Digital Writing Process:
“the digital writing process is a recursive, ongoing process”
(Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 99)
I continued the steps of improving my initial introductory video. I like that I used humor by
having my boys come in and out of the frame in a silly manner. The rest of it, however, did not meet the requirements
of an argumentative video as explained by Turner and Hicks (2017) in Crafting Digital Writing because it lacked a claim, evidence and warrant.
"The challenge in any writing situation is simply getting started" (Hicks, 2013, p. 115). This held true for me. Before I was able to get anything down in the form of text, I went back and forth in my mind to
determine what my argument would be for my improved video. I first thought about discussing my role as
the crayfish lesson expert in the 3-5 science world. I considered discussing my oldest son and
his struggles with Asperger’s. I even
pondered bringing back the idea of problem solving in math with a focus on the
use of key words. I didn’t land on a topic I felt compelled to argue alongside
the introduction of myself as a professional initially.
Through the GroupMe app, the specialists in my office communicate
both professionally and socially. We
were discussing one of the specialist’s Halloween costumes. She was dressing as the moon and decided not
to use an inflatable representation of the earth as part of her costume because
the size of the moon in relation to the earth would be scientifically
incorrect. One of our huge goals as
specialists, beyond deepening and integrating content, is to support teachers with eliminating the misconceptions we cause
at early ages in math and science because of tricks, short cuts, and incorrect
vocabulary we use with our students. The
final remark made in this discussion on Halloween day was, “I see all the Halloween Science and
Engineering and it makes me sad… it perpetuates the idea that it’s for special
occasions… not everyday” (J. Towles, personal communication, October 31, 2018). It hit me like a ton of bricks! This is my argument. I want to support teachers with the work of
teaching science daily and not just on holidays as well as see the connection between literacy and science. "As Pearson et al. (2010) explained, science and literacy really are in the service
of each other" (Clark & Lott, 2017, p. 709).
Using the MAPS heuristic, I began the process of introducing
myself as an educator, specifically a math, science and technology specialist,
as well as arguing my point of teaching science every day.
My outline looked something like this:
Mode/Media – the way I
would communicate
|
Genre – combination of the three types of writing (personal
narrative, informational, argumentative)
Video – narration,
|
Audience – the people with
which I am
communicating
|
District Leaders
Administrators
Teachers
|
Purpose – reason for my
work
|
Introduction of myself
Important concepts regarding argument and video demonstrated through
my argument
|
Situation – circumstances
|
Teaching science is seen as just a “fun” thing to do in an elementary
classroom.
|
Another useful tool when writing digitally is to create a
storyboard (Hicks, 2013). It is a graphic organizer
that provides a way to support the pre-writing process by allowing the writer
to visually see the pieces sequentially that will be put together interactively
in a video format.
“New technologies allow us to explore what otherwise might be forgotten” (Hicks, 2013, p. 104).
A wise statement to be made and noted. As I was adding pictures to my storyboard, I came across photographs that had been saved to my hard drive that I had forgotten were even there. The technology of storing pictures on a device other than a roll of film or a camera allowed me to interact with the photographs again. Not only were memories brought to mind, but I also found examples that were perfect for my video.
Other Storyboard Resources:
Teach Science Daily:
Now it is your turn; so...
 |
| (Clark & Lott, 2017, p. 709) |
References:
Clark, S. K., & Lott, K. (2017). Integrating science inquiry and literacy instruction for young
children. Reading Teacher, 70(6), 701-710. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1572
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T., (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in
the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI felt the exact same way when recreating the introduction video! I love that you and your co-workers like to help each other and see each other improve as educators. It sounds like you work with a good group of people. In your post, where you talked about using humor in your introductory video, is a good idea to use. Using humor is an excellent way to keep the audience engaged in the video you are presenting. Hicks, 2013, says that ..."we want our students to be critical consumers and producers of text, we need to understand that anything they watch, purposefully or incidentally, can be mentor text..." (p.107). As an educator, I believe that you would agree with this statement. This statement is true for all students and of all ages, and using things like humor will keep students focus on the material that is being presented to them.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou offered a very interesting take on the design process of your video. I can honestly say that I didn't think to create a template for a layout of the footage like you did. You made a good use of the MAPS heuristic (Hicks, 2013, p. 22). Also, you created a storyboard for your video as well, which is very creative. I think that it was very good of you and your coworkers to consider everything, even halloween costumes as a learning opportunity.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I really like that you created an outline and a story board before creating your video. Not only is that a great help to yourself, but that would also be a great example to show students what they could do before creating their own audio texts. Showing our students how to break down their thought process is also a part of being an educator as well as it is part of helping them create their best work. As Troy Hicks (2013) states, "Students' speaking and listening can be enhanced by having them create digital audio texts" (pg. 91). Unfortunately I was not able to see your video because I think you might have set it to private on You Tube when you uploaded it. I also originally made the mistake of doing that, but I bet it is a great video!
ReplyDeleteReference:
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I really enjoyed looking at your outline using the MAPS (Mode/Media, Audience, Purpose, and Situation). I think this can be used as a great teaching tool when teaching your students how to create their own video. According to Hicks (2013), “We just need to teach them effective craft” (p. 61). MAPS heuristic allows us to do that. As a social studies teacher, media literacy is very relevant to my curriculum. Most of the knowledge that my students are receiving about world events and cultures comes from media representations. We rely on the media for information about elections, policy, and politics. As a result, media literacy in the classroom can promote student understanding and appreciation for how media shapes our views of the world. In an age of selfie-takers, our students are avid technology users (Choi and Behm-Morawitz, 2018). We need to use this skill to their benefit in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Choi, G. Y., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2018). Teach me about yourself(ie): Exploring selfie-takers’ technology usage and digital literacy skills. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 7(3), 345-360. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000130
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Your outline is amazing. Really. For a mind like mine, outlines and storyboards are wonderful tools that help me get through any assignment and I honestly struggle when I don't use them. I think that using such things are a great tool both inside the classroom and outside the classroom. Graphic organizers are a way to organize your thoughts and allow for better pre-writing support as all the facts are laid out for you to see in one place. Even the quote from Hicks stating, "New technologies allow us to explore what otherwise might be forgotten" (2013, p. 104) fits perfectly along with what we as educators are trying to impart to our students. This gives a visual that allows our students to see the thought process and the writing process. I'm unable to see your video, but sure the though and care you show in your blog is reflected there.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.