1619

 I may have consumed chapter four of 1619 by host, Nikkole Hannah-Jones differently than others. I am not a person who can learn very well through audio so I needed to read it. I did attempt to listen to it but I get so distracted. even reading other peoples blogs that talked about her use of pausing to bring emphasis I never picked up on because I have such a hard time honing in on the audio. But when I read the transcription I thought about the element of story telling that was used. I think it was very powerful to tell a story straight of the bat. it really helps to feel like you have a personal connection to the speaks and really sets the tone for the rest of the pod cast. 

    so for my thoughts for using pod cast in an educational setting; I love it. I think as an educators we should be using as many different forms of media as we can in our classroom because each students learns differently. just because it is not my favorite thing to do doesn't mean thats true for everyone. this assignment could have been someones dream come true. i think it is a great way to get information across without forcing students to ready countless articles and texts. with that being said I always have to wonder hat that would look like in my own classroom of first graders. most fo the time my students need a visual element to go along with what they are listing to. i wonder if showing them a video of people pod casting would work. i know all over my Tik Tok for you pages is videos of people who filmed themselves making the pod cast. as an adult it might not make a difference just watching people sit and talk but for my little ones it might make the difference of being able to listen to a pod cast.

I decided to do some looking around of the benefits of using pod casts in the classroom and how to do that in elementary school and i found this really great article that might be helpful to others as well.

Disney: Pleasure vs. Critique

 I feel like I have to get this out of the way, I am a Disney Adult, there I said it. I only went to Disney World once as a child and it was not the experience I wanted it to be. So when I was graduating college in the middle of the pandemic and I saw that crazy deals Disney was having, I couldn't refuse. So that's just what I did. At the age of 21, I went to Disney world with my fiancé and we had the time of our lives. I won't go too deep into but i will say my childhood was no fairy-tail and when I was at Disney World, I felt like i was healing my inner child. Because of this feeling, I had the privilege of visiting Disney twice more in the same year. So just know that these views are coming from a person who cares very deeply for Disney.

    With that being said, I resonate deeply with this idea of pleasure and critique. Yes I love Disney but that does not mean I am blind to its faults. There is a lot i don't enjoy about Disney. I'm not a fan of its tokenism and how it hasn't been that long since only white characters were featured in their films. I see the problems with how they generate money and don't think twice about the people they are making a profit off of. And I often bring up the fact that Walt Disney himself is probably rolling in his grave to see what Disney became because he himself was a very problematic person. I see all of these things but I also see the good. I see the meaningful lesson these films are trying to teach. Christensen speaks about the "secret education". This can be both good and bad.

At my school we sue the term "both/and". Within Disney there is a whole lot of secret education. Children are learning these racist and prejudice ideas about people of color, and people that are different than us. I think about how most villains are fat and not beautiful, or have big noses (many even resemble drag queens). There is secret education about the role of a women and how she should only care about finding a good man. AND there is secret education about loving yourself for who you are. and standing up for what is right, and embracing difference between people. Both of these things are true. Here is a list of all of the lessons Disney movies can teach not only children but adults as well.

I think there is power in those who take pleasure from Disney always being the ones to critique it. If you don't like Disney, you're probably not seeing the good that is there. To see the good and to continue addressing the bad is very important.

"Digital Native" and "Digital Immigrants"

 In "It's Complicated" by Danah Boyd Chapter 7 discusses the problematic language of "Digital Native" and "Digital Immigrants". He identifies the fact that this language and narrative is not only incorrect but it is also dangerous. This is the opposing view from Prensky who coined this idea. I personally agree with Boyd that the idea of "digital native" and "digital immigrant" is inaccurate and dangerous.

    I was born in 1999 which some may consider well within the digital age. I don't view it the same way. I believe that technology was definitely on the rise but in 1999 many people did not even have computers in their home and smartphones wouldn't come along until years down the road. But nonetheless I would be considered a "digital native" by Prensky and those who follow his ideology. Though that may be the case I have always felt illiterate when it came to technology. I am constantly comparing myself to others my age and when I look at them I feel less than. I have basic skills. I can change the settings on my phone and figure out how to change my password when I inevitably forget it but that's about it. My fiance even makes fun of me because I "google search like a dad". and this is supposed to be fun because a dad would probably be considered a "digital immigrant" . So because I don't hold the skills to effectively make a google search I am acting like a digital immigrant. This ties into Boyds idea that "digital natives" don't exist. Some people hold the skills because they learned them while others do not. It does not have much to do with age.

    Boyd said "When we assume that youth will just absorb all things digital through exposure, we absolve ourselves of our responsibility to help teenagers develop necessary skills." this made me think of the flip side. We all know at this point that the vast majority of jobs require some kind of digital knowledge. There have been many times where an older person, someone who was not born in the digital age, has come to me and asked for help sending an email or pulling up a document. If I were to turn them away with the idea that they are a "digital immigrant" and they will never learn because they were not born in the digital age, they would be upset and lose access to certain jobs. So why is this different for those you are younger without digital literacy? Each and every person deserves to learn the knowledge that they do not have and I don't think that age should have anything to do with it. 

    This brings me to the idea that was discussed in chapter 7 of "its complicated" which is access. Towards the end of the chapter Boyd states that the quality and knowledge of technology has a lot to do with access. the more access someone has to technology the better they are. HERE is an article that came out just days ago. This shows that even in 2023 where so much is dependent on the internet there are still so many in this country without access to it. 

In conclusion, I agree with Boyd. There is no such thing as a “digital immigrant” or a “digital native” there are just people with varying skills and need to learn the knowledge of how to successfully navigate media and technology.

                                                

Introduction

 Hello! My name is Hannah Laurianno. I am a first grade teacher at Achievement First Envision Elementary School. I am going into my second year teaching and I am loving it! In my free time I like to play with my rescue dog Ruby and I love to try new foods. I am a Disney Adult with no shame and I am looking forward to my up coming trip to Disney this Christmas. My summer just started as my last day of school was June 23rd, but so far my summer has been great! I am going to be moving soon which is going to consume most of my summer along with the two other classes that I am taking. For my Hyper links I am going to like some classroom tools I like to use. THIS is a tool I use to mange the noise level in my room. and HERE is some music I play for my kids while they work that makes me happy too.