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Notes from evaluator (8 December partner meeting)

Page history last edited by Anna Gruszczynska 12 years, 3 months ago

Frontpage      Meetings      8 Dec meeting


This page pulls together Julia Gillen's notes from the discussion with the tutors during DeFT project meeting; 8 December 2011

 

As I said these are nothing like comprehensive, just trying to reflect back to you some of the really interesting discussion points that I heard.

What are digital literacies?  [headings have been added by AG]

What kept coming up was the effects of the technology/literacy balance.  For example, if you foreground 'digital literacy' there is a possibility, a danger in some circumstances, that the technologies, the geeky stuff is too much to the fore. Although there's nothing wrong with enthusing people to try things of course and demos can be very empowering.  At this point I found myself thinking, "If the pursuits of (creative) purposes is encouraged, then there is almost no circumstance in which digital technologies could not be suggested as furthering those purposes," so therefore the likely to be fruitful approach may turn out to be the foregrounding of  purposes of (mini) projects. Let the purposes of the project be owned by the (student) teachers and let the team focus on using digital technologies to enhance this. (But I questioned these thoughts of mine, later, see below).

 

Along these lines (i.e. putting people's purposes) first, I heard some wonderful ideas about connecting these purposes, such as the notion of student teachers producing stuff for a real audience: next year's students.  Also I couldn't hear very well at this point but there was a very interesting discussion about a school in Rotherham holding one day workshops to assist students in the transition between GCSE and A level writing.  This I thought first to be a question of mastering new genres, which sounded very sensible. Then I thought they were getting some expert (but not too expert?  ITT perhaps?– sounds great) support via blogs and Facebook.  From the point of view of interactivity, developing sense of audience this sounds great.  I'd like to know more about where the writing comes in though for example, as obviously writing for a blog, say, is a particular tone that differs from an academic essay.  But I assume the interactive writing is a (new) purpose in itself, not the new academic genre perhaps.  Anyway these ways of connecting meaningful audiences/participants sounded really promising.

 

However, the idea that I was holding for a while, i.e. perhaps digital literacies are best furthered by putting the spotlight on people's purposes was in a sense challenged even overturned by the wildly exciting idea I heard about transforming Margaret Mackey's literacy autobiography into a digital interactive map which features collections of intergenerational oral history.  I think connecting people's own histories, senses of their own lives, their immediate ancestors into new mash-ups if I may use the word, is an immensely promising direction.  (I can admit it connects very strongly to my current research interests and some research, apps etc I'm looking into. We can talk further about this if it would be helpful).

 

Creativity

The discussion about creativity was also very interesting – the idea it can be used in off-putting ways – e.g. tightly related to fine arts and/or with a strong focus on originality as if a teacher has to be highly original to be a 'good' teacher.  I'm glad you've got Jackie Marsh's (2010) wonderful review of Childhood, culture and creativity to refer to.

 

Moral panics

Another sensible discussion related to the primary environment and ways in which one has to grapple, not only with the stranger danger/ child protection fears, but various other aspects of moral panic when bringing technology into a classroom. It must enhance the classroom community and links with outside not seem to endanger the community.  Indeed.  I think I heard a trace of the (damaging) influence of Palmer's notion of toxicity inflecting the primary environment being acknowledged and indeed, though I know you are equipped with powerful arguments against, it is salutary to be reminded of the various aspects of moral panic including supposed threat to Standard English etc.  Interesting to hear about the 'apologetic' attitude of some children to their use of technologies at home – I've been finding something not entirely dissimilar in some of our undergraduates here, so clearly much (for me) to think about….  I was involved with some colleagues in a secondary school project where we did a bit of work encouraging students to research aspects of their own home culture in the context of PSHE (have I got the acronym right – I fear not) and also what they wanted from PSHE and link the two….

 

Connections between partners

But back to you and the beginning central point, about the exciting possibilities afforded by your immensely well thought through combinations of partners and aims as beautifully encapsulated in the diagram you shared with me.  Fantastic questions at the bottom.  In listening to your starting question I was recalling  Cathy's (2010) extremely useful characterisation when she identified categories of studies into technology and literacy, positioning "technology as: deliverer of literacy; site for interaction around texts; and medium for meaning-making." 

Thank you so much for involving me in such a fascinating discussion at the beginning of what is going to be a very exciting and challenging project. I hope you find these very informal and quickly written notes of some interest, but, of course, if you wish me to direct energies only into a more carefully planned structure, agreed between us in advance I'd also be very happy to go with that approach in future. Best of luck with everything!

 

Julia

 

Burnett, C. (2010) Technology and literacy in early childhood educational settings: A review of research.  Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 10 (3) 247-270.

Marsh, J. (2010) Childhood, culture and creativity: a literature review. Creativity, Culture and Education.

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: how modern life is damaging our children... and what we can do about it. London:Orion.

 

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