I have to admit that I was not a huge fan of this particular chapter. I was expecting her to be full of practical ideas about how to connect media and the classroom, but instead she just gave us a very broad outline of what kinds of media are available. If we don't already know the benefits of a word processor......we may want to consider retaking our computer classes.
However, she did press one important issue: our students are engaged in media at all different levels and if we want to be relevant and exciting as teachers, we must allow them to incorporate that "hobby" into their studies. I have all kinds of ideas floating in my mind about what that can look like and the options are endless. I remember one assignment during my undergrad English class was to choose a movie (I chose Goodwill Hunting) and do a character analysis of one character. I had so much fun with it and learned so much about characterization - maybe more than I would have read by diving into a piece of literature. And of course we saw Valerie demonstrate a way to take current news and think critically about what we are learning/hearing.
However, the question that remains is how do we make this a reality if/when we find ourselves teaching in a rural, poor, underdeveloped school district? What if the only media commonality among our students is that they watch tv? What if computers are not accessible and not current? Or what if we find ourselves in a fairly diverse school district where some students know more about media than we do but others have limited access? How do we not bore the advanced students but not leave the others behind? I honestly don't know what this should look like, but I guess we are all going to have to encounter it on some level when we find ourselves with our own classrooms and our own students.
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2 comments:
Our high school had one computer lab, and it was locked during most of the day. If a teacher wanted to assign a project in which a computer was necessary, the student either had to have a computer at home or become very good friends with the librarian. I hope things have changed in the last four years - I cannot imagine assigning formal papers to students who didn't have the tools to complete them.
I agree that using the internet and computers in a poor, rural school is difficult, but it should still be incorporated. Students really get into these types of lessons and will get more out of the lessons. If some students have problem with computer usage outside of school, tell them to come into school early or stay late. There are always ways to work around students' needs.
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