I have been interviewing at schools in Virginia over the past few weeks and it has forced me to think about the aims of education and the changes in society that are affecting what we teach and how we teach. Technology and diversification seem to be the hot topics of education right now; teachers must be prepared to address both of these issues both in and out of the classroom. What I learned through the interviews is that I incorporate both of these aspects into my lessons on almost a daily basis. I can’t remember a class where technology was not at least discussed, if not used as the basis of the lesson. It is so intrinsic in my students’ lives that I cannot help but to address their use of iPods, myspace, the internet, cell phones, or other forms of technology every day. A fun creative writing assignment has been for students to rewrite scenes from the literature we read that incorporate modern technology. I’ve gotten Holden Caulfield text messaging Jane and Frankenstein’s creature using a blog to relate his tale of woe. These exercises have led to great discussions of both the literature and its connection to modern life.
As for diversification, the district i am currently employed by is both economically and ethnically diverse. It is actually easier for me to address diversity because my students can look around them and see that they all do not come from the same backgrounds yet they all have something to contribute to class. My subject area also makes is easy to address this aspect of education because I can incorporate literature from authors of various cultures and backgrounds to further explore these issues.
On another note, the great blog experiment is extremely successful. I am most impressed with how my students are commenting on each others’ responses and are offering each other support and constructive criticism. This is something that cannot be achieved in the classroom on a regular basis because there simply isn’t time for it. And the blog discussions invariably flow over into the classroom, generating even more interesting interaction among the students and putting the class into their hands. I am very happy with this idea and would be inerested in hearing from others who are using blogs in the classroom. I even suggested to a colleague who teaches creative writing and journalism that she consider using blogs in those classes because it’s an excellent platform for getting students to share writing.
