Just do it. Everyone has heard this saying coined by athletic gear juggernaut NIKE. However, have you ever really thought about Nike in your classroom? (I mean besides your students’ shoes that is.) Well, if you haven’t, check out this video that was Continue reading
I have a little less than a week left until the start of spring semester and I’ve found myself wondering where break went in the first place. And, in some weird way, I have felt sort of bitter/frustrated/etc. about what’s to come. I think all of this started when I missed one of the Ph.D. deadlines that I had hoped to apply to (well, I didn’t really miss it, I just couldn’t decided if my doctoral goals were best aligned with this program). And then trying to search around for teaching jobs. Not to mention looking forward to student teaching, yet still apprehensive because of the restrictive feeling I had from the fall’s field experience. Oh, and I’ll throw in researching/writing for my thesis capstone…the researching has gone great while the writing, well, let’s just say there is a thing called writer’s block.
Anyway, I was organizing my email (Wow, yes, I know. I told you I am compulsive with my organization!) and found a note warning me of my perfectionist ways. (This is perhaps, an extension of my pet peeve conversation…) See, I was told that the (teaching) profession devours perfectionists (referring to people like me) and that some teachers hold themselves to such high standards that they can not do it (it refers to teaching). Now, Continue reading
I’ve been thinking a lot about my “goals” as a teacher in the classroom. Then, came across this which really makes me think even more. Especially in regards to new literacies and what exactly they mean.
I’m a firm believer in the fact that we should not replace traditional styles of learning, of reading, of writing…however, I do feel that it is necessary to implement new pedagocial strategies to best incorporate those traditional styles with the reality of the evolving world we live in. This is where new literacies come in, I believe.
Look at the definition of “literacy.” Notice the following key point: “the ability to use language, to read, write, listen, and speak” (as defined by NCTE). This point is not going to change, but the way in which we do each of these will, rather is changing.
We are not just creating the next generation of students to pass state mandated tests. We are truly creating the next generation of critical workers — better yet, critical thinkers.
Catching up on some more reading around the web and I ran across this article talking about online safety with students and the promising ideas and strategies on how-to include web-based knowledge into a curriculum for all…and not just a unit plan on “technology.”
On a side note, Will Richardson, the guest blogger mentioned in the post, has a great book out that I read this past semester. A great read for anyone interested in helping students become “googled well!”
Ran across this posting as I was catching up on some reading and I think the points made here are very valid. We must create a learning environment in which none of us can visualize. But how? With technology changing almost as quickly as we blink our eyes, suddenly teaching becomes a huge challenge if we take into consideration the quote highlighted:
“We could forget about the 70 percent of American Eighth graders who do not now and never will read at an eighth-grade level, meaning that they will never qualify to hold one of those jobs we no longer have.”
Essentially, we are preparing the next generation of critical “thinkers/workers” in our classrooms. These students enter our rooms not knowing the how’s and why’s — not seeing the connections from within the classroom walls to their out-of-school experiences. Yet the very point here that frustrates and worries so many educators is the one that makes me WANT to teach, ha! Preparing students for the future, delving into multiliteracies, using multimodal pedagogical strategies…and learning…both by my students and myself…these elements are what encourages me!
Speaking of new literacies and technologies, check out this article on cell-phone novels.
English Teacher, too. 