This chapter of A New Literacies Sampler, discussed how fan fictions sites have become a new form of literacy. Participants of these types of websites discuss their love for fiction, extend plotlines, and explore relationships between characters, just to name a few examples of creative writing found on fan fiction sites. The popularity of these sites and the eagerness of participants to write/share their thoughts demonstrates how powerful this media truly is. The authors do not suggest that educators adopt fan fiction sites into their curriculum directly, as this might reduce its popularity among students, but do recommend that we use popular culture as a way to engage our students in school.
I chose today's picture because I thought it was a perfect example of how teachers can be clever in their integration of popular culture into the classroom. Using popular culture in the classroom is an awesome way to keep students engaged and, hopefully, help them develop interest in the topic at hand. It could be as simple as using celebrity names in math problems, exploring the lyrics of a popular song in english, or referring to recent headlines in a classroom discussion. I am all for getting students engaged in class, and I think referencing pop culture makes the classroom more fun for the students and the teacher.
I think that you hit the nail on the head. If we want to connect to students, and get them engaged in class, we must venture off in their "worlds". The things that interest them may not interest us, but they don't have to know that! I am all about making learning fun for my students and I think that making fan fiction sites available to my students will be rewarding for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I agree that we need to make the classroom fun for our students, but I don't think my third graders know much about fan fiction. Using that site wouldn't work too well for my classroom, but I do like your suggestions for including pop culture in the classroom. Using celebrity names, and song lyrics would be a great way to incorporate pop culture into an elementary classroom.
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