Chapter 3 dedicated a subsection to creativity and the way
it's being redefined in today's educational climate, and to how it has evolved
over time to incorporate a wider variety of philosophies. The book proposes
that creativity is not necessarily, as it is often defined, being able to
create things never before seen by the world, but rather something more
intimate. People often say that there is a lack of originality in the world
today, citing familiar storylines in books and repetitive drivel in TV shows.
But perhaps creativity and originality don't have to be synonymous. "The
creative act can be what is new to the individual, not new to the world." Computers
are now allowing for students to express themselves in new ways that are meaningful
for themselves, not just others.
As an aspiring writer, the notion of e-reading and e-books
is one that fascinates and frightens me at the same time, and it's one chapter 5
touches on. It talks about the rapidly changing reading habits of people across
all age groups, but particularly children, who spend so much of their time
online they hardly find time for pleasure reading. With so many companies making
e-books easily accessible and "digitalizing" something as time-tested
as reading, it'll be interesting to see what turns publishing heads as go we
into the next decades. Perhaps e-reading will motivate children who are
difficult to separate from their computers to read more often.
Another issue chapter 5 touches on is one that has arisen in
recent years as a direct consequence of technological advancement: cyberbullying.
Computers and social networking have given bullies new venues to torture their
victims, and it has become a serious issue for schools. Some believe that the
perceived anonymity one attains through the web wrongfully gives perpetrators the
idea that their actions are permissible or inconsequential. As we prepare our
students for a future in the world of electronics, we must also teach them the
importance of behaving ethically online, as one would in "real life."
The web has become such a permanent part of our daily lives that it is "real
life," and it's vital to recognize that the people with whom we interact
in the virtual world are as real as though we interact with phyisically.
Resources:
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Strutt Central. (2012, March 22). THE CYBER BULLYING VIRUS. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5PZ_Bh-M6o
Great post, enhanced by the video and your cartoon - though you need to give credit to yourself and the website you used to create it!! The focus on reading, writing, and publishing is interesting...as we see more focus on the individualization/personalization and interaction in all facets of our literacy, I think that the digitized version will have a major role as it allows for more flexibility in those areas. As a former media specialist, I can say that there is still plenty of pleasure reading going on - at least at the high school - and there was definitely a niche for the e-reading (especially those who were not as apt to pick up a print book).
ReplyDelete