Prompt #3- Are Alternative Texts Making Us Stupid?

There are many advantages to the internet such as the constant access to information and the sheer breadth of information available. There is no longer a point of asking someone a question when you can Google the information. There is also a speed and efficiency in finding information that in a sense enriches lives. We are constantly connected to each other through this medium for better or for worse and it is easier to find out information about anyone and anything.

There are also disadvantages to this technology as well. Some examples are the lack of concentration and focus many of us have gained from attempting to multitask and absorb all this information since everything can be found so quickly. As Carr describes it "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along like a guy on a Jet Ski" (Carr, 57). Traditional text based literacy allows for more time with words and learning as there needs to be more time to decipher text. Whereas, the internet and Google allow for text to be passed through quickly and the actual absorption of knowledge is questionable. I too, have noticed my attention span with books decreasing which is surprising considering how much I love books and how much I used to read. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for me to sit through a book unless it is really good. Often when articles or books are longer I will attempt to skip over them which is a little bizarre. I have become very proficient at skimming reading that is longer much like the article states. I am not sure if it is due to laziness or some form of efficiency. Either way I am not sure if it is beneficial to my learning process. Also, we do not have to remember many of the facts that we look up as it is easy to look them up again if we forget. This might be making us more stupid as our working and long term memories do not have to be as sharp. With the internet it is important to keep our brains sharp in order to be avoid being drawn in by websites such as the bimbo site where girls are told that being dumb, blonde, skinny with a boyfriend to take care of you is the ideal.

So the question at hand is: are alternative texts making us stupid? I would say no. I think that they are making us lazier when reading and interpreting texts.  Yet, this can be avoided by combining alternative texts along with traditional texts. Alternative texts do not have to include written word either they can include video and audio as well. As I have stated in previous posts this aids different learners in opening up traditional texts to those who previously would not have been able to read them. Also, if critical thinking is taught wading through the vastness of information will not be as scary and concerning for those who have to interpret and teach from them.

Prompt #2- Multimodalities

Mill's article Shrek Meets Vygotsky: Rethinking Adolescents' Multimodal Literacy Practices in Schools discusses multimodalities and how multimodal text gives recognition to the outside world. It expands the notion of what composition is and how it can come in different forms not simply through pen and paper. Multimodal thinking gives recognition to the outside world of school as the majority of students are online constantly. However, not all students are digital natives. Often those who are the most proficient at online modalities are those who can afford to have the technology readily available or they are in a location where there is internet hookups. Students do not magically know how to use these technologies. They need to learn them along with everyone else. Also, it is essential as educators to foster creative thinking so students can decipher the constant flow of information on the internet as much of the information online is inaccurate or simply false.

Miller's article English Teacher Learning for New Times: Digital Video Composing as Multimodal Literacy Practices discusses the importance of multimodal literacy and how digital video composing is just as important as writing as an essay as it provides a way of composing and expressing without the written word. This is a powerful tool as it allows for a different creative outlet for students.

A working definition of multimodalities from both articles is: Two or more forms in representation: linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial that often includes various forms of technology. These forms of literacies are often deeply rooted in new social contexts and practices.

This framework is key as it expands the notion of what composition is and that composition can come in all sorts of forms not just in five paragraph essay format. Students can still be assessed on various forms of multimodalties while being unconfined and creative.

Multimodalities is essential in education so that students are taught things that are interesting with technology as many of them are on the computer all the time. Also, all students learn differently whether visual, auditory or kinaesthetic and multimodalities allow for them to play upon their strengths. The main strength of multimodal technology is that it allows for creativity to be fostered and for different formats to be explored. One of the most important skills that students can learn is creativity. Challenges for educators who are interested in multimodalities are keeping up with the various technologies and finding the resources to actually use these technologies. Many schools are not even equipped with current computers and wifi which challenges educators who want to stay current.

Prompt #1

Manguel

From the article The Last Page by Manguel the quote "We read to understand, or begin to understand. We cannot do but read. Reading, almost as much as breathing, is our essential function"(Manguel,7) This quote is essential as there are words everywhere and it is incredibly difficult to avoid them. Reading is an essential function in understanding.

The other significant quote from The Last Page article is "I don't think I could live without reading. Reading- I discovered- comes before writing. A society can exist- many do exist- without writing but no society can exist without reading"(Manguel, 7). Many people learn to read before they can write. It is hard to escape reading but it can be easy to escape writing as it is not a function that is used as frequently.

For Manguel reading is a personal connection to the author and a place to escape from the real world. Reading is a place of learning and adventure. It is also constantly evolving through the texts that are being written and from what is being read.

Birkerts

In The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, Birkerts describes the difference between print order and electronic order. "Print communication requires the active engagement of the reader's attention, for reading is fundamentally an act of translation" (Birkerts, 122). Whereas, "electronic communication can be passive as with television watching or interactive as with computers"(Birkerts, 122).

The transition from print to electronic order will drastically change how we view media and how people speak, read and communicate. Also, electronic order allows for more access into the private self as anyone can post anything about themselves and we can be online almost all the time whether we are present or not.

Connection to Digital Readers


Both of these articles discuss the experience readers have with text and how it constantly changes regardless of whether it is electronic or not. However, the rising trend is towards reading digitally. It is possible to read extensively without picking up a book whether online or through audio books. The experience of reading is different through each format but in the end the reader can still say that they have read something. The written word is everywhere it is impossible to avoid.

Myself As A Reader


For me reading books is an escape where I can imagine different worlds and learn about different things that I wouldn't ordinarily experience. As a child I was an obsessive compulsive reader. Reading was essentially all I did besides go outside. I wouldn't pay attention in school because I was reading books that I wanted to read rather than learning math or science. I read a lot of history books as well as stories. However, the majority of my reading came in some form of historical books. I also read books such as The Hobbit, Charlotte's Web, Anne of Green Gables, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Number The Stars among many others. To this day still I highly enjoy young adult fiction for the sheer imagination and escapism of it.

Change in Blogging

This blog will be switching over from my technology course to EDCI 353B: Alternative Texts for Young Adults.

French Teacher?

I have been hanging out in French class a lot because it is awesome. I was in French Immersion for all of elementary school and I have realized that I miss speaking French. The French teacher at the school is trying to convert me from teaching Social to teaching French and I will probably bite. She told me that UVic has a con ed program for teachers called "French for Middle School Teachers" or something like that. The Victoria School Board set it up so that they can get French teachers in the system easier.
I think I am interested in taking after I'm done my B.Ed so that I can teach FSL along with Social Studies. It will also allow me to get my French up to par again as it is currently terrible. My writing and grammar is shot but I can still read in French alright. Speaking will take practice as well cause I need to switch my brain over from English to French. It's like the words are locked in a vault and I can't get them out. I know I can do it because I used to be completely fluent. French is important to me as I am half French Canadian and there is great potential that will be lost since very few people in my family actually speak French. Another point is that I will be able to get a job way easier...

First Day of Observation

Today was the first day of my observation period. It is different sitting on the other side of high school in that I'm not the student any more. Well I am the student as we learn all the time but it's still different.
I sat in on an ESL class which was awesome. They went over common phrases which could be confusing for non-English speaking people such as "paying through the nose" and "pulling your leg". Then they did presentations about Canadian music so that the students can know more about Canadian culture. The presentations were a good idea cause it made them talk in English.

Next I went to History 12 which made me happy. We talked about theWeimar Republic and the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. I was given a bunch of resources that I now want for Christmas such as Love, Hate and Propaganda by the CBC. It's a documentary about the role of propaganda in World War II with George Stroumboulopoulos. So all of that spells win.

I then went to a grade 9 Social Studies class. The kids were hilarious. It's such a big difference between grade 9 and grade 12. It's incredible.

I am now sleepy and going to bed.  

The Tea Party and the Political Spectrum

My current rant has been about the Tea Party. Since people are probably sick of me talking about it I figured I would write about it.

The Tea Party in the United States emerged last year as a grassroots movement in response to the bailouts and the economic crisis. People who had never participated in political movements got involved to voice their concerns to the Obama Administration. It is phenomenal that people are getting involved and that a grassroots movement has gotten as large as it has especially when they originally had legitimate concerns.

However, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck from Fox News along with Christine O'Donnell have become a face for the party. Glenn Beck goes on his show calling everyone in the Obama Administration Communists and Nazis. Bill O'Reilly talks about how Obama is a Marxist and Muslim. Christine O'Donnell, who is trying to get into the senate, is going on the news saying that everyone should be celibate and that masturbation is wrong. I will now tell you why this is crazy.

First of all it is impossible to be a communist and a Nazi at the same time. Here is a chart of the political spectrum:

Communists are on the extreme left and relatively high on the authoritarian scale depending on the regime. Generally when we think of communism we think of Lenin, Stalin and Mao who were totalitarian leaders. However, communism in it's true form is fairly libertarian with a classless society and  communal ownership of the means of production. There would be no wages or private property. Everything would be shared. Yet, none of the leaders who have attempted communism have let it go to it's true state and they have made changes to the communist theory as it suits them.

In comparison Nazis or fascists are on the extreme right and high on the authoritarian scale. Fascists believe in a strong leader who can unite the people into a singular identity so that they will be ready to fight. Individualism is rejected for united nationalism. Furthermore, they believe that the elite need to rule the masses as the masses do not know what they are doing. Political leaders who have followed this are Hitler and Mussolini.

As you can see the two methods of governing are very different. During World War II when Hitler and Stalin formed an alliance people were confused because they had nothing in common besides the fact that they were ruthless dictators.

Secondly, Obama is not a Marxist or a Muslim. He has been trying to implement health care and raise taxes so that the United States can pay off their massive debt therefore according to some out there who have clearly never taken any social studies whatsoever he is a Marxist. Obama is also not a Muslim. I don't know why it matters if he is a Muslim because it shouldn't.

Thirdly, Christine O'Donnell and her celibacy. I hope she realizes that people don't work that way. It is important to promote safe sex as well as celibacy because the kids are having sex. They need to have the information so at least if they choose to have sex they won't get STDs. I saw a t-shirt that said "Abstinence is for Virgins". I feel that it fits in this situation as she is preaching that everyone remain celibate.

Ok this is long yet cathartic. The solution to the misinformation out there is for Fox News to stop hiring crazy people which will never happen because yelling nonsense gets ratings apparently.