Monthly Archives: August 2014

Can you find your cat?

education, literacy, , , ,

An article from the Toronto Star caught my attention it features the website I Know Where Your Cat Lives. Owen Mundy, an associate professor in digital media art at Florida State University, developed the website in an effort to highlight potential privacy concerns related to the use of public websites. Mundy collected one million cat photos with geographic data embedded from public photo sharing sites (e.g. Instagram, Flickr) and placed the photos on a world map. The motivation behind the project came about when Mundy realized that photos of his young daughter had been posted online with embedded geographic co-ordinates pinpointing the location of his backyard. He then thought “What’s the closest thing people have to them that they photograph that’s like a child, but not as scary as mapping someone’s child? That’s a cat.” Mundy’s web project is meant to illustrate the substantial amount of personal data individuals share, often unwittingly, when they post photos on social media sites.

Link to Toronto Star Article:

m.thestar.com/#/article/life/2014/08/01/how_curiosity_killed_your_cats_privacy.html

A Book on Critical Literacy and Teacher Education

education, literacy, , , ,

I (Pooja) am currently re-reading Negotiating critical literacies with teachers: Theoretical foundations and pedagogical resources for pre-service and in-service contexts (Vasquez, V.M., Tate, S.L, & Harste, J.C., 2013). This book suggests a theoretical framework, provides insightful examples, and offers pedagogical resources when incorporating critical literacy practices into pre-service and in-service teacher education.

I share some moments in the book which really stood out for me during my second reading:

1. Vasquez et al. suggest this book fills a gap in the literature about critical literacy and teacher education. Specifically,

 This book speaks to what Dozier et al. (2006) observe as a profession that has not publicly articulated the nature of the alignment between our expectations for our [teacher educators’] own literate lives and our expectations for our students as literacy learners.

 2. As I was more closely re-reading the final chapter of this text, a section on “Dealing with Accountability and Standards” really stood out for me. This section dealt what our critical literacy participants in our SSHRC study have expressed to be a tension in their work. Vasquez et al. (2013) take the following stance on dealing with accountability and standards as teacher educators,

A question that often arises for us is how to get beyond the hurdles of incorporating a critical stance when we live in a world of accountability and standards….we have found that these difficulties become easier with teachers who have a concrete philosophy about their pedagogy and can demonstrate how this type of pedagogy has changed their own academic and personal lives as well as that of their students.

3. They go on to provide insights into how best practice critical literacy in teacher education,

We have also found that you cannot do this work alone. Having other to think with and reflect with, even if they are not in your workplace makes all the difference in whether you continue to create more and more spaces for critical literacy in your setting or whether you throw in the towel.

Creativity and the Curriculum

Curriculum Resources, curriculum; teachers, education, literacy, ,

I (yiola) will admit that as a classroom teacher  – while I thought I was a good teacher of student  learning – I lacked creativity both in content and pedagogy. Recently, I came across this link:

30 Dad Jokes That Are So Bad, They’re Great

and now, as a more experienced (teacher) educator and reflective practitioner  what came to mind was, “wow… so many interesting ways to use this link and these beautiful images with the mandated Ontario curriculum”. For example, any grade and topic in the Social Studies curriculum could be applied: Grade 2: Communities Around the World; Grade 3: Living and Working in Ontario (a perfect opportunity to explore the various regions and compare and contrast their beauty); Grade 4: Physical Regions in Canada (exploring photography to “unearth” physical landscapes); Grade 6: Canada’s interactions with the Global Community (moving beyond the political and economic).  Social studies can be seamlessly linked to literacy and the more I explore multiliteracies the more inspired  I am to employ the visual and the aesthetic to develop meaning and understanding… and communication.  Imagine the Visual Arts lessons and opportunities front these images — ‘Hello group of 7″ — and colour, and perspective, and line and emotion.  And to grasp onto the beauty of what may be unfamiliar to students living in urban centres or familiar to those living in more remote regions to discuss lifestyles and Healthy Living from the Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Which ever way children chose to inquire,  creative opportunities and aesthetic resources may offer new and exciting opportunities for seeing the world and themselves.  This concept for teaching is more inspiring than how I recall teaching and learning (i.e. comparison worksheets of city life vs. rural life).

PS — I thought of my good friend Clive Beck as I enjoyed these beautiful images! I hope you enjoy them too.

 

Trivago Guy: Hot or Not?

Reflections, , , ,

It is interesting observing what captures the public’s interest. I (Clare) was inundated with Trivago Guycommercials for Trivago during the World Cup and the Winter Olympics. The commercial features a middle-aged man advertising the amazing features of Trivago (a travel website). I commented to Clive that I thought he was cool and much to my surprise he replied he thought he looked a little seedy. In the Globe and Mail today Sarah Hampson has a whole article on Tim Williams the Trivago Guy.Social media is buzzing about him with some saying he looks like he sleeps in his car (not good for a travel website) while others wonder about his small waist and beltless jeans. She notes that: “good or bad, Trivago Guy has people talking which is a measure of successful advertising campaigns.” Social media has catapulted Trivago Guy into fame.

Los Del RioIn the Toronto Star today there was an article about another unlikely media “darling” the Spanish duo Los Del Rio who sang the embarrassingly corny song, Hey Macarena. “They hit the jackpot in colossal fashion with one of the most infamous songs of all time” that became a staple for “every single wedding, sporting event, bar mitzvah, and other large social gathering on the planet.” Why did this happen? (and without social media).

What is the appeal of Trivago Guy or two “decidedly unfashionable middle-aged gents” crooning?  I am not sure but it sure is fun watching for the next hot “thing.” I think teachers could have a great time discussing with students who and what captures the public  interest. It would be interesting to hear teenagers’ views on Trivago Guy!

 

Prank it Forward

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I (Cathy) had never heard of “Prank It Forward” until today.  It is heartwarming.  If you want to feel good about people this is long weekend, watch the following video.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2zUf06iy1A

This ‘prank’ reminded me of a project one of my students started last year in her classroom during her practice teaching.  She called it Spread the Joy.  Everyday she initiated an event that would make a student happy and challenged the class to spread the joy.  It was one of the most powerful things I have ever seen happen  in a classroom.   She turned the class around.

Big or small, giving a car or a compliment, we can make a difference.