Media Mediate Relationships
Classes are done and reports are written so I finally have some time to do some ds106 work. Yeah!
A few weeks ago, we were asked to watch a video of Michael Wesch speaking at UMW Faculty Academy. After some difficulties (see previous post) I was able to see the whole thing. In listening to him I garnered a few ideas that I would like to include in an upcoming workshop that I am planning for teachers.
I had already planned to start the day with participants reflecting on their personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning by determining how much they agree with some educational theorists (or not!) Our IB programme is decidedly constructivist and inquiry-based so I thought that I would define constructivism and then engage the participants in the type of inquiry that I am hoping they will at some point facilitate for their students. Inspired by Lane Clark, at the moment, I am planning to base the remainder of the day’s activities on:
- exploring resources about inquiry
- determining what they could do with this information to make a difference for themselves or others
- determining what they still need to learn/ find out
- reflecting on the skills they used in the process
- sharing their ideas with others
- selecting their communication tool
- creating their product
- celebrating their work
As a teacher, teaching in this way is incredibly challenging and I want to acknowledge that with my participants. The rewards are numerous but it is not easy because, according to Michael Wesch:
- kids don’t believe this is what school should be
- as a teacher you need to start over every year
- Tip: “just love your audience and they’ll love you back” – this allows you to you focus on what they need
I thought that I would illustrate one of the video’s messages using a meme. I know that it’s not funny but the picture seemed appropriate for the text – even though I believe the text can also be purely positive and not necessarily negative.
I created this using quickmeme.com Just click on “make a meme“, select a photo and replace the captions. For those of you making animated gifs, you can also upload those.
When is your teacher workshop? I’d like to hear how it goes. I’m attending a few workshops by Diana Laufenberg this week. Definitely looking forward to learning more about her experiences with inquiry-based learning. I’m unfamiliar with Lane Clark. Thanks for putting that on my radar.
Wow, that’s a powerful image you’ve created there! Are you implying that we way we interact changes the emotions behind such interaction? I might be reading between the lines here, but I see myself in this image, as quite often I will distance myself from those I love through the use of digital communication (or sometimes ignore altogether). I’m wondering if there isn’t a great ds106 assignment within this one, showcasing not just the positive constructive forces that media (social, digital, analog, or otherwise) can have on emotion and relationships, but also the how it might help amplify anti-social or ignorant behavior.