digital sea

"When students recognize their own importance in helping to shape the future of this increasingly global, interconnected society, the significance problem fades away," writes Michael Wesch in his article "Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance." When we step away from the retelling of a narrative (but adding new pieces here and there, as time will permit), and invite students -- and by extension, people -- into the "conversation," (to borrow a word from Sherry Turkle )... that's when, and where, dialogue and change, begin.  After reading both the perspectives of Wesch and Turkle, I do not find they are at odds with each other, but rather, addressing the same issue with different terminology and phrasing. When Turkle says we "have sacrificed conversation for mere connection," Wesch says the need for significance is driving students to that very connection -- a connection that he sees falling flat in his classroom enviro

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Thinking about how we could reimagine children's toys started out rough. At first, we thought about just flipping toys to be more gender neutral or oppositional (i.e., a pink Optimus Prime) but realized very quickly that wasn't going to be enough for the activity. Then we thought about how we could literally take toys apart -- in speech (what does this toy mean/symbolize? What constructs is it composed of?) and physically (Optimus Prime could ride a flying unicorn maybe). That was almost too complicated to do in the short amount of time we had. So, instead we decided to approach the infamous gendered toy aisle by redesigning by category. The end result was a play on the store Target, "Bullseye," a store "where gender is bull!" and toys are arranged by broader categories, not by gender. I think it's important to recognize and understand it shouldn't have to be an either/or situation when we go toy shopping. Children's passions, interests,

The digital tool I decided to write about is Padlet , which, according to their website, is "the easiest way to create and collaborate in the world."  In essence, Padlet is an online virtual bulletin board that allows you to display information, visually and/or with words, for any subject. In some ways its versatility reminds me of how Tumblr was popular years ago -- you can upload pictures, link in videos and music, and even use it to casually blog short responses if you want. In the classroom, you can use it create more dynamic lessons and assignments that invite students to participate in a community versus just individually. Here's one example of a Padlet that displays ways you can use it in class. Logging into and creating a Padlet account is simple. You can use either your Google account or Microsoft account to set it up. While the free version only allows you to create three boards, the paid "Pro" version is $8.25 a month if you choo

An image from Coffey's intro lesson with 12th graders "I wanted [students] to understand that everything we read, watch, or hear is a construct with underlying power dynamics [...] I wanted them to think about what happens when you are a people who do not control your own story, and how that changes when you take up the responsibility, as writers, to honor the legacies of struggle and resistance in your community" (Coffey 301). The article I chose to review and read from Rethinking Popular Culture and Media was Jerica Coffey's "Storytelling as Resistance." In it, Coffey describes how she encouraged her students through a unit on "writing the untold histories of our community" (300) to unpack and combat the myths surrounding their neighborhood of Watts, CA by inviting community members 30+ years of age to share their histories. Combining their study of a nonfiction text, Random Family , and their practice of nonfiction narrative writing,

I, like many of you, grew up watching Disney films. When I think back to the movies that were my favorites -- Aladdin and Hercules, for instance -- I remember idealizing aspects of Jasmine and Megara's characters. How they refused (at least in the beginning) to go along with the rules and get married off or fall for "Prince Charming"... they, at least for a short time, retained their own voices and beliefs. But then Jasmine falls for Aladdin, is imprisoned by Jafar, and uses her sexuality to seduce/trick the sorcerer at one point. She winds up marrying in the end after all. It's her choice, true, but the way there is still rough. Megara is essentially killed off, becoming little more than a romantic tool/body Hades uses against Hercules. After Hercules rescues her, her autonomy disappears -- she is "side piece," the girl he won at the end of a long battle. I hate reducing her in that way, but... it's kind of true. In a way, it's difficult to u

"I believe that the digital native rhetoric is worse than inaccurate: it is dangerous. Because of how society has politicized this language, it allows some to eschew responsibility for helping youth and adults navigate a networked world. [...] a focus on today's youth as digital natives presumes that all we as a society need to do is be patient and wait for a generation of these digital wunderkinds to grow up" (boyd 197). Reading danah boyd's chapter challenging Marc Prensky's use of the terms "digital natives" and "digital immigrants," I realize that maybe the tension between the two ideas isn't the problem -- but the labels themselves. "Digital native" and "digital immigrant" are, as boyd points out in the quote above (and in further detail throughout the chapter), loaded with ideologies that can create division. In my last entry, I reflected on islands, and being from one and traveling to the other, whereas so-ca

The title I gave this blog, "Digital Sea," is actually borrowed from a song by one of my favorite bands, Thrice. I don't know why I automatically associated "digital media literacy" with "Digital Sea"; the lyrics speak of being overwhelmed and shipwrecked by the digital presence in our lives, suggesting that technology inherently creates distance despite our (good) intentions. (The song and music video to Thrice's "Digital Sea") But while I know that the song's assumption -- that tech and digital media are short-lived positives in an otherwise bleak narrative that is the world, and nothing good can come of them in the long run -- is wrong, or at least misguided, my brain still went there automatically, and was comfortable in doing so. For that reason, I would have to say that I'm more digital immigrant than native. Wi-Fi, hashtags, and likes did not exist when I was growing up; my first real experience with computers w

Hello everybody, and welcome to my digital literacy blog! Before the writing-writing begins, I'll share a few things about myself. Like many of you, I am a graduate student here at RIC. This is the last course I need to take before graduating the MAT program, where my focus is secondary English. I'm actually taking this class as a substitute for adolescent lit -- but I think it will be just as insightful and helpful. Because I student taught this past spring, summer has been mostly about working (a lot) at my family's business and trying to relax and reflect on what the next step is in my life. While not in class or at work, I'm usually either at the gym, thinking/daydreaming about what I want to write next (I keep my own personal blog for poetry and reflection, which has been neglected since March), and slowly working through my bookshelf. As an almost-certified teacher, I look forward to learning from all of you!