“Classroom Remix” discusses how two high school teachers,
Ms. Smith and Mr. Crane implemented a Powerpoint Poetry Interpetation unit into
two sections of a 9th and 10th grade “Writing for
Publication” class. The goal was
to blend visual, linguistic and auditory composition elements to reconfigure what was to be learned and how it was to be learned. This article, dated in October 2011,
acknowledges that Powerpoint may not remain the best tool to interpret poetry,
and I am sure since then, VoiceThread and a myriad of other comparable digital
tools have emerged that can fulfill the same purpose. Thus, I will not focus too much on the digital tool of
Powerpoint and its affordances but rather the thoughts that I conjured about my
future practice as a result of reading this study.
I enjoyed how Callahan and King mentioned all the push-back
that was in response to their implementation of the Powerpoint Poetry
unit. Overall, it seems that
there’s a dichotomy between their vision of remixing learning and the
traditional notions of writing-based instruction that is primarily
linguistic. It was interesting to
me that they mentioned how an AP class, for example, might not want to spend 4
weeks on this kind of a unit because of all the test stimulation instruction
students would expect. “Traditional
learning” is such a vague term, and I wonder how our conception of it will
change as technology and other facets of society evolve (or cease to).
One of the largest benefits of implementing technology-based units that incorporates many elements of learning (visual, linguistic and auditory composition) is that it could decrease the participation gap between students who have high access to digital tools and those who do not. A salient example that the authors mention is that this type of unit encourages students with learning disabilities to participate, as they might not feel that their “traditional” linguistic abilities are that strong. Conversely, students who know how to “do” school and are complacent with the written and linguistic-oriented assignments will be pushed outside of their comfort zone.
I think this piece really allowed me to realize how using digital tools could help me reach out to a wider variety of learners, and how I could be afforded opportunities to collaborate with educators from other departments like music and visual arts.
One of the largest benefits of implementing technology-based units that incorporates many elements of learning (visual, linguistic and auditory composition) is that it could decrease the participation gap between students who have high access to digital tools and those who do not. A salient example that the authors mention is that this type of unit encourages students with learning disabilities to participate, as they might not feel that their “traditional” linguistic abilities are that strong. Conversely, students who know how to “do” school and are complacent with the written and linguistic-oriented assignments will be pushed outside of their comfort zone.
I think this piece really allowed me to realize how using digital tools could help me reach out to a wider variety of learners, and how I could be afforded opportunities to collaborate with educators from other departments like music and visual arts.
Thoai,
ReplyDeleteI, too, was inspired by the articles mention of the use of technology encouraging more students who don't normally participate to feel like they have the tools to participate effectively. That makes technology use even more meaningful in the classroom, because it benefits students who don't necessarily thrive in the "traditional" classroom environment (in particular, students with learning or other disabilities). The visual nature of technology enables different types of learners to find an entry point to the concepts. Well, as long as the lesson teaches the concepts successfully and is not just using technology for the sake of using it! But we know that by now. I also love the idea that this movement from "traditional" classroom activities challenges the students who are so well-versed in school. It's a win-win!
Thoai,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your point about traditional activities and learning being such a vague term. It's definitely a notion that exists in the back of our minds; though not all of us may have been engaged/motivated high school students, almost all of us got to the place we are today by succeeding at performing traditional assessments privileged in ELA curriculum. The rapid expansion of technology-infused literacies really complicates our notions of what kinds of literacies students will most benefit and grow from during their time with us.
I really like how you extend this notion of challenging traditional English activities to the students too - it's a good thing if we're pushing otherwise successful students out of their comfort zones. Isn't that a crucial element to learning and development?