Weekly Reading #3 6809

1. What findings in the Media Ecologies: Quantitative Perspectives surprised you the most? How does the finding change the way you think about young people, technology and learning?

The number of hours teenagers spend using computers, TVs and mobile phones is high, but not surprising.  Whether you are at the doctor’s office, the grocery store, or at a restaurant, teenagers are glued to their phones and iPods.  We know this epidemic of teenagers spending several hours using digital media is only going to increase with future generations.  As teachers, we need to incorporate as much educational content in digital media in the classroom as we can so the knowledge can follow the students out of the classroom. 

2. What are the benefits to a genre-based approach to understanding youth engagement with digital media over a categorical-based approach?

The benefits of using a genre-based approach are that more details are examined and taken into consideration.  For example, the type of media platform, frequency of media use, gender, age, and socioeconomic status are examined.  As teachers, we know that every student learns at a different level.  The way students learn media literacy is not any different.  They are at various learning levels and should be taught skills at their level. 

3. What aspects of Michelle's (Box 1.2) computer use at home have implications for computer use at school?

The first thing to note about Michelle’s computer use at home is that it is restricted and limited.  This is what most schools already have in place.  I think that teachers should give assignments at school using the internet, but should keep an eye on them so they stay on track and not “mess around.”  The second thing to note about Michelle’s computer use is that she is able to help her mom use the computer to connect to family and pay bills.  The skills that teenagers are learning today should be brought home to teach their parents who might not be technology savvy. 

4. As you read about Clarissa (Box 1.3) consider the affordances of digital technologies that help Clarissa shape her identity and the role they play in literacy engagement. Do you think there are positive implications for these affordance in school-based literacy instruction? If so, what are they. If not, what are your concerns?

Clarrisa was able to get a sense of self-identity and connect with others on Faraway Lands, as well as improve her writing skills.  I think this type of media use could be used in the classroom, but with limitations.  The interactions they have with each other should be monitored.  But overall, why not use this in the classroom?  This type of social media can incorporate educational content, but in a way that is relevant and interesting to young teens. 

5. In the section titled Messing Around we read about the sophisticated and creative technology practices young people are developing on their own outside of school. Do you think it is important for teachers to know about and understand these practices? Why?

If teachers were able to know what students are creating out side the classroom, they could incorporate it into their curriculum.  This would benefit both the teacher and student—the teacher could cover educational content while at the same time the students are really engaged and learn because it is something they do everyday and enjoy it.  An easy way to accomplish this would be to have the students fill out a survey. 

6. Should schools support students' in "geeking out"? What are the educational and ethical implications of "geeking out"?

I think schools should not discourage students from “geeking out,” depending on what they are considered being a geek for.  For example, most people associate “geeks” as people who are hard-core gamers.  But what I learned is that maybe we are all “geeks” in our own way.  So if teachers could learn what students are spending the majority of their time doing, then maybe they could make the content they are learning more relevant.    But we need to teach our students how to balance their time using media. 

7. The young people studied for this book lived in urban settings in California or New York City. Do you think young people in West Virginia behave in similar ways and develop the same kinds of digital literacies? Provide examples from your own experiences with young people in West Vriginia.

I would assume that students that live in urban and suburban areas in West Virginia would have similar percentages as compared to students in California.  Some students are going to spend the majority of their time using media, if they come from an area where their schools and parents can afford these media devices.  Unfortunately, students that live in poor rural areas in West Virginia can not afford these media devices and sometimes do not get a chance to use them in the classroom because the school cannot afford them.  If we want all of our students to be media literate to stay current with our technology savvy society, then we need to provide these under-privileged students computer access in their schools.