Today was just like any other. I woke
up, checked my texts and Snapchats, looked on Facebook, and sent out a tweet
about the Superbowl. Although I’m not interested in any of the teams
playing this year (the Giants aren’t in it... boo), Superbowl Sunday is a time
to get together with friends, eat some yummy snacks, and laugh at commercials.
Needing to bring something to this gathering, I hopped on Pinterest to
see what wonderful creations others have made and crossed my fingers in hopes that
mine turns out looking half as good as what is presented on that site. I
found a Reese's
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip and figured that would
be perfect. Then, I went to lunch with Megan to figure out what to write
this blog on. We discussed our mornings and realized how much social
media and technology we use in our everyday lives.
According to Sweeny, technology is about
staying connected. She states that people “use technology in two distinct ways:
to socialize and to seek out information” (Sweeny, 2010, p.124). Thinking about
my morning, these were the two goals I achieved by using these various
technologies- seeking out the perfect Superbowl snack and communicating with
others through various applications. Today, students are considered “digital
natives”. If the use of technology is a norm for us as teachers, as well
as our students, shouldn’t we find a way to incorporate these multimodal texts
into the educational setting?
“The current information and communication
technologies (ICT's) are fundamentally changing the ways in which youth today
read, write, and communicate” (Sweeny, 2010, p.121). The problem is that
teachers are afraid that using forms of technology for literacy instruction
will have students not take the work as seriously. We believe that many
teachers do not view social media as being a quality literacy resource.
There is a disconnect between how people view
literacy and the most effective ways to teach these particular skills in the
classroom setting. Before reading these articles, if asked about literacy,
we’re not quite sure we would have considered technology or social media a
valuable tool for instruction. Now, we believe that teachers should
embrace these tools and use the technological advancements that are available
in order to differentiate instruction and bridge the gap between the changing
world and school. What do you think? Is social media something that can
be used effectively at both school and home? How?
Social media provides a means for
self-expression. Think about Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Snapchat.
These are all social media applications that allow us to make decisions
that reflect who we are and how we communicate with others. As Gee would
say, it’s how we express our multiple identities. According to Gee,
“there are four ways to view identity, that is, what it means to be a certain
kind of person” (Gee, 2000, p. 100). These four identities include the
Nature-identity, the Institution-identity, the Discourse-identity, and the
Affinity-identity. How can your students express their identities in an
effective and productive manner in your classroom? Can social media be
used as a tool to help students recognize these identities?
These articles helped us think of new
ways to approach literacy instruction and presentation in our own classrooms.
Rather than limiting students to a paper and pencil or a typed format
approach, teachers can offer options and flexibility for assignments.
With an end goal in mind, students can express and identify themselves
through the use of multimodal texts such as pictures, video, and audio.
Do you think, with our world becoming so technologically advanced, we
will see more social media and other outlets appear in the classroom? We
look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts!
TTYL- Alex and
Megan
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