Jessica Barrett

Nathan Beardsley

Crystal Bishop

Brandon Gunderson

Karla Martinez

Estevan Montemayor

Taylor Peterson

Sarah Rodriguez 

Lisette Sandoval

Reggie Smith-Love

Jessica Turney

Illya Vasquez

by Brandon Gunderson

With the advent of new technologies, online culture has become both a place for socialization and learning, and, in a way, digital literacy has become more important than ever before. Educators and students alike are being forced to reassess the way they teach and learn, and the educational methods of yore[1] are being subverted by more effective passion based forms of learning. These innovations in education are taking place online, and, as digital education has redefined the way we learn, it is necessary to reevaluate digital learning as a viable source of education. In fact, when used in conjunction with more traditional forms of erudition (i.e. accredited schools), digital learning environments can become places for individuals to develop passions for their focus of study, real world applications for subjects like mathematics, and a general understanding of rudimentary courses.

James Gee and Elizabeth Hayes in their article, “Language and Learning in the Digital Age”, outline a form of learning environment that has been generally overlooked in our public school system; a learning environment they dub to be passionate affinity spaces. A passionate affinity space is a place in which people with a common interest in a subject can form together to pursue a common goal. It helps develop networking skills and real world applications for things like geometry by placing its members in a hands on learning environment. An example of this would be the authors’ case study, Jesse. Jesse was a girl who struggled in her high school geometry class, but, through The Sims’[2]application Second Life, Jesse found people with common interests in designing houses for the game. These people taught Jesse how to design an online structure on x, y, and z coordinates, thus giving Jesse a real world application for geometry. Today Jesse is a graduate student who happens to tutor people in geometry.

Another common form of online learning environment would be the implementation of MOOCs (i.e. massive open online courses). A MOOC is an open course online taught by an expert in the field, typically a professor, in which anyone can enroll. MOOCs offer an online environment for students who happen to be interested in a field of study, but, for one reason or the other, can’t take the class somewhere else. The program is a more economical alternative than enrolling in a college course, and, while the course doesn’t count towards college credits, San Jose State University is using them to get students on par with their academic standards. This is due in part to the fact that more than 50% of their entering students can’t pass elementary placement tests for college classes. While MOOCs are taught by experts in their field of study, they generally have a high pass rate, and, one could argue, that they are a prime example of an online passionate affinity space. In fact, MOOCs are great ways to get troubled student back on track.

Again, the influx of online technologies has reshaped the way we learn which is why digital learning deserves to be at the forefront of our educational skill sets.

[1] Specifically test literacy and essay literacy.
[2] The Sims as in the online video game.

by Lisette Sandoval

The way that society reads and interprets things has changed drastically since online writing became popular. Online literature changes the way that we as readers interpret things. There are many surroundings on a website that contribute to different ways of reading something. With blogs and online journals or articles, we can read from top to bottom or in different orders and still make sense of the works.

New technologies have created a paradigm shift that have had unprecedented effects on the economy and traditional classrooms. Many corporations exist solely online, for instance: Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and Wikipedia. Three components facilitate this shift: participation, collaboration, and distribution. Classrooms are adapting to the new literacy found in this new web, challenging the way classroom curriculum is formatted, with web based elements being integrated into classroom activities. Because of these new technologies and the openness of the web writing is now no longer restricted to schools and the few published authors.Now, it is seeping out into the everyday world. Anyone can call himself or herself a writer because everyone has access to produce some form of digital writing. Most people, however, don’t connect their writing outside the academic world with literacy. It is this outside use of technology that allows students to apply literacy to real world applications, which when integrated into the academic world, can better support the development of literacy.

In order to join the future of writing society must support all forms of 21st century literacies. Computers changed the way people write; they extended expression beyond just pen and paper. The Internet has also further expanded the breadth of writers and writing, from email to text messages to blogs. Being literate in the 21st century is about composing words as well as knowing how distribute them to reach audiences. And there is no limit to how ones writings can be distributed, the writer need only be creative in their approach.

by Nathan, Estevan, Jessica B. & Jessica T

When referring to humanities, a sort of physicality is insinuated. The humanities consist of concrete platforms: Dance, Art, Literature, Music and etc. One associates dance with the human body, art with canvas, brushes—tools, music with instrument, literature with paperback or hard covered books. All of these have tangible elements and each has its own set of tenets founded in a malleable physicality. So when one suggests a merging of humanities with technology, bafflement is bound to ensue.

In Kirschenbaum’s article What is Digital Humanities and What’s It Doing in English Departments? Wikipedia made the most accurate definition of Digital Humanities. They define Digital Humanities, also known as humanities computing, as a “field of study, research, teaching, and invention concerned with the intersection of computing and the disciplines of humanities. It is methodological by nature and interdisciplinary in scope. It involves investigation, analysis, synthesis, and presentation of information in electric form.” In turn, this concept studies how these medias affect the disciplines of humanities in which they are used and how they contribute to our comprehension of computing.

Digital Humanities is also a seen as a social undertaking. According to Kirschenbaum, the digital humanities harbor networks of people who share research, compete, collaborate, and most importantly, work together for many years. An example of collaboration can be seen in the social network Twitter. This media allows for social expansion of knowledge and attention to areas of study to audiences who would otherwise be unaware. The Digital Humanities have also become prominent in the scholarly world. Many organizations, conferences, journals, and institutes, utilize this field of study. According to Steve Lohr, this Big Data Technology, provides a bigger picture and a fresh look at culture. Culturomics is the umbrella term used to describe these rigorous quantitative inquiries in social sciences and humanities.

With this technology, word patterns, writing styles, and themes can be identified in pieces of literature from authors such as Jane Austin, George Eliot, and Charles Dickens. A new term stems from this, that word being stylometry: study of author’s writing and style. Professors are also taking advantage of the digital humanities. Professor Katherine Rowe provides an online theater class where she has created an online reproduction of Shakespeare’s Globe. Here, the students stage block plays, and get a better sense of how stage blocking effects certain scenes of the play—a physical classroom hinders the students ability to recreate a close replica of Shakespeare’s dramatic scenes—plus, they can do all of this while in their pajamas.

The openness of the English Department to cultural studies welcomes analysis, which lends itself well to Digital Humanities. The text is tractable data, which is easy for computer technology to adopt. According to Kirschenbaum, we generally we are unaccustomed to this form of scholarship that is collaborative, and so dependent on networks of people that love an active 24/7 life online. Although Digital Humanities is relatively new, its expansion allows for new avenues and lenses for looking at traditional aspects of Humanities.

We also read a really interesting article by Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan, “Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content-Area Literacy.” This article describes research that focused on delineating how different disciplines process text and then how teachers can create tools to help students learn to read like experts in the discipline. I decided to create an activity in connection with Charles and Emma that would mimic the reading strategies one might use in reading scientific texts. First, I gave some biographical information about Deborah Heiligman, then the students shared their initial reactions to the book. Several students found the love story at the center of the book quite compelling–they felt that it humanized Darwin, changing their understanding of who Darwin was. We agreed that our ideas about scientists usually depend on their scientific importance, that it’s difficult to think of them beyond their work.

Next, we talked about what a hypothesis was and what role it played in scientific research. I asked my students to come up with some hypotheses about what they thought Heiligman’s intention was in writing the book. They came up with four. One was “would Darwin be able to make a leap of faith in marriage and in work?” My students felt that this hypothesis might have grown out of Heiligman’s own relationship with her husband (she has a religious studies degree while he is a science writer) and that she might have wondered how Darwin’s research affected his relationships to his family, community, and society. Then, we discussed what methods Heiligman used to prove her hypothesis. The students generated a list of things like looking at historical documents (letters, reviews, published works, diaries, Emma’s calendar, notebooks), considering the cultural context, focusing on relationships rather than science, and considering Darwin’s reaction to loss. (Of course, these are the techniques that historians use, so this is really a lesson on both science and history writing).

This way of approaching the text was interesting. When we’ve discussed other texts, we’ve focused a lot more on the stylistic and rhetorical choices that the author made. With this activity, we were considering the thinking that ultimately influences those kinds of choices. I liked that the activity moved us away from doing what we normally do with literature, though I have to admit that this type of approach might actually confuse students when it comes to science–my title for the lesson was “The Writer as Scientist (or, How the English Teacher Can Infuriate her Science Colleagues).” Overall, though, I think it’s valuable to ask our students to take different stances towards texts because doing so helps them become more flexible readers and thinkers.

A few months ago, my neighbor Bob and his teenage son Ben came over to help me move some furniture. Somehow, I ended up lending Ben a book I’d just read, Matt de la Pena’s Mexican Whiteboy. I thought he’d like it because he loves baseball, and the novel’s protagonist practices his pitching throughout the novel (Ben’s a pitcher, too). I told him the book was a little controversial, that it had been banned in Tucson. And then I realized that Ben’s ethnic background was similar to the main character’s.

This evening, Bob brought the book back to me. The book looked very different from when I lent it to Ben–the page edges were worn and a little dirty. Bob told me that Ben had enjoyed the book so much that he had lent it to a friend to read–and then that friend lent it to another friend. Bob looked a little sheepish about how it looked, but I was just really glad that Ben and his friends had liked the novel so much.

Boys and reading–a lot depends on finding books that are relevant and interesting to them.

Jessica Barrett on Henry Bergh

Nathan Beardsley on Rick O’Barry

Brandon Gunderson on Henry David Thoreau

Matthew Kenerly on Chris Kluwe

Karla Martinez on Lynsey Rodriguez

Estevan Montemayor on Jacque Fresco

Sarah Rodriguez on Mark Bingham

Lisette Sandoval on Donald Miller

Reganie Smith-Love on Betsy Plank

Jessica Turney on Craig Bernthal

Illya Vasquez on Alex Jones

Game on! For this prompt, you will participate in a game that will culminate in the production of a trailer for Ready Player One. The game will parallel what you’ve seen in the novel, in that there will be three levels of play with the opportunity to earn badges and XP (experience points) for different quests (i.e., using different applications). Ultimately, you’ll use what you learn to create the trailer for the novel in some format.

LEVEL ONE:

First Gate: to open the first gate, you must create an Edmodo account.

You are level one, and each badge you earn grants XP. In this stage, you should form a group (of 2-4) based on alliances and commonalities. Once you know who will be in your group, let me know so that I can set up the group in Edmodo. Familiarize yourself with this environment by clicking around. Then, start your quest. Once you gain enough XP you level up, meaning that you can get through the gate and work in level two.

Webmaster badges: Your first step is to decide who in your group will explore which applications: Wordle, Glogster, and Animoto. All of these are possible sources/ applications you could use in your video production. Once you’ve made something related to Ready Player One, post a link in Edmodo. Doing so will result in a badge: apprentice, maven, or master, depending on the quality of your work (see the guide below). Your group will also earn XP with these badges (see next item). Note: each application can only result in badges twice, but your group can choose any combination you’d like.

Reality Bites XP (experience points): In addition, you can earn XP for the following: knowledge of 80’s pop culture, dystopian literature, and digital writing. For example, the work you produce for the Webmaster badges might focus on some aspect of 80s pop culture that we see in the novel to gain extra points. 3-5 XP will be awarded for each iteration of knowledge related to pop culture, dystopian lit and digital writing. See scoring guide at the end of the prompt.

Once your group has reached 24-30 points, you have leveled up and will move on to the next stage (meaning no other points can be accrued and only 30 points are possible in this category). To open the second gate, you must achieve at least 24 XP.

LEVEL TWO:

In this level, you need to explore new applications: Voicethread, Xtra Normal, and Google Search videos. All of these are possible applications you could use in your trailer production (you could also use iMovie or a podcast). Once you’ve created something, post a link in Edmodo. Doing so will merit a badge–apprentice, maven, or master–depending on the quality of your work. Your group can also earn Reality Bites XP by focusing on 80’s trivia, dystopian literature, or digital writing. Note: each application can only result in badges twice, but your group can choose any combination you’d like. To level up and open the third gate, your group must accrue 60 XP (total).

LEVEL THREE:

Lastly, your group will make the trailer for Ready Player One using what you’ve learned. You can use any format you’d like (Voicethread, Xtra Normal, podcast, Google Search) but you must work together to create a 3-5 minute trailer that illustrates creativity, a sense of humor, and a deep knowledge of the ways that 80s pop culture influences the text. Once you submit the trailer, you are in limbo until I’ve viewed it. Once I’ve given you feedback, you can revise for more points (until you’ve earned 90-100 points overall). You can also accept your point total and retire from the game. However many points you have when you retire (or when the game ends on March 20) equals the amount of points you’ll get on this project. To gain the easter egg (i.e. finish the game) your group must accrue at least 80 points. Only 100 points are possible in this game.

• Apprentice: Satisfactory work (3 points)
• Master: Very good work (4 points)
• Maven: Superior work (5 points)

Notes:

I’ll update points and award badges before each class meeting.

You can earn extra achievement points for your group during levels one and two by doing the following:

Discussion leaders: your group can volunteer to lead a discussion on some aspect of Ready Player One. The discussion must last at least 35 minutes and result in complex thinking. You must schedule with me to arrange the date. Value: 4 points. (March 11 or March 13, two incarnations)

Creator: Figuring out how to create a leader board all class members have access to that we can use to keep track of how many points each group has. To earn 3 points, this must be easy for me and for class members to use, private to our class, and linkable to or embedded in Edmodo. Value: 3 points (one time only)

Technology Whiz: volunteer to walk the class through one of the applications, demonstrating how to create more complex presentations than what we might figure out on our own. Value: 2 points. (one time each for Voicethread, Xtra Normal, Google Search)

Problem Solver: when we’re faced with a problem in class, figure out a solution which you share with the class on Edmodo. Value: 1 point (repeatable)

In this class, we’ll be reading a text, Ernest Cline‘s Ready Player One, in which gaming drives the plot. The text presents a dystopian future in which most human beings participate in a virtual world that is more satisfying than their “real” existence. This world involves a quest that will result in one person inheriting incredible wealth from the game’s designer. As the main character participates in this quest, his experience and knowledge of 80′s-era video games comes into play–and he must master a number of tasks, the successful completion of which allow him to advance another level. The ideas of quests, badges, and experience points are embedded in the novel.

What I’m thinking is that I’ll design the writing assignment that goes along with this novel to parallel the gaming experience. Students will go on a quest to create a digital work (trailer, podcast, or digital story) that will reflect their understanding of Ready Player One. They will gain badges by illustrating their knowledge of 80′s pop culture, gaming, the writing process, and the like. And they can gain experience points by producing their own texts with wordle, animoto, glogster, etc. The most points will come from achieving the ultimate quest (the trailer, podcast, or digital story) using what they’ve learned from both the pursuit of badges and experience points.

What I like about using gaming in connection with writing instruction is the possibility of encouraging experimentation. Over the years, I’ve come to want my students to learn behaviors and strategies in relation to writing. Yet many students default to what they know will get a good grade instead of trying something new, a decision I totally understand since my grading practices privilege the final product. By using gaming principles, I can demonstrate that I value both experimentation and mastery since the badges I’ll use will differentiate between basic and more advanced competence. Unless I figure out another way to do this, I’ll use Edmodo for the assignment which will support a quests, experience points, badges system.

Game on.

Here’s a breakdown of my lesson today. I anticipate we’ll move far beyond what I’ve outlined here, however, since my students this semester are engaged with and thoughtful about technology.

Copyright

“What is the purpose of copyright?” (Hobbs, Copyright Clarity 98)

Pair-share: discuss your answer to the question

• “How many included reference to owners’ rights, making money, or profit?” (Hobbs, Copyright Clarity 98)
• “How many included references to creativity or the spread of knowledge?” (Hobbs, Copyright Clarity 98)

Purpose of copyright: “to promote creativity, innovation, and the spread of knowledge” (Hobbs, Copyright Clarity 98 summarizing Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, written in 1787.)

Copyright Law of 1976 defines Fair Use: “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research.”

What did you learn from viewing Renee Hobbs’ slide share? (Their homework assignment was to view the slide share, take notes, and be ready to share what they feel is significant about it)

Transformativeness

Define transformativeness: “Does the new work merely supersede the objects of the original creation, or instead does it add something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the first with new expression, meaning, or message?” (Hobbs, Copyright Clarity 46).

Use this question to consider your use of other sources in your own work.

Creative Commons

Watch Lawrence Lessig, “Laws that Choke Creativity”

• How does Lessig complicate ideas about copyright?
• What is Creative Commons?
• How can we be informed and careful users of digital content?

Further Resources for Teachers

Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education