Teacher of the Year and Media Literacy

“[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”- Jim Henson

In the above design, I constructed a magazine cover to portray myself as teacher of the year.  In order to do so, I presented myself as a bright, young educator who uses several interesting means of teaching to spark student interest.  To start, I chose a picture of myself coaching my brother's travel baseball team as I felt that coaching is very similar to teaching in terms of providing instruction.  I then proceeded to use teasers of activities that I will use in my class in order to spark interest.  From civil war field trips, political debates, mock elections, and using cell phones or clickers in order to take surveys in class, I am attempting to use modern technology and use it in a form that students will enjoy.

My subtext allows the reader to infer that I am Teacher of the Year material.  In addition to my use of technology in the classroom, I also chose the picture of my brother and I holding a tournament championship trophy so that the reader can understand that I have been a successful coach.  This would allow the reader to draw the conclusion that since I am a successful coach, I will be a successful teacher. 

The tools of persuasion that I use in the magazine cover are association and symbol.  I use the championship trophy to symbolize the success that I have had in instructing baseball players over the past few years.  Then, I use the persuasion tool of association by making the link between success in coaching and success in the classroom.  Overall, my use of persuasion was not over the top and dramatic, but rather based upon my previous experiences.

Media literacy is important for 21st century learning as it allows students to understand what they are reading and what bias or slant the material contains.  It also allows students to understand how to use search engines and other technology to the fullest extent, and to do so without getting deceived in the process.  As Jane L. David states, "By integrating elements of digital media literacy into their instruction, teachers can influence how well students critically assess content, both online and offline" (David, 2009).  Learning the core elements of digital media literacy even promotes traditional media literacy as the similarities are vast and the reader typically knows even more about a text than online articles.  This is definitely a tool you should consider using in your class!

Reference List

David, J. L. (2009). What research says about … / teaching media literacy. Educational Leadership,66(6), 84-86. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx

Magazine Cover Deconstruction

Characteristics Based Solely On Look of Cover #1
*muscular
*strong
*smug
*intimidating
*massive
*tough

This magazine cover of Arnold makes me feel that he is a pretty intimidating guy.  He is shown flexing his biceps and it appears that there is an explosion behind him.  I also find him to be a cool, calm, and collected individual based on the setting of the explosion.




Characteristics Based Solely on Look of Cover #2
*well-dressed
*confident
*personable
*outgoing
*friendly

This second magazine cover depicts Arnold as a personable and friendly person.  It also appears that he is a powerful, wealthy person based on his appearance and dress.

Deconstruction of Cover #2

The cover from Esquire Magazine is attempting to depict Arnold as very personable guy who society would definitely want as a governor of their state.  The conveyed message would be an idea of both Esquire Magazine and the Republican Party.  The magazine would be interested in using Arnold for the cover as it could spark revenue and sales as the actor/politician was a hot topic at the time.  The Republican Party would definitely be interested in the magazine cover as it is positive press for their candidate.

The target audience for this cover is primarily voting males, typically businessmen or more wealthy individuals.  The text of this cover suggests this as the target audience as Arnold was running for Governor of California at the time, and his appearance and facial expressions attempt to relate with the wealthy business class, but also show himself as personable at the same time.  The other text that relates to Arnold is the caption "The Next Governor of California, Really" to entice the audience into believing that Arnold's campaign is not a joke, but a full fledged campaign with a serious possibility of being elected.

The subtext of this cover only represents positive messages from Arnold's life in order to improve his candidacy.  The cover represents a "strictly business" approach for Arnold to deter the audience away from thinking that he is purely a "meathead".  It suggests that Arnold is more than an actor and that he could govern the people of California in a highly effective manner.  I think the subtext also suggests that Arnold is a very family oriented man by having him point with his right hand in order to show his wedding band.  Such a symbol is huge as Americans typically want a family oriented person in office, not a playboy or movie star.

This message serves to empower the people of California to vote for Arnold.  It may not lift up their spirits in any major way, but it serves to establish public confidence in Arnold as a politician.  And as we all know, the public opinion is just about the only thing that matters when it comes down to election time.

The magazine cover uses a few tools of persuasion to try and woo the audience over.  The first major example is the wedding ring that is shown on Arnold's hand in the image.  Stories had surfaced about Arnold being a player amongst the ladies, yet the small band on his finger gives the viewing audience a symbol of marriage.  It shows that Arnold has committed to a woman just as he would commit to the state if elected, or at least that's what the magazine wants us to believe.  The hopes of the magazine editors is that the readers associate the wedding band with Arnold being a strong family man.  Another example of persuasion is the business casual dress.  I don't know about you but when I think about Arnold, I'm thinking about the sleeveless, extra buff Terminator.  In this case, the magazine exemplifies him as a classy individual, one that looks like he could run the affairs of an entire state on a day to day basis.

Overall, the magazine does a good job of painting a quality image of Arnold yet it leaves out several portions of his story.  The magazine cover does not hint to or tell about Arnold's steroid use, or allegations of sexual misconduct, or about about his divorce.  In order to get the full story, you would have to do an internet search or follow newspaper articles on such events and then decide for yourself.

MI Theory and Technology

Jane Carlson-Pickering's article "Teachers in Technology Initiative" provides a very interesting take on how dynamic 21st century learning has become and how Multiple Intelligences can be used to enhance this learning.  One of the main points of the article is that students will learn content better if they are emotionally attached to the subject.  "Our emotions open and close the doors to our ability to learn new information and perform specific tasks" (Carlson-Pickering, 1999).  Students will be less engaged in activities that they don't care about, or have little talent in.  Therefore, MI theory can support student learning by providing instruction in multiple manners that students actually care about.  The article suggests, "...If you are exposed to new ideas that are presented to you through a minimum of three different intelligences, you will have a better chance of remembering the information" (Carlson-Pickering, 1999).  

Personally, I know that MI theory has helped me in my previous schooling.  My strongest MI is kinesthetic (or bodily awareness) and my weakest subject by far is science.  Through lab exercises in different science courses, I have had the opportunity to take a hands on learning approach that allows me to understand in a much deeper way than just being told.

Overall, MI is extremely important in 21st century teaching and learning because it allows teachers to connect learning material to their students through a manner the students actually care about and are interested in learning.

Above is a Picasso Head to represent my strongest MI which is intrapersonal awareness.  I used two different heads to show how I listen to myself and my feelings in order to make daily decisions.  I also chose to make my ears larger and red to stress the importance of listening to myself and also that I am very aware of my surroundings through my secondary kinesthetic (or bodily awareness) strength.


I believe that in addition to multiple intelligence, learning styles do exist.  "...when you analyze an individual, then the learning style often distinguishes itself as a key component of being able to learn or not" ("Learning styles & preferences," 2000)   Learning styles are not all-powerful deciders of whether a student learns or not, but learning styles do help students get a better grasp of concepts.  Basically it boils down to the fact that some learners prefer a certain type of content and means of learning than others.

I think the concept of learning styles is useful for classroom teachers as it can help identify why some students are struggling.  It can also help to determine how a teacher may use another means to help the student learn the material.

Reference List

Carlson-Pickering, J. (1999). Teachers in technology initiative. Retrieved from http://www.21learn.org/archive/teachers-in-technology-initiative/

Learning styles & preferences. (2000, May 29). Retrieved from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html

Reading and Writing Differently

The perspective in "Reading and Writing Differently" differs from the main stream media view that digital technology has negative impacts on children by providing and discussing numerous ways that digital technology can benefit today's children in a way that prior generations hadn't even dreamed of.  The reading attests that the dynamics of reading and writing are changing and the teaching of reading and writing must be adjusted to accommodate these changes and utilize the most effective approaches.

The National Council of Teachers of English states, "Visual culture and the proliferation of multimedia texts have changed literacy practices both inside and outside the classroom"   (National Council of Teachers of English, 2008).   According to the article, these changes come in textual, relational, spatial, and temporal forms.  All 4 of these forms deal with the best ways to use new technologies in teaching.  Textual approaches use new media to help mold student literacy, relational approaches focus on literacy-focused interactions, spatial contexts focus on where and when literacy is best and worst promoted, and temporal forms focus primarily on the composition time of writers.

The culmination of these 4 contexts and the use of digital technology helps to result in multi-literacy.  Multi-literacy or multimodal literacy uses a variety of interactions to communicate with the learner and, "...involves learning how to negotiate the interaction of different meaning-making systems"  (National Council of Teachers of English, 2008).  This combination of interactions allows for the most well-rounded student learning experience and places the student in the best position to interact with the actual world they will enter into after completion of their education.

Digital technologies can support reading and writing in the context of school throughout many ways.  The first way is through online forums that allow students to post their thoughts and provide their opinions on the thoughts of others.  "Online forums engage students in social interactions and letter-writing," which can improve the student's voice and provide them with outside insight and conversation not possible anywhere else.  (National Council of Teachers of English, 2008)  This interaction with others may also allow students to share readings of interests which may foster improvement of reading skills through repetition.  To continue, "Both social interaction and reflective conversation with others is increased by the use of digital technologies,"  (National Council of Teachers of English, 2008)  These types of interactions can be promoted by using Skype to chat with experts of a particular area or using Twitter as a means to accumulate student opinions on a certain subject area.  Using Twitter in this manner will help improve a student's writing skills as even though the process may be informal, the text of the student will be available to the world; causing the student to want to put his or her best foot forward.

Overall, the best student learning experience can be attained through a multimodal approach that uses a variety of interactions to open as many pathways as possible to help students learn.  Try it out in your classroom and see how it works! 

Creating a digital comic strip and placing it in a blog supports the research recommendation of the above article "Reading and Writing Differently" as it allows for a multiple media approach.  The comic strip could attract a new audience as it encompasses writing, images, and humor along with a joke about texting in today's society.  As mentioned in the article, "The variety of media used by writers creates synergy among different forms of communication, and it increases interactivity and non-linearity for both writers and readers" (National Council of Teachers of English, 2008).  Simply put, you are more likely to get a positive response from your students if you use tools which interest them among your teaching methods.

Reference List

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). Reading and writing differently. National Council of Teachers of English Journal, Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0182-nov08/CC0182Reading.pdf

Poll Everywhere

Click here to respond to the poll online!

Poll Everywhere can be a highly effective tool for teachers of any sort.  The application allows teachers to create polls and students to use cell phones, tablets or computers to respond to these polls.  This application is compatible for use during class and outside of class.  Poll Everywhere benefits student learning as it requires students to pay more attention, but it gives the students a reason to want to give this attention.  The polls also allow for students to freely express their opinions as the results are anonymous.  Now you can say goodbye to the old fashion style of waiting your turn and raising your hand to respond!

The above Wordle represents some of your top responses!

This second Wordle was made with the text of the Richmond Times Dispatch article, "Education: Teachers are key to making technology work,"  which discusses the divide between teachers who use technology to promote student learning and those who don't.  The larger words are the words that appear more often in the article and hold a larger significance within the article's context.

Are Digital Media Changing Language

The main argument of "Are Digital Media Changing Language" is that society shouldn't worry about digital media turning younger generations into any worse of spellers, but we should be concerned with the changes in students' attitudes toward our language itself.  We need to understand these technologies in order to evaluate whether these changes are natural and warranted or if something needs to be done to prevent these changes.

I agree with the notion of this article.  I can personally vouch for myself that I use a different format of the English language when texting friends and family, yet I know when to turn the style off in order to write academic papers; which I have had significant success with.  On the other end of the spectrum, I know quite a few adults who either do not text or text on a limited basis, yet they struggle to spell rather simple words and to grasp some English language concepts.  To put it simply, "Young people can compartmentalize their language.  They have language that they use on the playground and then school language. They know how to speak in classrooms without sounding like goofballs" (Shapiro, 2009).   


I chose the next two images as symbols that signify the process of adapting to technology within the context of our language.  I selected the first image to show how technology is changing education.  The SMART Board is an example of 21st century teaching and shows how technology can now be used in the classroom.  Just as this technology represents change, slight changes in our language don't necessarily have to be negative.

Educational Technology by Alvin Trusty

My second selection serves as a symbol for young people using technology to further their learning.  Just because technology is placed into the hands of kids at an early age doesn't mean that it's a bad thing.  Technology changes, just as shifts in language, can be beneficial when we understand why these changes are occurring and the impact that they may have.

Texting by Glenn Michael Tan

References

Baron, N. S. (2009). Are digital media changing language?. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 42-46. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language¢.aspx

Shapiro, M. (2009, October 20). Omg! texting and im-ing doesn't affect spelling!. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-10-20/news/36923178_1_instant-messages-spellers-new-language

Tan, G. M. (Photographer). (2006, July 14). Texting [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmtan/189481767/

Trusty, A. (Photographer). (2011, October 19). Educational Technology [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/26668694@N05/6261752720/in/photolist-axk7VN-aMNKWH-8ET9gK-c6UMgE-dRHvic-drBsTS-8CzWiT-dPRYxG-9saFqZ-9saFdH-9saFb4-9sdE21-9bgyNB-c6ULDj-9zDPB4-9zGPXQ-9zGPCb-9zGQds-891BV5-88XmYc-891AKh-88Xn4T-88XmAD

The Joy of Blogging

Blogging is an essential tool that promotes learning and instruction in schools.  Bringing blogs into classrooms supports 21st century learning by using a form of social media and technology and adapting it to provide for the educational needs of students. Teachers should use blogging as an instructional tool because:

-Students can connect with an audience that wouldn't be possible without blogging.

"I heard from someone in New Zealand," is not a likely statement from a traditional classroom as students don't generally have access to peers and teachers from around the world.(Davis & McGrail, 2009, np).    However, using blogs in the classroom makes this a possibility.  By blogging their thoughts and opinions, students can get a feel for how opinions from teachers and students around the world compare and contrast with their own.

-Student interest and self-directed learning is promoted 

Blogging allows students to receive feedback on their posts and then explore these comments.  Some students use the comments to fix spelling errors, some engage in lengthy discussion, and some take to the internet for further study.  "Not everyone was doing the same thing, but all were on a path to explore, experiment, and test their own understandings" (Davis & McGrail, 2009, np). 

-Students can develop their own unique voice

Blogs offer students an outlet to develop and use their own voice.  Students are able to express their thoughts and opinions in a much more efficient manner than in a typical essay. And as students developed this voice, " they began to move from peripheral to full participation," by controlling their blogging experience as they desire feedback on their own opinions and offer feedback to the opinions of others (Davis & McGrail, 2009, np). 

The following image serves to summarize the idea of using student blogging as an instructional tool.  The image shows a teacher explaining a portion of a blog to a student.  While student blogs are helpful for the previous reasons, they also help as a teacher can roam around the classroom and provide individual instruction as necessary to help each student to the best of his/her ability.

Student Blog Training by Project Exploration

Are you interested in have your students create their own blogs in your class?  If so, check out Kidblog.  This site gives you a place to set up your student blogs and control the access to them in order to promote safe and quality blogging.    

Reference List

Davis, A. P., & McGrail, E. (2009). The joy of blogging.Educational Leadership, 66(6), 74-77. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/The-Joy-of-Blogging.aspx

Project Exploration. (Photographer). (2011, June 27). Student Blog Training  [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/projectexploration/5926200875/