No one can argue with George Lucas: film holds a place in the classroom of the 21st century. However, I dare to step away from his argument and note that listening and viewing will never replace reading and writing. Even as I write this, I am wavering on the point: should I accept that all classrooms will be paperless in the years to come? Even if my conservative teaching spirit values the place of pen and paper, I cannot deny that as teachers we have the opportunity to present our students with a dynamic classroom through film.
The most appealing elements of the classroom Lucas proposes include the opportunity to engage the “daydreamers” and students with “unfocused ambition” that Lucas identifies with. What teacher would take responsibility for calling George Lucas an unpromising student? Perhaps the inclusion of film into a classroom will identify talent in more students than a paper and pen could. Regardless of conservative or innovative philosophies of teaching, it is the duty of teachers to use resources to meet their students. I value Lucas’ comments that learning should emphasize the emotional as well as the logical. In fact, crossing the emotional barrier and granting student’s the power to create should be a primary classroom goal. Meeting special needs students through “comprehensive communication” is invaluable to an inclusive classroom. Let’s use our resources.
Specifically, in my current 7th grade English classroom, I see podcasts as another form of text. I will need to learn how to use this tool as my students do. I will not be afraid to tell them that I am learning too; students bring technological literacy to the classroom of all levels. If I add podcasts to the curriculum of
I agree, Emily, that viewing and listening will not and should not replace traditional reading and writing. However, as supplemental material, they should not be discounted. Imagining the possible number of projects that digital film technology could create is fascinating. In a 7th grade English class, I think it would be great to have students re-enact one of their favorite or most crucial scenes from a novel or play. This sort of learning activity appeals to me because of the following:
ReplyDelete1. It's fun (for me and the students)
2. It helps students with different learning styles to learn.
3. The possibilities for it uses are limited only by one's imagination.
You are also right to see podcasts as another form of text. One use of podcasts that I deem very viable is for the use of students who miss class because of illness or any other reason. If I have podcasts of the day's lessons available for download, students who miss class can still find out, directly from the source, what went on in class. Podcasts that are available online are also potentially very helpful educationally. There are podcasts on nearly every subject imaginable that can be found from reliable sources.
George Lucas makes a great point when he explains that "everything is accomplished through education." I agree that appealing to the creative, expressive side of communication is a necessary change in education. Not all students can learn through traditional means, and we are not preparing students for life in the 21st century when we focus solely on traditional education.
ReplyDeleteAs Emily and Matthew point out, you cannot eliminate reading and writing from the curriculum either. This interview happened in 2004 -- I wonder how Lucas would perceive the recent push for innovative technology integration (digital movies and podcasts) in our schools.
One of the most interesting aspects of podcasting to me is that through subscribing to a podcast, new podcasts are automatically added to your device by whatever podcatching program you use. So, as soon as a new math lesson is added, students will automatically have access to it on their ipod or computer to study at home. Podcasts are definitely a great way to appeal to visual and auditory learners, who now have the chance to see or hear a lesson at home instead of relying on copied notes from class.
Well said, everyone.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher of social studies, I feel that it is my goal to communicate the importance of human interaction in my discipline. Simply put, students sometimes fail to remember that the "facts" and figures that we learn in the social sciences are a result of human agency. Despite my foundation in and appreciation of "good, old-fashioned pen and paper," I believe that film is a wonderful means of having students recreate--and to some extent, reinvent--history.
I also believe that other types of digital media have equal, if not greater value than paper and pen with respect to both the quality of self-expression they can provide and also their utility in teaching students. Reading and writing are certainly essential skills to have in any technological age, but a variety of creative sources--even for variety's own sake--is worthwhile, even advisable. A student can learn to appreciate history by listening to a contemporary historian on a podcast twice a week in a car or at home. A student can even create a fifteen-minute podcast with historical "guests" for a larger project. In terms of learning new information rather than creating products illustrating mastery of that knowledge, students can use products such as "Imagination" on the computer in order to organize their understanding of a topic with more creative and elaborate tools than that which can be constructed with simple pen and paper.
In essence, when learning through methods that force students to be interactive, rather than reactive, emotional investment is at the very least a byproduct, if not an intentional product, of student development. As a result, deeper learning is achieved.
I just like the idea of students acting like Lincoln or Jefferson or some such person for a class film project. They'd be fun to grade.
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