Week 15: Ode to New Media & New Literacy

Throughout the graduate course of New Media & New Literacy, I was routinely given challenging assignments where I had to really dissect, analyze, and evaluate concepts that were either complex or confusing.  For example, I sadly failed to understand Green's chart and approach to literacy.  I must have researched him and his diagram for hours and yet found nothing helpful.  What I would have loved was some examples to illustrate Green's diagram and help explain his views. Another challenging, but certainly fulfilling assignment was reading some of the book Reading Images, which opened my mind to symbols, and the hidden meaning behind images that we don't always notice in real life.  The reverberations of those messages have already found their way into my classroom and my Subjectivity vs. Objectivity assignments, where students have to state if a topic (for example a picture of an apple or the painting of a woman by Picasso) is subjective or objective.  Thanks to Kress and Leeuwen, the picture of an apple is no longer as objective as I once thought… 

Standouts in this course will definitely help me in future projects and in my own reflections.  For example, finding the 'hidden meanings' of a commercial not only took me down memory lane, but illustrated for me - a 44 year old man - just how damaging a certain commercial was for me as a 16 year old boy.  As a history teacher, it has made me more aware of - and skeptical of - first-person historical accounts as being completely 'unbiased.'  Another course standout was Henry Jenkins. I was intrigued by Participatory Cultures, which I felt he defined as an online, democratic society all geared towards helping each other.  He, more than anyone else we reviewed in this course, was exciting, engaging, and gave real-world examples to help illustrate his message, which made Me want to join in His, Participatory Culture, and also allowed me to feel more confident about my blogging. A taxing yet interesting assignment was when we all had to pick an article about technology, share our thoughts, and read everyone else's articles.  I loved the video post on Sugata Mitra, A School in the Clouds, because it made me critically analyze how my students learn in my class. The last two assignments from this course I felt were standouts were blogging - which allowed me to be an individual in a community, just like I would be in any real class - and our final video post, where we had to create a video clip about a topic of our choice; I'd never created an iMovie before, so it was awesome to experience that I could happily share with my students. 

Not surprisingly, there were other readings and assignments in this course I would have preferred to live without: books like Literacies by Knobel & Lankshear, or videos like Networks, Power, and Democracy, because I don't think either one offered me anything new or relevant in the concept of new media and new literacies.  Luckily however, the most frustrating assignment - making my 'Literacy Guide' turned out quite well, and I'll probably use it for my next year's 6th grade class, as a way to hold my students more accountable for class issues I feel are so very important, like adaptability, teamwork and the ethics of research.  And so, although my New Media & New Literacy graduate class could be quite challenging, overall it was an insightful experience, and it helped me further hone my graduate school project - probably something along the lines of student engagement, which came from the many readings, videos and discussions on the rise of technology in schools.  

Week 12: The Trials and Tribulations of a Grad Student Trying to Write a 'Literacy Guide'

This week, we were required to write a 'literacy guide' for whatever population of student learner's we wanted to target.  To me, this was the most confusing and difficult concept to master in this class so far because I had no idea what a 'literacy guide' was, or how to write it, or even Why I was supposed to write it.  Frustrated, angry, upset, I researched the topic for hours - to no avail.  It was only when our professor offered some extra resources and gave me some encouragement that I calmed down, went back to the research, and then, after about two more hours of grueling research, I formulated a plan. 

In the end, I wrote a literacy guide...and I loved it.  I loved not just writing of it, but what I had to say, and the amazing resources I found (a great written piece and a video I starred in the resources section).  

For those still unaware, a 'Literacy Guide' is just an outline for the ideas you value (and want to teach), and how you can help your students (or whomever) go about gaining that knowledge.  We are in a New Media and New Literacies class, so obviously I had to include Research.  Now, I've never been a real stickler about students research skills, but by creating this guide I realized, "Wait! I really need to be clearer with my students about research, and give them more structure for these assignments, and talk about things like plagiarism and how to cite and perform Effective online research."  

Once I realized that a literacy guide is just a tool to help myself plan and structure the ideas that I personally value and want to present (to help my students become 'literate') it all came together.  Now, as we all know, the idea of 'literacy' has changed drastically throughout the years.  To me, 'literacy' is more about resourcefulness, or being able to move through different areas of schooling and life with ease.  I guess it's part information literacy, where "we need to know how to think critically..how to maintain that critical stance, how to employ it, and then how to stay open to new ideas," (1) as well as part transliteracy, or "the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms tools, and media from signing to orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks,"(2)  and then maybe a tad of metacognition, or, reflecting on how we think in order to make adjustments and grow. 

For my Literacy Guide, the three topics I chose to focus on were all aspects I felt my 6th grade humanities students could benefit from not just in my class, but throughout their entire lives: collaboration, self-assessment and research.   Collaboration is essential in my class, as students are constantly working on team assignments and collaborative written projects.  In fact, when I identified this as a major aspect of my class, it reminded me a lot of Henry Jenkins and his 'Participatory Culture' exercise where he made all of his students work on a Wikipedia posting, and it helped the students feel empowered and united as a team.   Self-assessment - both for teachers and students - is yet another way we learn and grow.  In fact, it's only when we can be honest with ourselves about our performance as both as individuals and within a group that we can adjust and adapt.  Lastly, I chose research.  At first I felt like I put it in here just to appease my new media and new literacies class, but on reflection I realized just how important it is to research, cite and avoid plagiarism, and that I need to be even more vigilant about teaching my students these essential skills. 

My literacy guide, once created, really stood out to me as something I not only want to give my students at the start of every year, but something I want to constantly add to and reinforce.  It was a great way to collect my thoughts and figure out what I value most about literacy, and despite my initial grumblings, it was truly a beneficial assignment      

Resources:

"Information Transliteracy in the 21st Century." National Louis University.  YouTube video.  Uploaded on 26, January, 2012.  Retrieved at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1JjcmGJb2A&feature=youtu.be

Thomas, Sue, Chris Joseph, Jess Laccetti, Bruce Mason, Simon Mills, Simon Perril and Kate Pulinger. "Transliteracy: Crossing Divides."  What is Transliteracy? First Monday.  3, December.  Retrieved at: http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2060/1908/

*"Understanding the Importance of Information Literacy." Education News. 25, March, 2013.  Retrieved at: http://www.educationnews.org/uncategorized/understanding-the-importance-of-information-literacy/

*"Information Literacy." Suffolk County Community College.  Web Video. nd.  Retrieved at: http://libguides.sunysuffolk.edu/content.php?pid=215710&sid=1794616

Week 11: How My Students (and the Internet) Illuminated the Cracks in Public Education

As Sugatra Mitra says in his illuminating Ted Talk Build a School in the Clouds, "schools as we know them are obsolete." This phrase resounded in my mind again and again as I interviewed not one, but nearly twenty young students at my middle schools, ranging from ages 10-14 and grades 6-8.  Each of them (and sometimes a group of them) received a series of questions (many of which were provided by my peers in this course), and I was not only shocked at how similar many of their answers were, but by their overall level of boredom and disenchantment with school.  

My first adolescent interview left much to be desired.  The answers were obvious, plain and expected. He was an 11-year old boy in 6th grade.  In fact, his answer were so mundane (without the Internet I'd read a book; my parents set a 2-hour limit on games; I'm never on social networking), I quickly started interviewing a bunch of kids at a time. 

I expanded my interview to even more students in my 6th grade humanities class, as well as those I had taught in 7th and 8th grade (who regularly came by around lunch).  One day in particular (as I asked questions all week long) about fifteen boys and girls flocked around me and I offered questions raining from how they spent their day (both online and off), what they did online (specifically what sites they routinely visited), and what skills they had learned online (most took a long, long time to answer that one).  

Some answers really stood out.  For example, when the majority was presented with: "What would you do without the Internet," most yelled out, "I'd die!" or "kill me now."  Curious about their common reaction, I probed further.  "What does that mean?  Explain?"  Again, most of their answers were exactly alike, regardless of age, race, gender or social status: "My life would shut down without the Internet.  I mean…I'd still have schools so I could see my friends, but without text messaging or Instagram [or whatever social networking site they were on] I'd be trapped - I wouldn't know what to do."  I wasn't sure what that mean, so again, I probed further.  "Extrapolate." The answers were again similar. "I guess I'd be forced to look at the world around me."  Not  one, but a number of them replied, "I'd be more…aware…of this class, of outside….I would actually BE with my friends instead of looking down" (one of them pantomimed texting).  

Most of them - with few exceptions - discovered quite on their own that without technology they might learn more about life, read a book, play outside, or maybe even study for a test.  Really? I thought.  This seemed too good to be true: All the world's problems solved without the Internet!?  I wasn't buying it…"Great! I said, "I'll get rid of the class computers tomorrow and shut down the WiFi at school!"  They all looked horrified.  "Don't do that!  Don't do that!  School would suck!" they cried.  "But you just said…" "No!" one of them screamed, "School is boring."  Wait a minute, I thought: Now that makes sense…

At the end of the day, it wasn't the fear of the Internet shutting down that got my students riled up, but the idea that they'd spend most of their lives in school with teachers they didn't like, lessons they called boring and "meaningless assignments" that only wasted their time. "Explain that," I asked.  "Online we can chat with our friends," one of them said, "and do homework and projects together on Google, which is good because I don't always understand the assignments."  They all eagerly agreed, and it reminded me of a quote from Living & Learning with New Media Literacy, which said, "Unlike what young people experience in school, where they are graded by a teacher in a position of authority, feedback in interest-driven groups is from peers and audiences who have a personal interest in their work and opinions." (p. 64).  Another student said, "I learn a lot online, more than in school because I can learn whatever I want." And it reminded me of something Don Tapscott said in his video Growing up Digital, which was, "What has to change in schools?  The model of pedagogy has been around for a long time…drill and kill…test me.  This generation has grown into interacting so this is inappropriate."  

What struck me most about my adolescent interviews was how shockingly out-of-touch schools are with modern life. Any negative the kids brought up about a world with no Internet revolved - not around their daily lives at home or with friends  but around a palpable fear of being left alone in a classroom with a teacher they hated to do assignments they felt were completely unrelated to their lives.  90% of them agreed on this. But this certainly doesn't mean we all need to run out and buy computers for our classrooms.  It just means we need to be more aware of how our students today learn.  They need to be more active, social and engaged.  Everyone should be working in teams, and they should get to choose some of the topics they study.  That's why whenever I start a unit like 'Ancient Rome' I have them research any aspect they want.  They love that, because it's just like the Internet - they get to explore and work with others, and they're constantly moving and jumping from one topic to the next.  

So teachers take note.  The past is gone. No more lazy worksheets and boring lesson plans that take no effort or creativity to design or implement. What did I learn from this assignment on "growing up digital"?  That teachers and schools need to prepare for the future, or they need to prepare to be obsolete.  

Resources:

Mitra, Sugata.  TED (2013).  Build a School in a Cloud. [Online video clip.  YouTube.]  Retrieved from: http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud?language=en

Tapscott, Dan, "Growing up Digital" (*Interview no longer available because it says the uploader has closed their YouTube account)

Ito, M., Horst, H., Bittanti, M., Boyd, D., Herr-Stephenson, B., Lang, P.G., Pascoe, C.J., & Robinson, L. (2009). Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. PDF file is included in module.

Week 9: Please Don't Replace Me With A Computer, Just Make Me A Better Educator

There have been many great innovations throughout history which have vastly changed the world, like the wheel, the printing press, the automobile and most recently the Internet.  The Internet, and the massive technologies and medias which go along with it (like iPhones, compatible projector systems, interactive chat rooms, blogs and many, many others) is such a juggernaut, and is so widely used today and prevalent in the lives of everyone on the planet - rich, poor, black, white, American or Lithuanian - that many literacy advocates, have called on schools to "foster a critical understanding of media as one of the most powerful social, economic, political, and cultural institutions of our era."  Henry Jenkins wants even more done.  He's a huge advocate of 'participatory culture' and getting media into schools in a big way, so that students can "critically view media content in terms of social networks, communities, and cultures."  For example, he had some of his students read Moby Dick and then go into Wikipedia and make changes to the description of the book and support those changes with evidence from the text.  (Jenkins video).  He said it gave his students a real sense of empowerment; through the exercise, they felt like they could change the world.  He then went on to ask why such sites like Wikipedia are banned from so many schools… Now, I loved his exercise, and it's one I might model in my own classroom, but my problem is this:  While the Internet and new media in general should probably be allowed in schools, it should not be used as a replacement for education, but in support of Good education. As Paul Thomas, a former teacher and writer of twelve books on public education methods says, "a spare approach to technology in the classroom will always benefit learning."  (NYTimes)

It's shocking to me to think that there are schools out there today that have no Internet access, or no computers in the library because I agree that the Internet is such a cultural and economic phenomena that it must be acknowledged in some ways.  However, it's equally as odd to see schools using Only computers and iPads and projection systems, because amid this new technology onslaught, very few people are actually addressing the Real issues for schools, which is: How can we prepare our students for the real world?   Ultimately, it doesn't matter how many computers are in a room.  What matters is that we teach our students essential life skills like teamwork (so they can work-out a host of social issues that will affect them in future careers) and self-assessment (so they learn to be both subjective and objective in papers, presentations and with peers in general.) and we keep them engaged (which shows that they feel like what they're being taught, actually matters).  None of this, however, requires a computer, or even electricity.  

In the research brief "Digital Literacies," Julia Gillen and David Barton believe that schools are lagging behind the Internet revolution, and they say, "if the school remains (obliged to) adhere to the characteristics of the former semiotic and social world, there will be an increasingly vast gap of practice, understanding, and of disposition of knowledge." (p. 7 Digital Literacies).  But this is obvious hyperbole.  Let's be honest. It's not like schools are the only place were a student can go online and learn how to text or use Facebook.  I have students who live in shelters, but they still have smartphones and can access the Internet whenever they want.  Besides, you don't Need computers to educate.  Just look at the over 150 Waldorf Schools around the country - places where students routinely go to the top colleges and whose parents work for Google and Yahoo and so many other giant tech companies.  None of these schools allow computers in the classrooms, and while that might be a bit drastic in our modern era, I love the reasons why - because they understand that technology is not necessary for a Good education, and so they harbor "a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks."  (NYTimes)

In general, schools need to be more proactive in the education of students - and not by jumping on every new technological advancement, but by getting back to basics of education, which means connecting modern classroom practices with the real world our students will one day inherit. W. Lance Bennett alludes to this point by mentioning how schools are failing to create great citizens (people invested in their country) and communities (groups who work together) in the way that the Internet has done.  In his article "Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age", he talks about how the Internet has massive communities who all work together online like Facebook or Myspace, but in modern schools, "citizen experiences for those coming of age in contemporary society fall into one of two categories: (1) little or no civics content or (2) courses that stick to academic coverage of basic government functions and present unappealing perspectives on the subject."  (p. 16).  And you know what?  He's right.  Most teachers stick to the script of the common core, instead of using the common core guidelines to engage and inspire their students with real-world lessons.  I'm certainly not perfect, but I at least try to teach citizenship through teamwork: by making my room the country, and making my students the 'citizens' and showing them how to be a good 'citizen/student' in both school and life. Once again, no technology is needed for these simulations. Yes…if they question if I'm being a Dictator or an Emperor, I DO let them go to the class computer and research those two words (as support…), but the principals of these exercises require no technology.  

I also try to teach my students is how to self-assess how to be both objective and subjective, so they know Why I give them an 84% instead of a 90%, and how to spot successful practices (or unsuccessful ones) within themselves.   This way, when they move from school to a workplace, they'll have essential skill necessary not just to pass an ELA test, but to succeed in life.  In the same way, every child should now how to   support an argument and tell a story with a beginning, middle and an end - not just to pass a test, but because that will affect the way they communicate throughout their lives, both on the Internet and in front of a real, live person.  That's why I love what David Crystal says about language and the internet in his book Language and the Internet.  He at least acknowledges that there must be some Basic skills that need no technology at all, but that from those skills, others will naturally rise with technological changes.  For example, in discussing how writing might one day change in schools, he writes,  "E-mail will then take its place in the school curriculum, not as a medium to be feared for its linguistic irresponsibility (because it allows radical graphological deviance) but as one which offers a further domain within with children can develop their ability to consolidate their stylistic institutions and make responsible linguistic choices." (p.  128).

Although the Internet, computers, and technology in general are awesome, not a single electrical outlet is needed to engage students. Sure, it's Easier to grab their attention if I put on a Youtube video on the projector screen, but they're not really 'engaged,' they're more like distracted observers.  More often than not, we have discussions and group simulations with specific goals to help unlock concepts about ancient civilizations and modern life, and my students are engaged because they're constantly moving around and interacting and assessing themselves and each other in meaningful ways.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the Internet and technological advances, and while I might not agree with how the Waldorf Schools completely banishes computers from their program, I certainly love the reasons why.  One of their teachers, "Cathy Waheed, who is a former computer engineer, tries to make learning both irresistible and highly tactile. Last year she taught fractions by having the children cut up food — apples, quesadillas, cake — into quarters, halves and sixteenths. 'For three weeks, we ate our way through fractions,' she said. 'When I made enough fractional pieces of cake to feed everyone, do you think I had their attention?'" (NYTimes)

Resources: 

Crystal, David (2004).  Language and the Internet.  Cambridge University Press.  Cambridge.  Retrieved from http://medicine.kaums.ac.ir/UploadedFiles/Files/Language_and_%20The_Internet.pdf

Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010). Digital Literacies.  ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme.  London.  Retrieved from http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/33471/1/DigitalLiteracies.pdf

Jenkins, Henry.  "Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture and Media Education." Big Thinkers Video Series
http://www.edutopia.org/henry-jenkins-participatory-culture-video

Richtel, Matt. "A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Compute." New York Times, Technology Section.  October 22, 2011.  Downloaded March 15th 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Week 8: Trust No One

When I was 16, I saw a commercial that captivated me like nothing I'd seen on TV before or since.  Laugh if you will, but it was an 80's throwback to the Greasers and Socs of S.E. Hinton's THE OUTSIDERS, a sultry, loving, black-and-white (with a touch of pink) pseudo-film with a bad-boy-meets-good-girl storyline starring a very young Matt LeBlanc.  The commercial was for Cherry 7Up - a product I had never once thought of consuming - but let me tell you, I was hooked!   

Sugary soda drinks don't appeal to me.  I've never cared for Coke or Pepsi, and at the age of 16 I'd never even considered drinking 7Up, but at that time in my life, I was extremely vulnerable: I'd just gotten out of jail (so I was very lonely and rebellious), kicked out of my house (so I was living with my estranged mom), and I had no friends (so I was ripe for a Cherry 7Up assault…).  

Picture it: a smooth, melodic, romantic 80's soundtrack - the only audio of the commercial - that whispers "Isn't it cool, in pink?  Isn't it cool, to drink? Cherry 7Up.  Can't get enough.  Isn't it so cool? " while Matt LeBlanc, a rough-looking teenager, walks into a store to see a very cute teenage girl behind the counter.  Colors were dark and moody.  There were pink highlights in a few places (like the 7Up can itself, LeBlanc's shirt, the girl's headband…) but other than that it was completely black-and-white.  LeBlanc is obviously smitten with her.  She's smitten with him but she's working, so he abandons his friends and waits for her to come out for a Cherry 7Up after work.  

The moment I saw this ad, I wanted a Cherry 7Up. That sad, romantic music spoke to me directly.  I was sad and romantic! I was that rebel!  I wanted a girl! Seriously - I thought that if I bought Cherry 7Up I would have the exact same experience as Matt LeBlanc.  So I bought the drink and waited on the corner of my street for a girl to come by....  And this went on for a week, before I realized I'd been had.  Cherry 7Up wouldn't get me the girl.  And I was just as sad and lonely as before - only worse because I was drinking something I hated.  

This assignment made me think back to a very strange time in my life and realize that I was a young, stupid boy who needed direction and guidance.  That commercial offered me guidance, so I bought their product in the hope of salvation.  Sadly, however, that saving moment never came and I felt used.  In Reading Images, Kress and Leeuwen ask (with regards to multiple forms of communication), "Is what we hear true, factual, real, or is it a lie, fiction, something outside of reality?" (p. 154) Because of this commercial, Every commercial I saw became suspect, a possible lie, something outside of reality.  

Commercials are designed to sell a product, and in the case of Cherry 7Up it worked - I bought their product.  But at what cost?  It preyed on my weaknesses.  It made me wary of what I saw, and mistrustful of my society. 

One of the best questions I've ever seen, actually came from this deconstruction assignment (and Jean Kilbourne), which is 'Can one be both a citizen and a consumer'?  Well yes, right?  Can't I live in a country where the products I buy are trustworthy and safe, and the commercials are geared towards the betterment of myself and that society, as opposed to someone's pockets?  I think a better question might be: 'Can one be both a citizen and a SELLER?' because that's the big issue here.  Can someone sell their products - regardless of truth or ethics because they need to make money, AND at the same time, can they be a citizen, meaning: can they be loyal to the people within their city, state, country? Maybe?  Some? 10%?  Less?  But on the whole I'd say no, because regardless of product (good or bad) sellers make money to sell, not to be ethical members of a society.  

When I was 16, I needed a lot of guidance, direction, and…well, help.  At that time in my life, I would have listened to anyone who spoke to me and offered a lifeline.  Unbelievably, for at least a week, a Cherry 7Up commercial did just that, and while it gave me hope, it was really based on a lie, and when I discovered that lie (that Cherry 7Up wasn't going to get me the girl or make me feel as confident and cool as Matt LeBlanc), I was worse off than when I started.  Today, this distrust of media has stayed with me and expanded to doctors, baby-care products or ANYONE that sells a service or product to earn a living, because it's a conflict of interests.  Ultimately, they don't' have to care about what they sell or be ethical.  They have to make money!  It's sad….very, very sad, because in our society today, caring, helping and teaching have become secondary to the all powerful dollar, and instead of helping me as a child, that commercial hurt me, and instead of helping me today, most commercials just make me worry about the future of our species. 

Resources:

"Vintage 80s Cherry 7UP Isn't it cool in pink? Commercial with Matt LeBlanc"  Online video clip. Youtube.  Uploaded on August 23rd, 2009.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPV4Zbs1ogY
March 10th, 2015.  

Kress, Gunther & van Leeuwen, Theo (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. New York: Routledge.  

Week 6: Searching for Meaning in New Media & New Literacy Dialogues…

In my graduate school class on New Media and New Literacies, we are learning a lot about how the Internet is redefining the world.  The way we operate on a daily basis, for example, has completely changed.  I can contact friends and family around the globe in seconds on FaceTime.  Without ever having to leave my apartment, I can order food on Seamless, date on Friendster, meet people on Facebook or MySpace, and learn about new cultures and places through photo exchanges on Instagram.  The world has become a smaller, more accessible place. But that doesn't mean there aren't problems.  For example, the Internet definitely takes something away from traditional social relationships. When I'm out with friends, half of them are checking their phones instead of interacting with me, and many of them want to rush home so they can Netflix a movie, or head into a virtual world - like World of Warcraft - instead of remaining in the real world, with me.  One of the most frustrating issues I've come across is trying to find great online content.  Today, people have an outlet to do and say whatever they want, whenever they want, and however they want.  They can go in chatrooms or post Youtube videos and blogs and speak-out until their hearts are content about anything - without giving any thought to who their audience might be, or why someone would want to listen to them at all, and while this is great for freedom of expression, it makes it very difficult to find innovative and noteworthy content.

One of the Youtube videos I recently watched for my class was titled 'Networks, Power, and Democracy'.  I normally love Youtube videos because they're quick and fun, but almost from the start, I was left wondering why someone would willingly watch this particular video if not for a specific class assignment.  It consisted of a single camera on a woman named Saskia Sassen for nearly forty minutes, with no graphs, pictures or animations to break things up, and although she brought up a lot of grand ideas, what she was really trying to say was discussed in the first 4 minutes.  Her lecture was basically "If we have openness…as we have in network domains…and we have choice…do we get a more democratic outcome [online]?"  And her answer is quick.  Basically, she says we don't, and then she spends the next thirty-five minutes trying to prove her point.  What was so exasperating for me was that she had so much namedropping and jargon-filled explanations, but at the end of the day her point was simple: It's hard to have democracy online when there are real issues of ownership.  And yes - of course that's true! We don't 'Own the Internet', so how can it help us be more democratic when the government can shut it down whenever they want?  The Great thing about this video, however, was that it forced me to do a web search entitled 'Who controls the Internet,' so I could actually understand her issue.  I came across a great answer - one which exactly discussed her points in a clear and precise way - in a 3-page article on the website How Stuff Works.  It made her entire video seem static and dated, which made me sad because she obviously is very intelligent and had a lot of insight, but why should I care about her topic if she didn't care enough to make it interesting and keep me engaged - especially in an age when I can find something similar in seconds?

Another Youtube video I saw was 'Digital Youth, Social Movements, and Democracy in Brazil.' This idea was very cool, and the main speaker, Raquel Recuero, detailed her points in a concise and interesting Powerpoint within the first 20 minutes.  Her main purpose was to show how the Internet is changing the ways people learn, mobilize, interact and exist in Brazil and South America.  In her Powerpoint, she showed the good and the bad side of the Internet, and really touched on  operational, cultural, and critical ways the Internet affects her society.  I loved that, and I learned a lot about the South American digital revolution.  The problem is that her Powerpoint then led to a forty-minute group discussion that added very little to her original message.  Why is it that so many people who talk in a chatrooms, blogs or Youtube videos usually makes their presentations so long and rambling?  It just took away from her fresh and intelligent outlook and made me think, "there goes another great concept ruined because nobody thought to edit this down…"  

In a very similar vein, I read a blog called 'Weblogs and the Public Sphere' by Andrew O'Baoill, about how to increase the efficiency of weblogs as a public space.  Like the others, this at first seemed very promising, but ultimately, his very scholarly piece came down to this:  "Inclusivity, disregard of external rank, and rational debate of any topic are all necessary components of such a space."  Once again, there was so much jargon - along with over thirty sources referenced - and for what?  So he can tell me that its hard to get noticed when you first start a blog?  Or that search engines favors A-list bloggers who know what they're doing and have good contacts?  Or that it takes a huge time commitment to succeed as a blogger?  This is common sense!   He seems to want to create a world where weblogs are more universal as spaces for public debate, but that's Not common sense.  Why would I go on a blog that's not written well, especially when there is SO much content elsewhere on the Internet?  In fact, his article was so difficult to absorb, that instead, I found a Wikihow article called 'How to Be a Good Blogger' and you know what?  They had almost exactly the same information.  Sure, it might not have been a scholarly piece about how to make weblogs more universal spaces for public debate, but the Wikihow article was quick and fun and easy to read, with helpful diagrams as well, and if a blogger actually read that article and worked hard, they might just achieve what Andrew O'Baoill wants for everyone.  

Whenever something as revolutionary as the Internet comes along, there are thousands of voices that want to offer everything from analysis to evaluation.  What is the Internet?  How does it work?  Can it be used as a means for democracy and change?   In the past, scholars and serious authors wrote books and articles on topics like this - which would then be edited-down for audience and readability - but today, everyone has a voice and they can say…well, anything, and they can say it any way they want, and make it as long as they want, or as complicated as they want, and simply put it out in cyberspace for all the world to see.  As a former editor and current middle school ELA teacher, it's disheartening…Luckily for me, however, I live in the Internet Age, and if those videos or blogs aren't very interesting, or if they're too complicated for me to understand, I can always find something more relatable in seconds and put my mind at ease.  

Resources:

Sassen, Saskia. "Saskia Sassen: Networks, Power, and Democracy."  Online video clip.  Youtube.  26, June 2012.  Web.  18, February, 2015.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpw1GpHzAbc&feature=youtu.be

Connected Learning TV.  "Raquel Recuero - Digital Youth, Social Movements, and Democracy in Brazil." Online video clip. Connected Learning TV.  n.d. Web. 18, February, 2015

http://connectedlearning.tv/raquel-recuero-digital-youth-social-movements-and-democracy-brazil

O'Baoill, Andrew. n.d. "Into the Blogospher: Rhetoric, Community, and Culture of Weblogs: Weblogs and the Public Space." Web blog.  Retrieved from: 

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/weblogs_and_the_public_sphere.html

"How to Be a Good Blogger." WikiHow.  How Stuff Works.  n.d. Web.  20 February, 2015.  Web address:  http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Blogger

Strickland, Jonathan. "Who owns the Internet?"  WikiHow.  How Stuff Works.  n.d. Web.  18, February, 2015. 

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/who-owns-internet1.htm

Week 3: On Clarity in Digital Literacy

I try to be clear in everything I do.  I don't like confusion or jargon, so whether I'm talking to graduate level students, doctors, mega-geniuses or five-year old children, my language is usually easy to understand, and if it's not I'll pantomime, dance, or anything else to make things clear.  For example, I once drew random circles on the board - hundreds of them like bubbles with multiple shapes, sizes, colors and patters - to show the kids what intelligence is really like (which is vastly different than the 1-100 scenario most people think).  So...clarity is very important to me, and I believe it's very important to proponents of New Media and New Literacies in the digital age, because it's a complex subject with a very rich history that needs to be analyzed, evaluated and understood.      

     

In my current graduate class, New Media and New Literacies, there are some interesting ideas to absorb.   For example, in the book Reading Images by Kress & van Leeuwen, I've already learned quite a lot about symbols and symbolic language - why it exists, how to interpret it, and cool facts to know like how symbols were once language (in Ancient Mesopotamia) and how they're becoming language again (think emoji's for texting).  (P. 21) In their third chapter, I learned even more facts about how images are laid-out to denote completely different meanings, which I found fascinating.  We also watched a Ted Talk by Henry Jenkins on Youtube, which was all about how, throughout history, there are always new and revolutionary concepts which propel society forward and given a voice to a new, young age (like radio, Zines and now the Internet).  Last but not least, we were given a symbolic diagram by a man named Green, to try and make easier the many complexities of literacy as it relates to technology. 

     

What's fascinating about all this is that I can now look at something like Green's graphical representation of literacy and technology (for example) and make some really cool inferences.  For those unfamiliar, his representation uses three interconnected circles, with a rectangle placed in the middle of them, obscuring some of the circles' perfect forms.  Because I've read chapter 2 in Reading Images, I can infer that Green used circles because they represent "an organic and natural order." (P. 55).  Circles denote something old and overriding, grand and endless.  Rectangles, on the other hand "dominate the shape of our cities, buildings and roads," (P. 54) so they are like man-made building blocks.  From this I can infer Green might have cut the rectangle through the circles because rectangles are human ideas looming in a world of natural communication.  However, what Green is trying to say in his diagram confuses me.  After reading chapter 3 of Reading Images, I began to realize that Green could have done so much more to get his meaning across (adding pictures to aid his meaning, maybe having smaller and larger circles to denote varying importance - anything), and yet that never happened.  Do his three circles represent: (1) Literacy Practices (reading, writing, etc.), (2) Literacy Techniques (how we teach literacy) and (3) Evolution of Literacy (how it evolves through time and critique)?  Does the rectangle portion of his diagram denote the Process of Communication (how we - as humans - learn and analyze information)?  I just don't know.  It was very frustrating because I'm sure Green created a diagram to be clear, but without any context - annotations, a paper, symbols or a video, his point was lost on me.  (I even looked-up a video called '3-Dimensions of Literacy' to figure it out. It didn't help, but such a cool clip on the 3-Dimensions of Reading and Writing Skills in the Common Core came up, on Youtube by Paul France, 2014.  And it relates to B. Green because I think Green's diagram was published in the Australian Journal of Education in 1988, with an article titled 'Subject specific literacy and school learning: A focus on Writing').*

     

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Henry Jenkins did a Ted Talk that I loved: it was all about how technology throughout the ages has mobilized citizenship, but today, "our schools are locking out many of these practices…our schools are turning down Wikipedia, shutting off Youtube, blocking social network sites…"  (TEDxNYED, Jenkins, 2010).  Jenkins had a very clear message.  He talked about changing culture in the Internet Age and ended with a very compelling question: "shouldn't we bring it [technology] into our classrooms?"  My one issue with Jenkins is that although his discussion was powerful and clear, he ended with a big challenge to schools that he never even tried to address in his video. I love Internet - especially in my public school.  My kids hacked my computer so I can always get on Youtube and find great videos or images to aid in my lesson, but of course I don't want the kids to be going on Youtue without guidance, or on Wikipedia or any social networking sites, alone. There's a very good reason schools have blocked these sites. Wikipedia is too complicated for 6th grade students who don't even know how to cross-check other sites for accuracy.   If I let them go on Youtube, they'd be watching celebrity videos instead of movies on Ancient Egypt or Rome, and if I allowed them to go on any social networking sites they'd be sending Instagrams and talking to friends all day without any oversight.  

Computer access in schools is a very complex issue with no easy answers.  Let me offer a symbolic representation:  I would probably start with a tiny little circle at the bottom of my page with two people talking inside.  On top of the circle, and connected to it, would be a slightly larger circle.  Inside would be a picture of an early civilization.  Above that - again in ever-widening circles - would be an early language, then a printing press, a magazine, a radio, television, all in larger and larger circles until we get to the internet, the largest of all and dominating the entire page.  Shown in that way, I think it would be very clear that the internet is a massive and unwieldy beast that has taken over all other forms of communication.  Jenkins is right - this new and amazing technology should be allowed in schools - but I'd want some parameters…

     

All my griping aside, let me say this: the new skills I'm learning from this class are many - how to view the world differently (through symbols and signs), how to navigate the complex technological world of the Internet (I created my first blog!), and the many different perspectives on these topics which come in the form of books, articles, videos and diagrams.  Through it all, however, I just want to be clear - because knowledge is a prize I covet.  A man named Richard Lanham once claimed: "literacy has extended its semantic reach from meaning 'the ability to read and write' to now meaning 'the ability to understand information however presented.'" (Academia.edu, Digital Literacy and Digital Literacies).  This is a very powerful statement - and a very scary one - but it's also extremely clear, and from it, I was able to visualize the mammoth sway that digital technology has over our planet, and the problems we're all currently facing as we try to figure out what it means.   

Resources

*"The Three Diagrams of Literacy: A Diagram," downloaded 1/30/15 at: http://read6350secondaryreading.wikispaces.com/file/view/READ+6350+chart.pdf

Kress, Gunther & van Leeuwen, Theo (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. New York: Routledge.  

Green, B.  "Graphical representation of GREEN's approach to literacy." Moodle room Image.  Downloaded from https://moodle.esc.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=821667

Jenkins, Henry. "TEDxNYED - Henry Jenkins - 03/06/10." Online video clip. 

Youtube.  Uploaded on April 13th, 2010.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFCLKa0XRlw.  January 29th, 2015.  

Lankshear, Colin & Knobel, Michele. "Digital Literacy and Digital Literacies: Policy, Pedagogy and Research Considerations for Education."  Academia.edu (italicize!).

http://www.academia.edu/3011377/Digital_literacy_and_digital_literacies

Web.  31, January, 2015.