PRODUCTION #8:
Connected Learning model
The connected learning model refers to learning that is socially embedded, interest-driven, and oriented toward educations, economic, or political opportunity. “Connected learning is realized when a young person pursues a personal interest or passion with the support of friends and caring adults, and is in turn able to link this learning and interest to academic achievement, career possibilities or civic engagement” (pg. 7). Connected learning looks to digital media as a means of communication and educational opportunities. The connected learning model stresses the importance of educators introducing new alternatives to expand and diversify meaningful life options and pathways available to young people. We shouldn’t expect young people to be able to “bank” knowledge and skills from school and apply them to a stable world of work later in life.
With that being said, we must cater to student interest. As Morell states, “one of the more difficult skills to teach in literacy education involves helping young people develop the skills of making formal arguments, especially in their writing” (2007, pg. 242). Young people use language and literacy in their everyday activities and are constantly participating in cohesive arguments that relate to things that matter to them. Having said this, it is beneficial for teachers to bring in relevant material to the classroom. It is about enabling students with the skills necessary to make connections between local practices and global concepts of educational and social justice.
Connected learning is highly interest-powered, when a subject is personally interesting and relevant, learners achieve much higher-order learning outcomes. It is also openly networked which refers to online platforms and digital tools that make learning resources abundant, accessible and visible across all learner settings. The model also ensures that challenge is constant because interest and cultivation of an interest creates both a “need to know” and a “new to share”. This will heighten the involvement and participation of students with their learning. It is crucial that educators take this learning model and execute the model into their classrooms.
With that being said, we must cater to student interest. As Morell states, “one of the more difficult skills to teach in literacy education involves helping young people develop the skills of making formal arguments, especially in their writing” (2007, pg. 242). Young people use language and literacy in their everyday activities and are constantly participating in cohesive arguments that relate to things that matter to them. Having said this, it is beneficial for teachers to bring in relevant material to the classroom. It is about enabling students with the skills necessary to make connections between local practices and global concepts of educational and social justice.
Connected learning is highly interest-powered, when a subject is personally interesting and relevant, learners achieve much higher-order learning outcomes. It is also openly networked which refers to online platforms and digital tools that make learning resources abundant, accessible and visible across all learner settings. The model also ensures that challenge is constant because interest and cultivation of an interest creates both a “need to know” and a “new to share”. This will heighten the involvement and participation of students with their learning. It is crucial that educators take this learning model and execute the model into their classrooms.
Production #7:
Graphic Narratives
Girl toys? / Boy Toys?
Toys are everywhere. Everyone understands that children play with toys, but what most fail to recognize, is that toys play a crucial role in children’s lives. Have you ever been on the ‘Toys R Us’ website and realized that they categorize their toys into either girl toys or boy toys. Toys should not be assigned genders, but unfortunately because of societal norms and ideologies, gender stereotypes have become apart of child play. As Wohlwend notes, “identity messages circulate through merchandise that surrounds young consumers as they dress in, sleep on, bathe in, eat from, and play with commercial goods decorated with popular culture images, print, and logos, immersing children in products that invite identification with familiar media characters and communicate gendered expectations about what children should buy, how they should play, and who they should be” (pg. 57).
For this analysis, I will be discussing the American Girl dolls. As Wohlwend also mentions, “toys invite players to read and perform particular identities through play” (pg. 59). Due to gender stereotypes, dolls have always been targeted specifically to girls. Society embeds the notion within all of us, that females are caregivers. Males should not be playing with dolls because that is not their role in society. Having said this, doll companies have always created advertisements and packaging that attracted mainly females. Through playing with dolls, these young girls are role-playing these gender ideologies. Varney (2002) mentions throughout her article that people look to toys for practical experiences. Whilst growing up, the popular culture surrounding children also instill these notions into children. Children notice that females are associated with babies and dolls, which draws girls towards dolls and boys away from dolls.
American Girl dolls have been creating dolls for many, many years and after 31 years they finally decided to introduce their first male doll. The company has announced that they are attempting to address that “playtime has no gender”. They have attempted to capture the attention of young boys by introducing one male doll. Interestingly enough, majority of consumers buying this male doll are still young girls. The notion that boys don’t play with dolls has become so embedded into our society, that young boys are not interested in playing with dolls at all, regardless of the doll’s gender. Realistically, males and females are both associated with babies, so both young girls and boys should feel comfortable playing with dolls. BUT, gender stereotypes and the power of popular culture has strongly assigned genders to toys. What most people fail to recognize, is that from a young age, children are beginning to take on the roles assigned to individuals in our society.
For this analysis, I will be discussing the American Girl dolls. As Wohlwend also mentions, “toys invite players to read and perform particular identities through play” (pg. 59). Due to gender stereotypes, dolls have always been targeted specifically to girls. Society embeds the notion within all of us, that females are caregivers. Males should not be playing with dolls because that is not their role in society. Having said this, doll companies have always created advertisements and packaging that attracted mainly females. Through playing with dolls, these young girls are role-playing these gender ideologies. Varney (2002) mentions throughout her article that people look to toys for practical experiences. Whilst growing up, the popular culture surrounding children also instill these notions into children. Children notice that females are associated with babies and dolls, which draws girls towards dolls and boys away from dolls.
American Girl dolls have been creating dolls for many, many years and after 31 years they finally decided to introduce their first male doll. The company has announced that they are attempting to address that “playtime has no gender”. They have attempted to capture the attention of young boys by introducing one male doll. Interestingly enough, majority of consumers buying this male doll are still young girls. The notion that boys don’t play with dolls has become so embedded into our society, that young boys are not interested in playing with dolls at all, regardless of the doll’s gender. Realistically, males and females are both associated with babies, so both young girls and boys should feel comfortable playing with dolls. BUT, gender stereotypes and the power of popular culture has strongly assigned genders to toys. What most people fail to recognize, is that from a young age, children are beginning to take on the roles assigned to individuals in our society.
Many teachers do a phenomenal job teaching academic literacy, but it is important that educators teach critical literacies as well. Critical literacy goes beyond the ability to just read and write. It is about teaching the literacy curriculum in accordance to everyday youth culture. It is about enabling students with the skills necessary to make connections between local practices and global concepts of educational and social justice. As Morrell notes, “critical literacy is a reading and re-writing of the world, it can illuminate the power relationships in society and teach those who are critically literate to participate in and use literacy to change dominant power structures to liberate those who are oppressed by them” (2007, pg. 241). As I read this article, it instantly reminded me of the Culturally Relevant Pedagogy initiated by Gloria Landson-Billings. Specifically the criterion ‘critical consciousness’ found within the pedagogy. It concludes that students must develop a broader sociopolitical consciousness that allows them to critique the cultural norms, values, mores and institutions that produce and maintain social inequities. Teachers need to help students understand the relationships between power and domination and in turn, instill the desire within students, to make a difference and create change.
As Morell states, “one of the more difficult skills to teach in literacy education involves helping young people develop the skills of making formal arguments, especially in their writing” (2007, pg. 242). Young people use language and literacy in their everyday activities and are constantly participating in cohesive arguments that relate to things that matter to them. Having said this, it is beneficial for teachers to bring in relevant material to the classroom. Morell and Duncan-Andrade explain how an educators harnessed hip-hop into literacy and how “teaching hip-hop as a music and culture of resistance facilitated the development of critical consciousness in urban youth” (2002, Morell & Duncan-Andrade, pg. 89). By introducing this form of popular culture, it allowed the educators to grasp and sustain student engagement and involvement. Students were investing in the learning because they were interested in the music. These students were able to relate to the music, and in turn, were able to critically think about the lyrics. As great of a scenario this is; the same could happen whilst introducing a variety of different forms of popular culture. The key is to bring in literacies that students associate with outside of the classrooms and bring them into the literacy curricula, for deeper engagement and deeper learning.
When students become deeply engaged in their learning, they are driven to delve deep into research. Through critical literacies, students become critically conscious of the power relationships in society. Hopefully they will be desired to make a difference, create change and share their knowledge with others (possibly through a creative media production).
As Morell states, “one of the more difficult skills to teach in literacy education involves helping young people develop the skills of making formal arguments, especially in their writing” (2007, pg. 242). Young people use language and literacy in their everyday activities and are constantly participating in cohesive arguments that relate to things that matter to them. Having said this, it is beneficial for teachers to bring in relevant material to the classroom. Morell and Duncan-Andrade explain how an educators harnessed hip-hop into literacy and how “teaching hip-hop as a music and culture of resistance facilitated the development of critical consciousness in urban youth” (2002, Morell & Duncan-Andrade, pg. 89). By introducing this form of popular culture, it allowed the educators to grasp and sustain student engagement and involvement. Students were investing in the learning because they were interested in the music. These students were able to relate to the music, and in turn, were able to critically think about the lyrics. As great of a scenario this is; the same could happen whilst introducing a variety of different forms of popular culture. The key is to bring in literacies that students associate with outside of the classrooms and bring them into the literacy curricula, for deeper engagement and deeper learning.
When students become deeply engaged in their learning, they are driven to delve deep into research. Through critical literacies, students become critically conscious of the power relationships in society. Hopefully they will be desired to make a difference, create change and share their knowledge with others (possibly through a creative media production).
“While reading and writing are essential components of any critical literacy curricula, a literacy curriculum geared toward political action for social change needs to involve students as critical researchers and knowledge producers”
(Morell, 2007, pg. 245).
PRODUCTION #3: CRITICAL LENSES
Representation and resistance/ postcolonial theory
Media holds so much power and our lives are influenced based on what we read and watch. Stack and Kelly mention throughout their article that individuals often discuss the news as if it were facts and are led to believe that the news is non-fiction. On the other hand, “pop culture gets singled out either for derision or as something evil that must be guarded” (Stack and Kelly, pg. 15). But, it is crucial we understand that the news and pop culture are both highly socially constructed. The government constructs the news as they are carefully selecting what they would like broadcasted. The government is refusing to include acts of resistance, which falsely leads individuals to believe that these news stories are facts. The government is creating the images and brainwashing society to see things the same way.
In Appleman’s article it is stated that colonist ideology is “the construction of a worldview that inherently privileges the perspectives of those who constructed it” (Pg. 87). This statement resonated with me, as it holds so much power. A lot of what we are taught in our lives comes from a Westernized perspective. Western people construct all the literature that we read in classrooms and the news that we are surrounded by everyday. Having said this, we are well versed in understanding the views of the colonizers, but do we understand the true identity of those who were colonized?
Unfortunately, the colonized were unable of revealing their true identity as it was robbed by European worldview. Reel Injun allows us to witness this happening to the Native Americans. They were unable to find their true identity because the colonizers were portraying these Native Americans in ways in which they wished (creating stereotypes). It is important to teach students that understanding stereotypes does not mean you know one’s true identity. For example, growing up, I had educators doubt my ambitions to attend post-secondary education because of my background. There is a stereotype associated with being Portuguese, as it is believed that Portuguese dropout of school to work. In my situation, this stereotype holds absolutely no truth to my identity. Although my example isn’t as large, it signifies the importance of not assuming one’s identity based on stereotypes.
As educators it is so important that we teach our students about post-colonialism in our classrooms. Students must learn about the post-colonial lens along with other critical lens, to read and understand the world more truly. Failing to understand different perspectives, and continuing to view literature with a Western point of view, students will never understand the true identity of the “other”.
In Appleman’s article it is stated that colonist ideology is “the construction of a worldview that inherently privileges the perspectives of those who constructed it” (Pg. 87). This statement resonated with me, as it holds so much power. A lot of what we are taught in our lives comes from a Westernized perspective. Western people construct all the literature that we read in classrooms and the news that we are surrounded by everyday. Having said this, we are well versed in understanding the views of the colonizers, but do we understand the true identity of those who were colonized?
Unfortunately, the colonized were unable of revealing their true identity as it was robbed by European worldview. Reel Injun allows us to witness this happening to the Native Americans. They were unable to find their true identity because the colonizers were portraying these Native Americans in ways in which they wished (creating stereotypes). It is important to teach students that understanding stereotypes does not mean you know one’s true identity. For example, growing up, I had educators doubt my ambitions to attend post-secondary education because of my background. There is a stereotype associated with being Portuguese, as it is believed that Portuguese dropout of school to work. In my situation, this stereotype holds absolutely no truth to my identity. Although my example isn’t as large, it signifies the importance of not assuming one’s identity based on stereotypes.
As educators it is so important that we teach our students about post-colonialism in our classrooms. Students must learn about the post-colonial lens along with other critical lens, to read and understand the world more truly. Failing to understand different perspectives, and continuing to view literature with a Western point of view, students will never understand the true identity of the “other”.
Alvermann, D. 2011. Popular Culture in Traditional and New Literacies
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After reading Alvermann’s Popular Culture in Traditional and New Literacies, I’ve gathered that “New Literacies” refers to new forms of literacy that are made possible because of digital technology developments. As Alvermann states, New Literacy Studies are “concerned primarily with communication in its widest sense (visual, oral, gestural, linguistic, musical, kinesthetic, and digital), social semiotic theory attempts to explain how people recruit various resources to represent ideas they wish to communicate through a variety of modes across a range of media” (pg. 7). This new idea of literacy differs from the traditional (autonomous) literacy- where literacy is learnt through listening, speaking, reading, writing and critical thinking. Traditional literacy happens within one’s brain and is isolated from the real world. New Literacies will get the learning out of students’ heads and into the world.
Within the text, O’Brien argues, “studies that involve mostly print-based texts used in traditional school reading and writing practices are typically perceived as having greater transfer value (and perhaps greater educational worth) than practices that engage largely non-print texts” (pg. 14). Throughout the text, Alvermann argues against this and I completely agree with her. Students are engaging and find interest in a range of popular cultural forms outside of school. I believe that as educators we must acknowledge these interests and incorporate them into the classroom to develop literacy. Also, whilst society is being constructed overtime, new technologies are constantly being introduced. We must take advantage of these new forms of technology and teach students how to use these new forms of literacy to the best of their ability. Teaching and allowing them to explore these new forms of literacies will allow students to use the technology to research further what they are genuinely, individually interested in. Although I still do believe that traditional literacy is important in the classroom, I believe it can no longer be the only teaching done. As educators we must incorporate new literacies to richen the learning of our students of today’s generation. I look forward to this course, and I believe we will benefit significantly. The Professor does an excellent job at incorporating New Literacies into the classroom, which will enrich our learning. “If the goal is to support students in becoming critical readers and writers, teachers would need to provide class time for discussing the 'new' texts”
(Alvermann, 2011, Pg. 31). |