What ideas do you have about your final project?

(Source: Wikipedia Commons)

During the final half of my first year as a teacher, I thought about how beneficial it would have been if I taught my students by using digital media and connecting it to the literature concepts discussed in class. One way I want to approach this is by giving the students the digital tools to create video essays to analyze themes and concepts related to the classroom content. After reading the Christensen article, I realized that in order to promote media literacy in my classroom, I need to expose students to the idea of creating content in a meaningful way. A way to include this in my classroom space is by introducing students to the Canva video option. As someone with no experience with this specific area of Canva, I think that it would be a good opportunity to learn how to use this technology and understand how my students can express themselves through this medium.

What is your relationship to Barbie or any kind of children’s culture (like Disney?) How does Christiansen validate or challenge your views?

                                            (Source: Charactour.com)

In 2009, I remember the grand promotional efforts of Disney on behalf of their new film Princess and the Frog. After decades of Princesses being established and ingrained in the patchwork of our media, Disney was finally getting a Black Princess to add to their lineup. I remember feeling excited about this prospect. “What did this mean?” I knew this was an important moment in history, but it took me until college to look at this moment and the film under a more critical microscope. As someone who grew up watching Disney Channel programming, I often found myself not relating to the concept of the shows, but being able to escape my own reality. With Princess and the Frog, I wanted to relate to her, but how could I when for the majority of the film she was a frog. After years of pushing for a Black Disney princess, we finally got one, but at what cost? After noticing this aspect of the film, I couldn’t help, but feel weary about the messaging being presented to young Black girls, specifically me during that time period. By taking away her humanity, it perpetuated a harmful stereotype about Black people that many of us so longed to escape. The subtle racism in this film, by changing her to a frog, made it unwatchable for me. After this realization, I then discovered how so much of the children programming I watched as a kid reinforced negative ideas about Black girls, that I subconsciously carry with me today. The Christensen text validated a lot of feelings I have had over the years about my experience with children’s media as a kid and, then, as an adult. Her stance on the importance of being critical of the media you consume because of its hidden messages, resonated with me because of my current ability to critically interact with media in a way that I was not able to do as a child. 

What do you make of the positions of Prensky and Spiegel? Where do you stand on the “digital native” terminology?

When Marc Prensky coined the terms “Digital Native” and “Digital Immigrants” he entered a stream of conversations on what it means to be a person living in the Information Age. According to Prensky Revisited by Jennifer Spiegel, she describes the impact of these terms and how it distinctly classified different generations of technology users into these two groups. Although these terms aimed to organize technology users, it also impacted how the “Digital Native” would be neglected in their development of current and future technological skills. Prensky’s implication on who “Digital Natives” are and what they know has done irreparable damage to school curriculums, student engagement, and academic success outcomes. 

Alternatively, Spiegel suggests that the need to educate students on technology is paramount for students to be able to “engage in productive work,” (Spiegel 2018). Instead of leading with the assumption that students inherently understand technology without it being taught to them, she makes it clear that students should be given resources to understand technology as a precursor instead of an afterthought. As an educator, I agree with Spiegel’s stance on technology in the classroom and how it is more beneficial to teach students these skills instead of assuming they have already mastered the basics. 

As humans constantly evolve, so does technology. The term “Digital Native” can be used for specific periods of technological advancement, but not as a catch-all for people born in a specific era. No one can be a native of technology or our digital landscape because it is constantly changing and shifting the rules. The goalpost will continue to move forward, but it does not mean people are not capable of learning new skills or using previous skills to work with technology. 

About Me

 Hello!

My name is Adrienne Morris and I am an English teacher at Central High School. 

When I'm not in class: 

Hobbies I'm into: