Essential Question: Why is an awareness of Place important?
The thing I love when we talk about ‘Place’ is that the ideas and connections change once we start to broaden or restrict the Place’s context. For example, America is a place, and therefore, we are all Americans. Typically to be attached to this Place of America means that you have an awareness of the symbolic meaning of being American: patriotic, free, etc. Let’s narrow it down to Alaska. We’re still American, but now we are aware that our context of being American has changed. Were you born and raised in Alaska? You may identify as native. New to the state? Cheechako. And if we scrutinize this idea of Place further, and concentrate on smaller areas, we start to see how identities change once we look at Anchorage versus Galena, Barrow versus Ketchikan. It’s important to be aware of Place because our outlook alters as we alter views.
When we think of education, being aware of Place is extremely important. My grandpa would always tell me when I was younger that when he was in school, he didn’t get that “fancy learnin’” that I was privileged enough to have. Because he lived in farm country, his education was based around how to raise cattle, and count hay bales quick enough to guesstimate how much money they were going to earn once they sold it. Would his education have been different if he would have been raised in the city? Absolutely. Awareness of Place helps educators understand what the essential need is of their students. Does that mean that we ignore everything else? No, but we can begin to connect with others is we have an understanding or appreciation for their Place.
Understanding our own Place is important as well. What’s the old saying, you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been? I love that I can look back and acknowledge all of the Places that I have been, and how my outlook/personality/education/etc. changed because of the different Place. In the general sense, recognizing all of the different Places you’ve been can help you become more open and willing to learn in and about a new Place. In a literal sense, I am now the expert in everything Seattle-related to my students J
Examine Question: How can educators use new media to better reach and teach Alaska's students?
With the advancements made in today’s technology, many educators and students can have the world at their fingertips. No longer are students viewed as ‘empty vessels, waiting to be filled with knowledge.’ With new media, you can access any information when you want it, and in however form you want it. The big new media is the Internet. Now, students aren’t limited to the information they have in their classroom or home. They can find more resources and in more forms – videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.
To connect back to the idea of Place, one piece of new media that immediately sprung to mind was Skype. Skype is a communication tool similar to video conferencing, but done over the computer with an Internet connection. Learning about your personal Place is important; learning about others’ Places helps students see comparisons, differences, and make connections they may not have gotten before. Skype came to mind again because rather than just viewing a website that could tell you about a Place (let’s choose Washington, D.C. for example), you have the opportunity to talk to someone who is there, and hear their direct perspective. This makes it personal for the students, and seems much more engaging.
Social networking sites can also be used to better reach students. I utilize this tool in my own classroom. Thinking back to my high school days, if you wanted a reminder about your homework, you better write it down in your planner. If you couldn’t remember what pages you had to read, you better call your friend before curfew. With a social networking site, students can connect with both the teacher and their peers with quick results. I have a class Facebook page that I monitor very closely. I post homework reminders, test dates, etc. Students have the opportunity to post questions if needed, and either I or another student can respond. Rather than that student emailing me and hoping that I check my work email, or texting a friend who is maybe busy with something else, they have one place to go that all of my students have access to.
Evaluation
Because I am a Cheechako taking an Alaska studies course, I am intrigued by the idea of Place and how we as educators can utilize it to better reach our students. I myself am going through a transition, so I found it helpful to discuss the contexts of Place, and how it really does help form our identity. I am also still a little mystified by the stories that I hear about teaching in ‘the village,’ so I am interested to hear more about the differences between that and in Anchorage!
The thing I love when we talk about ‘Place’ is that the ideas and connections change once we start to broaden or restrict the Place’s context. For example, America is a place, and therefore, we are all Americans. Typically to be attached to this Place of America means that you have an awareness of the symbolic meaning of being American: patriotic, free, etc. Let’s narrow it down to Alaska. We’re still American, but now we are aware that our context of being American has changed. Were you born and raised in Alaska? You may identify as native. New to the state? Cheechako. And if we scrutinize this idea of Place further, and concentrate on smaller areas, we start to see how identities change once we look at Anchorage versus Galena, Barrow versus Ketchikan. It’s important to be aware of Place because our outlook alters as we alter views.
Understanding our own Place is important as well. What’s the old saying, you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been? I love that I can look back and acknowledge all of the Places that I have been, and how my outlook/personality/education/etc. changed because of the different Place. In the general sense, recognizing all of the different Places you’ve been can help you become more open and willing to learn in and about a new Place. In a literal sense, I am now the expert in everything Seattle-related to my students J
Examine Question: How can educators use new media to better reach and teach Alaska's students?
With the advancements made in today’s technology, many educators and students can have the world at their fingertips. No longer are students viewed as ‘empty vessels, waiting to be filled with knowledge.’ With new media, you can access any information when you want it, and in however form you want it. The big new media is the Internet. Now, students aren’t limited to the information they have in their classroom or home. They can find more resources and in more forms – videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.
To connect back to the idea of Place, one piece of new media that immediately sprung to mind was Skype. Skype is a communication tool similar to video conferencing, but done over the computer with an Internet connection. Learning about your personal Place is important; learning about others’ Places helps students see comparisons, differences, and make connections they may not have gotten before. Skype came to mind again because rather than just viewing a website that could tell you about a Place (let’s choose Washington, D.C. for example), you have the opportunity to talk to someone who is there, and hear their direct perspective. This makes it personal for the students, and seems much more engaging.
Evaluation
Because I am a Cheechako taking an Alaska studies course, I am intrigued by the idea of Place and how we as educators can utilize it to better reach our students. I myself am going through a transition, so I found it helpful to discuss the contexts of Place, and how it really does help form our identity. I am also still a little mystified by the stories that I hear about teaching in ‘the village,’ so I am interested to hear more about the differences between that and in Anchorage!
kristin...
ReplyDeletenice blog! really enjoyed your thoughts about place and perspective.
thoughtful analysis on the impacts of tech, too. skype and facebook as powerful tools...bravo!
your writing style and voice is clear and engaging. thanks.
some points:
1. your images should have credits/captions
2. links to other sources gives your blog great depth.
3. try other placements for images besides center.
4. remember....you can always go back into the edit mode and make any changes anytime.
youre off to a great start. keep up the good work.
module I - 8 points