The W. Ian O'Byrne article, "Empowering Learners of the Reader/Writer Nature of the Digital Information Space" was a trip for me to read. It may be more useful to someone who is not my age. Having grown up with cassette tapes, I was able to "get" his metaphors, but as someone who came of-age with the Internet, it was strange to hear someone break down my free time as something that must be taught in class.
O'Byrne begins by telling the story of a boy who doesn't do well in class and has gotten in trouble for tagging his school's Facebook with some keywords that sent a lot of spam its way (they called it "hacking" lol); but the boy runs his own YouTube channel, plays video games with other people, and ships (some more of that lingo to look up) anime and manga online in his spare time, meaning he's highly literate. Rather than focusing on trying to teach traditional literacy to the boy who struggles at it (which I think is far more useful to him), O'Byrne uses him as a cautionary tale of a teacher not understanding his new literacies prowess to take advantage of it.
Anyway, personal opinion on his narrative aside, he did offer some good resources to the educator hoping to understand the read/write nature of the net to capitalize on it in the classroom:
The Online Research and Media Skills model of incorporating and understanding the interconnections between multiliteracies, multimodal design, and the web literacies offers three cornerstones to focus on when teaching these things (I would argue, when teaching this way):
- Online Collaborative Inquiry—A group of local or global learners who search, sift, and synthesize online information to collaborate and co-construct a text (O ’ Byrne & McVerry, in press ).
- Online Reading Comprehension—The skills, strategies, practices, and dispositions students need to locate, evaluate, and synthesize information during problem-based inquiry tasks (Leu et al., 2009 ).
- Online Content Construction—A process by which students construct, redesign, or remix texts by actively encoding and decoding meaning through the use of ever-shifting multimodal tools (O ’ Byrne, 2013 ).
The curriculum to this model can be found here for free: https://sites.google.com/site/ormsmodel/
He also offers this reference to better understand what skills make up a web-literate person.
Mozilla WebLiteracy Map located at: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webmaker/WebLiteracyMap
As someone who hopes she got the best of both worlds between Gen-X and the Millenials, especially technology-wise, I agree with his caution at the end, warning us not to "schoolify" this kind of literacy.
It's playful. It's full of repurposing and remixing, reusing other people's so-called original creations to make another so-called original creation (they even have their own awards). There are even tools to help the n00bs learn how to remix their own. Even video games have remix-ability now. Those of you who had a little NES playtime in the past may enjoy Mario Maker for the Wii-U (Nintendo is known for making game systems that are easy to understand for the non-gamer too, so keep that in mind if you want to play it). Mario Maker is on the demo at Best Buy in Norman, if you want to try it out too.
And speaking of that link . . . Twitch. It's the best way to make a star out of someone using someone else's stuff. It's like YouTube for video gamers who want to stream games. YouTube is trying to catch up, but so far it's fail (not a typo, more online grammar for you--yes, fail is a noun now). It's also the best way for parents to understand what their kids are playing, so if you're not into interactive stories and online gaming, it can still make for fun TV.
Anyway, I went enough off topic that I'll wrap this up. Try out the links, though. Try things. Play, and remember, New literacies are playful--much like I'm sure books were when they became a thing.
He also offers this reference to better understand what skills make up a web-literate person.
Mozilla WebLiteracy Map located at: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webmaker/WebLiteracyMap
As someone who hopes she got the best of both worlds between Gen-X and the Millenials, especially technology-wise, I agree with his caution at the end, warning us not to "schoolify" this kind of literacy.
It's playful. It's full of repurposing and remixing, reusing other people's so-called original creations to make another so-called original creation (they even have their own awards). There are even tools to help the n00bs learn how to remix their own. Even video games have remix-ability now. Those of you who had a little NES playtime in the past may enjoy Mario Maker for the Wii-U (Nintendo is known for making game systems that are easy to understand for the non-gamer too, so keep that in mind if you want to play it). Mario Maker is on the demo at Best Buy in Norman, if you want to try it out too.
And speaking of that link . . . Twitch. It's the best way to make a star out of someone using someone else's stuff. It's like YouTube for video gamers who want to stream games. YouTube is trying to catch up, but so far it's fail (not a typo, more online grammar for you--yes, fail is a noun now). It's also the best way for parents to understand what their kids are playing, so if you're not into interactive stories and online gaming, it can still make for fun TV.
Anyway, I went enough off topic that I'll wrap this up. Try out the links, though. Try things. Play, and remember, New literacies are playful--much like I'm sure books were when they became a thing.
What a wonderful post!! I read it very late last night and I can't wait to respond to it later today. It is so great having your perspective. I can see the journalism in you--it is enjoyable to read your writing.
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ReplyDeleteHi, wannabes, here is my summary of Beyond Fun and Games: Using an iPad as a Tool for Critical Response written by Wood et al. (2014).
ReplyDeleteI firstly want to thank Jacqueline for assigning me this reading; the article has led me to think outside the box. The reading is basically about how to use iPad apps to foster critical literacy for our students. In the beginning, the authors cited Freire (1970) by mentioning, “critical text responses come from a tradition of critical pedagogy in which students are asked to read the word and the world” (Wood et al., 2014, p. 129). Then four dimensions of critical literacy were discussed: “(a) disrupting the commonplace, (b) interrogating multiple viewpoints, (c) focusing on sociopolitical issues, and (d) taking action and promoting social justice” (p. 129). The authors finalizing their first part by arguing that teachers must be aware of the importance of their role as developers of critical readers.
With the background, in order to encourage critical literacy, the authors showcased three iPad apps, i.e., Storybook Maker, Croak.it, and Fotobabble. Two African American students, Allen and Nicholas, who are second- and third-graders, have used the apps in a tutoring program. The Storybook Maker is a storytelling app that the students used for making a story by reflecting on a given reading. The reading was Wings, which contains a story about bullying. Thus, the students made a story about standing up to bullying by employing their real stories. In addition, an easy-to-use podcast maker, Croak.it, enabled Allen and Nicholas to speak out their voices regarding the topic beyond the classroom wall. What is nice about that work is that they organized their thoughts before recording, because Croak.it has 30 seconds limitation. Using the app, the students expanded their knowledge in the global community. Lastly, Wood (the first author) prompted them to use Fotobabble, an app that enables recording voices over a photo to lead the students to explore voiceless voices. The assignment was to choose an illustration where many characters are in, but the book author did not depict their voices. Allen and Nicholas picked a hospital scene where an African American family was waiting for a White medical doctor’s direction for a possible surgery. The students made interesting and somewhat fun dialogues by considering the “feelings and thoughts of those who were being mistreated” (p. 133).
In their conclusion, Wood et al. pointed out that teachers must account for the ever-changing technology aspects in the classroom. However, they also argued that technology is just a tool like a pencil and a paper, so the role of teachers to appropriately integrate is more significant. “It is our hope that educators will continue to create and expand the ways in which we are using technology to support our young readers, writers, and creators” (Wood et al., 2014, p. 133).
As a self-reflection, the Wood et al. article showed us how technology tools can facilitate critical responses in engaging, authentic, and fun way. In the article, the students used multimodal tools that includes voice recording, visualizing their ideas, and even sharing their craft with the world. Also, there was a collaboration aspect in the whole process as well. I also think that they used curating skills when they did the projects because they became the subject of their works - the decision makers to curate information for better outcomes. However, one critique that I could bring up is about the population of the article and the choices of readings for the students. The students were African American students and the given readings were about bullying and an African American barber. This selection and context looks well-designed at first stance, especially considering the historical conflicts in the U.S.; but I was just thinking about how would other students from different ethnic groups (e.g., Asian, Caucasian, or Latin American) reply to this type of reading selection and prompts? I was hoping to see other groups' response in the article, but only Allen and Nicholas' cases were addressed. What do you think about my critique?
DeleteAside from the critique, connecting this reading to BABR chapter 5, I think that the whole projects Allen and Nicholas went through implied a note-taking and a sharing-using-social media aspect. One of the key points of the chapter 5 was "formulating" responses either in a note, an annotation, or a voice recording form. Allen and Nicholas responded in multiple ways by formulating their responses in critical and creative fashion. Considering the 6 social practices, I think the examples employed all the 6 practices. Particularly, I think the podcasting project gave the student an opportunity to build up their identity in the globalized and digitalized world. Any thoughts? :)
John I think you bring up an interesting point regarding the cultural sensitivity of the materials used for the tasks. The first thought that popped into my head was "Is Wood African American?" If so, perhaps the selection provided a commonality between these 2 students and Wood, who I am assuming did not know these young men before interacting with them for this purpose. If he is African American I think this choice of materials presents far fewer questions for me than if Wood is Anglo Saxon. There are many ways to be aware of biases in materials without utilizing materials that appear (from a very far distance) to make awkward and possibly even inappropriate connections. I do agree that both the podcasting project and the Fotobabble project would help contribute to the boys digital identities. The description of their humorous dialogues may provide insight how they respond to stressful situations, or how they wish they did.
DeleteThe Bromley article also mentions the use of several note-taking methods. One participant who was assigned the role of "Literary Luminary" to locate "funny, favorite, powerful, or special parts" of the text utilized the highlighting and saving feature on her Kindle. When she came across a section of text that she wanted to go back to she would highlight the quote and page number, then save them in the Notes section where she annotated the information. At a later time she would share the quotes via Twitter. Finally, she would copy and paste the text and page numbers from Twitter onto a word processing document that she printed prior to the in-class discussion. Ultimately Twitter was utilized as the link between her Kindle notes and a hard copy of her selections and annotations. While some may see this as very superficial and likely not the most effective use of her time and energy, I can appreciate this use as a first step into the growth process of becoming digitally literate.
Hi MacKinley, searching for about 15-isn minutes - and feeling a bit guilty, I have found that Wood is an African American based on her Linkedin page. I also found out that she defended her dissertation in June this year well; congratulations on her completion of doctoral degree! This discussion has led us to think about the choice of "material." We admit that materials matter, especially when it comes to a multicultural setting. For example, I have international students who have different religion backgrounds; so I carefully select reading materials accordingly, which means I rarely choose any religious topics. However, I was also thinking about that, at some point, I want to help them think outside the box; so I chose (bravely) an article regarding Nepal's religious belief in association with the massive earthquake. In short, Nepalis believe that some young girls are living goddesses; and worshiping them can protect them from natural disasters. I tried to discuss this phenomenon with my students with the lenses of anthropological viewpoint/critical thinking approach - because they are adult students. The results were better than I thought; my students appropriately critiqued the content, but also saying that they respect the Nepalis' culture. However, it was a brave choice, and I still remember how anxious I was when I chose the topic. I made my decision based on my observation of the students throughout the course in hopes of that they will understand my point. I'd ask your opinion about this concern regarding materials. As an instructional coaching professional, do you have any suggestions or guidelines for this matter? Or, for Barbara and Jacqueline as well, any experiences like this? Thanks. :)
Delete* The reading I used in the class:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150514-nepal-earthquake-kathmandu-kumaris-newar-buddhism/
The article "Literature Circles Go Digital" by Bromley et al. was outstanding! It is a practitioner article written by a college professor who incorporated digital components into a traditional literature circle assignment for the graduate level students in her children's literature course. The students were already familiar with literature circles and the specific roles within a circle, however the instructor gave the additional instruction to "use the Internet to complete your literature circle role."
ReplyDeleteBromley's reasoning behind the digital component of the assignment was based on evidence in several areas including increased student engagement and motivation, development of literary analysis skills, ingrained differentiation, and support for struggling readers. There is also evidence that literature circles are effective in promoting reading and rich dialogue about the selected text, strengthening skills for diverse learners, and clarifying difficult concepts.
The students were assigned a selected text ("Al Capone Shines My Shoes"), assigned roles (1 of 7 unique roles within the group, each with very specific expectations and responsibilities), presented their findings in class, participated in an in-class discussion about the book and everyone's findings, and answered 2 reflection questions ("What did you do digitally?" and "What did you learn?").
Brumley found that 4 big ideas were addressed in the answers to the reflection questions. The student reflections emphasized the breadth of digital research (not only were websites accessed but some students used other digital resources as well), their desire to dig deeper into the story (motivation), a deeper level of understanding of the text, and a connection to their own personal classroom teaching. These aligned with her expectations of the outcomes and therefor she was pleased with with the assignment.
Brumley was surprised by the varied use of technology within the assignment. She also felt that their creativity was more easily accessed than with the traditional assignment. Her observations include that her students seemed to go beyond previous groups with the traditional assignment and that the in-class discussion was richer than previous groups.
The students who contributed to the assignment concluded that this type of assignment could be highly motivating and supportive of all learners in the classroom. Not only were the participants able to envision using this type of digital literacy assignment within their own classrooms, they devised a list of 5 suggestions for classroom teachers who want to explore digital literature circles within their own classroom. The suggestions include obtaining permission for Internet access, ensure that appropriate technology is available for student use, provide instruction on how to navigate within digital spaces (keyboarding, scrolling, cutting, pasting, etc), provide instruction in critical digital literacy in order to ensure the reliability of information that is gathered, and finally, use digital assignments to differentiate instruction for students.
Brumley concludes by stating that she felt the assignment was very successful and that the positive results went above and beyond her expectations. Personally I was so motivated by the article that I have suggested that my monthly "Books, Brunch, and Beer" club utilize this format for an upcoming book study. Additionally, for one of the first times since this class began, I felt like I could relate to the article, that I had some level of expertise in the topic, and that I could very readily see the application of new literacies.
Kingsley and Tancock’s article, Internet Inquiry, describes 4 competencies that they believe are needed for Internet inquiry. Accessing the Internet, making decisions on what search engines to use, sites to read and evaluate, and navigating multimodal text are all skills students need for today’s digital environments. However, research has shown that teachers lack the knowledge and comfort to teach these skills to students.
ReplyDeleteNew standards, and certainly those states that have adopted the Common Core Standards, require higher-level thinking acquisitions of digital skills and abilities to evaluate online sources in order to develop their own perspectives. According to the authors, due to the requirement of synthesizing multiple sources, as young as the 3rd grade, there are four fundamental competencies for Internet-based inquiry:
1. Ensuring that students generate high-quality topics to solve problems which increases motivation. Additionally, the authors maintain that generating good questions foster determining strong keywords when searching for information. Inquiry questions can be sorted on sticky notes into categories through the app: iCardSort.
2. Students must be able to effectively and efficiently search for online information. Research has shown students can become easily overwhelmed when faced with many results from a search query. A collection of researcher-developed scripted lesson plans, scripts, tutorials, and PowerPoints can be accessed at: iu.box.com/nutsandbolts. Keywords can be chosen that describe the information that is being sought. Multimedia, such as, video, audio, graphics, and text should be included in project/research based learning. Think-alouds, graphic organizers, and authentic opportunities to participate in navigating sites and multimodalities are important skills for students to learn and practice.
3. Students must be able to determine credibility of Internet Resources. Students need to triangulate data with 3 other sources in order to investigate the reliability of content. Investigating the author’s credentials, content, and an awareness of bias fosters student’s ability to evaluate online information. Modeling how to determine an author’s credentials are important, and using a non-credible site to model sites that are not legitimate can be taught using www.thedogisland.com. Instructing online bias is also an important component to determine credibility with online sources.
4. Students should connect ideas across Internet Texts in order to synthesize information through a variety of media formats, in order to communicate meaning.
Final Thoughts: Students need to become critical producers and consumers of information, which promotes characteristics to foster better citizens in our globally connected world.
Barbara it appears that there are some similarities between the four competencies presented in your article and the five recommendations presented in the article that I read. I am particularly interested in point #3 which provides guidelines on determining credibility. My article mentions the importance of teaching this tool of caution, but fails to provide any concrete methods on how to do so. I like the notion of triangulating information and think that some students may benefit from a graphic organizer that represents this process. I've never seen one, nor thought of the need for one until now, but it makes me wonder if one exists.
DeleteHi Barbara and Mackinley, I have checked the dogisland.com website and was well caught by the contents at first. I thought, "wow, this is cool! Dog Island!" The site seems a genuine one because it has diverse real-looking menus, e.g., FAQ, rates, and products. But, by just checking the disclaimer, as the authors wrote, I laughed about it and reflected on my first thought. Another wow led me to this thought: "yeah, fostering critical literacy skill is very important." I am willing to share another smilar example with you that is tree octopus - Barbra may remember this I discussed this the other day. Please find more at: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
DeleteI really want to incorporate this credibility checking activity with my students later. I may start with the dogislan first. Have you ever tried teaching this concept with your students? I used to teach one chapter named "fact checkers." I believe I dealt with the credibility issue by the chapter, but not exactly about the Internet reading credibility.
Jacquline's article somewhat touches upon the generative synthesis especially considering the third point - remixing by using ever shifting multimodal tools. It seems to say that students keep constructing meaning by doing so, which is quite tied into the generative synthesis notion. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteInteresting discussion, although I wish you all had more conversation about the ideas each of you brought up in your summaries. Perhaps if we put a deadline on you all for Friday night to complete the discussion.....?? Please let me know via e-mail your thoughts on this idea.
ReplyDeleteSB