All posts by poojadharamshi

The “Google generation”

February 9, 2016Uncategorizedcommunication, Digital technology, literacy, literacy teacher education, social media, student teachers, teacher education, writingpoojadharamshi

Many of our learners have grown up with access to all sorts of search engines, namely Google which has quickly turned from a noun to a verb: “Just Google it.” With access to Google, many of our learners have instant answers that are just a few clicks away.

There has been an ongoing debate on whether Google is harmful or not to our ability to critically think about texts. Tan (2016) from Mindshift recongnizes, “with the advent of personal assistants like Siri and Google Now that aim to serve up information before you even know you need it, you don’t even need to type the questions. Just say the words and you’ll have your answer.” However, there are ways to ensure questions/inquiries in the class are “Google proof.” A former Kentucky middle-school teacher suggests re-thinking our instructional design is key in making work Google proof. He says, “Design it so that Google is crucial to creating a response rather than finding one…if students can Google answers — stumble on (what) you want them to remember in a few clicks — there’s a problem with the instructional design.”

I envision project-based learning and inter-disciplinary approaches as a way into creating Google proof material. Any suggestions? What have you tried/created/heard about?

ClassDojo

January 19, 2016knowledge building, teaching, Uncategorizedbrain's ability to develop, ClassDojo, growth mindsetpoojadharamshi

ClassDojo (the animated classroom management tool) has partnered with Stanford University’s Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS) to help educators weave a growth mindset into their courses. Growth mindset has become a buzz term recently and refers to our ability to understand that our knowledge and ability is not static; rather, our “brains are malleable and their abilities can be developed” (Schwartz, 2016). Research shows that once we understand our brain’s ability to develop, we approach learning as a challenge we can face.

ClassDojo has created a series of five free videos for educators to use. Each video is 2-3 minutes in length and builds upon one another in a sequence. The videos are titled:

Video 1: A secret about the brain
Video 2: The magic of mistakes
Video 3: The power of “yet”
Video 4: The mysterious world of neurons
Video 5: Little by little

Read more here: http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/01/19/what-classdojo-monsters-can-teach-kids-about-growth-mindset/

A Book Printing Machine at Toronto Library!

January 12, 2016classroom teachers, communicating ideas and research, knowledge building, learning from children, literacy, Literacy teacher educators, teaching feedback21st century skills, Digital technology, literacypoojadharamshi

The CBC reported that this past weekend the Toronto Reference Library unveiled book printing machine which allows individuals to walk away with store-quality books. As of now, authors can print 10 copies of their books (150 pgs) for $145. A bit pricey in my opinion, but definitely unique with a lot of great potential for students, writers, educators, etc. CBC reports that “What’s new is the ability to self-publish books – whether your own piece of literature, a cook book, dissertation or whatever you choose for a relatively.” The Toronto Reference Library will soon be offering courses on how to best format books for professional looking books.

Read CBC article here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-library-offers-store-quality-book-printing-to-customers-1.2670661

A New Book on Participatory Culture and Digital Technologies

January 5, 2016art as a form of communication, critical literacy, culturally responsive teaching, digital technology, education, literacy, Social Justice, Uncategorizedpoojadharamshi

I (Pooja) have long been interested in the notions of participatory culture. Often considered the opposite of consumer culture, participatory culture is defined by Henry Jenkins (2009, p. 5-6) as a culture in which there are:

1. relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement

2. strong support for creating and sharing creations with others

3. some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices

4. members who believe that their contributions matter

5. members who feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least, they care what other people think about what they have created).

I was excited when I learned authors Henry Jenkins, Mizuko Ito, and danah boyd authored a new book titled: Participatory Culture in a Networked Era: A Conversation on Youth, Learning, Commerce, and Politics (2015). I have provided the blurb on the back of the book for those potentially interested in learning more about participatory culture in the 21st century like I am:

In the last two decades, both the conception and the practice of participatory culture have been transformed by the new affordances enabled by digital, networked, and mobile technologies. This exciting new book explores that transformation by bringing together three leading figures in conversation. Jenkins, Ito and boyd examine the ways in which our personal and professional lives are shaped by experiences interacting with and around emerging media.

Stressing the social and cultural contexts of participation, the authors describe the process of diversification and mainstreaming that has transformed participatory culture. They advocate a move beyond individualized personal expression and argue for an ethos of “doing it together” in addition to “doing it yourself.”

Participatory Culture in a Networked Era will interest students and scholars of digital media and their impact on society and will engage readers in a broader dialogue and conversation about their own participatory practices in this digital age.

Chimamanda Ngozi’s Book Being Distributed to ALL 16- Year-Old Students in Sweden

December 8, 2015critical literacy, culturally responsive teaching, Curriculum Resources, curriculum; teachers, education, educational reform, knowledge building, learning from children, literacy, Uncategorizedcritical literacy, literacy, social media, teacher education, teachers, teachingpoojadharamshi

I have written about the powerful words of Ms. Adiche before. Her words stop us in our tracks and make us re-consider notions of identity, language, and gender. She has a new book out entitled We Should All Be Feminists. It is based on a speech she delivered at a TEDx conference a few years ago. I have already ordered it!

The most amazing thing about her new book is how it is being distributed. The Swedish Women’s Lobby has decided to distribute Adiche’s book to every 16-year-old student in Sweden. In a CBC article, publisher Johanna Haegerström believes her book will be an entry point into a larger discussion about gender roles in society. He said:

“Our hope is that the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie text will open up a conversation about gender and gender roles, starting from young people’s own experiences”

http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/12/we-should-all-be-feminists-by-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-is-being-given-to-every-16-year-old-in-sweden.html

“What curriculum do young people need in the 21st century?”

November 17, 2015Curriculum Resources, curriculum; teachers, Uncategorizedpoojadharamshi

In his article for TES.com, John Dunford argues for whole education for ALL children not just those at top-attending schools. Dunford, Chair of Whole Education in the U.K., asserts those from econmically disadvantaged areas in the U.K. still receive “mid-20th-century knowledge-based curriculum.” He believes this antiquated curriculum “fails to recognise many of the needs of young people growing up in the 21st century.” He urges educators and policy makers to consider two key questions regarding curriculum:

“What curriculum do young people need in the 21st century?”
“What curriculum does most for the disadvantaged?”

In order to answer these questions, Dunford maintains it requires educators have unique set of knowledge, skills, and personal qualities in order to prepare young people for a rapidly changing world. Regarding the ways in which we view curriculum, he argues:

“It is not either/or; this is a both/and curriculum.”

To read the entire article click here: https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/%E2%80%98every-child-needs-a-fully-rounded-education-%E2%80%93-it-shouldn%E2%80%99t-just-be

Your Research Summed Up with EMOJIS!?

November 3, 2015art as a form of communication, communicating ideas and research21st century communication, 21st century literacy, academic writing, communication, literacy teacher educators, mojis, pedagogy of teacher educationpoojadharamshi

Academic writing is often criticized for being unnecessarily complex and as a result inaccessible to most people. In a response to simplify academic writing, there has been a hilarious online movement to tweet your research using only emojis. I decided to try it out. Surprisingly, this task was more difficult than I expected. Below is my final result (I had to use text + emojis). Interestingly, my husband commented the emoji statement helped clarify what the heart of my research is really about. Go figure!!

To Read more about this movement, click here:

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/complex-academic-writing/412255/

https://storify.com/chronicle/test?utm_source=embed_header

Secret Teacher

October 20, 2015academics, celebrating teachers, classroom teachersSecret Teacher, teacher-insiders' perspectives, teaching, The Guardian, what really goes on in schoolspoojadharamshi

The Guardian has an ongoing column titled Secret Teacher. It is a series of blogs by anonymous teacher-insiders revealing what really goes on in schools. This week the anonymous contributor wrote a short yet powerful piece on returning to the classroom after years in administration and remembering how tough teaching is. An excerpt from the essay on the contributor’s move from admin back into the classroom:

I was certain that my move would buy me more time; no more endless piles of admin, no more mind-numbing meetings until 7pm, no more grim governors’ reports to write, no more dour disciplinary panels to attend. But I had forgotten that the windows in the ivory tower are obscured by pot plants so tall that you can’t see the stressed faces of the teachers as they race past. If you do chance to look up from your paperwork, your rose-tinted glasses made their lives look quite romantic. Oh, how the students adored them! How much fun they had together in their teams! I remembered those days …

I had forgotten that my multitudinous leadership tasks were generously accommodated by my timetable. Yes, I had a lot to do, but I was given a lot of time to do it. How did I forget that it’s impossible to plan adequate lessons in five non-contact periods a week? How did I forget that as I reluctantly sat in meetings, angry that I had failed to see any daylight for the majority of winter, my main-scale colleagues were marking and planning in their classrooms or at their dining tables? How did I think that I had it harder than them?

To read this essay or others from the Secret Teacher series, click here: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/oct/17/secret-teacher-school-leaders-quickly-forget-how-tough-teaching-is

Canadian Millennials Surveyed

October 13, 2015Uncategorized21st century communication, 21st century literacypoojadharamshi

Many of us have young adults, often referred to as generation Y or Millennials, in our classrooms. Millennials are growing up in a world much different than those generations before them. The challenges they face are unique and so it important to better understand “what’s weighing on them.” Huffington Post conducted a survey with 1,004 young adults between the ages of 18-30 across Canada. Below is what they found: