Changing Citizenship

I found Bennett's discussion on the changing citizenship in our younger generations due to the digital age to be very interesting and relate-able. It wasn't until last year that I began actively watching the news and reading in order to keep up with what is going on in politics, the government, and society. I am still not as active as I feel I should be. This is especially true when it comes to politics. I have always highly enjoyed learning about history and the government. So, why was it so difficult to keep myself interested on things that are happening now? It had never occurred to me that it may be because of the way these issues are presented. "Governments that continue to exclude future citizens through their communication strategies only perpetuate the divided sense of citizen identity that leads young people to find political outlets outside government. Given the low costs and potentially broad reach of digital media, there is much that could be done to improve the daily communication outreach of politicians." (Bennett, 2008, pp. 15) I have never feel a strong connection to my government or political aspects. I do have very strong opinions about issues such as civil rights, the environment, education, etc. It now is clear to me that the reason I never felt those strong ties with the government is because I do not feel like I am a part of it. "Young citizens are among those most blatantly excluded from the public discourses of government, policy arenas and elections. The result is that the world of politics and government seems distant, irrelevant, and inauthentic to many citizens, particularly younger demographics." (Bennett, 2008, pp.13) 

A majority of the young people that I know feel the same way. They do not feel a connection with politicians or government officials. They know that even the news channels cannot be trusted to give an unbiased version of what is going on throughout our country and the world. It is a very uneasy feeling when you do not know who you can trust and who you can't. These media outlets are constantly trying to shape your views and opinions about issues. Our opinions are trying to be formed for us instead of using the facts to create our own opinions. In terms of Green's model, I feel that these issues are critical because through technology these younger generations are asking critical questions and creating different perspectives. 

"Perhaps one of the most obvious factors contributing to the relatively passive, disengaged stance of many young people toward government and formal elements of politics is the withering away of civic education in schools." (Bennett, 2008, pp. 7) Today, in schools, students do not begin to learn about social studies or science until the get into fourth grade. Their teachers may touch on it during an ELA lesson but they never solely focus on these subjects. We have over a two hour block for ELA, an hour an a half for Math and twenty minutes for Social Studies and Science on a daily basis. Even when the students do start to learn about history and their government it is only for about twenty minutes. How can we expect our younger generations to feel connected to our government when we hardly teach them about it? This is an issue that has always deeply bothered me because I feel that the knowledge provided in science and social studies is crucial to these students. Our schools are so consumed with ELA and Math that we have pushed the other subjects aside. The effects are now starting to be seen as many young people either do not care about what is happening in their government or they do not know enough about it to be active participants. 

Bennett, W. Lance. “Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age." Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Edited by W. Lance Bennett. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 

Networked Publics

 I have had my cell phone attached to my hip for the past fifteen years. Throughout those fifteen years I have occasionally thought about how this device effects me socially. Every once in a while when I was at dinner with a group of friends I would notice someone sitting on their cell phone while everyone else was talking. I would become annoyed and think that this type of behavior was incredibly rude (which it is). However, I would then catch myself doing the same thing while I was at the dinner table with my parents. I was no different then the people I had once considered rude. It was clear to me that cell phones were effecting peoples lives by the way they were interacting and communicating with people that are in their presence. As I have become older I have tried to recognize this type of behavior and stop myself. I will, however, still periodically catch myself paying attention more to my cell phone than to my loved ones around me. I am glad that I started to recognize this issue because I do feel that it is a problem. I do not want to be so engulfed in social media, games, or surfing the internet that I miss precious time with those that I love. This reading helped open my eyes to just how much cell phones are effecting all of us as a society. Varnelis and Friedburg described this perfectly when they stated, "With connection there is also disconnection, and networks can consolidate power in the very act of dispersing it." (Varnelis, Friedburgh, Pp.16)

The tools that are being put into practice are technological advances, such as cell phones, that are changing social interactions in our society. I feel that this issue would be in the critical dimension of Green's approach to literacy because when considering the issues pertaining to cell phones we are thinking of how it effects people socially and on a deep level. In Chapter 1, Varnelis and Friedburgh begin showing us the effects that cell phones have on social interactions by talking about how public places look now compared to before the cell phone. "Public space became increasingly privatized and virtualized, with networks of individuals being replaced by television broadcast networks, and individuals becoming less and less citizens and more and more consumers." (Varnelis, Freidburg. Pp. 18) This quote made me think back to times that I have been in public alone. Did I begin a conversation with a stranger? Did I notice my surroundings? The answer in most cases was no. Instead of engaging in a conversation with someone I took out my cell phone and got on Facebook or played Candy Crush. Then I started to wonder what kinds of experiences I have missed out on because I was too zoned into my phone to notice anything or anyone else. 

I felt strongly about this topic because it was one that I could really relate to on a personal level. I really enjoyed this chapter because not only did it open my eyes to the issues in our society, and in my personal life, but it made me want to make changes. Being aware of these issues is incredibly important. I have always felt that living my life to the fullest is key to a happy life. Part of living my life to the fullest means gaining as many experiences as I can, spending quality time with the people I love and appreciating my surroundings. All of these things that are so important to me I have let be negatively effected by my cell phone. I do feel that cell phones were a wonderful technological advance and they have had many positive impacts on peoples lives. It is important for people to be aware of the issues that can consume their lives without them noticing. It is so important for our society to get their noses out of their cell phones and interact with their surroundings. We would all benefit because we would build more relationships and gain more personal experiences. 

Reference:

Varnelis, K. (Ed.).(2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

 

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

      Since I was a young child, to me, literacy  meant learning how to read a text and learning how to write. I knew it was important to be able to read and write well because that is what was driven into me as  a student. I believed I would not be able to succeed in life without these skills. It never occurred to me that literacy may mean much more than knowing how to read a book and write a "good" essay or piece of writing. It was always clear who the students were that struggled with these skills. These students would either not want to read in front of the class, leave the classroom for extra help, or struggle when reading. (I cannot imagine how this effected the children's self esteem and motivation.)  I was not aware of the fact, until I began my teaching education, that there are many influences that have impacted these students to have these difficulties with literacy and other skills. I had never considered this because I came from a family who always encouraged my reading and it was something that I was lucky to have never struggled with. The readings this week have opened my eyes to literacy and the different social impacts it has on people. 
     I feel that the quote above is stating that the way we present and/or teach literacy will have an impact on the "active citizen". That social impact will depend on the way these skills are shown to these "citizens'. I interpreted this as meaning the ways in which these skills are taught. Literacy must be taught in a way that will help the "citizen" grow in their own lives. Meaning that these literacy skills will not only help them grow academically (become better readers) but will also help them grow socially. I have seen many changes throughout my educational career in the way literacy is taught in classrooms. As a fourth grade teacher, I know that it is crucial to provide these students with different strategies for learning.  By having different learning techniques it allows all the students the opportunity to grow in their "learning lives". Having the students be able to read the story is an important part. However, that is just a small piece to a much bigger puzzle. We dig in to each story and dissect different parts of it. It is crucial that they are able to make connections with their own lives to situations that are happening in the story. This area is where I see some of my students struggle. I related to Lankshear and Knobel in Chapter 1 when they were discussing social classes often struggling with literacy. The majority of my students who struggle with understanding the deeper meanings of stories are my students who lack the experiences necessary to be able to connect with these characters and these situations. It is hard because, as a teacher, I cannot make these experiences for them outside of school. I think having students work in groups may have some positive impact on the situation. The students who do not have those experiences can hear the experiences of their fellow classmates. Although this isn't as effective as their own experiences it could still help the students relate to the characters and situations in the story. 
   Incorporating technology into the classroom is of high importance in my school district. Throughout my college classes, substitute teaching experiences, student teaching experiences, and my professional teaching experiences I have come to see many of the positive impacts that technology has on students. Technology allows the students to interact in a positive and fun way. Almost every student I have had loves using computer programs, iPad's and/or Kindle's. The students have so much fun using this equipment that they do not even realize they are learning. They are able to learn in an environment that is fun for them. When they are interested and engaged in the learning process it creates lasting knowledge. The more familiar the students become with these types of equipment the more technologically savvy they will become. I was hired a little over year ago for my position. Part of the requirement for my job was to be technologically educated. It was important that I was comfortable and efficient with computers and other types of technology. Being comfortable and familiar with these types of technology are so crucial for the students success in the future. By incorporating these technologies into literacy education it benefits the students in their educational lives and their in their social lives as well. I feel that the more professional development and training courses teachers receive on new technology and new literacies the more effective the classroom will be in giving these students knowledge they will use their entire lives.


References

Lankshear, C & Knobel, M. 2011. Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives. New York. Peter Lang Publishing.