I stumbled on this guy (Michael Wesch, yeah, this guy) through our old buddy Andrew Marcinek (You remember him, right? From my last post?) and I've found that Dr. Wesch is way, way smarter. In this video, and on his YouTube Channel, Mike Wesch examines how technology is changing the way we view the world, how we create our very selves, and because we create, on some level, our selves, the search for authenticity, for what we really are is now making us narcissistic and "fragmented." Because the world is now manufacturing content directly for us, for free, all around the world, and accessible at any time, how could you not believe that the world was built for you? Especially amazing is the series of clips of first time vloggers, and how self conscious they are. (check out at 20:21, where a girl wants to place a face on her computer that will react to what she's saying. If that doesn't tug your heartstrings, I just don't think you're really human.)
Check this puppy out.
So anyway, now that you've watched that, I'm thinking about what that means for us. Now that we create ourselves as a virtual persona, or at least look for ourselves out there, on the 'ole interwebs, why should that end in the classroom? Why shouldn't teachers network with their students, if that's where their students live their lives? What better way is there to reach kids, and mold kids, than to meet them where they are actively creating themselves?
My name is Alex, and I'm currently a Junior at the University of Northern Iowa, studying English, History, and Education. This blog is my way of tracking and publishing my progress, as well as share links and articles that I come across that relate to my personal and professional development. Be sure to check back every once and a while to see what I'm up to. I promise to make it as interesting as possible, and we might just learn something one of these days. No promises on that, though.
Edit: Found a Link this Weekend. Its was written by an English Teacher on Edutopia, Andrew Marcinek, and its about engaging your students. As an Aspiring English Teacher, This has always been a kind of fear of mine. How do I get kids to care about Dickens? or even Bradbury? Well, Marcinek has several steps here on how to rethink class projects and papers, including not accepting papers until they're "done," i, e, perfect, and treating the mistakes as learning opportunities to help kids learn to write better.
Also, not so helpful: "No. 9: make a Sandwich." C'mon, Man . . .
