Technolandy

Day 7 (of 2024/25) Good article re reading makes me think I need to do a thing for New Media 12!

Parents aren’t doing this key activity anymore with their kids and experts are alarmed — Newsweek

Good video about reading… https://youtube.com/shorts/oUsVD3b9gwg?si=uhj7yy76jprtHDU0

Which is timely as I continue to vent about the need for more adults to model this mode of communication ~ for entertainment; for information; for experimentation… as an education librarian, I am a big fan of the reading medium… but I am also keenly aware of some of the shifts over the centuries… so a reminder that even formats that we consider ‘classics’ were once the ‘TikTok’ of their day… the flip this time is that usually (especially in poetry and prose) a new style is introduced as a ‘found document’ – or dream – to excuse its attempt to evolve and push the format… 

Promo video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOcqpMFkdrS/?igsh=MWhibHh1Y2l5cjM3cA==

New Media 12 Intro: https://youtu.be/YoXdK5Hk8Tg?si=MqRC_3gdCqRuMMNh

And I think we ought to broaden the concept of ‘reading’ – because even I was disappointed to read in the article that ‘reading for fun almost everyday’ in 2023 had dropped to about 14% for children… even worse was that drop wasn’t from a huge number that many like to pretend was a lived reality – the % in 1984 was a ‘mere’ 35% of teens reading for fun… the shift in schools (yep, blaming ‘science of reading’ a bit – agree with some of their core tenants, but nobody is writing fan fiction about blackline masters from Fountas and Pinnell) has been that reading is more of a ‘subject to learn’ than a fun thing to do…  And if we are not going to make an investment in libraries and librarians (I’m gonna keep alive the wish that every school have a full time librarian WITH the current ratio’d librarian who provides prep time for teachers…) I’m not really going to take the words that ‘reading is important’ all that seriously. 

Likewise, while I philosophically agree with him… I likewise mindfully disagree with Susan B Neuman (professor of Childhood Education and LIteracy Development at the Steinhardt School) when she said “Parents should limit children’s use of digital media and consider a routine of reading to children regularly” <— I definitely agree with limited/no screen time for our youngest, but know that the environment they are emerging into is full of screens – and they will be drawn to what the tall people are doing – so I would argue for more a ‘mindful’ use of screens (ebooks vs roblox vs candycrush), as I have long cited “creating vs consuming” on screens is a healthy debate, and at the same time acknowledging that we have families that are not good readers and thus not confident reading with/modelling for their children AND even though we can all point to the local libraries… book accessibility remains a challenge. I also mindfully LOVE some of the other suggestions in the article – Yoto players (read alouds) – but youtube has similar options… media continues to shift and change, but the right media being consumed late into the night can become infectious – but we gotta differentiate between comics, novels, ereaders, and doomscrolling Reddit…:/

It’s why I was a little disappointed in BCs curriculum when a course offering called “New Media” didn’t fully (enough) embrace some of the new media formats… so, in continuing my ‘push’ to do some courses different(iated)ly… let me propose a three project approach to emphasizing the “NEW” in new media 12… and acknowledging and leaning into the power of the screen tablets along with the paper tablets of yore:

1. Graphics

Language/word exploration via comic books (or graphic novels if that term makes you feel more ‘grown up’). There is a LOT of research recently done that shows that there are more ‘rare’ words (that help build vocabulary and schema) in comic books than any other [53.5 per thousand compared to children’s books that average 30.9 and even adult books with 52.7] AND linking it in with a tuesday online club based on Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud’s Cartoonist Club graphic novels! (Video featurette being shared today via youtube: 

Action plan: comic book library in our Oceanview Campus with a plan for ‘rotating comic libraries’ to rotate between all three sites and promoting how (get this) comics can be used as primary sources in research projects!

2. Socials

My son decried years ago that ‘if schools are preparing us for the future, where’s the course on YouTube?’.  Here. It’s right here. Let’s explore this ‘back to basics’ format (oral/aural tradition a precursor to the boring ‘write it down to create alignment’ mindset). Let’s explore the rich literatures that exist within instagram and TikTok too! Some may laugh, but Dickens was once a ‘slush’ writer – the original influencer getting clicks (pennies…) and as I predicted to my own English 12 teacher who prayed I’d be wrong – even Stephen King’s work is being reflected on with great dignity and awe (though the Dark Tower series needs to be a long-format-video-series rather than attempting movies… event The Stand shoulda been twice as long, but I digress…) who will be the influencers now that we revere in a couple of generations? May be for their talking more than their writing now that the oral tradition can be archived and shared more readily than around an evening gathering!

Action plan: sharing History of Math and New Media ideas on a weekly scheduled sharing via socials and an interactive Cartoonists Club for our broader school community – showing how to read and create comic books with a goal that we have a variety of students with comics to sell at our schools annual Comic Con

3. Gaming

For those who cringed at a unit on social media… look away: video games are amazing story telling devices that enable to the viewer to literally become part of the experience. Don’t think it’s as valid? Look up the rants against the tv series “The Last of Us” – if you think people who love books get ranty about movie versions… the video gamers are equally (or more) passionate. And much like the comic book to movie trend, you don’t need to create anything new – just put some amazing story arcs to film! And like good books, many of these are timeless and cross many genres! Horror… suspense…sci-fi… fantasy… drama…  admittedly comedy doesn’t translate ‘great’ on video games – but there are moments! 

Action Plan: esports club and times for students to come in to play a variety of ‘short stories’ (mario kart) and open worlds (Zelda) 

Bonus Action: do a “Pokemon 101” for families who are just getting into this hybrid of graphics, socials, and gaming… video and f2f! 

And looking at the ‘big ideas’ for literacy, these three units of exploration fully meet (as long as we can be comfortable with rethinking the definitions of ‘text’): 

• the exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of divers,e invoked ideas about identity, others, and the world
• People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives
• Texts are socially, culturally, geographically and historically constructed.
• Language shapes ideas and influences others
• Digital citizens have rights and responsibilities in an increasingly globalized society.

Trad tablets list recommended from cbc: https://www.cbc.ca/books/12-canadian-books-to-get-kids-and-teens-reading-as-they-head-back-to-school-1.7607037

Recommended from Landy: Read more Comics. On Tuesdays this year, I am going to be sharing some modelling on reading cartoon focused literatures – comics, graphic novels, comic strips, cartoon tv/movies, animes…