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TARGET TEACHER WEEK

https://offers.sheerid.com/target-teacher/

https://www.target.com/c/teacher-prep-event/-/N-8wm7e?ref=sr_shorturl_teacherprep

AWW: "A White Board Website"

Link to the "Whiteboard"

Knock Knock...

I did not mean to, but I ended up selecting another chapter by Christensen and I must say I think she is great! I read the chapter Knock, Knock Turning pain into power. 

Christensen talks about how as educators we need to touch "students' lives in real ways." She references hearing the poem "Knock Knock," by Daniel Beaty and immediately realizing that in order to heal and move past the pain, we must use power. She goes on to talk about a poetry unit and how she showed the clip to her students and how they all connected to the message that Beaty was sharing. The she gave students a place to work through their own pain. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her lesson and the conversations she had because of it. 

It made me think of a moment in my teaching this year. I was able to teach about slavery and the Underground Railroad to my fifth grades. As we learned about the railroad, one of my students raised his hand and said, "the underground railroad reminds me a lot about home my family got here." This student typically struggles to make connections to what is being presented and often needs more time and assistance, but he understood this topic. He was able to relate to the struggles, pain and heartache that came from such a journey. 

In the end of Christensen's chapter she says, "students need opportunities to hone their skills, to write essays, to practice becoming academics. They also need opportunities to write about the tough issues in their lives that rarely surface in schools. Beaty's work opened their veins, so they could write with the blood of their lives." She was able to meet her teaching curriculum expectations, but also allowed for so much more to happen for these students. They had open, honest, and vulnerable conversations, and were able to heal some of the pain that may have been keeping them down. 

Here is a link for Christensen's book, "Teaching for Joy and Justices."

The Princess Plan...Sort of

In tonight's reading there was a quote from Beverly Tatum that immediately made me think of an AMAZING Ted Talk by Chimamanda Adichie. It is called the Danger of a Single Story!

    When I begin to think about the role of fairy tales and Princesses in my childhood, I am immediately remembering a story my mother told me endlessly as a child.

The photo quote above is from a wonderful book called

the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelost.

My mom used to tell me that first the princess would go to college. Then she would graduate and get a good job. Finally, once she was able to support herself, then she would meet Prince Charming and fall in love. The prince she would fall in love with would have to treat her well and always keep her inspired to follow her dreams.

Growing up, I didn't fully understand what that really meant. I wanted to be a princess and look beautiful dancing in a ballroom, like Belle, or ride on an enchanted carpet, like Jasmine. I wanted to go on adventures like Ariel and Mulan, even though both were going against their families wishes. Everything worked out for those beautiful, kind, wonderful Princesses, so why wouldn't I want to be like them?

Despite my moms version of a fairy tale, I did grown up reading fairy tales, and watching Disney. They were a constant in my world. I was lucky enough to have a challenging viewpoint from the Disney stories, however many young children are not. They need to be given the knowledge to challenge the basic, common messages, like Christensen says. There is a view point that is portrayed in these stories, and it sets up unrealistic expectations and self-images, and stereotypes.

What I really love about Frozen is that it is a story of love that is a love of family and sisterhood. I also think that it shows the truth in family. That times may be tough, and there may be some separation, but at the end of the day your sister or family is there for you. I think Frozen does push against the traditional views of the princess world, because there is not a prince who saves the day.

                      

Boyd & Prensky

This video, is a really interesting prospective. The person is 46 and according to Prensky, would be a "digital immigrant," but based off many of the things he has done, without knowing his age, may be more likely to be thought of as a "digital native."

I feel like when Boyd says, "Many of today’s teens are indeed deeply engaged with social media and are active participants in networked publics, but this does not mean that they inherently have the knowledge or skills to make the most of their online experiences" that the the "digital natives" still needing to learn is extremely accurate. However, I feel as though that learning comes a little easier, than the "digital immigrants" because they have been fully immersed. When I think about school and teaching ESL, we surround our students with the language that helps them to pick  it up faster. As a "digital immigrant", adults are not as surround. The natives or younger generation use it to communicate, for schoolwork,, for fun, and to learn other skills. They have the time to invest in learning it. 

That being said, I agree with Boyd when he says, "Becoming literate in a networked age requires hard work, regardless of age." I think that the "immigrants" can become just as literate, however it may take longer to learn, or while literate in the digital world it may take longer to accomplish a digital based task. Boyd also says, "Those who were not ‘born digital’ can be just as connected, if not more so, than their younger counterparts. And not everyone born since, say, 1982, happens to be a digital native.” I feel like this statement is interesting because based off of Prensky's definitions, I did not see myself as a "native" necessarily. While I do think I am more literate that many people I encounter who are older than me, I still feel out of the loop in many areas, and feel like I have to work harder to accomplish tasks that my students can easily accomplish.

Boyd makes the statement, "I also talked with teens who didn’t know the difference between a web browser and the Internet," and I laughed for a minute, because I had to pause and think about that for a moment. I do know the difference, but "the Internet" has become such a common phrase involving looking anything up, that I do no think I have heard anyone use the term "web browser" in a long time. That being said, the photo below links to this idea. I think 'digital natives' are extremely used to getting the quick fix, so that when they need to work to fix a problem, they struggle, because it is not an immediate solution. 

All of that being said, I am unsure where I land on the idea of a digital native, because it is so complex. I  think anyone can become fully digitally literate, but I think that "natives" have a much easier time being literate.

Digital Native or Digital Immigrant

***Please note, I did not listen to the song, since we are all in class together.***

Prensky brought forth the idea of a digital immigrant and a digital native. I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle. I am 27 years old and feel like I fall in between. I had my first "real" cellphone in high school. I feel like I am mostly fluent in technology and media, however my students are absolutely better than me at it. Maybe I would fall into a "dual citizenship" category. ??? 

Here is an image to show what we learned in class today!

Here is a link to celebrate that I am Done with this assignment! 

Introducing Me!

Hello Readers,

It's time to introduce ME! I'm Brittany and am a fifth grade ESL teacher at Globe Park Elementary, in Woonsocket, RI. I have recently started a new hobby of running and have the cutest running partner! Yesterday, we went out and he stopped for a swim!

 

His name is Benson! Aside from spending time with my dog, I am also taking a second summer course, working at a summer camp, and working at Target. I enjoy camping with my family in the summer and love trying out new sangria recipes! I'm hoping to attend some concerts and do some "for fun" reading! Feel free to leave suggestions!