Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Changing Literacies; Changing Pedagogy
Digital Literacies:
Social Learning and Classroom Practices
Chapter 7: “They used
the kinds of skills that they developed beyond the classroom, but used them in
ways that fitted with dominant modes of teacher-directed and objective-driven
learning” (Burnett, p.127).
This quote talks about student teachers and how they access
themselves on their own technology skills. As teachers we need to use the
skills that we use outside of the classroom to tweak them into skills that we
can bring into the classroom to help our students learn in a different way. We
need to use the skills that we already have and build upon them to help our
classrooms bring in more technology for our students to learn.
Chapter 8: “Thirdly,
issues of access and equity are vitally important” (Kerin, p.142).
When we are looking at teaching students about technology we
need to consider what access they have to computers and technology at home. We
need to make sure that every student is on the same level and that no one is
being left behind when it comes to teaching technology skills. It is very
important that we help our students become successful learners.
Chapter 9: “ On the
one hand, educators are under great pressure to ensure that all students can
compose conventional academic prose for standardized assessment” (Leander,
p.160).
I completely agree with this text. I hate hearing and
talking about standardized assessments when the school year begins. I feel that
there is too much of an emphasis on standard assessments in school today rather
than just helping students learn the different standards and objectives to help
them become successful through school. Standardized assessments take up four
weeks of school time when students could be working in the classes instead and
preparing for the end of the school year exams. Last year, we had standardized
assessments and then exams two weeks after. I had to start reviewing right
after the finished with the Smarter Balance, which was hard because students
thought it was too hard this year and very long.
After reading this book and seeing all of the different
digital technologies that teachers could use, I would love to use Flickr,
Blogger, and Wikipedia in my room. I would love to get my students more
involved outside of the classroom and have a safe environment that we can
collaborate with each other. Using these sources could help students with
expressing their thoughts and opinions and even critiquing their fellow
classmates as well (in a positive way). Being able to be more comfortable with
these practices would help me to be able to teach my students the best
practices to use them.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Digital Texts In and Out of School
Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practices
Chapter 4: "The skills and attitudes that provide young
people with opportunities to participate effectively in this world are often
not the skills and attitudes rewarded in our school system" (Carrington,
p.76).
I agree with this quote to a certain point. Looking at it
from a technological view I would say that this quote is completely true,
students aren't learning about technology tools that they have access to at
school. Schools really need to look at the rapid increases in technology today
and how they are being used in the real world. We need to teach our students
the correct skills to help them become successful once they are out in the real
world. We need to implement the technology tools that they are using into our
classrooms in an efficient way for them.
Chapter 5: "It is not enough to know how to set up a
blog and how to read and write; there is a need to understand what blogging is,
what it can do and how blogs work as part of the meaning-making" (2009,
p.82).
I completely agree with this quote. At the beginning of this
course we were given guidelines about an effective blog and what we should
follow if we chose to. It was nice to be given examples and resources to look
at to show us how we should make blog postings and what our blog should
resemble. Students are the exact same way, they need examples and guidelines to
follow to help them be successful in whatever it is that they are doing. They
need to know why they are creating a blog and what their blog should include.
Students need to see what blogs en-tell and what they are used for. They also
need to see the many features that blogs offer and how to use them. They need
to understand that there is a reason and a purpose for making their blog.
Chapter 6: "After a number of years of being locked
down by a narrow and prescriptive curriculum, constantly operating under the
shadow of professional accountability, using online gameplay is a risky
business" (Merchant, p.108).
Bringing new technologies into the classroom is a scary
process and sometimes there can be risks. Students need to be monitored when
they are using technology and we need to make sure that they are following
along with the task given. Online gaming has the exact same issues. We need to
make sure that the game is educational for our students and that there is
nothing involved with the game that goes against our school code and conduct.
We need to make sure that there is no violence or obscene language and make
sure that the parents are on board with the game as well. There are a lot of
things that you must consider in order to bring an online game into the
classroom and that are what they did with the game in this chapter.
Analyze the Interview
Hanging Out: How
did your young person's use of computers reflect friendship driven practices
and facilitate social interaction between their peers? Give concrete examples.
During the interview Lucy expressed her love of
social media and talking to her friends online. She enjoys looking up music and
videos on YouTube while hanging out with her friends. She also plays games on
the computer that interact with her friends when they are at home. For example,
when she plays Clash of Clans she can create her own village but she can also
go and view others as well.
Messing Around:
How did your young person's use of computers provide them with informal
learning opportunities to develop tech savvy skill sets? Give concrete
examples.
During the interview, Lucy talked a lot about
using the computer for social media and helping her mom. Lucy has a Snapchat,
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. She is very social when it comes to posting
pictures and talking to friends online.
Geeking Out: Has
your young person developed a particular interest or highly specialized skill
sets as a result of their use of computers at home and school? Describe?
Looking at how Lucy has helped her mom with her
boutique and has been using her social media and computer skills to advertise
and get the store known to locals has been a great experience.
Schooling: Does
your young person talk about use of traditional literacy practices like using
correct spelling vs text-messaging lingo? Reading books over the use of the
computer? Writing in traditional genres like poetry or essays? Conducting research for personal or school
related purposes?
Lucy is a very good student and always tries to
use the correct spelling compared to using text-messaging lingo. I was able to
look at her text messages during the interview, with her consent, and her
messages show that she only abbreviates a few words and the rest she types out.
Spelling is a crucial thing for her and she says that she has to spell
everything right or it bothers her.
Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practices
Chapter 1:
“ Gee argues that learning through game play is effective
because skills are acquired in the context of the activity rather than through
abstract exercises” (Willett, p.14).
Chapter 3:
“The interconnectedness of the online textual and school
worlds acts as a realty-checking mechanism” (Dowdall, p.55).
Chapter 4:
"The skills and
attitudes that provide young people with opportunities to participate effectively
in this world are often not the skills and attitudes rewarded in our school
system" (Carrington, p.76)
“Like all other technological change, interactive
technologies have emerged alongside other broader social, cultural, and
political reorganization”(Carrington, p.66).
Chapter 5:
“The social affordances of these online texts allow us to
thicken the existing social ties as well as to extend our social networks”
(2009, p.83).
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