[PYTASH] Chapter 2

Because I'm a book worm, I was excited coming into this chapter to see how Jago would go about getting students to learn new words. While I was pleased with her instructions and the general feel of the chapter, I still felt like it didn't address the core of the problem: students don't read. She sort of glosses over that point by saying empty phrases about how kids need to read more, but then doesn't actually address how to do this. I'm not saying I have an answer, but she doesn't either. They're not going to learn if they're not interested. It needs to be more than an assignment and it needs to feel like its part of their life to really affect them. She says this, which I really liked:

"The key learning that I try to achieve is that learning new words is a natural act. So much of what happens in schools seems artificial to students; a series of meaningless assignments that they perform for the teacher or else fail."" - pg. 27

I think that is really great. Making school and learning feel natural. But that phrase is empty. It doesn't show me how to do that. Maybe there isn't a way to just be like "here's how you make learning feel natural," but I think it's a key point missing from this book and any other education book I have read. It is one thing to say "learning should be natural" and a whole different thing to actually teach me how to do that.

I also think the entire chapter oversimplified language acquisition. Having taken linguistics where we discussed language acquisition, it's far more complex than that and learning new words isn't just "read and have them talk about the words they don't know." By high school age, we've already accumulated much of our vocabulary, it's just not that simple of a process. I think it gave a few solid exercises, but it just didn't have the depth I think we, as future educators, need at this point in our (pre)careers.

[FOOT] Firestone Experience

During my time at Firestone, I had a solid amount of work time with my student. Even though he had to leave after school was over, from 2:15 to 3:30, we got a lot accomplished each week. I'm actually really glad for the time because he was a super nice kid who was honestly trying to pass the OGT, and his effort to understand showed. I am confident he will do well on the OGT and that our time together had something to do with that.

As for multi-modality, it was a bit lacking in our actual use. In fact, it was completely absent beyond using the calculator on my phone to do a few math problems (before we switched back to English for the remainder of the time). Infusing multi-modality into test preparation is a bit more difficult than it sounds in my head. By nature, tests are not full of multi-modalities. It is a student and a piece of paper and a pencil. So, studying for something that doesn't have multi-modalities can be hard using them because they don't require them to exist. If I were to use multi-modal concepts while preparing for a test, I would use smart boards and non-traditional texts. However, I do find the use of traditional test preparation to still a more needed space in the classroom.

Because a lot of test studying in the classroom is not done on a one-on-one basis, the use of a SmartBoard could help keep things interactive and utilizing students to their full potential. Students could use it to answer questions or to visualize something in a text or keep track of things they know about a piece while they're reading. It would be like simulating the test and having the SmartBoard act as the scrap paper that everyone could see and collaborate on. It also helps hold students' attention because of it being technology oriented.

To pair with the technology of a SmartBoard, using non-traditional texts like graphic novels, manga, or a film can help bring a new thought process to the students and engage them in a way books don't. As long as the questions asked still aid in the test preparation, it will be a positive influence because of the way it keeps their interest and gets student out of the monotony of just reading test questions and answering. Bringing forth the same type of questions with different types of texts will also help them realize these same questions can be applied beyond just a book, so they may find the information more worthwhile.

However useful both of these may be, though, I still believe they are less worthwhile than using traditional test preparation. Just a simple google search of OGT Test Preparation Materials gives you a plethora of sites to use. The top link is even test materials released by the ODE. It comes from the root of standardization: you have to teach to the test. As much as we all wish knowledge was amorphous and that personal responsibility is enough, we need to make sure students are on some sort of track to a normal level of intellect. ANd because of this, we have to teach particular things in a particular way. And to go outside of that risks failing the only thing that matters: the test. Students aren't humans in this game; they're a test score. Welcome to standardization -- get used to it.

As for test preparation, tests, and the growing meaning of "literacy," I think it's more of a rebranding than an expanding definition. Built into new technologies are old. It's a pyramid. Without language (which is part of the "old" regime of literacy), computers don't matter beyond pictures. So, to have that second level of "new" literacy ("computing" etc.), you have to have the prior. The second level is dependent on the first. And, you can learn the first using the second. They are intertwined. But, I also don't see these new multi-modalities entering standardized testing anytime soon. Students aren't going to be tested on their knowledge of video games or ability to operate microsoft office by the government any time soon, if ever. And teachers are already so pressured to meet the current standards, they dont' have time to branch into the new literacies as much as they could because they need to make sure their students pass the current ones. It's really a never ending cycle.

I don't see multi-modal literacies merging into test preparation very easily or very commonly soon. Because it isn't tested, it isn't taught. There's no time for it. Students need to know what type of questions are coming at them and how to figure out the answer. Not how to use a SmartBoard or analyze a film in a similar way you would a book. We don't allow for this creativity to flow in the classroom when it comes to testing. The film won't help as much as a day spent doing traditional test prep, and teachers are aware of that. It may be boring, but I think students know that, too. While working with my student, even he was aware of it. He was focused and knew that this was going to help him pass, and that's why he was there. He didn't want to do anything super crazy interesting. He wanted to learn to take the test correctly and pass.

In the future, I see it integrating more, and as a future teacher, I hope to be a part of that wave. I think more technology become subsidized by the government and plateau's a bit for them to control and keep in check, it will be implemented and monitored in schools more. It will start to become a necessity for life (more than it is now) and forced into schools and literacy. However, I still remain skeptical as to how it will be used for/during test and test preparation and can only work towards finding a way to make it work in the future.

[FOOT] Pleasure Texts

I thought for my "pleasure reading" post, I would talk about a few albums I've been into lately since music is such an important part of my life and then talk about a concert I recently went to.

This is a band named The Motel Life. They released this record, Retreat, this past summer, and I really love it. It's about feeling defeated and getting through those circumstances. It uses a lot of really great metaphors and the musicianship is top notch and very consumable. It's an indie-rock record, but it's very catchy and calm. I highly recommend this band to just about anyone who even listens to music. Check out their tunes on bandcamp where the whole record is streaming.



This is a new song by a band I've been listening to since I was in middle school, Taking Back Sunday. They recently had a re-vamp of their line-up to the original members from their 2003 record Tell All Your Friends. This song is off their upcoming record that's supposed to be released this summer (June 28th, to be exact).



Also, I recently got to see my favorite band, Dance Gavin Dance, perform live last night (March 30th). They are a progressive post-hardcore band from California. What was special about this performance is that this tour (and their most recent record) had 5 of the 6 original members of the band, which they hadn't had since their 2007 debut full-length, Downtown Battle Mountain. I talked about this record during my powerpoint presentation earlier in the year. Anyhow, the performance was great and it was awesome to see one of my favorite bands with (most of) their original line-up. The opening bands who were on the tour weren't anything special to talk about, but the band I Wrestled A Bear Once played, and they're a very weird experimental grindcore act that I think is...well, an interesting listen, to say the least. It was a great time, and I love being at concerts. A band I was filling in for even opened the show, so I got to share the stage with one of my favorite bands last night. Here's their most famous song, "And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman."

[FOOT] Film Festival Experience

Having spent some time at music festivals, I was interested to see how a film one would go. Seeing as films are presented a bit differently than films are, I was expecting it to be a lot different but still under the same "festival" ethos in its presentation. I was mainly correct, and I really enjoyed the experience.

Paying $12 for a ticket to a movie sucks real hard, but at least it was a good movie and the atmosphere was solid. I actually didn't order my ticket online like most of my classmates did, but I also wasn't super picky with what I wanted to go see. It's always nice to be downtown. As much as people rag on Cleveland, it could be worse -- we could be Detroit. I found the only thing that bothered me was that they didn't seat movies until 15 minutes before. It does make sense, though, because there are so many movies being shown and only so much room to play them all.

Will I go back? Probably not. I'm not really a film person. I like books and music, but I am just not a visually stimulated individual, so most movies bore me and I see no artistic or intelligent value in them. Maybe if a friend of mine drags me to one, but other than that, this was more than enough film festival experience for me. Good times, for sure.

[FOOT] Film Festival: The Children of Chabannes Review

Personal Issues: I'm a sucker for documentaries. I don't care much for regular films, but I really like documentaries because they're factual. I often find a lot of the more modern ones (think Michael Moore) to be a bit scare-tactic oriented if focused on political issues, but in general, I just love watching documentaries. I can't say I'm particularly interested in World War II, but I am always interested in a good story, and The Children of Chabannes was great. It was a very heartfelt and it bled with authenticity. I couldn't help but feel for those involved and how touching it was. It was a very realistic view of what was going on in that town.

Technique: The film was mainly comprised of interviews with different people -- very common for a documentary. It's not actors reading from a script, rather human beings telling their story. It wasn't filled with fancy CGI and Michael Bay-like explosions. It spent its time really telling a story about a real world event.

Acting: Because this is a documentary, the people in the film were not "actors" because they weren't acting anything out. They said what they felt and shared their knowledge on the situation at hand.

Plot: "A tale of courage, resilience and love set during WWII, The Children of Chabannes tells the story of how the people of Chabannes, a tiny village in unoccupied France, chose action over indifference and saved the lives of 400 Jewish refugee children. Filmmaker Lisa Gossels returns to Chabannes with her father and uncle, two of the 400 children who were saved. Through intimate interviews with her father and the other "children" of Chabannes, the filmmakers recreate the joys and fears of daily life in that village. We see how this oasis of hope is shattered in August of 1942, when the war reaches the doorsteps of the chateau where the children lived. Through accounts by the extraordinary teachers who taught and loved these children, this lyrical and moving film shows the remarkable efforts made by the citizens of Chabannes, who risked their lives and livelihoods to protect these children, simply because they felt it was the right thing to do." -www.childrenofchabannes.org.

Themes: Beyond the plot theme of saving Jews from Nazi Germany, The Children of Chabbanes really focuses on acceptance and harmony. It's a testament that people can have different views and lifestyles and be together and work together without need for violence. The man who saved all 400 of those Jewish children, Felix Chevrier, was the beacon of that lighthouse and really shows the compassion a human really can have. It was nothing less than touching and reenforces the ideals of solidarity.

Genre: Historial documentary/Jewish Film.

Representation: The film represents as factual of an account of an event as possible. By using interviews, it doesn't allow for a creator bias and isn't a work of fiction.

Ideology: I think this basically ties to the themes of the film. Because it's a documentary. It focuses on Jewish culture, so those ideologies are brought forth, along with the theme of solidarity and caring for your fellow human in times of war.

[FOOT] Quick Response to other articles

(You said you only wanted 2 posts on the articles, but here's my initial response to the two articles i didn't include in my other posts)

Video Games: Mildly absurd, but the heart is in the right place. Even if you just read the first page, having students direct a teacher in a video game doesn't actually teach them anything they can't learn in a gym class with coordination or on their own free time playing the video games themselves. There was no intellectual stimulation to win, it was just watching and going. Made me sad. I'm sure there is some worthwhileness to it that will be implemented in the future, but the current state of video games just doesn't allow for it.

Publish or Perish: Digital books are and will take over. Only time will prove this, but I agree with it. Because I'm a music nerd, I make this analogy: Vinyl culture is recently experiencing a large increase in sales. MP3s are still taking over, but there is now a niche culture for physical music. This same concept will apply to physical books in the future. The main sales will come from digital retailers while physical books become a niche market for those who love to hold onto books. Do you see major vinyl retailers? No, it's all small shops independtly owned. I see this same concept happening to physical books. At least fiction. Obviously textbooks will stick around for a lot longer until there is a way to subsidize it federally for the government to have all textbooks available on a Kindle or something similar.

[FOOT] I'm So Totally, Digitally Close To You/You're Leaving a Digital Trail

The first page of this article immediately struck a chord with me. It discussed the change from the very primitive Facebook layout, to the first one that included a News Feed, which is now a very accepted feature. Heck, the news feed is one of, if not the, most important features of what defines Facebook.

"What particularly enraged Parr was that there wasn’t any way to opt out of News Feed, to “go private” and have all your information kept quiet."

"Within days, the tide reversed. Students began e-mailing Zuckerberg to say that via News Feed they’d learned things they would never have otherwise discovered through random surfing around Facebook"

As a Facebook user for several years now, these two quotes correlate to every single time Facebook makes a change to its layout or privacy settings. There is an outburst for a few days or a few weeks, but eventually everyone shuts up. This is EVERY SINGLE TIME. No matter the situation, people don't pay enough attention and Facebook gets their way. Over the past several years, Facebook has continued to change their privacy settings to allow more of your information out, and people constantly ignore the changes and give their information away. This isn't new, and people don't seem to care.

Later on in the piece, it discusses a concept labeled as "ambient intimacy." It's a lingering, long lasting mark on the world that we can all view, all the time. We may not always be aware of it. The piece talks about how each little piece of information comes together over time to create a picture of who we are, yet we continue to let it be drawn for everyone to see. This is how we are judged now -- but the little snippets we leave behind. And we just continue to leave these bread crumbs behind us that people can openly follow. This leads to the next article/my next point.

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People. Don't. Care. This entire article proves it. The very first paragraphs are about kids completely willing to give up their privacy for a smart phone. Our own financial/materialistic desires are causing us to give up basic human rights and a better way of living.

I was actually quite depressed by how much this article focused on the positives. Yes, Google is doing great things and are worthy of praise. And data collection can do great things. But all of this data collection is done by private companies that, in reality, can do whatever they want with it. They say they don't/won't sell your data, but you would most likely not know if they did anyways, because they'll be doing business with someone else who doesn't want you to know they have your data. This is a political issue that needs to be addressed.

We are ignoring the fact that we don't have any privacy anymore because it's for our own societal gain and nothing else.

But, then I am posed with this question: Even if we "protect" the data, is it really all that safe? Ever? Even 5 years ago, data was being collected on us, and it's just becoming more widespread and open. So, no matter how we go about this, are we screwed anyways? Will we ever really have privacy ever again if we continue to have to have an ip address, a cell phone with gps in it, etc. etc.? I don't think so. But maybe I'm just a skeptic.