Media Presentation

          For my Media Presentation, I recorded myself performing a think aloud from the book Cloudette. I still believe that think alouds are most effective when conducted in person, but having a recording can be useful in certain situations. A recording can serve as a listening station or as material for a substitute teacher. This is the first time I have recorded myself performing a think aloud, and I think my recoding skills may still need some work, like orienting my words so they are not backwards. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! 

Lichtenheld, T. (2011). Cloudette. New York, NY: Henry Holt.

REED 534: Personal Glossary

Personal Glossary

Chapter 1- Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel

Discourse: Ways of using language and other forms of communication

Physical-industrial mindset: “Assumes that the contemporary world is essentially the way it has been throughout the modern-industrial period, only now it has been technologized in a new and very sophisticated way.” Page 10

Cyberspatial- postindustrial mindset: “Assumes that the contemporary world is different in important ways from how it was even 30 years ago, and that this difference is growing due to change that is related to the development of new internetworked technologies and new ways of doing things.” Page 10

Chapter 5- James Paul Gee

Projective Stance: “A double-sided stance towards the world (virtual or real) in terms of which we humans see the world simultaneously as a project imposed on us and as a site onto which we can actively project our desires and values.” Page 22

Instantiates: To represent by concrete instance

            Merriam Webster

Centrifugal Force: Imposed upon

            Merriam Webster

Projective Beings: Refers to the double-sided nature of gamers and their characters. Page 99

Vector: A quantity that has size and direction

            Merriam Webster

Iterative: Expressing repetition of a verbal action

            Merriam Webster

Albeit: Conceding the fact that: even though: although

            Merriam Webster

Chapter 6- Rebecca W. Black

Fan Fiction: “Spaces where school age fans are using new ICTs to engage, not only with pop culture and media, but also with a broad array of literate activities that are aligned with many school-based literacy practices.” Page 116

New Capitalisms: “Centers on the production of material goods, to what is valued within social and workspaces rooted in a mindset “forged in cyberspace.” Page 116

Affinity Spaces: “People interacting and relating to each other through common interest or passion.” Page 117

Flame: In regards to Fan Fiction, to viciously insult them or their work in a manner that has little or no redeeming value. Page 123

Crossovers: “Blending stories from different sources together.” Page 137

Synergism (Synergistically): “Interaction of discrete agencies (as industrial firms), agents (as drugs), or conditions such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects”

            Merriam Webster

Metonymy (Metonymous): “A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated (as “crown” in “lands belonging to the crown”)”

            Merriam Webster

Autoethnographic: “An approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze personal experience in order to understand cultural experience.”

Ellis, C., Adams, T., & Bochner, A. (2010). Autoethnography: An Overview [Abstract]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1). Retrieved from http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1589/3095

Chapter 9- Michele Knobel and Colin Lankshear

Meme: “Contagious patterns of “cultural information” that get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group” Page 199

Memetics: Having to do with memes

Fecundity: “The rate at which an idea or pattern is copied and spread.” Page 202

Geek Kitsch: “The syntactic and semantic hiccups within the English subtitles.” Page 210

Anomalous Juxtaposition: In regards to memes, “hooks” for maximizing the susceptibility of the idea being passed from mind to mind.” Page 215

Text Set 4: Penguins!

Mr. Poppers Penguins By Richard and Florence Atwater

Ages 7-9

            Mr. Popper’s Penguins is the classic story about a man who adopts several pet penguins and keeps them in his basement. Although this story is a fictional comedy, things like the penguin’s habitats and behaviors are mentioned. I would use this book as a read aloud to the whole class.

March of the Penguins

All Ages

            March of the Penguins is a documentary film about a group of Emperor Penguins journey to find their mates. I think this movie would provide students with a significant amount of background knowledge about penguins and their habits.

Tacky the Penguin By Helen Lester

Ages 4-8

            This is a fun fictional story about a penguin, Tacky. Students will enjoy this book and it lends its self well to building vocabulary and exploring adjectives while following the theme of penguins. 

Cinderella Penguin, or, The Little Glass Flipper By Janet Perlman

Ages 4-9

            Everybody loves a good fractured fairy tale! This story is a spin on the timeless classic, Cinderella. Although this is another simple, fun, and fictional text, I think it could serve as a mentor text for students to create their own fractured fairy tales. Students could also incorporate what they have learned about penguins into their story.

Penguins of the World By Wayne Lynch

Ages 8-12

            This beautifully photographed nonfiction book explores all 17 types of penguins. I would share this book with students in a small group setting. I think it is important to address that “penguin” is a general term and that there are many different types.

National Geographic Kids: Penguins!  By Anne Schreiber

Ages 5-8

            This is a nonfiction text about the Emperor penguins that is written for a younger audience. The author of this book is a former elementary teacher and also wrote the science content for The Magic School Bus TV show.

Scholastic Discover More: Penguins By Penelope Arlon

Ages 7-9

            The Scholastic Discover More series is one of my favorite nonfiction series of books. Although this text is written for ages 7-9, I believe that younger students would enjoy and learn a lot by looking at the pictures. I would have students read or explore this book with a partner. They could share interesting facts they learn and perhaps help each other with some of the words.

Eve of the Emperor Penguin By Mary Pope Osborne

Ages 6-9

            This book is #40 in the popular Magic Tree House series. In this book, Jack and Annie travel to Antarctica to learn about happiness through penguins’ lives. This book also has a “Fact Track” companion that accompanies it. 

http://www.kidzone.ws/ANIMALS/penguins/index.htm

            This website seems to be mostly designed for teacher usage. Teachers can print out mini booklets, poems, coloring sheets, and many other resources that relate to penguins. There is also a section for interesting facts and vivid photos.

http://www.penguinworld.com/types/

Ages 9-13

            Although this website is designed for older students, the information in it seems accurate, is interesting, and all students could benefit from it. This website allows you to read about each type of penguin and contains awesome photos of each type. I would share the information and photos on this sight in a whole group setting.

Reflection 10: Memes

            This book has a really special way of taking topics that I thought were pretty simple to an entirely new level. I love memes, and they are one of my favorite topics to brows on Pinterest J Anyways, I was really surprised to read that the idea of memes has been around for 80 years! The original definition of memes is based around biology though. The key characteristics of successful memes are fidelity, fecundity, and longevity. Memes need to be memorable, widely shared, and attractive in order to survive.

            After conducting an in depth study on the development on memes, researchers made several interesting findings. The most successful memes were ones that had been changed or adopted into new memes. Humor is also a highly important factor in the success and reproducibility of memes. In a similar fashion to Fan fiction, memes are constantly changing as people edit them and making additions. Memes can also have different purposes such as social commentary and absurd humor.

            I think creating memes would be a fun classroom activity. The writing in this form of literature is usually very short, approximately one to two lines. However, the memes do take a certain amount of creativity. The memes could be based on a topic being learned in class, testing strategies, or maybe even classroom rules. I think anytime pop culture and trends can be incorporated appropriately into the classroom it is engaging and interesting for students. 

E-Readers

Will the Kindle Change Education?

            This article published by scholastic discusses the benefits and drawbacks of implementing the use of Kindle E-readers in the K-12 classroom. Some of the attractive features of the Kindle are its size, lightweight feel, ability to read in bright light, and long battery life. Kindles are also able to hold up to 1,500 books. The ability to hold a vast amount of books is an obvious plus, but so is the ease in which students can download popular titles. Kindles also have a text-to-speech feature that reads texts allowed. This would be beneficial to students with disabilities and students who understand material better through auditory means.

            Some of the potential issues that have been seen with the use of Kindles in the classroom are their durability, their ability to share information via projector, and sharing information between kindles. Lastly, the most significant hurdle and probably biggest prevention of Kindles in the classroom is their cost. The baseline price for the Kindle is $299 and the average book price is $10.

            I enjoy reading from my Kindle, and I think Kindles would be a beneficial classroom accessory. Kindles may not be appropriate for students in younger elementary grades since they need to gain experience with print and may need to  learn to respect classroom materials. However, in the middle grades and on I believe Kindles would be helpful for several reasons. Students go through texts much quicker in the upper grades and Kindles allow for less book storage and quick access to new texts. I also really like how Kindles have the text-to-speech option. I have used this feature in my car as an audio book and I think students could benefit from it as well. Overall I do not feel that Kindles are a current necessity for our schools though. While I do think they would be helpful and potentially motivating for students to read, unfortunately I do not envision them being a top priority in next years budget. 

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752572

Reflection 8: Blogging

This picture is from the MTV show Awkward. In this show the protagonist, Jenna, keeps and on going blog that also serves as the narration. I like how this show combined a new literacy with classic teenage drama. The more exposure students have to things like blogs, the more familiar they will become with them.

I was familiar with the structure, design, and purpose of blogs before this course although I had never kept my own or followed anyone. Like chapter 8 explains, blogs are an inexpensive way for people to communicate, share information, and connect with each other. I think if I were to create an anonymous blog my intent would be to get personal points across and receive feedback.

            One of the significant differences in a new literacy, like blogging, compared to traditional literacies, is the option the reader has to not read all of the posted information or comments. Blogs can become an on going conversation between multiple people and the reader can choose to just read the original post. I like how the author said, “Authorship and identities can become blurred as texts intertwine and merge.”

            Similar to how many classes have a class website set up, I think it would be a fun experiment to set up a class blog. Students could be anonymous to just each other or the teacher as well, as they blog responses to a book, a test, or school issue. Having a class blog would expand students’ literacy experiences as the chapter suggests. Just as people with various backgrounds still communicate with each other via blog, so can students. Similarly, just as blog authors can become a character they have developed, students too can shape their identities.

The Civil War: Text Set 3

This text set is a collection of books about the Civil War. 

Henry and the Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Rail Road by Ellen Levine

Ages 7-10

            This picture book is about the true story of a little boy who escapes from slavery by hiding in a wooden box. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and the story is gripping. I would use this book as a read aloud in the classroom. 

Magic Tree House Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne

Ages 8-9

            The Magic Tree House series is about a brother and sister who travel to different time periods through their magic tree house. In this book, Annie and Jake travel back to the time of the Civil War and help Clara Barton heal wounded soldiers.

B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet by Patricia Bauer

Ages 6-9

            This book is an alphabet book where each letter of the alphabet is represented by one word that relates to the Civil War, such as specific battles and leaders. I think this book is appropriate for younger grades because the information is realistic but not too harsh.

I am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer

Ages 5-8

            This book is part of a series called Ordinary People Change the World. The book contains child like language and cartoon based images. I like this book because it is informative but I think students would like the fun cartoon themed images and appropriate language. I would like for students to read this book with a partner or I could use it as a read aloud. 

Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter

Ages 8-10

            This timeless book is the story of how a song leads slaves to freedom by following the North Star. Although there is some discrepancy on the exact history of this song, the story is engaging and memorable. I also like how this story incorporates music into the lesson.

Follow The Drinking Gourd website

Ages 10 and up

            This website contains a lot of information about the history of this story. Students can explore what the song lyrics mean, interpretations from the last twenty years, how we know what we know, and other interesting information about the song. I would like to share this website with students in a small group setting.

http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/index.htm

Eyewitness Civil War by Dorling Kindersley 

Ages 8-12

            The Eye Witness collection of books by DK is known for their pictures and factual information. I would have students examine this text individually or with a partner. The images of soldiers’ uniforms, weapons, and lifestyle during the Civil War will help students understand even more what it was like. 

Brain Pop Civil War

Ages 7-10

            Brain Pop is a website that shows short clips on a variety of content area topics like math, science, and social studies. Although the school needs to have a subscription to the website in order to watch the videos, individual students do not. I like to use Brain Pop clips as an introduction to a lesson or new concept. There are several videos available on the Civil War.

Ghosts of the Civil War by Cheryl Harness

Ages 7-10

            This graphic novel is the story of a girl who thinks the Civil War is just another history lesson, until she meets the gosh of Abraham Lincoln and is transferred back in time. I chose to add this book to my text set because it is a graphic novel that discusses ghosts in this historical topic. I feel that it is somewhat edgy and students would enjoy it. 

CivilWar@Smithsonian

Ages 8 and up

            The Smithsonian’s website contains a significant amount of information about the civil war. I thought the most informative information is a timeline of the Civil War and links to other websites for more information. Since this information is posted on the Smithsonian’s website I feel that it can be trusted to be accurate.

http://www.civilwar.si.edu/timeline.html