8th Blog: Technology and The Hunger Games!!!

"Moving My English Class To The Computer Lab"

I found this article to be very useful and overall very informative.  I think that the use of technology is crucial to the society that we live in today.  Among students (whether high school, middle school, or college), students constantly have access to so much information involving technology and it consumes much of our time.  If you look at smart phones for example, the smart phone can be used for almost anything and the phrase "There's an App for that" has become part of daily language.  Is that a bad thing?  I guess it depends on what it's being used for.  Some people use their smart phones to play games to use as a time waster in the classroom while others can do scholarly things with theirs.  I think implementing out of school tools in to school could only entice a student more.  The author proves the point by talking about Robert and his love for youtube.  Although youtube may not get proper credit, it still is a form of communication and expression that should be encouraged.  Robert obviously finds great pleasure in it and putting it in to the classroom would do amazing things for the students.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to technology and these students need to prepare for the real world.  The real world is full of technology and the more up to date and the more use they get out of it the better.  There are a lot of activities teachers could do with technology and students would be more excited about it then the traditional paper and pencil method.  For example, why not let students create an "App" that might useful for a character.  This allows students to be creative but yet make connections to the text and a specific character.  One example might be Mississippi River map for Huck Finn so that he could navigate his journey down the river.  Although that is superficial in respect to the text, it still allows students to take something old and combine it with something relatively new.  I also, like how the class used wiki pages for books that they read in class.  I think this is a good way for students to use the internet and it allows them to communicate with people who share that same book interest and they can bounch off each others editing notes on the page.  They also probably feel that they need to do well because they know that other people can view the page.  I'm sure a lot students don't care about papers they write because they know that the only eyes seeing it are the eyes of the teacher.  However, with a Wiki they know that the world can see and it definitely arouses an interest.  I also think it creates a sense of class unity.  The class works individally but the final result is one of the whole class.  This is a great way to see how the students take the book and what they can create as whole.  I definitely think I will use computer technology in my classroom.  I remember when powerpoint was a big deal in the class.  Now, it is simply overused and redundant.  I think teachers need to keep up with technology in order to understand their students and their students needs.  Student A may not be the best in the class but could tell you all the gossip of the class by using Facebook.  Use that to your advantage and allow her to create a facebook page for a character and keep up with it.  Not only are her skills being put to use but she is also learning more about characters and shows she is keeping up with her reading.  Term papers are not for everyone so technology can help open doors to different but exciting assessments.  I also think it's interesting that Robert's standardized test scores went up after technology was implemented.  I think if you understand a student and build a class around them then learning becomes a better experience and is more natural.  Students want to learn but don't even realize that their learning.  I think technology is the most useful tool in the world right now and it would be foolish to let it go without being used in the classroom.  The youtube book trailers is a really good idea to use too.  Students can use their theatrical skills, production skills, english class skills, and group skills in order to complete a task and video for assessment.  It brings different elements in different kids comes out and they can truly experience a book at a new level.  Instead of assessing one student through a paper, you can test a bunch of students by using their talents and what they learned in a book combined in to one small package that can reveal a lot.  I think the classroom was set up so that technology played a large role then the students would feel that they can relate and that it useful to them.  It is our jobs as teachers to come to the students instead of them coming to us.  In the end, the teachers may learn just as much as the students do.

"Why Johnny Won't Read"

I felt that this article had some good and some bad points in its content.  I DO believe that english class is geared towards girls but I don't believe it has anything to do with book choice.  I mean take a look at our teaching Ad. Lit course, there are only two boys in the whole class.  However, I don't think its because boys don't like to read or that english classes aren't based around their interests.  I simply think it just happens to be a coincidence and a sort of left brain right brain thing.  Most of the stories that we read have male characters and they are often triumphant at the end.  Books like The Great Gatsby and Harry Potter have a lot of male characters and are geared towards adolescents as a whole.  I don't think it would matter what literature was introduced in the classroom.  I think boys typically are math/science students while girls are more english/history savvy.  I still think it's important to have a variety of genres, themes, characters, and concepts delivered in a classroom.  I think using a variety appeals to different people but NOT to different genders.  If you think about it, girls (particularly young girls) read books in a series that follow around high school girls who share similar problems to them.  However, that is what they read for leisure.  In the classroom I can't think of any books that appeal to girls over boys.  I think it is a matter of people picking a book they like to read and discovering reading as an interst.  I think anyone can like to read but I think girls tend to get hooked on a book more easily.  I think once a boy is, however, that he can be a lifelong reader as well.  I think it's interesting that the author claims that "there is no evidence" to this or that and that is basically based off of assumption and standardized test scores.  Personally, I think that girls stereptyically like to read more but I think that it is bold to say that boys don't based on observations.  I believe anyone can like to read and develop excellent reading skills but they just need to find a good book they like to read.  I don't believe that curriculums favor one over the other or neglect boys' interestsI just think that boys like to do things like math because there is one right answer and involves a lot of activity and repetition of formulas and such.  I think certain genders may have a knack for certain subjects but that does not mean they can't enjoy others or stray away from the "norms".

The Hunger Games

I could honestly write on and on about how much I love this book but I will try and keep it short.  I think this book is appealing to so many different kinds of people because of how many different themes there are in the book.  There is action, there is relationship buliding, there is excitement, it is futuristic, and it has its own set of rules.  Going back to the previous article I read, I think this book shows a female protagonist can also appeal to guy readers.  Katniss is independent, a good hunter, and a strong character.  She is a female but I know a lot of boys who can relate to her.  This book is by far one of my favorites and I cannot wait to read the other two.  I think it is amazing how the author created this fantasized America and how well it feels like it could happen.  The characters are ones you definitely have to love and I know I had myself rooting for Katniss the whole time.  For me, I don't think there was a dull moment and I could never put it down.  It was written so nicely and in a way that everything seemed real and had a careful method.  Even the fictional history of the districts and The Hunger Games selection process was done so meticulously that I could not help being in awe over how good the book was.  I think my favorite element was how corrupt the Capitol was.  I mean it takes a look at politics and really shows what goes on in politics.  I feel that it takes elements of today and shows how things could be many years later.  I definitely cannot wait for the movie to come out now that I have read the book.  I think the class should go to the midnight premiere!