Tools, Text & Talk in the Health Classroom

 

The whole idea of supporting practices beyond the screen starts with a blending of multiple modalities while teaching students to think critically about what they are learning. The goal of my classroom is engaged learners – students who want to be there and are interested in the topics being presented. As a teacher I do not enjoy testing my students in a traditional sense, but rather assigning projects where they need to gather information, think about what they have found and share with / or teach their peers. I have found that having the students participate in teaching the topics is a much better method for my classroom than having them listen to me lecture at them.

Identifying ways to integrate new literacy practices within the classroom has been helpful in meeting my goal of keeping the students engaged. Many of my activities already support practices beyond the screen by integrating a combined approach of hands on and digital activities. For example, one of my favorite projects is one about parenting. Each student is given an egg “baby” (a normal chicken egg with the yolk and whites removed and dried out). The students are required to care for the egg for five days. They need to give their egg a name, construct a “car seat” for their baby, and care for the baby for the five days. Students are required to keep a digital log of activities they perform with the baby and put together a presentation detailing their life as a parent. Students enjoy working across the various platforms – they must think creatively to create a carrier for their egg that will not only hold their egg, but keep it safe while out in the crowded hallways. Students utilize the internet to do research on design ideas; they interact with classmates to take group photos; and then utilize their computers to create a digital presentation. As part of the project, students also discuss struggles that they are having with classmates and can document any “issues” – such as cracked babies. Garcia asks “As students interact with texts, engage in conversations, and explore topics of interest—what are the grounded outcomes and relationships you are hoping to foster?” (Garcia 2017). I would respond that blending the technology and the analog together is how this project works best. Parenting in real life is HARD, I want students to know that not everyone does it the same, I want them to feel that they can talk to each other about challenges and surprises. 

                                                                                                        

Navigating across the platforms is an excellent way to let students choose the path of education that they find the most interesting. “Balancing our focus across these areas can help ensure that technological tools do not become the driving force of instruction, even in a digital age.” (Aguilera 2017) Another activity in my health / physical trainer classroom is allowing students to research a different sports injury.  I start the lesson by showing a series of videos with famous sports stars being injured and explaining some of the injuries, rehabilitation methods utilized, and the length of time the injury impacted their careers. Students then choose another athlete, actor, or specific injury they were curious about. They research the injury, rehabilitation that may be prescribed by a physical trainer, and present that back to the classroom. They conduct their research either in the library or online and their presentation is face to face with their peers. During this project, I push students to think critically about the how and why of injury and what they would do if presented by certain injury scenarios. I ask students to look into whether an athlete regretted coming back too soon from and injury and think about the ramifications. Students navigate across the platforms throughout the project to gather and present the information.

When working with students in any capacity there are always concerns about equity and engagement. It is difficult to ensure that all students have the proper access to devices and internet access. Even though the school I teach at provides one to one devices with internet access some students will still have inequitable access. Some students have had their access revoked due to poor choices or, through no fault of their own, do not have a working device daily and the students will need printed versions or off-line materials. Students with varying needs and diverse learning styles need to be accounted for as well. Providing assistive technology or various project choices will help with student engagement and interest. I have always told my students that when completing a project presentation “the world is your oyster.” I always hope that they will get creative and turn in something I have yet to see. During the drug unit I even had a pair of students create their own music video with the knowledge they gained. To say I was beyond proud is an understatement.

After reading the article Building Bridges from Classrooms to Networked Publics: Helping Students Write for the Audience They Want I got excited about potentially creating a space for students to share their hard work with the public. As a health teacher, my students often feel the content they are learning is relevant here and now and regularly ask me for extra copies of items so they can share them with family members or friends. Creating a share space for my students to post their hard work would be an excellent way for them to feel even more connected to their work and make it easier to share. An obvious hurdle here would be navigating privacy issues, which will require more investigation on my part. Another issue that came up in the article that could be a hinderance to success is that students may feel nervous to share their work publicly. The internet can be a scary place to put yourself out there and as stated in the article “writing can be a very personal practice, as writers leave bits of themselves on the page. As such, writers may hesitate to share their work in spaces not considered safe for personal sharing” (Lammers & Van Alstyne 2018). Students who are shy or who do not feel their work will be well received will likely have a hard time participating in a shared work space.

The use of multiple modalities to support practices beyond the screen will continue to be a focus in my classroom. Utilizing these tools will help me to keep the students engaged and interested in the topics presented.

Aguilera, E. (2017, November/December). More than bits and bytes: Digital literacies on, behind, and beyond the screen. Literacy Today, 12-13. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966006470/fulltextPDF/4CF02CA7F93415APQ/1?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals

Garcia, A. (2017, November/December). Nondigital skills: Losing sight (and sound) of our analog world. Literacy Today, 24-25. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966005428/fulltextPDF/9F45BA23572643A5PQ/1?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals

Lammers, J. C., & Van Alstyne, J. H. (2019). Building bridges from classrooms to networked publics. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(6), 653-662. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/48554924

Choose Your Own Adventure Logo by eileenmh123 published 24 March 2021 https://www.deviantart.com/eileenmh123/art/Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-Logo-874175395

Digital Literacies and their Relevance

 

The articles from this week focused on understanding the definition of digital literacy and all that it encompasses. Whether it is learning basic computer skills, network literacy, digital problem solving or information literacy, it is imperative that they be taught in an educational setting. As I wrote earlier this week in my first blog post: there are many adults that do not have basic computer skills and the effects of this lack of knowledge has the potential to be far reaching.

One thing that resonated with me was from the article Advancing Digital Literacy for a Digitally Inclusive Future. It begins by suggesting that if you need help with technology in your classroom, chances are, one of your students will be able to help you through. Recognizing that our students have grown up surrounded by technology and using that to our advantage is wonderful, however, being digitally savvy is not the same as being digitally literate. This idea took me by surprise. Until I read that paragraph, I was guilty of feeling they were one in the same. Based on the readings though, being digitally literate encompasses a broader and deeper understanding of digital technologies, beyond just knowing how to navigate applications or staying up to date on the latest games. 

                                                                                                                

Education is moving toward being more intentional about the teaching and use of technology in classrooms. “Powerful literacy instruction should prepare students today to produce, communicate, interpret, and socialize with peers, adults, and the broader world they will enter when they graduate” (International Literacy Association, 2018, p. 2). I enjoyed the article’s articulation of how the real world has colleagues meet in-person to produce digital materials for a larger audience such as a PowerPoint presentation or collaborating on a written document. Similarly, we may use digital meetings such as a Teams Meeting to prepare for a face-to-face meeting with a client. I agreed with the comment that many people “…move fluidly across digital and nondigital resources.” I feel this is common practice with digital family calendars, using YouTube or Google to search for a solution to a problem, or planning a family outing. I conduct many assignments that move “fluidly” across resources, but I had never thought of how that mimicked the work environment. In the classroom, I think explaining the reason behind the use of both digital and non-digital resources is beneficial.

Many of the articles this week discussed how inequities in the classroom could be further widened with a lack of digital literacy development. In the past, schools were at a disadvantage when they did not have access to textbooks, printed resources, or teachers with strong education in certain disciplines. Schools may now be at a disadvantage when they cannot obtain the newest gadget, the latest app or digital tool. The easiest way to keep the inequity gap from widening is to focus on the teachers who are teaching the digital context and tools. The highest return for the dollar spent would be to standardize tools and concepts that are being conveyed within the classroom – “…responsive digital instruction today must focus on the contexts of literacies that are used” (International Literacy Association, 2018, p. 3).

Vanek (n.d.) goes a step further and points out a number of alarming statistics; the first of which is that 73 percent of workers in entry-level service work positions do not have digital problem-solving skills. The article goes on to discuss how lack of digital literacy skills perpetuates inequities. A person or family that does not possess internet at their home has less opportunity to learn and grow their digital literacy. Without these important skills there is little room for advancement into middle skill jobs which “pay more and provide a career pathway into high-skill jobs” (p. 3). To close these gaps, it is essential to invest in digital literacy programs and equitable access to technology, thus preventing the perpetuation of existing inequities.

One of the fundamental advantages of formal education lies in its capacity to foster meaningful interactions among students and educators. Technology has often been viewed as a hinderance to interactions as people “hide” behind a screen. This week’s articles identified that technology, when integrated appropriately, can be utilized to improve interactions, boost confidence and marketability later in life. Students who may not speak up in class may feel more comfortable conveying feelings, thoughts, and viewpoints through a digital platform. Peers may find it easier to communicate and plan out projects through a social platform making it easier to complete group projects and assignments. Digital tools help to gather a multitude of information quickly and read many different opinions or viewpoints. This can support students in understanding multiple viewpoints of a story. Technology should be used as a tool to support learning and not to replace the conventional methods of learning. Our goal is to improve the classroom experience for both students and teachers – technology can help us meet this goal as long as we integrate and target the skills necessary to develop a strong foundation of digital literacy.

 

Sources

International Literacy Association. (2018). Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and justice: More than just tools [Literacy leadership brief]. Newark, DE: Author.

Misha, A. (2023, March 29). Advancing digital literacy for a digitally inclusive future. EdSurge. Sponsored content from Dell Technologies. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-03-29-advancing-digital-literacy-for-a-digitally-inclusive-future. Accessed 22 May 2024.

Vanek, J. (n.d.). Digital Literacy. American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf. Accessed 22 May 2024.

Navigating Literacy in a Digital Age