Life in a 21st-Century English Class

While browsing the internet, I came across an educational blog that reminded me of the “Critical Literacy Guide” I was asked to read in my Read 411 class.  The article argues that students should implement critical thinking skills in order to elicit social change.  While the article discusses that critical thinking can help create awareness against social injustices, the blog takes these same ideas and implements them through technological means.  In the blog, the author states “I teach in an inquiry, project-based, technology embedded classroom” (Wright).  Instead of simply lecturing, the teacher asks her students to piece information together, critically evaluate what they have learned, and then reflect on their own learning (Wright).

For this 21^st Century English Classroom, research plays a major role in meeting the curriculum and teaching goals.  One of the units the teacher is covering is childhood.  However, for this particular lesson she uses Patricia McCormick’s novel “Sold” in order to focus on the loss of childhood through human trafficking.  The teacher first asks her students to “open a Google doc, access their Diigo or Delicious account, and sign into Symbaloo” (Wright).  This is an effective way to help students initiate their research process and organize their thoughts as well as findings.

Since this is a project-based classroom, the students are then asked “to create a social media campaign to raise awareness around modern slavery” (Wright).  The teacher states “It’s not enough for my students to learn about slavery, they need to do something with it, specifically ‘real world’ projects that matter” (Wright).  I am really pleased to see that the teacher helped students “use social media wisely” and showed them “how social media can be used for social good” (Wright).  This not only engages the students but it helps the issue become more realistic.  Some social networks the students used were Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Although the teacher implements several other forms of technology, the last method they really called my attention was Museum Box.  Instead of writing a traditional essay, the teacher asks her students to create a Museum Box where they are able to develop an argument or description of an event, person, or historical period by placing the items in a virtual box (Wright).  The students use this method to argue their thesis instead of creating a five paragraph essay.  This is a great way to help students bring their arguments to life.  Overall, the lesson successfully utilized technology in a way that not only engaged the students but demonstrated them as active learners.       

Wright, Shelley. “Life in a 21st-Century English Class.” Mind/Shift How We Will Learn. KQED, 2011. Web. 02 May. 2013.

Life in a 21st-Century English Class (click here)