Chapter 8: Social Learning and new literacies in formal education

I was glad to see two models of the "pull" model in action. The master's level course was extremely interesting! A couple of themes emerged as I read about this model: collaboration, resources, materials, and feedback. It seemes that these ideas were foundational ideals that the program was built from. These same ideas can be applied to the classroom. I could relate to Gee's 'performance before competence' principle (p240). Everytime I am faced with something new, I always have to work through it in order for it to make sense to me. After I finish something, then I always think of ways in which it can be improved (competence). This fits in with the idea from the last chapter that people learn by doing.

The second model, Q2L was a great example of social learning! How cool would it be to visit the school?!? It has students thinking, learning, and thinking about learning. I thought about how much these students are learning. They are using the core subjects, learning how to apply their knowledge, and using 21st century tools. This made me think about how far behind students are who aren't using cutting edge tools. If you think about it, those who use the tools are able to see where improvements can be made and think of different ways of using them. They are preparing for jobs of the future. Those who do not use these tools, have no idea of what the future holds. That is a scary thought.

Chapter 7: Social Learning

The idea of social learning fits well with my educational philosophy. As I read this chapter, I agreed and felt inspired by what the authors were saying. I believe that learning should have real world implications. What goes on in the classroom should be in preparation for and applicable to life outside of the classroom. Learning is not isolated, but should draw on multiple sources. Teachers should "..embed learning in activity and make deliberate use of the social and physical context" (p211). Another idea that I related to was the thought that people learn by doing. Without practice and application, knowledge is lost.

Gardner's findings about how people can be considered smart, but aren't able to apply their intelligence really stood out to me.  How is this possible that study after study he found the same thing? I thought about how students need to be taught how to think and negotiate their own learning. If you put students in the driving seat of their learning, then it will force them to be able to apply it. As a teacher, it is my dream to have students do this, but unfortunately it is not a reality. So then I think, why isn't it a reality? I think it is due to having a set curriculum, standards, and pacing guides. On a day to day basis I am trying to make sure it is all covered. The best (easiest) way to make sure it is covered is to teach each part.  I really need to think about ways to present material to students so that they are thinking and doing. It is more than teaching about how to multiply and divide- it is about how to think! Instead of getting caught up in the smaller picture, I should think about the big picture.

The paradigm shift from a "push" to "pull" model sounds great to me! It would support me on my quest to really and truly teach students. Where is this shift coming from? Is it from this shift that common core and Smarter Balanced Assessments is coming into play? What resources are there for teachers? I would love to see examples of lessons that show what this looks like in the classroom- on a day to day basis.

Rereading the Signs: Multimodal Transformations in the Field of Literacy Education

My big Ah ha moment in this article was the statement, "Students who acquired a label began to reposition themselves as being literate once the meaning of literacy was expanded (p71)". I have found that, in my own classroom, the biggest challenge is getting students to see themselves as readers. Once they see themselves as readers, there is no stopping them on their quest to read. One student that I had introduced himself as not being able to read. After showing him how he got meaning from pictures and the words he could figure out, he realized that he was capable to reading. Not only did he see himself as a reader, but he was a motivated reader who scoured any book he could find about cars to learn more about them.

This reminded me of a previous article (I can't remember which one) that talked about literacy as a social justice. This article hit that idea home for me when Chandler said, "Those who cannot understand them and the systems of which they are part of are in the greatest danger of being manipulated by those who can". This is the foundation of why being literate is so important for people of all walks of life.

Middle Schools and New Literacies: Looking Back and Moving Forward

What strikes me as most interesting about the concept of "new literacies" is that there always will be "new literacies" emerging. It is interesting to see how these evolve over time. The author (Kist) mentions five characteristics new literacies:
             1. daily work with multiple representations
             2. teacher talk about various symbol systems
             3. teacher think alouds when working different forms
             4. a mixture of individual and collaborative work
             5. a high level of engagement
These ideas go along with almost all of the other readings for this course. Each point can also be implemented in all subject areas. If my classroom were to have each and every one of those points, I would consider it to be a dream classroom. It fits my vision of where I want to be as an educator.

I thought that the model for new literacies workshop was a good tool to use when planning instruction. My big concern with it was how to give students screen time if we do not have the appropriate tools to do so. How could I make this work in my classroom?

Chapter 6

New Literacies: Chapter 6: Everyday practices of online social networking

When I think of social networking, my mind immediately shifts to what I know and use often: Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. I use these tools multiple times throughout the day. (Okay, maybe multiple times each hour...) I never really thought of social media as a type of literacy. After giving it real thought and consideration while reading this chapter, I agree that there is real thinking going on when one uses social media. People have to know how to do things, select pictures, create tags that match their content, respond to others, and so much more. It is a whole new realm of the world which requires one to learn about it in order to participate.

One part of this chapter that I found extremely interesting was when it talked about strong and weak links in social networks or groups. It was of particular interest to me because of the finding that more people attributed their finding of a job due to acquaintances or "weak links". Just recently I have found out about events going on that I want to be a part of through what I would call "weak links". 

My experiences with social networking have aligned with what the authors have mentioned in the text. There are people who use it to predominantly use it to play games or stay connected to family members. Social networking is also the extent to which some of my family use the computer because they are otherwise not comfortable with the use of technology.

Chapter 4 and 5

 Above is a concept map for Chapter 4 of our New Literacies book: New literacies and social practices of digital remixing.

This is a concept map for Chapter 5: Blogs and wikis: participatory and collaborative literacy practices.