After a year of teaching English to 9th and 10th graders, I have observed that my students were not interested in the texts we read in class. In the beginning of the year, I asked students to tell me what was the last book that they read. The overwhelming majority of my students did not have an answer and if they did, it was probably a book they read when they were much younger. In casual conversation, I asked students to explain their favorite books to me and what made them important to them. When students were able to answer this question, I realized that the book was often related to their personal interests or life experiences. It became clear to me that when students had a choice in what they consumed, they were more likely to comprehend the text, recall main ideas and themes, and analyze the text without them knowing they were doing so. It was apparent to me that although the curriculum texts were important and necessary for their development in the classroom, it was also equally as significant for them to engage in texts they chose on their own.
For my 9th and 10th graders, I noticed that my students struggled with focusing on the texts we read in class for a variety of reasons. The curriculum centered texts that were grade-level specific, which was not accessible to many of my students who were classified as reading below their grade level. It ignored their experiences and forced them to be compliant rather than a willing participant wanting to engage in the learning process. It also shut them out of conversations based on factors not under their control. It was obvious to me that I needed to work to help my students develop a healthier relationship, not only with reading, but learning as a whole. One way I decided to do this is by creating a space in my classroom to incorporate student book talks.
After learning about my students, and teenagers in general, I realized that they were often excited to talk about their personal interests whether it was a television show, a film, sports, or school gossip. The students all had a passion for expressing themselves which is what gave me the idea to create this website. As a way to center student choice and verbal communication while developing their comprehension, critical analysis, and recall skills, I decided to create a classroom website to house their recorded book talks, student book recommendations, and written student work about books they read. While developing the idea of the classroom book talks, I wanted students to give their booktalks in front of the class. After thinking about student’s anxiety about speaking in front of a group of their peers, I thought it was important to honor students' choice to either do their book talks live or record them. After discussing with Dr. Bogad, she gave me the idea of publishing the student’s recorded book talks in a central place where students could access them. The book talk is designed for students to follow a rubric when organizing their thoughts, theme and concept analysis, and key takeaways from their chosen texts.
In my class, I have used technology through the techno-traditionalist model. I use technology to organize administrative tasks like grading, emailing, and creating and displaying slide show presentations. With the creation of the website for my students book talks, I am able to enter the space of a techno-constructivist. As described by Walter Mckenzie, a techno-constructivist, “uses technology to completely change approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom,” (McKenzie, 2005). My main goal for this digital project is to develop my students' literacy skills, by providing a space for them to access their peers' book talks and other classroom resources. In this space, students will be able to engage with their classmates, provide recommendations, and discuss book-related topics. By integrating this technology within my classroom, I am able to challenge students' preconceptions of reading by offering them the opportunity to broaden their reading skills in a non-traditional way that centers their personal interests and is culturally relevant.
After spending a year teaching and interacting with the youth, I have realized that they learn the best when they are given the opportunity to share parts of themselves free from judgement, a space to create, and a place for social interaction. By creating a space where students feel safe and comfortable, they let down barriers that have previously prevented them from being present in their learning process. I believe that students learn best when they are allowed a choice in their learning experiences while also being able to be in a community with their classmates. As learning can be considered a social experience, implementing book talks into the classroom works to encourage students to be influenced by their peers' interaction with literature. With the classroom website, students can be creative in their analysis, comprehension, and the way they communicate their ideas and understandings.
In the text, “Prensky Revisited: Is the Term “Digital Native” Still Applicable to Today’s Learner” by Jennifer Spiegel she states, “educators have an obligation to stimulate students’ brains in multiple ways, so they continue to grow beyond their present abilities and interests. Educators must push students into new realms and help them discover things they never knew they could love,” My main goal for this digital project is to open up another way for students to strengthen their literacy skills, but also hopefully help them find the joy in reading and learning together.
After a year of seeing students tethered to their cell phones, I became disillusioned with the state of the average American classroom. My students, who are all teenagers, have spent the bulk of their lives in front of screens. I did not want to continue to perpetuate this behavior in my classroom because I saw it as me failing them as their teacher. Before this class, I was pretty anti-technology within the classroom. I did not know how it could coexist in the same space with my students who were heavily distracted by it. In this course, I was able to shift my perspective. It became clear to me that the technology was not the problem, but how it was utilized in academic spaces for young people. Although being considered “Digital Natives”, my students were not given the opportunity to use technology in appropriate ways to help with their development as lifelong learners. Through this class, I was able to recognize this distinction and how I, as their teacher, could help them connect with technology in a way that might be different from what they learned (or did not learn). For my project, I relied heavily on the idea that students should be taught foundational digital literacy skills to be successful in the future. Without this class, I do not think that I would have been able to create such a website or classroom concept. In Rita Pierson’s TEDTalk “Every Kid Needs a Champion” she ends her speech by saying, “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” With this classroom book talk project, I want my students to understand the importance of connecting with their peers and realizing that they can be the best that they can be when they are given the opportunity to do so. This course has given me the language and tools to make my classroom space more engaging, interactive, and hopefully full of joy.
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