Post FOKI

My Post FOKI follows, new comments and reflections are in bold.

Professional Self:
One of the main things I want students to do in my class is react and respond to the works in ways that are meaningful to them. Too often I was told there was a right or wrong way to interpret something. There isn't. I want to foster a community like I experienced in college where students feel that they can say anything so long as it is meaningful to them. I also think it is really important to integrate technology in the classroom. But I wish to dispel the myth of the digital native. I am a digital native in that I can pick up something digital and quickly start working it. But, as I often find with similar kids in the mid-twenties, I don't have a deep understanding of everything that is out there. I want to continue to learn about new tools, such as SecondLife that can further engage students. One thing that has really been looming over me has been the fact that everything we put on the internet is available to anyone (this also borders on Virtual Self). I think it is really important to stress this to students from a social justice standpoint. With cable news and instant reaction, there is a really inflammatory nature to our culture, and it is most prominent on the internet. I think easing kids into online groups and societies using book clubs and other constructive ventures will help them remember that there is always an audience even if you are just sitting at your computer screen. In the same vein, I think that great literature makes us feel like we aren't alone. It let's us know that others have had similar experiences and dealt with similar hardships, and hopefully my classroom will allow students to explore the bridge between literature and their own experience with society.

First of all, I still find that I want to inspire students through literature; however, I think I have learned to be a little more open to reading for pleasure. Not every book has to be a mental exercise. I still really believe in a collegiate, open, workshop type approach to the LA classroom. One thing I have come to terms with, though I still like to use digital native sometimes is digital visitors and residents, and I think the thing that separates my generation and more recent is that we can go from visitor to resident more quickly, but there still has to be that transformation, and it does take some time. I've learned that modeling and encouraging proper student use of technologies is the best way to curb the inflammatory or inappropriate behavior. And yes, I think my beliefs about the powerful ability of literature to give students something to relate to, something to inspire them and something to really befriend holds true.


Literate Self
This is the area where I feel most unprepared. I simply have not read much young adult literature. I feel like most of what I read is mature and dense. Not very well suited for the classroom. However, from the beginning of Revolver, (which I chose because Revolver is also my favorite Beatles album) I realized that Young Adult literature can do much more than I initially thought. There may be a place for the Boxcar Children and Goosebumps, but they do not represent the whole of the young adult genre, and I look forward to continue to read meaningful and high quality young adult books.

Goal begun! I will not say that this is nearly accomplished, but I feel well on my way. Before I would have scoffed at the idea of reading YAL not only for substance, but even for pleasure. Now I find YAL to be a genre that brings a great mix of both, and is much more accessible in a lot of ways that "adult" literature. I want to keep this trend going, and hope to have read most of the Printz books by the end of the year.


Virtual Self
As I touched on before, my virtual self scares me a little. I think humor is really difficult to convey in the current online climate, and I feel like I am often too cynical not to make a tongue in cheek remark. I have blogged before, but it was a lot of comedic, creative nonfiction. The challenge is deciding whether or not that image goes well with the image of a teacher. One would think that creative writing should be okay, but I don't know that I trust Principals or others who are hiring to overlook some vulgarity to see that writing shouldn't be censored, even for a high school teacher. That's kind of a tangent, but it has shaped the way I think about my virtual identity. I try not to have a large facebook presence, and try and make sure that all the comments I leave on blogs, or posts I write are in line with the image of a person preparing to shape young minds. That being said, I think that I need to get a better grasp of all online tools so that I can help students with new technologies. I think they can be extremely useful if used with caution.

I feel much more comfortable with this now. Maybe it is maturity, maybe it is just accepting the fact that not everyone is going to appreciate your opinion on everything, but I feel much more comfortable with my presence on twitter, facebook and the web (here!). I also feel that I have had a new revelation about using these technologies in the classroom. Before I would have thought of them as a distraction, but now it seems like they are the best way to get students involved, and really it is a great opportunity to teach students how to use the tech wisely (not as I did while in college).

Goals:

Professional Self:
I want to be able to provide the tools for students and I to interact with young adult literature in a way that inspires creativity and deep thought. I want to gain the tools to engage the students who feel disconnected as well as the tools to propel already interested students to new heights. Just as writing workshop and multi-genre projects were new and exciting this previous semester, I hope to learn how to properly implement new ways of reading. I think that book clubs will be really interesting (I've never been in one before), and I want to learn the most effective ways to facilitate new media interactions with literature. As a white, middle class, heterosexual male, I want to learn new effective and prudent ways to explore and discuss diversity and social justice as it relates to my students.


I really enjoyed second life as a way to have class. I thought it was brilliant, and my previous experience in a non-live class online setting have been frustrating and- frankly- terrible. The book clubs will make an appearance in my classroom throughout the year. It is a great way to have a second wave of instruction that occurs in a more pleasureful situation. Students don't need to write essays, but can show how they relate to a text, and I'm really excited to implement them. I think the multicultural discussions should also continue in my class room, considering that we as a group of graduate students couldn't come to a conclussion, I think it will foster a lot of conversation for my students.

Literate Self:
I am going to make it a goal of mine to join a book club that regularly reads high quality young adult novels after this class is over. I think this will be good not only for my teaching career, but for making my reading choices easier. I hope to increase my library of wonderful young adult novels that foster growth in my students.

Goal not accomplished! But I do really want to join such a book club, and I look forward to seeing how the Eva Perry Club is run, maybe the Chapel Hill library needs a similar group.

Virtual Self:
I want to learn responsible ways to increase my online identity. I want to be able to connect with other teachers of young adult literature (likely through the English Companion Ning and this is also a professional and literate self goal) and get ideas for lessons and new books to explore. I also want to shore up my knowledge of web 2.0 programs so that I can help my students interact with and respond to texts in new ways.


I think I've learned to be more responsible, because now I know that my online self really is my professional self, and it is really a matter of keeping those two identities in line. I plan on posting my ALP to the english companion ning, and we will see what kind of discussion it promotes. I think there are so many unique ways to use the web to interact with literature, it really is a great medium for our subject, and I look forward to integrating and creating a lot of great web based projects in the future.