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The inclusion of digital literacy is a relevant and culturally responsive practice because it encourages students to use their resources, for example their own phones and home/neighborhoods to describe and represent their academic growth.

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Khallid Utley Digital Media and Social Justice

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Khallid Utley Digital Media and Social Justice

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This article really showed the importance of understanding our students and the communities that they come from. The article spoke about how gang violence and poverty was an everyday reality for students in Detroit.  I liked how the article explained how students from Detroit understood the hardships and tribulations of their community but at the same time calling it “a space of beauty” (pg. 59). This is important because even if a student grows up in poverty and violence, they can still see the positive in any situation. This can be a very useful tool to teach our students because it will show them to always continue to progress and to not let societal influences kill their positive mental attitude.

It is our jobs as teachers to always build relationships with every student in the classroom. It is always useful to understand that a lot of our students are dealing with systematic oppression so we can teach them to not let it bring them down. It is my job as a teacher to build independent thinkers who feel safe to let their voices be heard.  The article showed how incorporating digital literacies of student experiences will create an inclusive and cultural relevant classroom. Students can see similarities and common cultures within the classroom which can make them feel safe and respected. Technology in the classrooms can make it easier for students to express themselves and make it easier to inform their teachers on their everyday experiences. Teachers should support their students and influence them to appreciate not only their culture but others as well. Creating a diverse, cultural and inclusive classroom will allow students to be themselves and realize the connections they have with each other.

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Saul Vazquez-Pichardo - Digital Media and Social Justice 

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Saul Vazquez-Pichardo - Digital Media and Social Justice 

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This article left a major impact on me because I could relate to the students from Detroit. Although we come from two very different cities, our communities’ share similar educational practices that often disenfranchise inner city youth.  This disenfranchisement creates a cultural disconnect that doesn’t encourage embracing aspects of culturally rich environments into a student’s education.
The author’s discussion of student’s disengagement is centered on tying student’s realities and the importance of technology/digital media into a curriculum that will better them not only as students, but also as members within their communities. This article focused on how creating a safe space for students to express themselves, take pride within their communities and incorporate technology and digital media in their lesson plans fosters positive outcomes for the students. Many of the students were excited about participating in their projects and came to school each day.  Its extremely powerful to offer students space to express themselves and take control of their education.

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Mary Velasquez-Digital Media and Social Justice

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Mary Velasquez-Digital Media and Social Justice

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This article that I read made me feel great and it also expressed in why I want to become a teacher. The article talks about how students that live in the poverty city of Detroit, Michigan where they are influenced by gang violence and it is a struggle to grow up in that area. But the authors want to push these children to write about their experience growing up and to use technology as well to express their story. By what I mean is that in the article the author mentions about how a student got  behind a green screen and wanted to show a picture of his basketball court that he plays in his community.  What I would get from a picture like that is displayed from the article on bottom of the fourth page was, "What role does education play in the health of a community?"
Inclusion of digital literacies a culturally relevant responsive practice because when other people see pictures of how children come from struggling places they want to show them that no matter where a child comes from they will overcome the obstacles and become successful people in the future. I myself experienced living in an area where it was tough living but you choose to let the negativity influence you or you pick the correct path to your success and become the leader. This shows students that they have the option to do whatever they want in life and there is no excuses. Just as it states in the beginning of the article, "The authors used culturally relevant pedagogical framework, digital media, and an emphasis on collaboration to push their students to consider how they might positively transform themselves and their neighborhoods." I do not have any concerns because this way of teaching and connecting students from where they live and using it as a teaching technique is a great way to engage students to learn about their different types of community and how it influenced their life.

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The article provides information about youth attending urban high schools that serve predominately African American and Latinos/Latina. The school uses twitter to transform literacy learning and literature engagement. By incorporating twitter in the lessons,they are providing conceptualization and delivery of ELA. However they are still covering the classrooms pluralistic,dynamic, hybrid and fluid nature.
Twitter provides literacy that help to organize,facilitate and disseminate digital text. The social media website subscribes,crafts,shares, reads and allows you to exchange text based messages called "tweets", followed by others either synchronously or asynchronously as a form of micro blogging.
Putting twitter in the classroom has evolved the students interest and made what they are learning more productive. They are interacting with each other frequently and expressing agreements and disagreements through twitter. They have a more "Powerful Literature Engagement"(Hunter and Caraway).
As teachers we should find as many ways as possible to keep our students engaged in learning. By introducing certain literacy tools into the classroom can be great for the students and have a positive affect o them and their learning, creation,participation and building on writing skills.
The students at this urban school used twitter to express themselves about the book The Giver. They were able to really go into detail and introduce there thoughts to each other. This showed evidence that by using tools,such as twitter in the classroom, the students become more motivated to do assignments and also incorporate writing skills,communication and language frequently with interest.
By implementing tools inside the classroom for students to put towards a more interesting learning environment, that not only excites them but also builds there learning skills.

Would you use Twitter inside of your  classroom?

What do you think Twitter would bring to your classroom, that will improve the learning and engagement of students during lessons?

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The article Gamification by Tara L. Kingsley and Melissa M. Grabner-Hagan discussed the study of implementing game-based learning into the classroom through the use of new literacies. This article focuses on the idea that students need more than just the traditional “reading, writing, and arithmetic” in order to compete in our global economy of the 21st century (pg. 53). Instead students should be able to use multifaceted ways of learning, which include the use of digitally based formats to enhance “critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity” (pg. 53). The inclusion of digital literacies is a culturally relevant/responsive practice based on the significant role technology plays on our society today. Because technology has become the foundation of communication within our society, it is imperative as educators that we provide culturally relevant resources such as digital literacies for students to be successful. By providing students with resources such as game-based learning it can be useful for students to work at their own pace, while receiving motivation through completing levels and receiving badges. Overall, I found this article to most interesting in regards to how the new literacies collaborated with other aspects of learning. I found it interesting that students were placed into groups and asked to film a tutorial based on a science lesson provided. It was interesting to see how many different aspects of learning were involved within one activity such as group collaboration, uploading, camera skills, and editing. One aspect I would like to speak back to is, when you think game-based learning and digital literacies it is not one or the other, however within game based learning it also incorporates other aspects such as group work.Before I was given an example of how game-based learning was used (uploading screen shots, and or filming students giving a tutorial) I was concerned with the manipulation that could occur within a computer based learning platform. My concern was, will students be able to click different answers until they get it right? Is there a way of tracking a student is he or she is just clicking their way to receive different badges? My question is, do you think that digital literacy is something you will use in your classroom? Why or why not?

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Gary Tepper- Games as Text, Games as Action

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Gary Tepper- Games as Text, Games as Action

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As I was never much of a “Gamer” I had never realized it, nor had I ever put much thought into it, but video games used as educational tools makes perfect sense. Games are not simply a character running from left to right across a screen jumping on the heads or shooting fireballs out of their hands at enemies to defeat them and ultimately reach the finish line. Modern video games take the player to a three-dimensional world where the player is forced to think critically and solve various puzzles, all while navigating a map and trying not to get lost. As a high school student, we were forced to read books which were often near impossible to relate to or enjoy. With video games, students are forced to immerse themselves into, and go on whatever adventure they choose as long as it is within the map of the game. They are literally the main character in the game.

Video games are extremely relevant to modern students as most, if not all, have some form of video game system at home. Most commerce, communication, and entertainment can be accomplished using computers and televisions, so it makes sense that literature use this medium too. Video games are the modern day “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, but with many more choices than the two that are offered in these books (sorry if I’m dating myself).

My concerns with using video games to teach is the potential for reading skills and interpretive skills may diminish. Students’ imaginations may suffer as well, since they are not forced to dream of what picture an author is trying to paint for them. Instead, a picture is being displayed on the screen in front of them. They are not being forced to interpret symbolism, or metaphors, or any other literary device. I fear that this may diminish the ability to interpret a story effectively. While I agree that video games can certainly be used in the classroom, I believe that they are not a substitute for articles or books.

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Laura Tollgaard - Digital Media and Social Justice

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Laura Tollgaard - Digital Media and Social Justice

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The title of the article, “Me and the D,” refers to the name of a curriculum developed by the authors of the article, Danielle Filipiak and Isaac Miller, with the purpose of incorporating a more inclusive concept of literacy that recognizes the social and cultural practices in urban Detroit, in part through the use of media technology.

The teachers facilitated reflection about the relationship between language and power by having the students reflect on the following questions continuously throughout the year:  1) “What is the relationship between language and power, and how does that manifest itself in my life?” 2) What role does education play in the health of a community?” and 3) “How can I used my literacy practices to rewrite my world?” (Pg. 60).

The curriculum contained four units: “Discover,” “Create,” “Resist,” and “Transform.”  Each unit focused on an anchor text, a media project, media skills, and a writing focus, that incorporated the unit theme and the students’ reflections on the three questions originally posed.  (Pg. 60).

The authors reflected on many positive outcomes of the curriculum.  The students’ understanding of the connection between power and literacy evolved throughout the year, and as a result of the curriculum, the students felt invested in the program and empowered by communication. The authors highlighted how after a digital self-portrait project, the students changed how they saw themselves as readers/writers, and also changed how the students perceived each other.  (Pg. 64).  The authors also highlighted that one student, Vincente, was motivated to attend school because he felt invested in the program.  (Pg. 64).

The combination of the use of digital technology and the incorporation of the students’ communities and cultures created a more accessible, practical, and engaging way for students to learn.    However, the in-depth and time consuming digital media projects left me wondering how the teachers had time to incorporate traditional (core curriculum) reading and writing skills, and how they connected the anchor texts to the media projects.

I would be concerned about the disparity in students’ technological knowledge and skills, as well as their understanding of appropriate use of technology.  I would also be concerned that some of the technology may not be readily available to all students.

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Madeehah-Urban Youth Use Twitter to Transform Learning

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Madeehah-Urban Youth Use Twitter to Transform Learning

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The article “Urban Youth Use Twitter to Transform Learning and Engagement” was a very interesting read. The authors, Jevon D. Hunter and Heidie Jean Caraway, who also conducted the case study, illustrate how urban high school students can use Twitter to enhance their English class learning experience. As examples are given about the ninth and tenth grade students’ use of Twitter to analyze Lois Lowry’s The Giver, both Hunter and Caraway provide ample evidences on how, “Twitter could serve as a medium for providing robust literacy learning moments and powerful literature engagement.”

The concept of coupling social media with a book review in an academic setting, is quite fresh and innovative. I thought it was a good idea to incorporate something the students love to do—go on social media all day everyday—with coursework. As Hunter and Caraway point out, not only did participation increase, but overall improvement in writing and vocabulary usage did as well.

While these academic improvements are great, I couldn’t help but wonder if a platform such as Twitter is really benefitting or crippling students in the long run. Social media is a such a powerful tool that emboldens individuals into making choices they never thought they would and saying things they never imagined they could. The shy become extraverted and the outgoing quickly form an eager audience poised to read their next satirical or controversial post.

Giving students the opportunity to use Twitter in a supervised manner for a class is great but can easily become another reason for youth to stay on social media and miss out on valuable face to face interactions and discussions instead. In such a heavily technological time we are living in, I feel that this powerful tool should be used sparingly with youth in an academic setting so that we don’t reinforce a culture utterly obsessed with social media that in many ways has fostered a detrimental lack of social interactions.

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Melanie Sklaire - "Me and the D: (Re)Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future"

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Melanie Sklaire - "Me and the D: (Re)Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future"

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The article begins by outlining an assignment given to students in Detroit, Michigan, asking students to describe their homeland. Naomi, an eleventh grader, responds to the prompt by describing Detroit as a place of both brokenness and beauty. I enjoyed reading how educators at the Detroit Future Schools re-imagined their original assignment, allowing students to connect their learning with reflections on the relationship between their community and their classroom. It is important to me as an educator that students be able to connect with their learning, and I envision my classroom as a place where students both affirm their own identities and empower others. The article states that “power is not only exercised in the way that language is interpreted, but also how it is expressed. In most of their schooling experiences thus far students have related to language as something to be received and regurgitated.” I could not agree more that it is important to give students a sense of power in their learning, and that students believe they “own” their learning, creating “spaces where students [can] ‘speak and be heard’ on their own terms.” Additionally, when considering ways to motivate my own students, I identified with the conclusion of the article that “what motivated…most was not a system of punishment and reward, but a learning community that he felt invested in and affirmed by,” as there is nothing more important to me than the great task of creating a sense of pride, empowerment, and positivity in my students. I would love to hear how all of us envision creating this sort of environment in our classrooms.

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I was really inspired by this article. I’m excited and can’t wait to use such creative tools such as what was done in the classroom experience described in this article. It is similar to the articles we discussed in class about being a culturally responsive teacher. It really proves that creativity is an essential component to being a successful teacher. Social media runs our lives, especially the lives of high school students so to use something that already engages students on a daily basis and turn it into a tool to be used in the classroom was a brilliant yet simple idea. This article describes a classroom experience where students in an urban High School use Twitter to share thoughts and open discussions about the book “The Giver”. In teaching we would normally try to engage students by presenting them with a variety of literature to choose from, but that option is not always available. That's when the creativity comes in and you must think of new ways such as this one to help keep students engaged. Students were able to post anonymously, which I thought was a great idea. It helped students who are normally shy or reserved interact with students more than they'd ever do in the classroom. Also, since it was anonymous, students weren't able bais about who they spoke to. It allowed students to interact with students outside their normal circle of friends. I wish something like this was used when I was in school, maybe then I would have grown a love towards reading.

My only concern and question for my fellow peers would be would be how often do you think this would actually work? Do you think it would be more of a distraction?

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I found this article very interesting. This article perfectly aligned with what we discussed in class regarding culturally responsive literacy programs in schools. This article talks about using Twitter to discuss the reflect on the book "The Giver" in a high school english classroom. The students had the ability to anonymously post on twitter their thoughts about the book in a way they could better understand and relate to. This gave students ownership over the book in a way they have not done before. I found it very interesting that the students felt so much more engaged using this mode of communication. I loved that as a result of this new instruction, students were more excited to come to class and engage in discussions. Using social media is obviously a great way to connect learning to the modern world. Using a platform that the students are familiar and comfortable with will not only make their experience more exciting and engaging, but will create a dynamic teaching experience for the teacher as well! The article talks about how the students that were engaged using twitter for this activity ended up doing better on the state tests. Studies like this often make me think. I wonder if this is accurate because it seems to me that the students who are engaged in ANY activity would ultimately do better on the state tests. Whether it is an activity about social media or something else, I believe that the students who are engaged are the ones who care the most and then will ultimately do better on the exams. I look forward to hearing what others feel about this point.

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Berta V./Fresh Perspectives on New Literacies

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Berta V./Fresh Perspectives on New Literacies

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This article focuses on how technology can be effectively infused and integrated into our classroom curriculum. Technology can be very tricky when you present it to a classroom of students where all they know is facebook and instagram. Teachers have to 1) have students be actively engaged 2) form groups 3) lots of interaction and feedback to and from your students 4) connect with real experts. What this means is that teachers have to be highly responsive and engaged with their students. The article suggests few key points that would enable a positive classroom experience. For example; technology and the content you are teaching must be RELATED! watching out for plagiarism,  using gaming technology teach different skills that can promote achievement in literacy. Also, teachers can build on a student's technology funds of knowledge. Teachers can GUIDE students into critical thinking focusing on the impact these technologies have on their education.
MOST INTERESTING-  I must have been living in a cave these past few years, to learn how technology has changed our classrooms is amazing. Some schools don't have the budget to fund field trips, now we can bring the outside world into the comfort of your own classroom with virtual school field trips!
Many students already have that multidisciplinary expertise in place and that they can share in the classroom. Students can share their own experiences by writing a technology autobiography !
In the end,  as teachers our goal is to create a haven of learning for our students, I think technology is able to extend many of their literacy skills to develop an even greater knowledge base.
#lovetechnologyinourclassrooms

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The article, Gamification-Questing to integrate content knowledge, literacy and 21st Century Learning was an overall exciting read! As a future teachers we want to be able to provide our students the most valuable 21st Century skills to set them up for success in the real world. The concept of gamification allows teachers to use virtual worlds and gaming as a tool to transform curricula. Through gaming platforms, a teacher can take a unit and use each lesson as a quest in a game. A key feature of the game described in the article included; student motivation to learn by being rewarded with points or badges when completing tasks that reinforce academic content. Consequences included request for more time to complete a challenge, an alternative assignment or repeating the content they just learned. The article showed that students enjoyed self-regulated learning and the ability to choose their lesson rather than following a teacher's schedule.

I found this article interesting because in my previous job I was managing a program that provided robotics and coding classes to students. The schools we served were identified by the DOE as having little or no STEAM activities. Our curriculum taught students how to code by making their own video games and robots. We often worked with classroom teachers to reinforce Common Core math, ELA and science standards. The article discusses how gamification allows students to think critically, collaborate, communication and be creative. I was able to witness first-hand how empowered students were when they created something of their own, and used their math or science skills! A student once said to me “I feel so smart when I do this!!” because the X and Y axis finally clicked for her when making a video game. The article featured a game designed by a teacher however, I think there are multiple approaches we can use with the students in order to gamifiy curricula.

The inclusion of gamification as a culturally responsive practice is an engaging way to learn more about your students and strengthen their skills in a way that is relative to their lives. They are using social media, apps, and gaming outside of school. This is an approach that can allow students to show us their expertise. An obvious setback of gamification is the hardware itself. Most of the educational gaming software is open source, free!!! However, having the technology such as iPad or computers per students is not something all students have access to. The school and teacher would have to be able to provide students with the technology they need during the school day.

A concern I have personally encountered, especially working with high school students, is the gender stereotype that gaming is for boys. I do think the times are changing but often it is the adults, such as parents and even teachers, who prescribe this to be “geared towards boys”. When female students hear that from the adults in their lives they are reluctant to participate. Making sure we promote this opportunity for all of our students is critical.

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Shante Spruill/ "Urban Youth Use of Twitter to Transform Learning and Engagement"

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Letitia Smith "Urban Youth Use Twitter to Engage."

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Letitia Smith "Urban Youth Use Twitter to Engage."

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I absolutely loved this article! I tried to read the others they did not grab my attention at all! I believe this one did because it reminded me about what we discussed in class when we did the Jigsaw activity. Being culturally competent is exhibited in this article. To find something such as social media, Twitter in this case to get students to read a book they normally wold not be interested in reading is a prime example of what we spoke about yesterday. Also, to add college level students to the assignment and have them communicating back and forth, really helped boost those kids self-esteem. Imagine being in high school and being on a social media platform discussing a novel back and forht with college students, that would have made me feel like a genius! This idea not only helped the students get into the book, but it also made them excited to learn, it got them engaged and they were informed. This is what educating kids is all about! My question is would you use this type of learning in your class? And why?

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Antonio-Digital Media and Social Justice

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Antonio-Digital Media and Social Justice

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The Article "Me and the D:" was about a curriculum that was designed to motivate students to transform their sense of self and community through language and technology. This initiative was formed because of an ineffective (traditional) teaching style that did not prepare them for real life experiences after high school. What I found useful was how the curriculum showed the relationship between media and language and allowed them to use whatever medium they desired to affirm their message since it would be directly related to their community.
There were many things I found interesting about this article. The first interesting thing was the reflective questions that allowed the students to speak to what mattered most in their lives. Another interesting event was the dialogue between Ms. Filipiak and her students and how one the students thoughts regarding power and language evolved over night and how she was able to recognize the significance between having a voice and being heard. The other interesting event was the media exchange project with students from Jeonju, South Korea. These events would not ideally take place in urban schools that were ran from a traditional classroom standpoint.
Inclusive digital literacy is a culturally relevant practice because it allows students to create their own media and connect it with their community. This places students in urban communities on the same level academically as their counterparts while bridging the gap between illiteracy and poverty in their own community. What I would speak back to the traditional classroom where students main goal was to listen and expected not to speak. The DFS (Detroit Future Schools)teacher-artist pair was the best initiative for this
community full of forward thinking that allowed students the brain space to work in a pedagogy that considered their specific community and how it impacted their education.
What concerns me the most was how the schools do not prepare students in certain communities for real world experiences and societal demands. They fail to evolve and simply create a classroom experience that combines what they what's important to the and  what they need to know.

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Dangelly S. - Me and the D: (Re)Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future

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Dangelly S. - Me and the D: (Re)Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future

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Me and the D: (Re)Imagining Literacy and Detroit’s Future

This article refers to the opportunities that students in Detroit can utilize to help further their learning in literacy. Using their real life experiences and tools they are afforded the chance to work with content that is meaningful to them. Students used their homes and communities as ways to learn how power and language culminate in their opinion.

In the article, two students (Felipe & Sandra) agree that the relationship between power and language is very important. They say one cannot be used without the other but that they should be used together in order to convey a meaningful message.  Another student, Gloria stated in her piece, "In the sky there is power that people can't control, but as human beings we can communicate through language, and there is power in that."  Essentially, she means that while are there are many things in this present world be cannot manipulate, there are many things we can control, such as the use of communication to convey meaningful messages that will transpire to our people and communities.

There are two sides to every story. Students express that Detroit is broken but also a space of beauty. Although seen as a city with many conflicts, Detroit is also views as a place that is filled with opportunity and motivates to work harder for a better life.

I think is was interesting to give students the opportunity to reflect on where they are from allows them to grow academically if you link projects the way they are mentioned in the article. It empowers them to make decisions that ultimately affect their future. They can see how they grow, then the sky is the limit from there on out. They just keep striving for greatness.

The inclusion of digital literacy is a relevant and culturally responsive practice because it encourages students to use their resources, for example their own phones and home/neighborhoods to describe and represent their academic growth.

One concern I have is that while students are learning and showing a lot of personal growth during these projects, are they really learning what they need to make to the next level academically?

A question i would pose for my peers is: Do you think taking on a task like this can help you foster learning in literacy? If so, give a short example...

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"Me and the D: (Re) Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future

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"Me and the D: (Re) Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future

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-Filipiak and Miller establishes an issue that is relatable to many broken communities throughout the U.S which lack the educational resources to adequately educate and promote the literacy of young people of color: racial disparities. Though racial and educational disparities have been recognized for some time, there has been little done to repair the failed educational systems that exist in communities like the one described in the text. The authors identify that because "young people of color.. rarely encounter practices and pedagogy inside classrooms that draw on and sustain the competence of their communities," (page 59) they've collective identified a curriculum which does just so.
- The most interesting portion of the text, to me, had been the very first line which states "Detroit can be seen both as broken and a space of beauty; a place of community and history even as it is one of poverty and violence" (page 59). This line reminds me of how it was growing up in 'Bed-Stuy,' Brooklyn. Many people who only knew my community for housing the crack epidemic and for it's extensive crime rates would not understand the sense of safety and homeliness I felt traveling through my community. It was apparent my teachers would not understand the connection I had to its brokenness and the sense of betrayal I feel now that my community no longer offers me this sense of comfort as it is being gentrified.
- The curriculum that is proposed is essential in that it takes a step into the comfort zone of people like myself and Naomi (the person described in the text) and understand the disparities I face everyday because of where I'm from and the complexion of my skin and decides that i deserve a fair shot toward an equitable education anyways.

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Urban Youth Use Twitter To Transform Learning and Engagement was about high school students talking within a digital literature circle about Lois Lowry’s, The Giver with masters level literacy specialists and the benefits that resulted. The students found a bridge between the literary work and the students text language vernacular to communicate which I found the most interesting. It reminded me of a “book club” but taken to the next level in the world of Twitter. Essentially the format met the students where they were and showed them literature is accessible. I found the student’s use of monikers instead of actual names to be a unique tool to keep their ideas both anonymous and unfiltered. The interactions between the high schoolers and the graduate students proved to be an effective strategy to get the youngsters engaged in the reading while simultaneously boosting their confidence in their thoughts and ideas. The high schoolers felt as though they were being taken seriously although their levels of vocabulary may be different. They didn’t feel inferior or devalued because of their choice of text language vernacular when articulating their thoughts. Overall it was a great use of technology to give students access to learning.

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Jessica/"Me and the D: (Re) Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future"

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Jessica/"Me and the D: (Re) Imagining Literacy and Detroit's Future"

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"Urban Youth Use Twitter..." was about a class that used Twitter throughout their exploration of Lois Lowry's The Giver. The use of twitter helped to engage the students and give them an anonymous platform to discuss and form new ideas that many of them were to shy to do in their public classroom. Twitter helped the students summarize and condense their ideas into short narrations since only 140 characters are allowed per tweet. Students were also allowed to use modern texting language such as "ne1" (anyone), "w/o" (without), "cuz" (because), etc. The use of twitter encouraged the students to dive deep into a book that normally would not have pulled them in, and therefore I think it was a useful tool. It is important to stay on top of technology and modernized ways of doing things because thats what the students are in to. This generation of students has their own technological culture and I believe it is helpful to pull that into the curriculum.