Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth through Engaging Hip-hop Culture

We live in a world where diversity has become a valued attribute of education.  Teachers and schools embrace the idea of having students from multicultural backgrounds share their opinions and engage in critical dialogue.  In the article “Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth through Engaging Hip-hop Culture,” Ernest Morrell and Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade suggest that the Hip-hop culture could elicit this critical dialogue amongst the diverse students by catering not only to their interests but also their cognitive capacities.  According to the article, “Hip-hop music is the representative voice of urban youth, since the genre was created by and for them” (Morrell and Duncan-Andrade 88).  Furthermore, it caters to students’ cognitive capabilities because “Hip-hop texts are rich in imagery and metaphor and can be used to teach irony, tone, diction, and point of view” (Morrell and Duncan-Andrade 89). 

The article suggested different ways of incorporating Hip-hop into a “‘traditional’ senior English poetry unit” (90).  The students were assigned a poem from a specific time period (i.e. the Elizabethan Age, the Puritan Revolution, and the Romantics) as well as a corresponding rap song and were asked to prepare an interpretation of their texts.  They were encouraged to find and analyze the linkage between the two.  In addition, the unit granted students agency because they were asked to complete an anthology and write various poems of their own.  Ultimately, the unit fostered critical thinking and dialogue by engaging the students’ interests through Hip-hop and allowing them to make a connection between poetry and the outside world.

This lesson would be a great way of incorporating technology into the English classroom.  Nowadays, anything could be accessed through YouTube and the internet.  Teachers could show students the music videos of relevant songs and ask them to deconstruct the text.  In addition, teachers could utilize Wiki Spaces, which I mentioned in my last blog, by having the students work together in creating their own poems.  Although this lesson incorporates great components of critical pedagogy, there were some aspects of the lesson plan that I would modify.  The article was written in July 2002 and the rappers used throughout the lesson were Nas, Grand Master Flash, and Ice Cube.  These are old-school rappers who are no longer as prominent, with probably the exception of Nas.  In order to implement this lesson, teachers would have to find song writers that are relevant today.  The only issue with that is that we live in a world where music has lost the substance behind it.  The majority of music is strictly geared toward entertainment not creating awareness.
References: Morrell, Ernest, and Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade. “Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth through Engaging Hip-Hop Culture.” English Journal (2002): 88-92. Print.

Overcoming Digital Literacy Challenges in the High School English Classroom

Like many of my fellow classmates, for my READ 411 class I was asked to find an article that focused on the integration of technology within the Language Arts classroom.  After some browsing, I came across the article “Overcoming Digital Literacy Challenges in the High School English Classroom.”  The article introduces the benefits of incorporating such technologies as Wiki Spaces and Google Apps within the classroom setting by focusing on the importance of embracing digital literacy.  According to the article, “literacy ‘no longer consists solely of interaction with the one-dimensional written page’…because society is moving in a technologically driven direction” (St. John and Von Slomski 21).  With the increasing technological demand in society, younger generations of students are not only encouraged but expected to be digitally literate.  The article proposes two options, the Wiki Spaces and Google Apps, in order to help “create pedagogy around digital literacy” (St. John and Von Slomski 22).

The Wiki Spaces are designed to appeal to students who are not engaged in school work on a regular basis.  It grants the students the opportunity to express themselves freely and gives them a sense of responsibility for their work because they know they will be evaluated by their peers and teacher.  Furthermore, the Wiki Spaces encourage collaborative learning and writing as each student is expected to substantially contribute to the online discussion.

Similarly, the Google Apps are introduced as a way of enhancing the peer-editing process.  According to the article, Google Apps is beneficial for both the student and the teacher because it improves assessment.  With these particular programs, students will be able to share their documents with their teachers as well as their classmates.  In addition, the apps allow the teachers to comment directly on the documents, thus giving the students the opportunity to improve and revise their work.

Although both options provide great methods for incorporating technology within the classroom setting, as future educators it is important to keep in mind the challenges we may also experience with regard to digital literacy.  One challenge the article brings up is the fact that “digital literacy standards are not mandatory or standardized in many school systems” (St. John and Von Slomski 24).  As future teachers, we need to find alternatives that will not only benefit our students but also cater to this digital literacy phenomenon. 

References: 

St. John, Katelyn, and Linda Von Slomski. “Overcoming Digital Literacy Challenges in  the High School English Classroom.” The California Reader 46.1 (2012): 21-25. Print.

A Digital Native, an Active Learner

     The future of education is now a mouse click away.  Opening the doors to cyber education has become an attractive way of enriching our knowledge.  If only we could take a microscopic form and literally travel the network of education.  Education has already grown legs and is traveling the internet as students navigate the web to enhance their learning.  Yet will this new method of learning interfere with social interaction?  Yes, I can learn Chinese history from someone in Beijing, but will that take the place of meeting people from diverse backgrounds, from traveling to China and experiencing it all on my own?  How will we expand our interpersonal skills when we are losing our humanity by interacting with a PC?  Perhaps future students do prefer a more digital way of learning, one where they can use mobile devices to connect with friends, classmates, and teachers.  Yet will closing college doors to open networks of education be the best way to prepare future generations?  Life in cyberspace is great and enlightening, but we can’t forget to take our heads out of the computer every once in a while. 

 

Interactivity #4 The Pedagogical Uses of Technology

URL to my spreadsheet (click here)

I chose this particular lesson plan because language is a vital aspect of the English subject.  The lesson, An Introduction to Beowulf: Language and Poetics, allows students to make a comparison between Old and Modern English and lets students see how language has transformed over time.  Since the goals were to demonstrate the relationship between Old English and Modern English, as well as present poetic devices common to Old English poetry, the teaching strategies and technologies used effectively supplemented the lesson plan.  Although I do consider the teaching strategies to be effective, I must admit that they could be seen to a certain extent as oppressive since the initial portion of the lesson consisted mostly of lectures.  There were not many student centered activities present.  For this reason, I incorporated the task of asking students to create their own original poem integrating poetic devices that were common to Old English.  This activity would allow students to demonstrate their abilities and apply their knowledge.  Furthermore, I added clips from the movie Beowulf in order to elicit the discussion on the relationship between Old and Modern English.  The incorporation of the clips would not only draw the students’ attention, but it would add another dimension to achieving the curriculum goal.

The technologies used in the lesson plan were mostly websites.  The websites were not essential to achieving the curriculum goal, but they were great aids.  Although this lesson could be taught without the incorporation of technology, without any aids it would be boring and flat.  The websites allow students to physically see and hear the elements present in Old English, and therefore contribute to the students’ overall understanding.  As I mentioned in interactivity #1, technology should not take over the classroom setting but should only be an aid and support system.    

Interactivity #3: Generating a State of the Art Inventory

As future educators, we will be expected to work with our colleagues in order to enhance our students’ learning experience.  When I first read the guidelines for this interactivity and realized it was a group project, I must admit I was a bit frustrated.  Group work in person is hard enough, now imagine it online.  I’ve never been a fan of group projects, because I’ve always been the person who ends up doing the majority of the work.  However, unlike my previous experiences, working with Google Spreadsheet allowed us to monitor each member’s contribution by accessing the revision history.  Being able to determine accountability ensured that each member contributed his/her share.

At first conducting the interactivity seemed difficult because someone had to take the initiative to email the group and create the spreadsheet.  However, once Cathleen initiated the process, the steps became a lot easier to complete.  Since I was the third person to start editing, I had a better idea of how my fellow group members wanted to organize the spreadsheet.  Finding the technologies was also simple.  Seeing their ideas inspired me and helped me come up with technologies of my own.  Overall, the interactivity was enlightening.  It allowed me to realize that group projects can be manageable as long as there is communication and collaboration.   

Interactivity #2: The History of Technology in Schools

Redefining speech with a whole new vocabulary. 

Interactivity 1: Technology as Autobiography

Albert Einstein once stated: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  Although it is true that elements of our humanity have been replaced by technology, it is also true that in today’s world technology plays a vital role.  The three most influential communication technologies in my life are my cell phone, computer, and television.  Just like Olivia mentions in the video, technology is indeed “my lifeline.”  My cell phone not only keeps me in contact with family and friends, but it also allows me to access information instantaneously through the internet.  Nowadays smartphones perform the same functions as desktop computers and laptops, but, just like the boy stated in the video "Learning to Change, Changing to Learn,” have the convenience of being compact and portable.  While having a smartphone is great, there are certain tasks I feel can be completed more effectively through a computer, such as writing papers and researching information.  Having access to the internet is like having a library of information at your disposal.  Lastly, besides entertainment, television also caters to the instant acquisition of information.  With modern technology, we are able to view news live and receive news updates almost immediately. 

As a future educator, it is important to know what technological resources my students have access to and are familiar with.  In Olivia’s video, when the teacher asks what technologies students have access to, she is able to establish an open communication with her students.  Knowledge of what resources are available to my students will dictate what assignments are appropriate for the class.  Not only is it important to understand the relationship between my students and technology, but it is also important to understand that technology encourages creativity, critical thinking, hands on activities, and engages students in the learning process.  This is evident not only in Olivia’s video but also in the second video “Learning to Change, Changing to Learn.”  The children are able to express their creativity when they are designing their Myspace pages.  They are also able to enhance their learning experiences by utilizing these technological resources, as is seen with the girl who learned Japanese over the computer.  

Although there are many advantages to incorporating technology into the classroom setting, technology should be solely used as an aid and support system.  It should not be allowed to take over the classroom, because then students lose that element of humanity and those face to face interactions that are also essential for the learning experience.  Just like the girl states in the “Learning to Change, Changing to Learn” video: “I’m a person. I’m not a computer.”