Thank you, Mike, for passing on the blogging baton. Your post related to an article I read a few days ago, in the latest issue of Edutopia Magazine, that arrives via email and that I've been reading for a while. You may think the name Edutopia is kind of goony, but it is a pretty cool online publication (and Website) on education funded by George Lucas—and it's free; just sign up. And no lightsabers.
So, we've gotten from class and from all the posts and comments that, beyond reading and writing, there are specialized literacies for each of our disciplines. And then there's digital literacy.
This article, by Marc Prensky, is called "Programming: The New Literacy." I almost didn't read it, since from many failed attempts I know I am not good at code. But Prensky is talking about the same things we are in class. He writes: "I believe the single skill that will, above all others, distinguish a literate person is programming literacy, the ability to make digital technology do whatever, within the possible, one wants it to do—to bend digital technology to one's needs, purposes, and will, just as in the present we bend words and images. Some call this skill human-machine interaction; some call it procedural literacy. Others just call it programming."
Prensky goes on to give lots of examples of how simple programming is accessible to everyone and, like other authors we have read, points out that" "Today's kids already see their parents and teachers as the illiterate ones." Looking to the future, Prensky says: "Literacy will belong to those who can master not words, nor even multimedia, but a variety of powerful, expressive, human machine interactions."
If he's right, then I will have figure out some code. Yikes.
What do you think?
Oh, and he recommends Flash, a software from Adobe/Macromedia, and Scratch, a programming language from MIT, as ways to get into programming ourselves. And the Edutopia Website has some related links, including this one about video games that teach.
May the Force be with us!
And, I nominate Laura to be the next sherpa blogger.
Anita
Showing posts with label adolescent literacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adolescent literacy. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
2/7 Online #2: Reading Response
The second task is to comment on the Alvermann and Finn readings for this week. You are to comment to this post one time (thought feel free to do more than that if you like). Your post should do the following:
* Explain what the central idea of both pieces is.
* Exemplify what these ideas mean in your own experience as a student, teacher.
* Elaborate how you feel these two articles can relate. (In other words, read them against each other. What would one author say to the other?)
* Extend by sharing your reaction and posing a question the readings raised for you.
Again, your comment needn't be terribly long but it should be thoughtful. You are to comment here. As much as possible, I hope your comment will contain some reference not only to the articles but also to the comments of the others before you ... which means that you might want to be the first to commentsince I don't have that expectation for the first commentator!
* Explain what the central idea of both pieces is.
* Exemplify what these ideas mean in your own experience as a student, teacher.
* Elaborate how you feel these two articles can relate. (In other words, read them against each other. What would one author say to the other?)
* Extend by sharing your reaction and posing a question the readings raised for you.
Again, your comment needn't be terribly long but it should be thoughtful. You are to comment here. As much as possible, I hope your comment will contain some reference not only to the articles but also to the comments of the others before you ... which means that you might want to be the first to commentsince I don't have that expectation for the first commentator!
2/7 Online Module #1: Word Wall
In place of our class next week on 2/7, there are two things I'd like you to do in place of our class meeting so that we can move forward. This is #1.
Please read the two articles listed in the syllabus together first before you complete either of these assignments. By Friday, 2/8, at midnight, please comment to this blog one key vocabulary word or phrase from the readings that you want to add to our word wall. Your comment needn't be long but don't quote - put things in your own words as much as possible and, if possible, illustrate your definition with an example from your experience as a teacher or student. I've posted a few sites under literacy links that you may want to check out to inform your thinking especially about the multiliteracies concept.
If you find, at the time of your post, that you don't have a new word or phrase to add, then you should really comment on someone's definition and use it to build, elaborate, or expand our understanding of the word / phrase. You could also offer up some interesting links to sites that could be further illustrative for people.
Please read the two articles listed in the syllabus together first before you complete either of these assignments. By Friday, 2/8, at midnight, please comment to this blog one key vocabulary word or phrase from the readings that you want to add to our word wall. Your comment needn't be long but don't quote - put things in your own words as much as possible and, if possible, illustrate your definition with an example from your experience as a teacher or student. I've posted a few sites under literacy links that you may want to check out to inform your thinking especially about the multiliteracies concept.
If you find, at the time of your post, that you don't have a new word or phrase to add, then you should really comment on someone's definition and use it to build, elaborate, or expand our understanding of the word / phrase. You could also offer up some interesting links to sites that could be further illustrative for people.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Beers and Blogs
Hello - Professor Clayton has unlocked the secret of Blogger to turn us all into bloggers and asked me to try out the process, so here goes.
Like Krystina, the Beers article made a big impact on me - I liked her personal involvement in the issues and her passionate advocacy for Derick and Collin, who sound so real. And Collin was blogging - despite his marginalization by his teacher, in his technological literacy he is probably way ahead of us, who are getting certified to be his teachers, in effect. The story reminded me of when I visited Peekskill High School last semester and saw lots and lots of students-three or four to each computer-clustered around the library computers at lunch time, while the bookshelves were relatively unvisited. There was a lot of reading, writing, and viewing going on at those computers. Yet most classrooms had only one desktop for student use, and only once in many visits did I see a teacher suggest to a student that he use it during class.
The article made me wonder if Beers has her own blog - she is a much-published and highly regarded author/educator who writes on reluctant readers. If she has a blog, I couldn't find it with Google search. I did find (type in Kylene Beers in Google search and click on "Search Blogs") many blogs by English teachers that cite Beers' strategies and how the teachers have used them with their students. I randomly clicked this one and found that Kylene Beers in a workshop had shown this YouTube video:
What do you think?
Cheers, Anita
Like Krystina, the Beers article made a big impact on me - I liked her personal involvement in the issues and her passionate advocacy for Derick and Collin, who sound so real. And Collin was blogging - despite his marginalization by his teacher, in his technological literacy he is probably way ahead of us, who are getting certified to be his teachers, in effect. The story reminded me of when I visited Peekskill High School last semester and saw lots and lots of students-three or four to each computer-clustered around the library computers at lunch time, while the bookshelves were relatively unvisited. There was a lot of reading, writing, and viewing going on at those computers. Yet most classrooms had only one desktop for student use, and only once in many visits did I see a teacher suggest to a student that he use it during class.
The article made me wonder if Beers has her own blog - she is a much-published and highly regarded author/educator who writes on reluctant readers. If she has a blog, I couldn't find it with Google search. I did find (type in Kylene Beers in Google search and click on "Search Blogs") many blogs by English teachers that cite Beers' strategies and how the teachers have used them with their students. I randomly clicked this one and found that Kylene Beers in a workshop had shown this YouTube video:
What do you think?
Cheers, Anita
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