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| every trend becomes history, eventually Photo by drakegoodman Flickr CC license Link to Image |
I would like to publicly announce that I am done with the
idea that digital media is corrupting our communication skills. While this change did not come about solely as
a result of this week’s readings, the articles did contribute to some ideas
that have been developing in my mind over the past few years of teaching. I came to school a curmudgeon of
language. As an English teacher, I felt
it was my job to convince kids to put down the laptop computers, iPods, and
video games (it was 2008- no smart phones yet), and to get them to write the
way that human beings are supposed to.
However, as technology changed, and as tablets and smart phones entered
the scene, and as more news, television, radio (podcasts) and film went online,
I started to notice two things: 1) Communication through digital media seemed
to be enriching my life. 2) The struggling readers and writers in my class were
not necessarily those who carried iPads, or used Twitter, or played Fruit Ninja, or were frequent users of
Instagram. In fact, there seemed to be
very little correlation between a kid’s fondness for his iPhone, and his
ability to write a research paper. And
anecdotally, I feel that the students who are the least developed in their
traditional writing skills are those who also do not engage with digital media
that often. Think of your struggling
writers… Are they adept at using the internet?
Probably not.
Once I realized these two things, my attitude started to
change. Perhaps it was only fitting that
I stumbled upon a few digital media classes in FSU’s online campus that put me
in touch with the sources to help explain much of this. Two books, Critical Digital Literacies as Social Praxis by Avilia and Pandya,
and Video Games and Learning by Kurt
Squire were big eye openers for me, and put into words the trends and ideas I
was observing. As for this week’s
readings, I think the NCTE research brief Adolescent
Literacy is a good summary that many English teachers will trust. I plan to post the section “Research-Based
Recommendations For Effective Literacy Instruction” in my plan book for anyone
who wants to evaluate it. Lately, I have
been incorporating the new definitions of reading and writing into my English
class lessons, and it may help me to back up my ideas.
The best thing that teachers can do to make reading and
writing in school a more positive thing is to teach kids that there are ALL
KINDS OF WRITING and that EACH MODE OF WRITING HAS IT’S OWN GUIDELINES. Sadly, many youth come to high school
thinking that a paragraph has five sentences, and that all “school writing” is
the same. They are unaware that they
themselves can write about subjects they like, in genres like, in a unique
creative way. Additionally, many young
people are unaware that the rules that apply to an argumentative essay may not
apply to a narrative essay, or that the rules that apply to history report do
not apply to a newspaper article, or that the rules that apply to an informative
essay do not apply to a creative short story.
We need to teach them that they can write music reviews, movie reviews,
editorials, poems, short short stories, long developed fiction, nonfiction
narratives, blog posts, etc. And when we
teach them these things they need to learn some of the traditional guidelines
that go with each. When my students
discover this, it is liberating to their whole way of thinking about and
describing the world.
And let me just be clear, by “writing,” I mean that they
will often create in the language of the day- with pictures, color, etc. I like to use the following video, entitled “WORDS”
by Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante to help teens start to recognize the
connection between words, images, and context.
These two filmmakers are sometimes credited as “Everynone” and that is
the name of their website. I first
encountered this video through the WNYC Radiolab podcast entitled “Words” and I
highly recommend it. A word of caution
about this film: The Radiolab version of this film is edited for use with
general audiences. The unedited version
of the video from Everynone’s website contains some mild adult content… So I
wouldn’t use it with young students. My
classes are 11th and 12th grade.
Thank you for sharing how you have grown to now believe digital media os not corruption four communication skills. I love you point about teaching students all kinds of writing. Each subject has its own form of writing and I believe each subject area needs to do its part in teaching the students their subjects style of writing. We need to stop relying solely on the english teacher to teach reading and writing skills.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Jared. The readings added more dimension to what I thought I already knew about today’s digital media age and how it affects our youth. In fact, I started seeing connections between my nieces and nephews who were newer to the digital age 10 years ago and how they developed through it. When they were younger, I didn’t understand their writing development but the “Ah-Ha” moment came during the second article, “Can texting help spelling.” They were playing with this new technology and their creativity definitely was displayed through social media. I’m thinking a call and an apology is due to some of them now because I was harsh with their public writing skills.
ReplyDeleteI also did not connect my own want or need to connect to the new digital age with our students’ same wants or needs. I enjoy reading your observation (as an English teacher) on the effects of writing in this new age. I do not get to see this side, especially not being in a regular classroom. If I saw the same students every day and was able to start a science journal, then I would love to see the evidence of who is more adept at writing – digital media users vs. those students who do not have as much exposure. It would definitely be an interesting study.
While I was trying to a video to share on my blog, I came across a student talking about using the Internet to display his work. He almost explained it as a portfolio he was building at the ripe old age of 3rd grade. As I walked into my son’s room this morning, I saw the large poster board he and I created for his book report “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” I know we eventually have to throw it away. It’s been over a year and since then it’s been in the way. But it was a lot of work and it turned out really cute. And then I think back to the book report I helped my daughter do in a PowerPoint presentation on “Bridge to Terabitha.” It is on a thumb drive, takes up a lot less space and she can reuse components of it at any point in time. What a good point the 3rd grade boy made.
I enjoyed your “Words” video. It encompassed so much with very little. If that makes sense? It touched down on the literacy of sound and pictures which our students are literally being bombarded with at every corner.
You and I share a lot of the same views. Too many students come to school and think, as you said, that writing is a topic sentence with supporting facts and an essay is five paragraphs. Your correlation of struggling readers and the amount of technology they use is dead on. I teach at a rural high school and a lot of the students only use technology when they are at school. The kids with the new iPhones or tablets are the ones who take the higher level courses. Is it environmental factors or socio-economic factors? I am always surprised by the 'bubble' that my students live in. I was talking about Pyramids and not ONE student thought of Egypt. They thought I was talking about cheerleading!
ReplyDeleteI have found that finding one good book that the kids like to read has helped and we read Hunger Games together. This book can almost be read in any class as I teach Social Studies and Science. Unfortunately, I have many kids say that this is the first 'chapter' book they have ever finished.
I absolutely love the video. It shows how communication comes in so many forms and you can "read" the video without any words. Great insight!
Candi, I'm glad you are making connections between access to the tools of our culture (ie. laptops, iPad, smartphones...) and academic achievement. Low SES student often do not have access to the tools (cultural capital) they need to be successful in school and their future economic endeavors. This is why it is so important to give them these opportunities in school.
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