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Take a listen as I reflect on this week's key concepts of DIY projects and affinity spaces.

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Should schools allow cell phone use during lunch only?

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Should schools allow cell phone use during lunch only?

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This ongoing debate has led many principals into revising the student handbook. Although some parents find it absurd that this would even be considered, others raise the argument that if there is such a push for technology, why not allow 30 minutes of screen time while eating lunch?

After reading the article, Schools and cellphones: In elementary school? At lunch?, I began to question whether this time would allow students to reconnect with their affinity spaces? Although they are among their peers, did they feel a sense of comfort knowing they could log on to Words With Friends and play a round with someone in Germany? Or log in to their YouTube account to get lost in the music that is shared by others? If this screen time is still being monitored by schools, why not allow students to escape the "physical world" to spend time in their virtual reality? Some might think that I am putting less emphasis on face-to-face communication, however, that is not true. Today's world is not solely about interacting with those who are in front of you; rather you need many "profiles" to be successful. I don't believe 30 minutes a day would take away from ones social skills. It actually may benefit them as they are able to take breather from the demands of school and interact with other communities or peer support. As Mimi Ito (2011) explains, students are translating what they are learning from this informal sector and using it in their educational journey (The Positive Potential of Peer Pressure and Messing Around Online). And so here is that idea of new literacy again... why not remix policies to meet with the trends?

What are your thoughts?

St. George, D. (2017, November 13). Schools and cellphones: In elementary schools? At lunch? The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/schools-and-cellphones-in-elementary-schools-at-lunch/2017/11/13/1061064a-ba81-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?utm_term=.a67fbd18b79f

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Schools and cellphones: In elementary schools? At lunch? - The Washington Post

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Who says responses to literature have to be done with paper and pencil or marker and poster board? Why not challenge readers and writers to connect to literature through multiples modes?

The article, Love that Book by Bridget Dalton and Dana Grisham explores the benefits of multimodal responses and their ability to engage students in critical thinking and motivate students to cultivate a love for learning.

Key Ideas from this article:

If the Common Core (or New Jersey Student Learning Standards) are pushing for 21st century learners, ones who can proficiently engage with text, technology and media while strategically reading, composing and learning, why are we as teachers not doing all we can to promote this?

There is a large push for students to make connections between literary and informational texts using multimodal expression, especially for those who teach literacy.

There has been research that's shown the integration of technology with literacy increases student engagement, allowing for deeper discussions around a text.

There is evidence that also proves that multimodal responses support struggling readers.

Teachers must still scaffold and personalize their teaching in order to meet the needs of their students. Technology is not going to make any difference without this.

This article also shares multiple ways to incorporate multimodal responses into the classroom. I have highlighted the key information from each activity. Which one do you think you could try to use in your classroom?

I personally was drawn to the video book trailers, as this is also the idea I am exploring for my DIY project. In my district, students in grades 3-5 read to those in the primary grades (K-2). The Reading Buddies program promotes a love for literacy, yet lacks a digital component. With video book trailers, students would not only be able to reflect on their favorite read aloud, they would also be able to collaborate with others and participate in what we like to call "new literacies."

Dalton, B., & Grisham, D. (2013). Love That Book: Multimodal Response to Literature. The Reading Teacher, 67(3), 220-225.

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"Highly generative environments, from which new aesthetic experiments and innovations emerge" (Lankshear & Knobel, pg. 15)

In other words...
a virtual place where groups of people are drawn together because of a shared, strong interest or engagement in a common activity (Gee)

Examples:

a classroom

a sports field

Call of Duty

Etsy

Tumblr

These spaces share common features - what the content is, who is creating the content, and how the content is used to connect with others (Gee)

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So how do DIY Media projects boost our 21st century classrooms?

1. They create opportunities for people to have their own voice and share their own ideas.

2. They create new affinity spaces for people.

3. They develop the technological skills needed to be successful in today's world.

4. They develop critical skills, such as analysis and interpretation of print and images.

5. They create more opportunities for interaction, both with strong and weak groups.

6. They allow students to become active participants in culture, politics, and society. (Lankshear & Knobel, pg. 68)

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Check out this article on famous movies that were created using Stop Motion Animation.

Before you click on the link, leave a comment with a movie title that you believe was created using this technique. Here's a hint to one: Jack is the lead character, and I'm not talking about Titanic.

https://www.hypable.com/best-stop-motion-animation-movies/

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What better way to express yourself than through a DIY project?
When we hear this term "DIY", we tend to think Pinterest, Etsy, and crafts that we create from our originality or "borrowing" someone else's creative idea. However, DIY Media projects are not exactly constructing a cake that looks like a unicorn or designing a in-home coffee bar with all the fixings (unless you're recording the process); rather DIY media remixes this term to include audio media, still media, and moving media.

But what is it you ask? DIY Media projects are probably activities you have heard of before, but not might not have considered how they could be integrated into your own classroom (or personal life.)

Audio Media

Reshaping/reworking music into your own interpretation (Lankshear & Knobel, pg. 28)

Podcasting

Still Media

Picturing social networks (Flickr)

Photosharing

Photoshopping/ Editing images

Moving Media

Machinimia - animated film using for movies or computer games

Stop Motion Animation - converting still images into a film sequence (Lankshear & Knobel, pg. 162)

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There's that word again... literacy. But when placing the adjective "new" in front of it, literacy takes on a whole new meaning. Or does it?

The definition for "new literacies" isn't far from the meaning of literacy, where people are participating in the process of reading, writing, thinking, and creating by making meaning of words and the world around them. The only new component is the use of digital tools to express oneself and to interact with others. We are now developing our social identity, whether that is with "strong" groups, such as family and friends, or "weak" groups, otherwise known as the people we interact with in online communities (Lankshear & Knobel, pg. 14).