paper guns nonstop. It was usual to find small scraps of paper all over my house and scotch tape stuck to the floor. It started with small guns and eventually got quite elaborate. When I started seeing the videos I wasn't sure what to think of it. He had a hobby but it seemed to me (based on all the media attention on guns) that it was an inappropriate hobby. I was starting to fear that since these videos were mixed with my teaching videos that someone might see them and accuse James of violent behavior and me of either supporting his violent behavior or not paying attention to his tendencies. However, I know that it was his way of creatively expressing himself and I didn't want to stifle his creativity because in a way his attention to detail was quite neat. It was short term, although at the time it didn't feel like it.
3. "Teachers can contribute to student failure: Sometimes they abort student projects when they become too time-consuming" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 97).
I took part in a PBL this last semester. I worked in conjunction as the "NASA Specialist" with a high school. I Skyped into the classroom and I presented NASA's side of the argument that they were looking at. It was fun and I think it was the students' favorite part of the PBL. At the end of the PBL I was asked to review the students' portfolios that they did on Google Sites. I was excited… at first. However, after reviewing the first two, I realized they were only half thought out. The project was done in the sense the class was done but the work was unfinished. I was supposed to pick a winner. The team that convinced NASA (aka me) to buy their product. As a science teacher, I was heart broken. Connections were missed amongst many other issues. I wrote out extensive comments to fix errors and misconnections. I feel a project is not done until the student understands it fully. That means fixing serious errors and misconceptions. I never heard back, I'm guessing my thoughts went unnoticed. It was ashamed. It could have been a good project. In this instance (and I think it happens to often) the PBL was a waste of classroom time. I hate having to admit that since I am a huge proponent for project-based, technology integrated lessons.
Citation
3. "Teachers can contribute to student failure: Sometimes they abort student projects when they become too time-consuming" (Hobbs, 2011 pg. 97).
I took part in a PBL this last semester. I worked in conjunction as the "NASA Specialist" with a high school. I Skyped into the classroom and I presented NASA's side of the argument that they were looking at. It was fun and I think it was the students' favorite part of the PBL. At the end of the PBL I was asked to review the students' portfolios that they did on Google Sites. I was excited… at first. However, after reviewing the first two, I realized they were only half thought out. The project was done in the sense the class was done but the work was unfinished. I was supposed to pick a winner. The team that convinced NASA (aka me) to buy their product. As a science teacher, I was heart broken. Connections were missed amongst many other issues. I wrote out extensive comments to fix errors and misconnections. I feel a project is not done until the student understands it fully. That means fixing serious errors and misconceptions. I never heard back, I'm guessing my thoughts went unnoticed. It was ashamed. It could have been a good project. In this instance (and I think it happens to often) the PBL was a waste of classroom time. I hate having to admit that since I am a huge proponent for project-based, technology integrated lessons.
Citation
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom. (p. 86, 94, 97). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin; A Sage Company.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Common Core Magazine Cover
My magazine cover on Common Core was meant to show the "balance" that needs to be made between the Standards and the individual student in the classroom. I like the idea behind the standards. In other words, I think that we should all be moving towards the same goals to make sure our students have the same advantage whether they are in an inner city school or a rural school. I like the fact, that Common Core includes literacy in all core subjects. I also like the fact that Common Core is supposed to include higher learning thinking skills, as well as the advantage of technology in the classroom and social media. There are a few good theories but somewhere along the way, as usual with past attempts to improve teaching, I think the individual student is forgotten. I don't like the idea of standardized tests and I'm afraid that with the push for college readiness and hurried subjects - the creativity of the individual student will diminish. I will also state, I don't like the "new Math" at all. Hence, the term "fuzzy math."
In creating my magazine cover, I used four different language of persuasion techniques: Symbol, Timing, Expert, and Simple Solution. I used a symbol - an old fashion balance. The balance is a metaphor for the balance that needs to occur in the classroom. I also used a symbol for common core - a couple of apples, some are whole others reveal their core. This is another metaphor. Another language of persuasion would be timing. My magazine is just in time for the hot topic of Common Core, along with the myths and facts that go along with this debate. You could also say, balance is a simple solution to a heavy debate in this country. How do you go about balance? Is it that easy? The magazine seems to think so. I did add an "expert" in STEM to my magazine to make it seem credible.
The main topic is bolded in red to draw the reader into focusing on it. There is also some hidden meaning in the font color I chose. Red can symbolize passion and love but it can also symbolize war and danger. With my concerns over standardized testing being meaningless as the end result, I chose red to symbolize danger. The font is in a chalkboard style to symbolize - school.
Citations:
Media Literacy Project. (n.d.). Introduction to media literacy. Retrieved from Introduction to Media Literacy
van Loggerenberg , R. (2012, Nov 19). As media: examples of media language techniques used in magazines. Retrieved from http://reniermedia.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/as-media-examples-of-media-language-techniques-used-in-magazines/
Images:
Student http://images.clipartpanda.com/classroom-clip-art-jcxp6jRcE.gif
Bar Code https://worldbarcodes.com/wp-content/uploads/ISSN.jpg
Balance https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8QRoiBD22A4wPjYn2grqzr2Jk0FXdlWV0ZMrjVDJ5jzZc9fGd6UpTN4Ko_uQCnYhn-m67_F7h_vLdVdCFyaucKyBuMOHX1tmAcAXTvlE8mT1jh6CXH0xmDBMap7big94rHEla4Wa_bw/s1600/764px-Balanced_scale_of_Justice_svg.png
Apples http://www.foodclipart.com/food_clipart_images/apples_and_cores_0515-0906-0401-1841_SMU.jpg
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