Vlogging

All quotes are from this url: (http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/Journal/files/Vlogging_Composition.html)

I found the page about student vlogging to be fascinating. This is something that I never considered bringing into the classroom. The author, Susan Gail Taylor, says, “The National Council of Teachers of English argues for literacies that are ‘multiple, dynamic, and malleable,’ literacies that involve ‘proficiency with the tools of technology’ and that include ‘build[ing] relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally.’” I think this quote is the heart of what we are learning in this class and most of my English classes here at Chico State. The statement, “literacies that are ‘multiple, dynamic, and malleable,’” is, I think, the key to what education for all grade levels should be. I am hoping it’s what education is moving toward. I think that many teachers are stuck in a rut and are over-worked and over-burdened and as a result, they are not able to take the time to learn about and to work these new literacies into their lesson plans.

I think that our students are suffering as a result of this lack of time. Thus far, what I have witnessed in my internship is that these teachers are tired. Although they are younger (early 30s), they are spending their time in class trying to keep the students on task and attentive to the lesson. However, at the same time, I believe that if these teachers were to go ahead and spend the time to create new or at least alter their lesson plans to make them more exciting to the students that the attention problems would be greatly reduced, if not disappear altogether. Of course, I’m speaking from the perspective of one who has not been teaching every day for an x amount of time. But, at the same time, I’m speaking as one who is currently a student, who currently has two children who are students, as one who has a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh perspective, and as one who has had pretty darn amazing teachers here at Chico who have emphasized the importance of technology and creating an atmosphere that induces student participation, collaboration, questioning, and exploration of ideas—even if there isn’t an answer at the end of that exploration.

Taylor says, “vlogs provide a digital means for self-awareness and reflection that Gombrich would refer to as the students’ interest in pursuing their truths and intellectual progresses.” I love this! I think that being able to verbalize one’s thoughts might be a little easier than trying to write them down. I think that there can be a lot that is lost when one merely writes things down because, as I’ve been guilty of, I can be lazy sometimes and not really write down all of my thoughts, or any at all because I simply don’t feel like it. However, if I can quickly, in a minute or two or three say what I’m thinking into a camera, I’m more likely to spew out all of my thoughts. I also love that the students can go back later to review their vlog and to actually see for themselves ideas that have emerged, thoughts that have changed as a result of their learning, and whatever way they have grown mentally since that first vlog.

I think that I’d like to use vlogging in my classroom when I can finally get a job teaching. I think it’s something new that students will be interested in participating in. I honestly think that there would be much more participation for this than just having them write. Generally speaking, people like to talk about themselves and what’s on their minds, this is just a way to use what comes naturally and apply it to the classroom.

The interesting thing, too, with vlogging is that the students will actually be doing the writing process without realizing it. This is because they will need to take a few minutes to organize their thoughts prior to speaking on camera. They will need to come up with a question and a thesis and will need to organize their thoughts in a sensible order. But, it won’t feel like writing because they are just doing this so they can say what they need to say in a minimal amount of time. I don’t want to force this “outlining” though. I will merely encourage them to organize in a manner that makes sense to them—whether it be writing full sentences to prompt them or writing a couple of words. Bottom line, they will be doing the writing process without realizing they are doing the writing process. I also think that using the vlogging as a supplement to another form of “essay writing” is most beneficial. When I say essay writing, I mean creating a photo essay, a website, a prezi, etc. etc. And, yes, even the traditional essay.

Taylor says, “As our literate environments continue to evolve, the standards according to which students will be expected to express themselves, to participate and collaborate in these environments, and to demonstrate critical thinking skills will continue to rise as well.” In regard to relating this to what we’ve discussed and read in our class, this hits the nail on the head. She says, “literate environments continue to evolve .  .  .” This is precisely what this class is all about! Literacy is alive. It grows. It changes. It evolves when new technologies are introduced. For example, we may not be drawing pictures on cave walls to our fellow cavemen anymore, but this form of literacy does still exist and has actually evolved into comics and graphic novels and cartoons—well, unless you count bathroom stalls as caves. ;)

Anyway, it’s hard for me to sit back in the classrooms that I’m interning in and not inject these ideas that I have. I am afraid to insult the teachers. I mean, really, I’m just a student who is hoping to be where they actually are. Who am I to invade their teaching process???