The title is just a catchy phrase that I have been waiting years to work into a conversation. Yet, on some levels it catches your attention and draws you into the conversation, both Lankshear and Knobel use the Title of Chapter 11 as a way to remind the reader that attention to content and details can be overlooked when you are not actively engaged. Rushkoff, in his book... "Program or be Programmed"...calls for a period of time when the individual turns off and tunes out... as way to recharge and step away from the constant bombardment and clamoring from those things seeking our attention. In an electronic age where constant interaction has become the norm it would be easy for many to become desensitized to number of interactions needing our attention. I am not a single thought individual, in that I'm regularly thinking and attending to any number of things at one time... that is unless I'm doing something that requires focus or at least the majority of my primary attention. Even while writing this blog post I'm considering all the parts of the reading I want to incorporate, while also reflecting on my past experiences with that content information, add the thoughts of future use of this new mix of information is also part of the cognitive process, which often leads to skipped or misspelled words... and sometimes these errors even go unnoticed in the proof reading because they were in my mind (my silent unspoken voice) when I am writing and therefore automatically superimposed into the reading when prooofing... it is Not until I re-read maybe days later that I pick up the errors that others may see on the first reading. "Attention, unlike information, is inherently scarce." (Chapter Eleven, Page 213). Understanding the basic principles of economics is Not usually a topic that seems relevant in a digital literacy class, yet the correlation to defining and building a better understanding of scarcity and the "supply and demand" models are reflective of the marketing approach to information produced vs. information consumed. The student population that I have in the classroom is there for various reasons, but failing multiple classes is right up near the top of the list, Not failing because they lack ability or understanding, but failing because of attention. When I say failing due to attention I'm Not directly referencing ADD/ADHD, though some of my students have from mild to severe cases, but rather failing because they have Not learned how to prioritize their needs. Many of these students want to graduate high school, but have not learned how to make that their #1 priority. This issue even crosses into adult lives in that... we make time to do the things that are most important to us.... Believe me when I say "I'm Not judging," but if something is that important you will find a way to make it happen even against extraordinary odds. When something catches our attention or draws our attention away from the goal; then the questions that should arise are: Why is that earning my attention? or Why am I so easily distracted? The idea of "stars" and "fans" reminds me of the "doers" and the "watchers" or in this case those that create and those that consume... Andy Rooney spoke about an individual's "fifteen minutes of fame" a term that is now referred to as"going viral"... which has often caused me to ask myself this question... Why this and Why now? which takes you right back into the economics classroom, "demand" after all the secret to success is finding a product that consumers want and the ability to provide it to them when they want it. And they usually want NOW!
Chapter Twelve: two old school lessons and one slightly new lesson... the old lesson was that this little folded paper book that was published by a very small independent preacher from near Terra Alta, WV (I think) filled with anecdotes and parables, which I would say fully meets the definition of a Zine. While his publications were cut, folded, and stabled the second old lesson reminded me of middle school fold-able called a "pop" booklet, which leads to the slightly new fold-able that I have students make that requires about six to ten sheets of paper and makes a nice little journal or lexicon. When I read and later re-read trying to decide what quote to use for the blog I was led to this rather unassuming sentence... "They very often subvert the cash nexus: zine purchasing currency is frequently a zine in trade or postage stamps." (Chapter Twelve, Page 237) Out of all that is said in chapter eleven and twelve, the recurring thought that kept banging around in my head was the human need to create and or be creative... Zines were never meant to be profitable they were intended to share a creative work... student want, dare I say Need, authentic and relevant interactions with subject content and a way to share their understanding of those interactions. Yes, sometimes those demonstrations of understanding will be tests or quizzes, but even those interactions need to have multiple ways for students show their DOK. Giving students the opportunities to use technology tools and some very basic parameters with the challenge of creating something original will lead to higher level thinking and far greater future success in problem solving. Cyberzines, Vines, Snapchat video, Instagram, Youtube Capture, GoPro, Twitter, and many more are a small sampling of ways for students create and demonstrate knowledge, which in some cases requires 10 second precision.
Lankshear, Colin, and Michele Knobel. Literacies: Social, cultural and historical perspectives. Peter Lang, 2011.
1 comment:
Your image about nobody being too busy reminds me of my dad making me watch Zig Ziglar to help get me motivated as a teen (he would've never guessed I'd be motivating teens someday!)
Ziglar said "Everyone has 24 hours in a day". This is true. What/How you prioritize is important. I beg my students to prioritize their education but from my experience (as a slacker teenager), I know it is something that takes forethought (they don't realize why school is so important) and maturity.
If I did not have my parents literally dragging me out of bed at times, I would not have gone to school. If I knew it wouldn't be a major disappointment to my family for me not to get the Scholar Athlete badge most all my softball teammates got, I would've been fine with a 2.0 GPA. When I hear about students who go to school while their parent sleeps in, it breaks my heart- maybe it shouldn't. They are at a disadvantage compared to the student who's parent drops them off on time everyday.
When my parents divorced and were too stressed out to check my report card, it was the prime opportunity for me to slack off.
I have a relative who just finished medical school with an absolutely tremendous amount of student loan debt despite a full undergraduate scholarship and the excellent financial and emotional support he received from is parents & step-parents, one of whom is a physician. He is very intelligent and capable but I do not see how anyone from a low socioeconomic background/minimal family support could afford to get through medical school.
I have done an activity with my students before where they sit in their chairs and try to throw a crumpled up piece of paper in our class trashcan. The students in the back say, "This isn't fair. I am in the back of the room. The people who got it in the trashcan were up closer!" This leads to a discussion about how everyone can overcome obstacles with hard work- they could practice until they got it in the trashcan- but some people have more opportunities than others, its a fact of life. Luckily, everyone in my classes has had the opportunity of being in good health, having functional cognitive ability, living in America and having access to free public education. Although, they might not have the advantages others have through family status or income. I don't mean to discourage them. My intention is to encourage them to work hard for what they want, not be so hard on themselves when it comes to their failures and especially to be more compassionate to others, i.e. the people working at McDonalds, the homeless, the differently-abled, etc.
(I think I went off topic!)
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