In a lesson I designed for William Shakespeare’s, “Romeo and Juliet,” I have student’s collecting still images from Baz Luhrmann‘s film, “Romeo + Juliet” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. My goal here is to get students to access the images from the film to contextualize four of Aristotle’s six elements of a drama: plot, theme, character, dialogue, music, and spectacle.

Once the student uploads and titles their images, they are to reply to each photo based on the task outlined in my assignment.  My goal here is to get student’s to organize their project.

For their “character” photo, I have students responding to the image in a descriptive narrative to reflect characterization of the person in the photo using what they know from the text and film.  My goal here is  to get students to  analyze characterization within the drama’s two types of literacies: print and non-print.

For their “theme” photo, I have students responding to the image with a haiku poem.  My goal here is to get them to create print text.

For their “conflict” photo, I have students responding to their image with a musical selection. Students are also asked to respond to this image in a separate verbal comment where they have to justify their musical selection.  My goal here is to get students to evaluate both print and non-print texts.

For their “plot” photo, I have students responding to the image in their online blogs.  Students are also asked to attach a copy of a graphic organizer to their blog and attach the link of the blogs website to their VoiceThread photos via comments. My goal here is to get students to understand both print and non-print texts.

Digital literacy “is the ability to access, organize, understand, evaluate, and create information using digital technology.”  My assignment above incorporates all of the elements of digital literacy, and allows the student to connect two pieces of print and non-print texts.  In her article, “VoiceThread Extends the Classroom with Interactive Multimedia Albums,” Laila Weir notes that “students participate more actively in digital discussions than in the classroom.”  VoiceThread allows the students to extend their discussions beyond the traditional group session.  I believe my lesson allows teachers to go beyond the customary curriculum through “interactive media albums.”  A model of this assignment can be found here. This particular lesson has not been used in a classroom setting; therefore, I cannot confirm its success.  I, however, can’t wait to get my students ready for the 21st century!

Sharendity is an example of an education gaming site available to anyone with access to the web.  ”[It] is a web based creativity suite where anyone can build and deploy engaging and interactive web applications.”  On this gaming site, teachers can select from pre-designed templates or can create their own.  ”Sharendipity lets you create custom tools for students and teachers to learn, explore, and collaborate.”  Another popular gaming site for educators is EdCreate.  Like Sharendity, teachers can “sign up to be a creator” or choose from ready-made interactive models.

Games allow students to get actively involved mentally and physically as they present a visual model.  These mind sports help students build upon abilities, and are enjoyable and applicable to students of all ages.  As long as your games and activities meet the needs of your state’s standards, games are perfectly acceptable in classrooms/learning environments.

Studies show that students do write; they, however, prefer to write outside of the classroom.  Josh Keller notes in “Studies Explore Whether the Internet Makes Students Better Writers,” that a student of  Stanford University writes “in any medium he could find.  He wrote blog posts, slam poetry, to-do lists, teaching guides, e-mail and Facebook messages, diary entries, short stories.”  Despite all this experience, the student, Mark Otuteye, struggles with ‘academic papers.’

We need to bridge the gap between in and out of class literacies. We need to incorporate what they are doing at home with what they are doing in school.  It’s what they know. We need to help them convert their prior knowledge outside of the classroom and guide them to improve their skills inside the classroom. “[We] need to avoid creating a “fire wall” between in-class and out-of-class writing.”

I think the five paragraph essays is a generalization; despite the length of the paper, these essays need to have a clearly stated thesis and a conclusion with strong supporting arguments and evidence. Students need to know how to arrange their thoughts, and I believe a graphic organizer is a good place to start. We often see students write for the teacher, but we need to teach them to expand their audience.  ”In looking at students’ out-of-class writing, the Stanford researchers say they found several traits that were distinct from in-class work. Not surprisingly, the writing was self-directed; it was often used to connect with peers, as in social networks; and it usually had a broader audience.”

Though our students are used to typing on a computer, it’s essential that we do allow them to write by hand. It’s important, too, to that we allow students to peer edit.  This will allow them to get feedback on their work and improve the quality of their final drafts.  I believe this method that will help scaffold their conventional skills.  In “The Phenomenology of Writing By Hand,” Daniel Chandler indicates that “some writers writing ‘in one’s own hand’ has a resonance of privacy and informality,” while others “choose to believe that there is some kind of mystic connection between the brain and the actual act of writing in longhand.”  We need to give students opportunities to do both.

Teachers and students can use Moodle as a tool for communication in a classroom setting.  For those interested–administrators, teachers, and students can explore a demo version of the program.

Should teachers use interfaces such as Moodle and Blackboard to replace traditional classroom instructions? My answer is no, and I argue against this from the perspective of a student.  Currently, I am taking a distance learning course.  We meet for two sessions at the beginning of the semester, and two sessions at the end of the session.  The rest of classwork is completed online through the use of “discussions.”  The discussion tool in the program (Blackboard) we are using is a great asset to a teacher.  When required, every student has an opportunity to communicate to each other regarding the teacher’s assigned topic or proposed question.  But is this enough?  From my standpoint, it isn’t.  I am an audio/visual learner.  This curriculum approach works against me, and not for me.  I read, and complete the assigned classwork; however, I feel I am missing something vital to my learning–direct instruction.  I’m sure  some of you are wondering…well, why did she take an online class?  Simply put–I had no choice.  This class is required, and it was the only one available.

I believe that Moodle and Blackboard programs should be used in conjunction with direct instruction.  In his article, “Using Moodle? Dump the Textbook,” Romeo Marquis disagrees.  He says that add-on approaches aren’t enough.  He writes: “Teaching must be redesigned to take advantage of the capacity of the online tools and resources at our command.”  He sees the traditional classroom/text as problem for students who learn in various ways; he believes that using Moodle will cover all these various learning styles.  His article lacks one thing: the student’s perspective.  He presents several example of teacher’s successes with using such a program, but he fails to mention student reactions/responses to such this type of instruction.  In this study, statistics show that 35% of students “preferred classroom learning.”

A student writes: ” I hate, I hate, I HATE my school’s online course. [...] It would be about a thousand times easier for me if it was [it was] in person instead of via a web server the equivalent of some tin cans and a string.”

Don’t misread my dispute.  I, without doubt, am against pure “traditional” lecture.  Students do have various learning styles, and it is important for us to incorporate different elements of instruction within our curriculum.  I believe that Moodle and Blackboard should be used as tools to facilitate our instruction as an enhancement to the lesson, especially when teachers have so much to share with our students and little time to do it.  If you simply use Moodle and Blackboard to facilitate discussion, then the “informal” becomes “formal.”  When I say formal, I mean, we lose that element of teaching that student’s need–direction. What do you think?

• “Keep students connected through another line of communication. Group members will have an idea of what each other are working on.
• Communication for collaboration.
• Forces users to be brief and to the point. 140 character limit gives students direction rather than clog the discussion forums.
• Twitter can hold students accountable to what they are working on.
• Twitter can be used in a call to everyone for assistance like the bat signal was used for Batman.”

Despite all these pros, I am going to stick to my original argument about student and teacher relationships on social networking sites.  In “How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Engagement,” Greg Fereinstein writes: “Professors who wish to engage students during large lectures face an uphill battle. Not only is it a logistical impossibility for 200+ students to actively participate in a 90 minute lecture, but the downward sloping cone-shape of a lecture hall induces a one-to-many conversation.”  Note key words: professors, large lectures, and 200+ students.  Twitter is absolutely viable in a college classroom;  however, I believe that teachers should not use it in a high school setting.

Why is it okay for us to friend students on Twitter, but not other social sites?  Cheri Lucus, author of “Should Student and Teachers Be Online Friends,” answers: “A teacher can use some networking sites, such as Twitter, to extend a classroom discussion or offer quick homework assistance in 140 characters or less, networks like Facebook and MySpace easily blur the student-teacher relationship because of the personal information made available on profiles.”

Even if personal information was removed from Facebook and MySpace profiles, teachers would still be held liable for pictures and updates.  I don’t see the difference.  On Twitter, teachers are still able comment and post personal pics via TwitPic.  Comments and pictures get teachers in trouble.  Online relationships through social networking sites between teachers and students simply is not acceptable behavior–period.  Though I don’t agree with this statement, I have to stand by it.  Despite this phenomenal post on “Why Teachers Should ‘Friend’ Student’s Online,” it’s simply a risk that I’m not willing to take.

I believe that teachers should be allowed to have spaces in online social networking sites; however, I believe that they should be heavily guarded.  As teachers, we have an image to uphold: education.  We need to be mindful of ourselves in public spaces.  We are like “rock stars;” our friends and family are the paparazzi.  Like this teacher, I too see the pros and cons of keeping my page up.  She writes: “I have been debating all weekend about whether or not to take down my FaceBook page. My mother insists that I should do so, just in case, but I don’t feel there is anything inappropriate included on my page. I try to be careful of how I am photographed in any situation because many of my friends have pages where they post photos. So even if I remove my page, there are still photos of me on the internet. I use FaceBook to keep in touch with relatives and friends who live all over the country, and it bothers me that, as a teacher, I can’t enjoy the same format of communication enjoyed by so many others.”  My Facebook friends are those who I haven’t seen in years; it’s a cyber reunion of sorts.  In “On Facebook, Telling Teachers How Much They Meant,” a student and teacher reunite after 20+ years.  Darci Thompson was able to tell her former teacher: “[You] had such a huge impact on my life as a young adult.”  Were this teacher not searchable on Facebook, she would have never heard the words all teacher’s long to hear from former students.  Should teachers be denied access to Web 2.0?

Teacher-Student relationships are frown upon in the schools, so understandably it would be a no-no in the cyber world.  Should be allowed to “friend” our students on social networking sites?  In this desensitizing age, my answer is no.  Despite my concerns for bridging the media gaps between students and teachers, society sees this as improper behavior.  Mallory Simmons of CNN reports:  ”Teachers [...] believe sites like MySpace help them connect with their students about homework, tutoring and other school matters.  But others fear the social-networking sites are breeding inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.”  Despite what some teachers believe, social networking sites are not the only lines of communications between teachers and students…even in a digital world.  Simmons continues: “In Missouri in particular, a rash of student-teacher sexual relationships have spawned crackdowns on social-networking friendships. Web site badbadteacher.com, which keeps track of teachers disciplined, arrested and convicted of inappropriate behavior with students, lists 11 such teachers from Missouri within the last two years.”

Teachers should make themselves approachable without using a social networking site as a tool.  If a student friends you a social networking site, acknowledge them the next day.  Thank them for friending you and simply state the school’s policy. It’s unfortunate, yes, that we cannot connect to students in a positive way; but as they say, ‘one bad apple can ruin the barrell.’

Used strategically, coins allow players to level up faster. Miranda Marquit, a staff writer for Moolanomy writes: “If you become attached to the game, and want to excel, and want to experience more, you have to spend money.”

Who is spending this money?  ”Virtual goods buyers strongly skew male. Growth is especially strong among the male 18-to-24-year-old demographic (increase from 15% to 31% of online consumers in this demographic since 2009).”

On Marketing Charts, statistics show that “13% of online consumers buy virtual goods.”  Marquit writes: “According to Inside Network, a research firm quoted in the article, last year people paid $1.03 billion for products that don’t exist outside of the virtual world.” Choke. $1.03 billion?!?  Are these people crazy?  What is the benefit? Marketing Chart answers: “Social web services, including virtual goods, will be one of the key drivers of the mobile web 2.0 technology market[s], according to a recent study from Juniper Research.”

Virtual shopping is creating a new market, and businesses are responding.  Michael Rosenwald of the Washington Post agrees: “Last year, as the physical economy withered, Second Life’s economy blossomed, with user-to-user transactions topping $567 million in actual U.S. currency, a 65 percent jump over 2008.”

What constitutes real cash anymore?  Personally, I don’t carry around bills and coins anymore.  I use plastic.  Money is no longer tangible–it’s electronic. Rosenwald says: “People entering virtual worlds for the first time are often surprised to learn that virtual dollars have actual value. They should not be surprised, economists say, because whether the world is physical or electronic, all value is virtual.”  Alternative realities are no longer the stuff of science fiction.  We are creating a universe parallel to ours.

The new web is creating a new financial system–a virtual economy.   In games like Second Life, users are using real currency to rent or buy cars and/or houses; others are buying clothes and shoes. Users are creating virtual business to handle transactions.  Cyber malls are growing in popularity. In Bloomburg Businessweek, one player comments: “This virtual role-playing economy is so strong that it now has to import skill and services from the real-world economy.”   The two worlds are colliding and creating an “explosion of [new] media, products, and services.”  The big bang is no longer just a theory; it’s a prophecy.

1. “Focus On The Bottom Line: In the games that these online players are playing, each player is constantly being measured and assessed. Each player is ranked and compared to other players using systems of rankings, points, and titles.
2. Diversity Is Good: Gamers realize that they can’t do it all themselves. In order to be successful in a game, players need to build a strong team. The teams that are the most successful are the ones that consist of a strong mix of both abilities and talents.
3. Change Is Good: Gamers thrive on change. The worlds in which they play are constantly changing – nothing is constant. Their actions transform the world in which they are playing. Gamers have come to expect this type of massive change.
4. Learning Is Seen As Fun: The games that players are participating in consist of complex challenges that have to be overcome. These challenges make the game fun. Discovering the tools that are needed and creating the knowledge that is need to overcome challenges is what turns problem solving into a fun activity.
5. Innovation Is A Lifestyle: Gamers are willing to explore new ideas and ways of solving problems. Even when the solution to a problem is known, gamers are willing to search for new solutions that will solve the problem quicker or by using fewer resources.”

Jane McGonigal has a plan.  She believes that gamers can “save the world in real life” in the same manner that one “save[s] the world in online games.”  Can we blend reality and fantasy?  Is it possible to convert 3 billion hours of online gaming to 3 billion hours of real-life problem solving?

I totally agree that gamers turn to these virtual worlds to escape what she calls “real world suffering.”  Is that the only reason we are gaming?  I believe that some gamers play to flee responsibility.  Other gamers play to be entertained–period.  If this is true, are these gamers the kind of individuals we want in a crisis?

Note the hard core gamer’s five key characteristics above.  Do these characteristics have true value in social settings?  Absolutely; however, realistically…can the gamer focus long enough to apply these qualities in actual life?  In Science Daily, studies show that “on school days, teen boys who play video games appear to spend less time reading and teen girls who play video games appear to spend less time doing homework than those who do not play video games, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.”  To summarize: kids who play games aren’t educationally responsible.  ”A total of 534 teens (36 percent) played video games. Most of these (425 [80 percent]) were boys and 109 (20 percent) were girls.”  A third of all adolescents play video games.  A third of our students are distracted from reading and homework.  Adolescent gamers pose a real concern to “practitioners, parents, scholars and politicians.”

Can we use games productively in the classroom, or are they a distraction?  In “Dealing with ‘Digital Distractions’ in the Classroom,” the author brings up a most valid point. Tad Mcilwraith writes: “Apparently, an increasing number of colleges and professors are banning laptops in their classrooms, citing poor grades and general distraction.”  Simply put, technology used for the wrong purposes can be interruptive.   He writes, “instead of banning these “distractions,” instructors need to take into account how best to use them—to encourage learning and to prepare students for the world beyond academia.”  Sure, I believe that games can be used in an educational setting.  I am not quite convinced, however, on using role playing games (aka RPGs) in my classroom.

In Chapter 6 of “Digital Literacies,” edited by Victoria Carrington and Muriel Robinson, we are presented with an example of a RPG used in a classroom setting.  In this study, teachers present a problem and ask their students to solve it.  The teachers decide to remove features that distract the student (ie. the ability to fly and limited students to a specific virtual area).  By limiting their students’ avatar abilities, teachers noticed “acts of transgression.”

Teens do not play games to solve problems; they play because it’s entertaining.  Adults, too, have this same mentality.  My husband regularly plays the PlayStation Portable (aka PSP).  According to McGonigal, he is “gamer virtuoso.”  My husband claims:  ”I game because it’s fun.  I play because, in the game world, I can be anyone I want to be.  I believe all gamers play because they can be temporary heroes.”

Students in the above study managed to learn how the fly (by tapping the F12 key), while other students learned how to scale the virtual walls purposely created to keep them contained to a specific virtual area.  These students were not focused on the task at hand. They were uninterested.  Consequently, they looked for entertainment escapes.  They dodge responsibility.  These student gamers are hero wannabes.  Ultimately, this “unfettered exploration” of the game was seen as “difficult to contain and potentially chaotic.”  How does this type of chaos fit in a crisis?

Does the gamer play to escape responsibilities? Can a gamer keep his focus during an actual crisis or will he be distracted?  Can a gamer truly save the world?  Can we teach our children to use games for a potentially beneficial purpose?  Honestly, only time will tell.  My truth?  I believe that McGonigal’s goal is wonderful, but it’s unattainable.  A gamer doesn’t want to be super man, he simply want to be Superman.

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”
Maya Angelou

The other day, my son asked if he could visit what he calls “Thomas.com.”  At first, I told him no.  I wasn’t ready for him to venture to uncharted destinations.  Yes, security was my primary concern.  How did he learn about this website?  It was promoted on a DVD movie, “Hero of the Rails.”  Before I allowed him to explore the site, I had to check it out.  It’s interactive; there are games, videos, and activities created for a sole audience: kids.  

Did you know that 5 years blog?   My past research suggests that blogging encourages critical thinking while building analytical skills.  Edublog is a great place to start.  According to testimonials, the website is easy, safe, and reliable. (Thanks for sharing Jamie!)

In “Connected: The impact of digital literacy on young children’s emergent literacy skills,” the unaccredited author indicates that “developmental milestones are changing as young people’s access to mobile and digital technology grows.”  As a parent, it’s unavoidable.  As a teacher, it’s undeniable. We have to incorporate these literacies into the classroom early.  ”The quality and quantity of young children’s opportunities to interact with listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a variety of forms play a critical role in emergent literary skills development.”

In “The Digital World of Young Children: Emergent Literacy,” research shows that “digital media positively impacts children’s opinion of learning, providing engagement opportunities not always seen with print materials.”

Once you get past the security, our insecurities diminish.  Digital media is pushed upon us at every turn.  You can’t watch the news, read a magazine article, or apparently watch a DVD without being directed to it.  We can’t take what David Bruce calls the “ostrich” and “bull” approach; we can’t hide from the apparent or attack the inevitable.  These attempts are futile.  Instead, we must move beyond our fears to encourage and support such explorations.

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t.”
– Henry Ford

“Connected: The impact of digital literacy on young children’s emergency literacy skills.” Reading Today 27.6 (2010): 35. Educational Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 July 2010

This online resource allows students to create note cards on vocabulary, attach pictures to said note cards, create online quizzes (multiple choice, fill in the blank, true/false, matching), and play games.  In addition, students can share their note cards with one another or join a study group with a common purpose.

General accounts are free.   “With a free Quizlet account you can

1. Keep track of your studying progress.
2. Join and create groups with your classmates.
3. Get emails when your friends create study sets.
4. Create your own sets.”

How can such a tool be used in the classroom?  According to the site’s Frequently Asked Questions:

“Quizlet has many teacher-friendly features. You can use it to:

• Give your students a study tool that’s both powerful and fun, encouraging them to learn.
• Share study materials online with your classes.
• Generate photocopy-ready flashcards or tests for in-class distribution.
• Host a group where your students can create and discuss study materials for your class.
• Notify students by email when you’ve posted new study materials.
• See what other teachers are teaching in your subject area.”

In addition, teachers can share their sets with other teachers; teachers can monitor student achievement; and teachers/students can respond to each other via online discussion sessions.  A Quizlet user can also link their note cards to their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

In the video below, this teacher uses Quizlet via Smart Board where students are asked to step forward with personal goals, as they play a game called “Scatter.”   This game enables students to match images to French vocabulary.

In his article, Tyranny of Terminology: Science Vocabulary and Technology Help, Peter Rilleo indicates that “the teaching of vocabulary is the job of all teachers.”  He indicates that had this resource be available to him sooner, he would have used it in his middle school classroom unit on magnets.  He agrees that “Quizlet is a free tool that can help students learn and use scientific vocabulary.”

Some teachers express concern about the discussion and private message features in the web-based program.  Andrew Sutherland, the creator, suggests that Quizlet not be used as a tool, but as a supplement instead.  He writes in his blog that this is “what has worked best.”

Use your own judgment when preparing lesson plan incorporating Quizlet.  If it works in the classroom, share!  If it doesn’t, at least we’ve shared an avenue of study with our students. “Technology is only as powerful as it is accessible.”