The film was about being interconnected to the world and people around us, and this is something that could be employed into every content area, I feel. It is important in this day and age that we begin to utilize technology in the classroom, and I feel there are a variety of practical applications in the English classroom. Having the ability to give the students a piece of literature, or a poem, and have them read it; then, give the students time to explore the Internet and find pieces of literature or poems that stemmed from the original, or that were inspired by the original, and study those in class. What the students would see is the way in which literature is a growing, living thing, and how it has an affect on the world around it. Students could study the growth of a piece of lit, see how it influenced authors, societies, and eras. All the while the students are doing the ground work, they are the ones hunting for the information, rather than just being told about it. It is a way for them to interact with the world of literature, to dive into it and find their own interest.
The film did not raise too many questions for me, however, one question I did have was what does the prediction for technology and the classroom for the next ten years look like. What is the end goal of this technological collaboration? If it is to have 100% tech classes, what are we going to be losing or sacrificing in order to have this? Is it the best solution to have students 100%'committed and reliant on tech?
For English, it is heavily connected to the history and social science courses, as well as philosophy courses. These classes go hand in hand, because it is vital for students to understand the cultural influences and the societal influences the authors were facing, and how the time period could have affected the way the author wrote. Additionally, how the pieces of literature the author wrote, had a hand in changing the world around them. As for the other subjects and content areas, I have struggled to find a connection without stretching things in order to make a weak, far fetched connection, but would love to know how to connect English to the other subjects, especially mathematics.
It is important for students, as well as teachers, to be well rounded, and have an understanding about the various content areas being taught. Each subject is a vital component to being not only a well-educated person, but also being an individual who can interact with the world and have a beneficial role in his or her community.
Hey Brandon:
ReplyDeleteI like your conceptualization of literature as a living thing. I also think it's a lovely idea to have students listen or read poems and then go to the internet to find connections to or with it. Your idea makes (I think) reading someone's work become creating one's own work by having students create those connections. I believe this is an excellent idea--this is a means of making poems or stories (or art or music, history or sociology) relevant to our students. We all know that relevance is an excellent hook to keep the kids interested.... Thanks for the great idea. I'm already using it!