Media Presentation: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Personal Glossary

Knobel, M. and Lankshear, C. (eds) (2007). A New Literacies Sampler. New York: Peter Lang.

1. Discourses - "Socially recognized ways of using language (reading, writing, speaking, listening), gestures and other semiotics (images, sounds, graphics, signs, codes), as well as ways of thinking, believing, feeling, valuing, acting/doing and interacting in relation to people and things." (pg. 3)
2. Semiotic work - Making meaning from the writing in a text. (pg. 4)
3. Folksonomy - A method of filtering online content, such as tagging, to allow for specific searches on topics. (pg. 19)
4. Projective stance - When playing video games, the world is "something both imposed upon us and as something onto which we can project our own goals, desires and values." (pg. 22)
5. Dueling discourses - Discourses that conflict with each other (ex. "strong wired women vs. vulnerable girls) (pg. 29)
6. Monospatiality - Creating thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. in an independent space. (pg. 37)
7. Multimodality - Something that draws upon "multiple systems of representation that include but exceed print." Ex. Websites are multimodal. (pg. 58)
8. Authentic professionals - "Have special knowledge and distinctive values tied to specific skills gained through a good deal of effort and experience....They don’t operate just by well-practiced routines; they can think for themselves and innovate in their domains when they have to." (pg. 105)
9. Fan fiction - "Spaces where school-age fans are using new ICTs to engage, not only with pop culture and media, but also with a broad array of literate activities that are aligned with many school-based literacy practices." (pg. 115)
10. Affinity spaces - A place where "people interact and relate to each other around a common passion, proclivity, or endeavor." (pg. 117)
11. Communities of practice - A place where "novices learn through apprenticeship and scaffolding in their interactions with expert." (pg. 117)
12. Hybrid texts - Texts that contain a combination of media and genres. (pg. 118)
13. Ascribed identities - Authorized or stereotyped identities, such as the teacher being considered the expert and the student a novice. (pg. 118-119)
14. Emote - An expression of emotion or action. (pg. 127)
15. Propositional knowledge - Learning content area facts and figures. (pg. 133)
16. Procedural knowledge - "The acquisition of skills and strategies for how to learn and continue learning." (pg. 133) 
17. Intertextuality - "Texts are made from other texts, and the way a reader interprets a given text will depend upon their prior knowledge and recognition of the connections from this text to those other texts from which it is composed." (pg. 153)
18. Affective dimensions -  The way blogging affects our emotions (pride, embarrassent, etc.) (pg. 176)
19. Glocalized - A characteristic of something that "blends local and global communication and interaction," such as social networks. (pg. 190)
20. Memes - "Contagious patterns of 'cultural information' that get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group." (pg. 199)

Text Set #4: Longitude & Latitude

Books

Map Skills, United States: Grades 7, 8, 9
Authors: Scott and Patti House
Grades: For teachers
This resource contains 16 student workbook pages and accompanying full-color maps that can be projected. Map skills and themes that are taught/reinforced include elevation, population, vegetation, latitude, and longitude. I like this resource because it allows students to practice map skills while also asking them to make judgements. This map skills series also publishes versions for other continents, as well as a world map version. 

Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude

Author: Louise Borden
Grades: 3+
This picture book depicts the life of 17th century sailors in search of a way to navigate the vast seas. Sailors could calculate their latitude by studying the position of the sun and North star, but had no way of knowing their longitudinal position until the invention of the "sea clock." I think this book provides an interesting history lesson while also demonstrating the importance of longitude and latitude. 

A Child's Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures, and People

Author: Heather Alexander Illustrator: M. Hamilton

Grades: 4+

This book allows readers to travel the globe and explore world geography. It covers basic map terms/skills, such as hemispheres, latitude, longitude, landforms, continental drift, but also addresses the history, culture, and characteristics of different places around the world. The version sold on Amazon also comes with a pop-up globe and stickers!

Websites

Longitude & Latitude Interactive

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/k9mod/Mapskill/mod3fl5.swf

Grades: 5+

This interactive was created by the Saskatoon Public School Online Learning Center. It explains how to understand and read maps, using a variety of explanations and activities. This would be ideal to use at the beginning of a unit on longitude and latitude. 

Drag & Drop Game

http://www.media.pearson.com.au/schools/cw/au_sch_atkinson_sose1_2/dnd/1_lat.html

Grades: 4+ 

This longitude and latitude game allows students label a map using 13 different terms, such as Tropic of Cancer, Equator, South Pole 90°S, etc. You can select different difficulty levels, which will determine how much time you are given to label the entire map correctly.

Practicing Longitude & Latitude Game

http://www.purposegames.com/game/longitude-and-latitude-quiz 

Grades: 4+

This game could be a useful tool to help students practice using longitude and latitude. After starting the timer, the player has to click on the identified location or given coordinates. For example, the game may ask you to find the Indian Ocean or it may ask you to locate 65°N, 90°W. I like this game, because it uses two different strategies to reinforce latitude and longitude. 

BrainPOP Video

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/geography/latitudeandlongitude/preview.weml

Grades: 4+

In this BrainPOP episode, Tim and Moby help students understand how invisible lines can be used to figure out locations. It teaches terms related to maps and introduces a strategy for keeping latitude and longitude straight. 

Activities

Balloon Activity

http://dynamicsocialstudies.wikispaces.com/Latitude+and+Longitude+Balloon

Grades: 4+

In this activity, students use a balloon to represent the globe and locate different coordinates on it. All that is needed to complete the activity is balloons and sharpies. I think this would be an exciting activity for kids and a good way to visualize longitude and latitude.

Message in a Bottle
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/profbooks/MessageinBottle.pdf

Grades: 4+


This board game allows students to practice finding absolute locations by employing latitude and longitude coordinates to rescue shipwreck survivors. The linked pdf file includes all of the materials needed to reproduce the game. This would be a fun game for students to play toward the end of a unit on longitude or latitude (or as a review)!

Why are latitude and longitude helpful map tools?

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/introduction-latitude-longitude/?ar_a=1

Grades: 4+

This lesson plan teaches students how to use longitude and latitude on a U.S. and world map. It also includes discussion questions about why longitude and latitude are helpful to us, which will help students understand its relevancy. 

Reflection #10: Memes

Like many of the other new literacies discussed in A New Literacies Sampler, I was surprised to see "memes" categorized as a form of literacy. I have always considered memes to simply be an expression of humor or type of social interaction. However, the authors describe memes as "contagious patterns of 'cultural information' that get passed from mind to mind" (pg. 199). Although this seems like a rather broad definition, I think it accurately summarizes how memes connect to our popular culture. We use memes to communicate ideas, jokes, and to express shared experiences. The rest of the chapter focused on what makes a meme successful, categories of memes, and how teachers could take up memes as a new literacy in their classrooms. 

Although the text mainly focused on memes in the form of short videos, I also think about images with text when I think about memes. I included this meme in my post, because I thought it was an interesting and humorous way to present educational material. How fun would it be to have your students create memes to learn about/demonstrate their understanding of the content? As demonstrated in this meme, students can integrate popular culture (such as How I Met Your Mother) as well as the consistent meme face images while still presenting an educational topic. I think you could have students create memes for any subject in middle/high school. Also, if access to technology is an issue, you could have students illustrate their memes on poster board. 

Reflection #9: E-Readers

"E-Readers: Powering Up for Engagement"

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/jun12/vol69/num09/E-Readers@_Powering_Up_for_Engagement.aspx

The article I chose on e-readers was published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in 2012. The central point of the article was a study done in an urban middle school. Two reading improvement classes were examined before and after the integration of Kindle e-readers into the classroom. Students were given the choice to use these e-readers or read traditional books during their silent reading period, and most students chose to use the e-readers. They had over 25 texts loaded on to them, including classics as well as ghost stories. After two months, most students reported that they had read 1-4 books on their e-reader.

The authors elaborated on five benefits of using e-readers in the classroom:

     1. Motivation
        - Students engagement in reading improved
        - Students attitudes about reading improved
     2. Ability to respond to text
        - Students used highlighting feature to analyze text
        - Students can add notes to a specific section of the text
     3. Support for ELA
        - Students can read lower leveled texts without their peers realizing it
        - Voice-to-text options allow texts to be read out loud (however, it sounds robotic)
     4. Increased confidence in technology
        - Provides all students with access to technology
        - Gives students an opportunity to practice using and evaluating technology
     5. Economic advantages
        - Could reduce amount of school funds spent on printed textbooks

Overall, I like the idea of giving every student their own tablet or "e-reader." They are cheaper than laptops and would provide students with access to practically all computer functions. However, I do realize that we have to consider the initial costs, maintenance, and monitoring of such devices. 

Reflection #8: Blogging

Today's chapter in A New Literacies Sampler focused on blogging, which has become one of the most popular mediums for online writing. I believe this popularity can be attributed to the fact that blogs let us express ourselves in a casual, yet meaningful way. Blogs are interesting because, in a way, they are an extension of our individual identity and conception of the world around us. The authors pointed out that blogs are "texts for self-presentation which we hope will be accepted as appropriate and plausible performances (pg. 192)." I agree with the authors that we use blogs to present ourselves to an audience and that we hope our posts are well received. People typically post about useful topics, popular trends, or about hobbies, which allows readers with similar interests to follow and respond. 

Another interesting point brought up during the chapter was how blogging allows for both personal and professional relationships. In personal blogs, it is the individual who becomes the locus of connectivity. Personal blogs can develop traction when someone has good ideas, is funny, or has an entertaining writing style. In professional blogs, the content being examined becomes the locus of connectivity. Along those lines, I would consider this blog to be a professional blog, because the educational content appeals to other teachers. 

Text Set #3: Civil War

Books

Iron Thunder : the Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac
Author: Avi

ISBN: 1423105184

Grades: 4+

After his father is killed during the Civil War, thirteen-year-old Tom takes on a job to at the ironworks to support his family, and finds himself a target of ruthless spies when he begins assisting with the ironclad ship the "Monitor." This piece of historical fiction would be a great way to teach about Monitor vs. Merrimac, and to help students view the war through the eyes of a 13 year old boy. 

Red Moon at Sharpsburg

Author: Rosemary Wells

ISBN: 0670036382

Grades: 6+

As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known. I think this book would be great for helping students understand the Southern perspective in the war. 

Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg 

Author: Rodman Philbrick
ISBN: 9780439668217

Grades: 5+

Young Homer Figg follows his underage brother into the thick of the Civil War, hoping to find him and save him, but winding up instead in the thick of the Maine regiment which saved Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. It's funny and tragic at the same time, which I think my students could connect to. 

The Storm Before Atlanta 

Author: Karen Schwabach

ISBN: 0375858660

Grades: 5+

A thought-provoking novel about three young people whose lives become intertwined: a Union drummer boy who dreams of dying gloriously for his country, a young Confederate soldier who he befriends, and an escaped slave who finds work in the Union camp for a surgeon. This would be a great view for teaching students perspective and revealing the humanity on side of this great war. 



Behind Rebel Lines
Author: Seymour Reit
ISBN: 0152164278
Grades: 5+

Set in 1861, young Emma Edmonds decides to chop off her hair, wear men's clothing, and enlist in the Union Army. Posing in turn as a slave, peddler, and washerwoman, Emma becomes a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death at every turn behind Confederate lines. Although fictional, I think this would be an interesting POV on the war that might especially appeal to girls. 

Websites

Animated Maps and Timelines

http://www.civilwar.org/maps/animated-maps/

Grades: Teachers, grades 6-12

This awesome website features animated as well as non-animated timelines/battle maps for each of the major Civil War battles. There are currently 14 animated maps and over 50 detailed battle maps that do not contain animation. Each of the animated maps include a video clip, a timeline, and placemarks indicating troop positioning in the battle depicted. The narration is very well done and the animation is beautiful. Even the non-animated maps are some of the cleanest and most detailed maps I have ever seen. 

Pennsylvania Civil War 150

http://www.pacivilwar150.com/

Grades: 6-12

Pennsylvania Civil War 150 offers interactive timelines, interactive maps, artifact displays, and a neat interactive soldier display. Through the interactive soldier display, students can see how a cannon was loaded and fired, examine the intricacies of a Union uniform, and watch soldiers act out common field commands such as "charge bayonets."

Teaching the Civil War with Technology

http://www.teachthecivilwar.com/

Grades: For teachers

This website provides teachers with lesson plans, tools, tips, and strategies for teaching the American Civil War.  If you click on their blog, you will find dozens of resources and they are still posting new things every couple of weeks. Another cool aspect of this website it the podcasts created by U.S. history teachers. They cover so many unique topics within the Civil War that would be great for teachers learn from.  

Videos

The Gettysburg Address Animated

http://vimeo.com/15402603

Grades: 6-12 

This reciting of the Gettysburg Address uses text and images to illustrate the themes being described. I wish I would have located this resource prior to having my students memorize the address this year! The imagery starts out slowly, but really gains momentum around the middle of the video. Beautiful and powerful video!

Crash Course U.S. History: Civil War (Parts 1 & 2)
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY9zHNOjGrs
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTrKccmj_I
Grades: 8-12

Okay, so I may be partial to John Green's "Crash Course" series! I always come back to these videos, because they are so well done. They are brief (usually around 10-12 minutes) and almost always funny. I recommend using these videos in upper middle and high school classes to review material that has already been taught. If you used them as an introduction, students might get lost due it the fast-paced nature of the videos.