Blog #8 Finding a Balance With the Digital World and Ourselves (Boyd Podcast and Hawley Turner&Hicks)

Reading, "No Longer a Luxury: Digital Literacy Can't Wait", both entertained me and broadened my perspective of digital literacy. I say entertaining because I had a few laughs reading about the way some teachers think a PowerPoint presentation counts as a digital requirement, and the way the authors referred to those who browse the internet but do not engage as "lurkers." I laughed because I am totally a "lurker" in this digital sense; although, I suppose I am a recovering lurker, as I am getting a little more involved digitally. Additionally, I used to be a big PowerPoint clinger, so this was knowing laugher.

Although, for a lurker/ PowerPoint junkie, I was really surprised by the way I was moved by Hawley Turner and Hicks. In both the text, Argument in the Real World, and the article, "No Longer a Luxury: Digital Literacy Can't Wait", I felt the authors did a great job pointing out the way social media and the online sphere can serve as an authentic space with a real audience. This is a perspective I had yet to encounter and, quite frankly, it really challenged my current attitudes towards writing in the online space. 

In the text, the authors write, "to highlight the power of social media to provide a real audience and to help his students learn to anticipate and respond to counterclaims, Alex used Yelp.com in his classroom." First off, I think this idea of a "real audience" is brilliant. Initially it feels a little funky because we sort of assume students are already writing for real audiences (aka the teacher), but in reality they actually have very limited, if any, opportunities to engage with an actual audience of folks outside of teachers, administration, and classmates. Secondly, as someone who is a little resistant to technology in the classroom (out of lack of familiarity), I am quite smitten with this idea of having students use Yelp.com or Amazon to write reviews for places or products. I would not have thought of this, but I think it is a unique and fun way to put student writing out there and see what sort of authentic feedback comes their way.

In regards to the podcast with Danah Boyd from onbeing.org, I was interested by what she had to say and it had me thinking and pondering and talking to myself in the car after the podcast finished (always a good time :)). Boyd seems to be rallying against voices that attribute the ills of the online world to the creation and existence of the digital world itself. I have to agree with her in disagreeing with these people––the online sphere is a reflection of our physical world and its physical shortcomings rather than an entirely new beast in itself. 

For example: if I were to claim that Instagram encourages young girls to post revealing photos of themselves for attention, I would be wrong to blame the platform. This is a greater societal issue, in which young women feel they are as good as their bodies are perceived to be––a unfortunate side affect of, lets say to name one reason, female objectification in advertising. 

I think what I took from Boyd is this: the online world is full of amazing technology and opportunities for connection, but it is up to the user to determine their personal boundaries––how much digital exposure is comfortable and when does it become too much. This is personal and varies by individual needs and wants. However, I don't think younger kids know how to determine this nor do I think they are even cognizant of a need to find a balance. I don't think we teach kids, or even adults, to form and foster balanced relationships with themselves and their world. If you don't have a relationship with yourself, how can you determine your zone of comfort when it comes to interacting with the digital world? 

That said, do we actually think the digital sphere is engineered for our personal comfort? For example, I know if I am feeling bad about myself, I need to keep a close eye on my breathing, cut down on caffein, and log out of Instagram. I log out of Instagram because I am not in the healthiest mental space and I know I will not approach other's posts without comparing. I know that about myself, but that took learning and finding the balance of exposure that works for me. However, I am not sure younger teens are that self aware and even if they are, push notification are just that––pushy.

I do not disagree with Boyd, I really liked what she had to say. I just think we are not properly setting the youth up to engage with the digital world in a manner that suites their personal/ spiritual needs. Again, not a problem with the internet, but rather with us, as a people. 

Bit of a ramble here––sorry for that! 

Blog #7 "Discourse" in our Social Climate and in Schools (Turner, Hicks, Christensen)

In their first chapter, "The Nature of Argument in a Digital World", Kristen Turner and Troy Hicks write, "teaching students how to craft argumentative writing, including digital arguments, involves a process of reasoning, critical thinking, and problem solving––all skills that we need to use when participating in civic discourse." Ohhh, civic discourse, hmm what is that again?

I completely agree with Turner and Hicks; I think ability to understand and participate in civic discourse is one of the many goals of teaching. Students who have opportunities to engage in critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning are more prepared for experiences in the outside world and more comfortable or familiar with their own thoughts and thought processes. However, my sarcastic question above, what is civic discourse, stems from a personal skepticism of that word "discourse."

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, discourse is, "to hold discourse; to converse, confer; to speak with another or others, to talk, converse. Frequently with preposition (esp. about, of, upon): to engage in discussion or conversation about a particular matter." This definition involves a conversation– a give and a take between two or more people. However, in our current social climate, I don't see much give and take– an exchange between one who speaks and one who listens. I understand this is a bit of a sweeping generalization, but I am basing this assertion off of my personal observations and statements of others. I do not see very much "discourse" on the news, in politics, or even with my own family during birthday or holiday gatherings– "don't bring up Donald Trump, uncle Al will get angry." 

I hate to quote the same person two blogs in a row, but Brene Brown is a bad a** so here you go, "we make the uncertain certain, "I'm right your wrong, shut up" ... this is what politics looks like today, there is no discourse anymore, there is no conversation, there's just blame." I see this; I see this when uncle Al starts yelling in defense of trump and my cousin storms off; I see this when newscasters yell back and forth at one another, and what started out as a conversation erupts into a screaming match. There is a lot of tension right now, a lot of rage, and everyone seems to be pointing fingers. 

I think this tense climate needs to be considered when it comes to teaching students writing and argument crafting. Linda Christensen writes, "teaching essay writing requires a nonnegotiable belief that students can write, and that they have something important to say." So, how do we encourage students to speak out and trust what they have something important to say when it feels safer to just remain silent? 

Tom McSteen offers some advice in his blog post, "Hearing Every Voice." In his short, and refreshingly honest article, he writes, "When people do not feel heard, they are more likely to be dismissive of others’ voices. And, when people feel heard, they are more likely to allow others to be heard, in turn." I know this sounds optimistic, and I will admit, I don't think everyone is ready to sit criss cross in a circle and listen to everyone's opinions, but I do think with patients and effort we can try and regain space for discourse. 

As far as in the classroom, I think we can take a cue from Linda Christensen– she is focused on hearing every voice and giving all students an opportunity to be heard. On page 129, in chapter 3, Christensen writes about one student who wrote an essay that pretty much the whole class disagreed with, and, although Christensen also disagreed, she still appreciated the students writing and use of metaphor. 
Perhaps part of it is giving students assignments that require them to use their voice and think for themselves. Maybe this is what makes for a meaningful writing assignment within our increasingly divided, and sometimes hostile, social conversation. 



Works Cited: 

"discourse, v." OED Online, Oxford University Press, July 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/53986. Accessed 22 October      2018.
"Brown, Brene. "The Power of Vulnerability." TED. June. 2010. Lecture. Source:        https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability#t-1042498

Blog #6 The Voice of Standards and Racial Justice Assessment

I am writing my blog today from the very back of a sparsely populated library. It is getting late, the sun is sinking, and I can hear the rain dancing on the library roof. I'm include a small description of my whereabouts because I often pick up on the energy within a space, and sometimes it effects how I respond to readings or carry out my work in general. I like this particular library because it's warm lighting, long wooden tables, and, of course, stacks of books make me feel calm and stable.  So, I approached this weeks readings with a serene mind; however, serene and standards don't typically go together, do they?
Well, surprise surprise they just might!
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Actually, they might not, but I was trying my best to align the two.

Admittedly, I felt slightly addled reading over the Common Core Standards (CCS); this was hardly a surprise. I have read them before, and every time I get a mental imagine of my slightly older self, amidst a stack of student writing, glancing from writing to standards, standards to writing and making a series of mental checks."Did they get it? Are they doing it?" I am almost certain this is not how aligning standards with your curriculum goes down but my imagination runs non the less. CC Standards always feel daunting, but, if were being fair, all standards weigh heavy because 1) I am not in a real classroom just yet and 2) they might actually be a little much even when you get in that teacher seat.

If I had to choose a favorite set of standards, not that that is particularly reasonable, I would choose the NCTE standards. Why? Mainly because I felt that they did less to derail my library vibes, and such vibes are rather important to me. I think this had something to do with the "Guiding Vision" provided. In particular these points within the "Guiding Vision":

• These standards assume that literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities—reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations.
• They encourage the development of curriculum and instruction that make productive use of the emerging literacy abilities that children bring to school. 
• These standards provide ample room for the innovation and creativity essential to teaching and learning.

I chose these particular parts because they did not assume that students were entering the classroom with a lack or a space that needed filling. In addition to this, these quick points made me feel as if the job of teaching is truly one that lies with the teacher and that the standards that followed were like the bumpers on a bowling lane– they are there to help keep you in your lane but you still get to throw the ball the way you want. With this vision in mind, I moved on to read the standards, all of which I enjoyed and saw much relevance in. 

I poked around the Common Core site for a bit looking for something that was similar to the "Guiding Vision" from the NCTE website. I found something similar in the introduction to writing standards. This paragraph embodied a different essence. There was an emphasis on "adequate mastery", "increasing sophistication", and "expected growth." The language here was much different from that of the NCTE website. I didn't feel as if there was much room for love and creativity here, but rather the language felt mechanical and impersonal. 

I am not saying I disagree with or did not like the CCS, I am simply saying that they did not jive with my library vibes and they did not feel very student centered. 

I think this is the perfect moment to transition into the three types of assessment Wayne Au presents in "Racial Justice is not a Choice." He identifies the difference between retributive, restorative, and reclaiming; with each type of assessment he provides three sort of guiding questions that rule each mindset. Retributive questions lack sensitivity, while both restorative and reclaiming questions demand consideration and care. 

Perhaps I was not successful, but in this blog I have been attempting to attribute a sort of voice to the two sets of standards– to find a motive, a drive backing the language of each. I felt more honesty and concern radiating from the words of NCTE, whereas the CCS felt a bit more stiff, robotic, and goal oriented. If these standards were taking up a human shape I would think that the CCS would be asking retributive questions and the NCTE would be wandering into the restorative/ reclaiming space. 

I found much inspiration in Au as he wrote, "activism as a central aspect of public education." Yes, yes, yes! I completely agree and I feel as if we touched on this last class with our discussion around the blurred lines between target, ally, bystander, and perpetrator. Of course we have teachers like Christensen who are creating meaningful assessments but perhaps this is not the national standard? I would think probably not, and thats a problem. 

I have thought a lot about creating a fair and meaningful classroom environment, and structuring my lessons in a way that promotes learning and a greater understanding of this society/ world we live in–  including issues of racial justice; however, I have not thought about shifting this mindset into the assessment realm. Maybe this is because I don't eagerly look forward to assessment in the way I loo to fostering an open and honest environment. I think Au is looking at what it would mean to have meaningful and robust assessments and not just assignments.

Have you considered assessment in this manner? 

Blog #5 Christensen and Caring about Others..... through Narrative Writing?

Christensen ends the first section of her chapter on narrative writing by asserting that "students need opportunities to care about each other and the world. Narratives are a good place to start." I found this striking and it propelled me into a rabbit hole of thought– I stopped myself before it became too serious, fear not– around this concept of 'caring for each other and the world.' When do you learn to care about each other? Who teaches you this? Do we count on someone or something in particular to do so?

I think these are provoking questions and I have to be honest: I don't know the answers. Speaking for myself, it was my mother who encouraged me to seek out moments of connection, to let these moments inform my everyday. However, even this can only stretch so far; this isn't necessarily where I learnt to care about others, it is just where I learnt to care in general. It's easy to get caught up in the daily, fairly superficial, tasks, and focus in on yourself and only the experiences that shape you. I would agree with Christensen, I think narrative writing is a good place to start, but without sharing does it loose some of it's power?

Christensen writes, "they remember the read-around, because it is where we become human, where we put aside the masks we wear in the outside world and share our lives." I think her "read-around" is extremely powerful, and I think it is pretty key to her beliefs about the power of narrative writing. To quote my number one woman crush, Brene Brown, "connection is why we're here. It's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." Perhaps narrative writing calls for an authentic voice, serves as a way to invite others into your world, and asks the listener to recognize the worlds that are around them, even if they do not feel close to them. This is powerful stuff, and, according to Christensen, narrative writing is also a lesson in crafting sentences and getting familiar with conventions. So, win win, no?

What do you think about sharing narrative writing? Do you ever remember doing this in school? How did it feel?

In this chapter, I don't believe Christensen addressed writing formulas, but if I had to make an assumption, I think she would concur with Michelle Kenney; writing formulas can be helpful but also harmful to student writing. I have to agree here! Just recently I was writing something for a professor, and she gave me and example paper to refer back to as I did my writing. I agonized over my paragraph structure. The example paper was broken up into three neat paragraphs but I felt like my introduction needed two paragraphs; one paragraph felt rushed. In the end I followed my gut and it turned out fine, but I think their continued presence, even when I am far from days of writing formulas, is surprising.

I am not a fan of the writing formulas but I have also never taught a classroom full of students with varying abilities. Perhaps in this instance the formula is necessary. This is something I am hoping we explore in class this week, as I am quiet curious what others experiences have been.