After reading George Lucas’s piece about the necessity of teaching students digital literacy and integrating technology into all learning, I find that I very much agree with his points. A lot of the information is given through technology; movies, websites, podcasts, and the like have become increasingly popular ways of transmitting information. To exclude the teaching and use of these mediums is to exclude students today from a large aray of information. Especially with younger children who cannot read as well, teaching them to interpret information through color and sound, as Lucas suggests, can be very worthwhile. To me, using this technology is English is very appealing. It is a new type of literacy which has become more prevalent. Perhaps it is because I am an English major, but the emotional side of English is very engaging. It is easier sometimes to convey emotion visually and musically than through the written language. So why should we exclude it? Even though he does not refer to it directly, I can see Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligence in Lucas’s argument; emotional intelligence is just as important in today’s world as linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence. Digital technology can be extremely engaging because it causes the children to learn by listening (podcasts), seeing (multimedia), and experiencing (interactive programs).
The podcasts were especially interesting to me, since I never got to attempt these in school. I can see these as very useful in social studies and the like – perhaps having the students create a sort of talk show almost? I am not quite as clear on how to use it in such disciplines as math – any ideas?
Even so, this type of learning could not apply to all students. Some prefer to learn the traditional ways. But the important thing is to include all students in learning. They are already learning this and using it, so why not use it to our advantage to appeal to more students?
So let’s see if we can start another conversation – what ways can you see this working in your future classrooms? How could you fit podcasts into your students’ learning? What do you agree with in Lucas’s article?
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I agree with much of what Lucas discusses in the interview. I think it is important that educators recognize and teach all forms of communication. I don't think they have to be taught independently of one another, however. In fact, I think Lucas describes the various forms of communication as a "circle," and in many ways, the emotional, visual, written, and spoken forms of communication do seem to overlap and reinforce each other. For example, I think digital storytelling offers a great opportunity to see (literally!) how students comprehend a topic. For students to visually represent an abstract concept, they must be aware of how every detail of their creation communicates meaning to the audience. I think that such technologies would only reinforce “traditional” means of communication.
ReplyDeleteLike you, Erin, I did not have first-hand experience with podcasting in my own education, so I am particularly intrigued by this technology. It seems like a great resource for any discipline. I think it may be trickier to teach mathematics through this medium, but not impossible! Certainly, there seems to be a divide between the universal, precise language of mathematics and the emotional nature of individualized/visual/creative modes of representation. If anything, it could be used as a means for students who are less mathematically/logically inclined to demonstrate their understanding in their own words. Perhaps students can create their own songs to remember an important formula or mathematical concept and post these to a podcasting site? I am sure there are many other ways to integrate podcasting in mathematics – I am just not well-versed in it yet! For brainstorming ideas, I would begin by browsing other classrooms’ productions uploaded to iTunes or other podcasting sites. I did some searching on my own and it seems limitless!
Overall, I feel that if students have the opportunity to express themselves in a creative and truly individual process, they will be more likely to find learning meaningful and relevant to their day-to-day lives, both inside and beyond the walls of the classroom. As we discussed on the first day of class by sharing our own positive memories, these are most often the types of lessons students seem to carry with them through life.
Like Erin and Megan, I enjoyed reading the piece on George Lucas' view on education and instructional mediums. He made some interesting and thought-provoking points in his responses. One thing that particularly stuck with me is his comment that, "the way we are educating is based on nineteenth-century ideas and methods...our system of education is locked in a time capsule." I think he is right when he talks about how the driving force of progress in most institutes is change, yet in public education, we seem to find more value in stability. Why are we so resistant to embracing new ways of teaching and learning in the classroom? I think in many cases, teachers feel comfortable sticking with methods they learned from in school. The idea may be that the traditional methods work, while uncertainty surrounds the new technologies. Also, teachers are not comfortable with these technologies, and may feel intimidating when trying to use them to teach, as they do not feel they've mastered the materials themselves. I understand that this is a difficult path to forge, but I do agree with George Lucas that the time has definitely come to try to incorporate "comprehensive communication" and try to embrace the forms of media that interest students and have the potential to really enrich their learning and education.
ReplyDeleteSo, my dad knew way more about podcasts than me. I mentioned this blog assignment to him, and he was shocked that I had little understanding of what a podcast was! Thankfully, I was able to catch up fairly quickly by reading the links and doing a little exploring. Its a little embarrassing to be shown up by your Dad! Like Megan, after a brief exploration of available educational podcasts, I feel fairly confident in saying there is something out there for everyone! Whether teachers or students are searching for audio podcasts or podcasts with picture on any range of subject, chances are you can find something to meet your needs. I think the most important thing to remember is that podcasts (and other resources!) should be used as an aid to instruction, not merely to be able to say that you are using a podcast.
I especially liked the digital directors guild link that was made available to us for this assignment. For people who feel a little daunted by all the intricacies of technological education, I think this website is a great place to find inspiration and gain a little confidence in using certain tools. Digital movie making can be used in any for of education, and when done correctly, I really think that its use can deeply benefit student learning. When students take the initiative for their instruction and are doing something they are excited about, I think a great deal of learning takes place. I know I definitely want to explore this site more when I am considering projects, lessons, and activities to use in my classroom. There are endless possibilities out there!
Lindsey--we missed you today! Hope you're feeling better SOON! :)
Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education identified the benefits of a new-age visual approach to learning, which I think is SO important and should be at the forefront of our educational issues. Lucas highlighted the important aspects of technology integration in today’s classroom. I hope to create an environment in which students are able to expound upon creative measures of education including: graphics, music, and cinema. Like Jennifer said, “the possibilities are endless!” Teachers should cultivate this new world of learning, so that students may succeed in high school, college, and future jobs. Technology is an integral part of society and will continue to be for the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree technology can be integrated in major disciplines like math or science, students should not focus solely on technology and forget about the basics. Technology can be used to reinforce lessons or as an addendum. I also disagree with Lucas’ statement that music, “appeals to your emotions, not your intellect.” In congruence with Erin’s argument on the Multiple Intelligences Theory, music is a form of intellect as well. Accordingly, some children may use music in order to express their intellect.
Lucas notes that very educated people occasionally have difficulty communicating their thoughts and ideas visually. I had a similar experience this past year working at the PGA TOUR. Colleagues would come up with these brilliant ideas to present to sponsors, but they were completely incapable of using PowerPoint. The TOUR would often lose sponsors to the NFL because their presentations were not as visually appealing.
Teachers should start with visual literacy as early as kindergarten. The sooner these skills are implemented in the classroom, the more likely students will be able to explore on their own. As discussed previously with my business world example, I believe businesses need to shift more towards technological advancements to keep up with their competitors and/or clients. However, we should be more concerned about our school systems progressing and allowing for technological advances.
**Thanks for the thinking of me, Jen! It looks like I may be out for another day. The doctor told me not to leave my room! Geesh!
I think George Lucas makes some good points. I would agree that success with graphics, music and cinema is increasingly important, but I do not think that the mechanics of writing should take a back seat just yet. I like how he notes that we’re advancing intellectually fast, but not spiritually, although I would have liked to have heard him elaborate on that a bit more. I got the feeling that he was doing a bit of ranting, without providing much reason. For example, he says that communicating graphically is just as important for success as communicating verbally and through writing. He uses the example of doctors making boring presentations and stresses that they are not graphically, cinematically up to speed—perhaps these presenters are just boring and would benefit very little from graphic communication anyway. I agree that we have a lot to gain from these mediums, but I don’t think we can all reach Lucas’s ideal emotional, cinematic vision. Maybe I’m a skeptic.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Directors’ Guild, I think that students can benefit greatly from “crafting projects that fuse, images, music, video and narration.” It certainly provides a more social medium for doing schoolwork. To Erin’s inquiry about implementing math, perhaps a video which presents math formulas set to music would work?
From the elementary podcast I watched, the kids were presenting the history of their New Jersey town and all its highlights. I think this format is an improvement from the traditional report, but because it was so scripted, I have to wonder just how much better it is. Perhaps they could have engaged in a question/answer format and given roles to students. In any case, I plan on implementing these mediums. They are an improvement to more traditional formats, and it’s certainly important to involve students this way.