Final Metacognitive Post

Final Metacognitive Post

     When I think back on our course the learning and assignments that stand out in my mind the most are; net neutrality, the advertisement deconstruction assignment and our adolescent interviews. If it weren't for this class, I probably would not have given these things much thought. I had never even heard of net neutrality and now that I have, I realize how important it is. I can't imagine not having access to the Internet and websites that are very helpful each day. Having them censored would be awful; I use the Internet for school, work and social reasons. If these freedoms were taken away I'd be lost; we rely so heavily on the Internet and the fact that we are free to "surf" on it. This class is the reason I now know what net neutrality is and understand that it has been threatened. 

     The advertisement deconstruction project really opened my eyes. We watch TV, flip through magazines and see billboards all of the time and don't really pay attention to the visuals that are being sent our way. When we were asked to deconstruct an ad I was nervous and I thought, "that won't take long" but when I sat down and really started to look at objects in my advertisement and what they were suggesting, I realized how much each ad is subconsciously sending our way! It's amazing what we are bombarded with on a daily basis; it makes me nervous that our children are subjected to many of the ads you see. I haven't had cable in a year and recently I thought that maybe it was time to get it again but after that project, I realized I'm doing myself and my daughter a favor by not having it! 

     My adolescent interview was a pleasant surprise. To hear my young person talk about the Internet the way they did was heartwarming. To realize that not every teen out there is glued to their phone was encouraging. If you walk down a mall or go to the movies you see many teens on their phones; surfing the web or on social media. Conducting the interview really gave me hope for future generations; it broke the stereotype that I had built in my head about every teen being addicted to the Internet and technology. Some children do still enjoy the fresh air and nature! 

     My "ah ha moments" were all when I was enlightened on a new area of technology; I now realize I'm behind in the times and need to keep up with the ever changing world of new media and new literacies. Technology will never be my strong suit or a huge love in my life but taking this course has definitely opened my eyes to the many possibilities. I can bring things into my own classroom and share with other teachers; creating presentations for my students (power point and YouTube),my literacy guide and teaching a good balance of old and new technology integration in the classroom. 

   I found this course to be entertaining, enjoyable, thought provoking and educational. Throughout the experience I found myself confused, agreeing, disagreeing, and learning. I am taking away new and powerful information this semester that will stick with me. I will never be a technology junkie but I feel as though I've come a long way in a short amount of time! Thank you to all of my classmates for your unending encouragement! I wish you all the best! 

     

 Understanding the IEP Process and Related Information: 

Topic: Understanding the IEP Process: A Literacy Guide for Parents, Guardians and Educators of Children With Special Needs

Purpose: To give parents, guardians and teachers of children with special needs a guide to better understand their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. 

Outcome: This literacy guide will help you to navigate and make sense of each portion of your child’s IEP, who’s involved and the laws surrounding the creation of one. 

Method: You are your child's biggest advocate; you need to be educated, informed and aware of their disability, their needs and what they are legally eligible for. Anyone with children can relate to the following website and the advice it has to offer but especially, a parent with a child with special needs. 

* Website: https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/working-with-childs-teacher/10-ways-to-be-an-effective-advocate-for-your-child#slide-10

The Law: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Below is a link to the entire Law in PDF format. 

* Website: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/PL108-446.pdf

Steps of an IEP: 

Step 1. Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services.

Step 2. Child is evaluated.

Step 3. Eligibility is decided.

Step 4. Child is found eligible for services.

Step 5. IEP meeting is scheduled.

Step 6. IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written.

Step 7. After the IEP is written, services are provided.

Step 8. Progress is measured and reported to parents.

Step 9. IEP is reviewed.

Step 10. Child is reevaluated.

Below is a more in depth explanation to each of the above steps

* Website: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/steps/

What to expect during an IEP Team Meeting:

It is important to know what an IEP meeting is all about before showing up; know the steps, participants, your rights and what the outcome should be. Below is a website that outlines the parts of an IEP team meeting.  

* Website: http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/publicschoolprograms/a/iepteameetings.htm

Follow Up: It's important to follow through; once the IEP document is put into place you should follow through, make sure school staff is following the important document and be aware of progress or regression (modifying the IEP is always an option). Below is a link to a website that explains the fact that an IEP document can be changed at any time. 

* Website: http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/iep_revise.htm

Support: Just as important as writing a successful IEP,  is a parent or guardian  feeling supported. There are local support groups for parents and guardians of children with special needs but you can also find them online. It may be easier for you to find someone to "chat" with through the Internet. Below is a link for one such group. You can also find groups via social media websites such as Facebook. 

* Website: http://www.abilitypath.org

The hope is that this literacy guide strengthens advocacy, relationships and understanding of a child, their disability and the IEP process.

Resources:

AbilityPath: Support for parents of children with special needs. (2014, January 1). Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://www.abilitypath.org

Center for Parent Information and Resources. (2014, May 1). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/idea/

Coleman Tucker, G. (2013, December 31). 10 Ways to Be an Effective Advocate for Your Child. Retrieved April 15, 2015, from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/working-with-childs-teacher/10-ways-to-be-an-effective-advocate-for-your-child#slide-10

FAQs - How Can I Get My Child's IEP Changed?: Wrightslaw. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/iep_revise.htm

Logsdon, A. (2015, January 1). How to Prepare for an IEP Team Meeting. Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/publicschoolprograms/a/iepteameetings.htm

Ten Basic Steps in Special Education. (2014, April 1). Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/steps/

Justification for my literacy guide...

Literacy Guide Justification

     At heart, I am a Special Education Teacher and I know how exhausting and confusing an IEP process can be for all parties involved. I decided to create a literacy guide for parents, guardians and teachers to follow. It supplied the law (IDEA 2004) to be read over, the ten most important steps in the IEP process, linked them to a website that explained the IEP meeting, gave them follow up information (what to do if the IEP should be modified) and a resource to find online support groups. These are the basic parts of the IEP process and what I feel, are the most important. 

   I used websites as my digital tool; they are fast and easy to use. The websites were all easy to understand, navigate and read. I believe everyone has access to a computer and the Internet (either at home, work, a friend or library) and should be able to quickly link to these websites to gain a better understanding of this topic. 

   In terms of participatory culture, I think adding the website: www.abilitypath.org was helpful because it brings people with a similar topic (child with special needs) together. Everyone who accesses this web page and participates in it's blogs has a child with special needs and needs advice. If it weren't for Network Neutrality I wouldn't have been able to write my literacy guide in the way I did. Without being able to access the Internet quickly and without any censoring I wouldn't have been able to use websites as my digital tool. When I think back to our advertisement deconstruction assignment it made me look over each one of my websites and how their appearance may effect my population. Each website was aesthetically pleasing; soft colors, inviting images and outlined in an organized and easy to read manner. I was greatly pleased with the "look" of each of my websites and feel like they will help parents to not feel overwhelmed. When looking over week 10 I think about how easy my guide would make it to email information to fellow teachers, parents and guardians. The Internet makes this world much easier to navigate. Being able to find several links (like the ones I have posted), put them into an email, and then send them to several people at once is something that we may just take for granted! Having access to email is a true treasure and we can use it to our advantage! 

    My hope is that my literacy guide would bring parents, guardians and educators some guidance in an easy to follow and understand way. The basics are broken down and made accessible. My guide relates to several modules in our class; participatory culture, Network Neutrality, Advertisement Deconstruction and Email. Would love for a parent who is struggling to understand the IEP process to utilize my guide and give me feedback on it; does it help or confuse you further? 

     

Adolecent interview

    I had the chance to interview a family friend; Stephanie. Stephanie is a 14 year old young lady that is very involved with school and her church. Her parents are married and she has a younger sister, Lacey. I first asked Stephanie to describe herself and she replied with, "I am friendly, outgoing, caring and smart." She said that she considers herself to be friends with everyone but has two best friends. Steph plays soccer and enjoys doing crafts with her mom and sister. For 14 years old, she's very down to earth, responsible and well spoken. I asked her the following questions:

*Do you have a SmartPhone? "Yes, I do but I'm only allowed to use it after school to contact my parents (for permission/ rides). If I use it once I'm home it's closely monitored by my parents". I asked her if she had to get off the phone at a certain time (I always did as a kid) and she said, "yes, at 9pm unless I'm working on a school project w/ a friend". 

* What other forms of technology do you have in your home besides a SmartPhone? "We have a family computer (PC), laptop, Kindle and my parents have phones". 

* Are you allowed on social media websites? "Yes, I do have a Facebook & an Instagram but my parents have the passwords and can access it anytime they'd like". She seemed so good about this- you'd think most teenagers would have said it w/ some type of an attitude at least! She seemed to understand that it's done to protect her. This lead to my next question- Have you ever been Cyber bullied or know anyone who has? She replied, "I haven't had any issues w/ Cyber bullying but friends of mine have; they are considered, "nerds" and have been bullied in the past online and in school, it's really sad". She said, " that's why my parents worry". 

* I then asked if her parents put a limit on computer/ screen time? Steph answered, "there's not a real set limit because sometimes I'm on the computer for homework and it can take sometime but on the weekends my parents don't like for us to be on the computer or our phones much; they want to see us playing outside. We usually do family stuff on the weekends; biking or hiking or we go see a movie together. When we watch TV it's usually something that we can all watch together". 

* I asked Stephanie if she feels the need to check her social media sites every ten minutes or if she can live without them? She really shocked me and said, "I could really care less, I'm so busy in my "real life" that I don't have much time to check what other people are doing online". She said, "I see my friends all day at school and then sometimes after with practice that I know what's going on in their lives; I don't need to keep checking in on them all the time". I thought this was such a mature answer. 

* Another question I asked was, do you communicate better face to face or behind a screen? She quickly said, "oh, face to face for sure"! I love to see and talk to my friends. We would rather hang out together than type back and forth over a computer". What a breath of fresh air this young girl is!!! 

* I asked her if all of her "friends" on her social media websites are really her true friends? She said, they are all friends, some closer than others but everyone is friendly...kind of like real life school. I'm nice to everyone and get along with everyone". 

* I asked if she felt like social media causes drama / problems for people? She said, "YES, for sure...lots of my friends have gotten into fights because of stupid issues over the computer" She said, "it's hard to know what people mean sometimes when you are talking through text or the computer"....smart kid! 

* Do you use your computer for things other than social media? Stephanie said, "Yes, I mostly use the computer for things other than social media"...She has recently started horse back riding and has been researching this; it's peaked her interest and would rather look at horses and technique than facebook (mom says).  

* I asked her what she would do if there was no internet for a week? She laughed and said, "I'd be fine...said she'd go for walks w/ the family dog, go riding and do homework" She said, "I always have homework....it may be more difficult to do w/out the internet but it would take up more time that way"! 

* I asked Stephanie how life would change if there were no such thing as the internet? She said, "my life wouldn't change that much but homework would be harder to complete" and she said, "I guess I'd miss checking in on my friends, whenever I wanted to" and that "things would all just take so much longer to do". 

So there you have it, an interview with today's youth about the internet and social media. To be honest, this interview really blew me away. I know Stephanie is such a good kid but I didn't realize how little of a role the internet and social media played in her life. It kind of made me feel guilty for how much time I spend looking at social media and other people's lives! Hearing such a young person talk about the importance of things other than the internet was uplifting and encouraging. It also gives me hope; I hope my daughter doesn't become addicted to the internet like some kids (I plan on being like Stephanie's parents though; only in moderation). Steph is a special kid; smart and doesn't feed into anyone or anything that she doesn't agree with. She is strong willed and has a great head on her shoulders. For her it's easy to say, "no" to social media whereas some children who don't have friends, get suckered into thinking FB is full of "real" friendships. Again interviewing her was like a breath of fresh air; she gives me hope for the future generations to come! Hopefully more will walk in her footsteps and have social media/ technology just be a small portion of their day! It's important to realize that many things we see and hear online are not the truth. I believe she is so well rounded and mature because of her parents; they've gone above and beyond and it shows in their child. 

I really enjoyed conducting this interview and it's refreshed my beliefs in teenagers; there are some out there who are genuine, smart and individuals. This was a very neat opportunity and I look forward to reading the rest of the interviews! 

Week 9: Media Education

     In Chapter seven van Leeuwen talks about how paintings can change so much from the original to the copied and reproduced versions. It brings me back to when I worked in a consignment/ thrift/ antique store. Working in such a place taught me what a good reproduction and a bad reproduction looked like. van Leeuwen exemplifies this, “in an original painting by Mondrian the lines are, in close-up, not straight, but overpainted and the colour of the various rectangles is modulated rather than plain and flat. Postcards and other reproductions of the same painting make the lines appear straight, remove the overpainting and present flat, unmodulated colour” (van Leeuwen, p. 221). I will never forget my boss pointing out why a reproduction can be spotted. She would pull out old books with pictures of the original paintings and then compare them to the reproductions clients would bring us. Some were extremely close to the original but others were so far off, it would actually make you upset. Reproductions can be such sad representations of what the painting once looked like. I find it interesting that for years we have looked at reproductions of artwork that, “reinforce and reproduce a particular (incorrect) version of Mondrian and a particular (ideological) version of abstract painting” (van Leeuwen, p. 221). We all grew up in our art classes looking at reproductions of famous artwork; who knows what the original artist wanted us to see and feel when looking at their art. I found the way van Leeuwen talked about artwork and brushstrokes to be like someone's handwriting, very powerful. Your handwriting is so personal and it can identify you. Someone can look at a note and immediately know that you wrote it. Original paintings are the same way; you can look at an original and know who painted it. If a painting has been photographed and reproduced it loses that touch of uniqueness it once had and makes it less personal and desirable. 

     It is so important to teach younger generations the importance of artwork; parents and teachers should express that a powerful piece of artwork can leave a very strong impression on a person. Children should understand the importance of original artwork; that it’s an artists “John Hancock” and that reproductions don’t do the originals any justice. Green’s model talks about the critical approach to literacy, “using literary practice which recognizes the socially constructed nature of knowledge and literary practices. Asking critical questions and constructing Alternative perspectives” (GREEN, 1). After a piece of work has been reproduced over and over it begins to loose it’s original quality. Our society begins to construct a new version of the painting and new meaning behind it. After seeing the art change and develop into something different, we begin to ask critical questions and create alternate perspectives on the work. 

     After reading this chapter it almost makes me sad; like credit is not being given to the artists who created such beautiful artwork, years and years ago. Our society develops things to fill a need and in the process, unique and beautiful art is changed and seen differently. The artists original brushstrokes are no longer their signature. My hope is that educators and art enthusiasts would keep original artwork in sight and explain to children it’s importance. 

References: 

Green. (n.d.). Graphical representation of GREEN's approach to literacy. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from https://moodle.esc.edu/mod/page/view.php? id=821667

Kress, G., & Van leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar Of Visual Design (2nd ed., p. 312). Routledge.

Two reproduced paintings of, Poppies by Monet- Look at the difference...

http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/claude-monet/poppies-near-argenteuil-2.html

http://www.allartnews.com/poppy-field-in-argenteuil-by-monet-named-most-popular-oil-painting-for-mothers-day-2011/

Week 8: Deconstruction of an alcohol advertisement

  

 Deconstruction of an alcohol advertisement

     I figured a Bacardi advertisement would be different and fun to dissect. In my younger years this was a drink of choice so I thought what about their ads would draw people in? It made me wonder if liquor advertisements are geared more toward young men or women and if they are geared more toward young people or older people? The ad I found (hope it shows up in my blog) is of (what seems like) a young and attractive woman. We do not see her eyes, hair, ears or eyebrows; only her nose (nostrils really), her lips, a couple teeth and her tongue. To me, highlighting this part of a person's body is extremely sexual and suggestive. On the tip of her tongue is a leaf and I believe the creator may have done this to highlight her tongue. The article also features a bottle of Bacardi Mojito with a glass, sugar cubes and a lime. Everything in this article is simple, clean, crisp, and refreshing to look at. I believe that only seeing part of the woman's face is a bit intriguing and mysterious. It's like they want you to buy the bottle to see the rest of the woman! Many alcohol advertisements (including this one) seem to be sexual and mysterious. If they created this ad with everything but the woman it would have seemed completely different; it would have been more sophisticated and less dramatic. Adding the sexual innuendo definitely gives it an edge and some excitement. I wonder if this hurts them or helps them; are more people buying this product because of the sexual content? 

     I believe the purpose of this ad (and many others) is to lure people in; your eyes are immediately drawn to the mouth and then you realize, "oh, it's a Bacardi advertisement". I guess their hope is to catch the public eye and then entice them to buy their liquor. I would imagine that many men would be attracted to this and many women may think, "I need to drink Bacardi to be sexy". Sadly, sex sells and Bacardi is completely taking advantage of that! 

     As a mother of a four year old daughter, seeing this makes me a little upset. I don't want my daughter to grow up looking through magazines and seeing these types of ads. I wouldn't want her to ever think that she needs to drink to be sexy or that drinking makes you more attractive to others. This ad definitely sends those stereotypical messages to the consumer. As far as race, it's difficult to distinguish what race this woman is from the ad; I don't think race has much to do with this ad in particular. I think the overall message it's sending is the distinguishing factor; sex sells. 

     Possible consequences from this message include young women having false beliefs; that they need to drink to be happy, sexy and adventurous or that drinking liquor will make you more attractive to others. This can be harmful to a young girls development (especially when she starts to explore the world and starts to drink). It also gives men a false reality; when women drink they don't start licking their lips and becoming more sexy and promiscuous. Nobody should be led to believe that alcohol makes you less considerate of your self-worth. I also think it's unfair that you mostly see women in alcohol advertisements; why are women always the center of sexual attention? You don't see ads with a male mouth like this? Do they create ads like this to promote sexual dominance over women? I do not believe this ad to be socially responsible; they don't know where it can pop up, who's looking at it and what it's leading people to believe. I realize everyone is their own person and forms their own judgements and ideas but this definitely helps to form them (even if subconsciously). 

     I can't help but think of when Kress and van Leeuwin talk about interactie participants and represented participants; "there are two types of participant involved in every semiotic act, interactive participants and represented participants. The former are the participants in the act of communication – the participants who speak and listen or write and read, make images or view them, whereas the latter are the participants who constitute the subject matter of the communication; that is the people, places and things (including abstract things) represented in and by the speech or writing or image, the participants about whom or which we are speaking or writing or producing images” (p. 48). As the interactive participant I see this advertisement through my eyes; I use my own understanding of the world and my individual background to determine what it means. 

Kress, G., & Van leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammer Of Visual Design (2nd ed., p.   312). Routledge.

     

Week 6: Changing Citizenship

Please respond to the following in a Journal Post on your personal Blog. Pick a topic or issue from the readings that struck you as interesting, important, confusing, etc. and reflect on it in by responding to the following prompts:

• What is / are the tools and techniques being put into practice?
• What is / are the key issue(s) outlined in or underlying the text (think in terms of Green’s model: operational, cultural and critical)?
• What are your feelings and opinions on the reading?
• Be sure to reference the reading(s) including author and page number.

     I found the article, Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age by W. Lance Benett to be most interesting. This article deals with the fact that our society as a whole has changed due to the digital age. The younger a person is, the less involved in politics they have become. There is an over all disengagement in politics from young people and the author blames it on two overall reasons, "The majority of those communicating with young people about conventional politics continue to do so in a tired top-down, highly managed ways that most young people find inauthentic and largely irrelevant" and, "what young people do online tends to be largely social and entertainment oriented, with only tangential pathways leading to the conventional civic and political worlds" (Bennett, p. 10). The tools that need to be used (but aren't being used correctly) are the Internet and social media. So many young people are constantly on their phones and social media and this is where politicians need to genuinely connect to the young audience. Bennet says, "they (young people) need to feel invited to participate on their own terms, and to learn how to use their digital tools to better express their public voices" (Bennett, 10). 

     I feel as though the underlying issues (feeling) of this article are; young people are not involved in politics as much any longer, they don't feel the need to be. There is a feeling of distrust on both ends; young people towards politics and politicians towards young people. There needs to be a coming together; an understanding that things are just done differently now than twenty years ago. To recreate our democracies there needs to be a conjoined understanding from both ends. I believe this issue would fit into GREEN's definition of Cultural, "specific literary practice which relies on using strategies to receive and transmit meaning. Developing an understanding of content and context" (GREEN, pg. 1). I believe politicians need to develop an understanding of the younger generation, the way they communicate through literacy (social media/ blogging) and attempt to create a new way of approaching this generation. This dimension of literacy seems to grasp all that is needed to find the change that is needed; this young generation has grown up in a technological culture where everything revolves around the Internet, social media, and is face paced and constantly evolving. Politicians need to keep up and do it in a way that doesn't degrade young people for being so tech savvy. 

     I completely agree with our reading; I am 33 and I have never been interested in politics or what politicians have to say. This could be because my parents didn't push the issue with me growing up but it could also be that, I never felt a "pull" from a politician to be involved. I have always felt distrust for them and usually this gut feeling proves to be true down the road (always a scandal...). I can only imagine how disengaged an even younger generation must view our world and politics. Our article touches on how distant young people feel from politics, government and power; I completely understand this and agree with the thought. The politicians, "must learn more about their citizenship and communication preferences and how to engage with them (young people)" (Bennett, p. 12). I believe that the need to be involved with politics and building a better democracy has to come from within but it also has to be sparked at a young age; teachers, parents and politicians all need to encourage young children to be involved in the creation of their futures. Once a child forms opinions and is able to determine if they'd like to stay involved, that's when it's so important for the politicians to gain their interest and keep them hooked. I feel like politicians need to meet kids where they are at; use the technology they use and find common ground to build a sustainable relationship with them. 

                                                               References

Bennett, W. (2008, January 1). Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262524827_sch_0001.pdf

Green. (n.d.). Graphical representation of GREEN's approach to literacy. Retrieved February 21, 2015, from https://moodle.esc.edu/mod/page/view.php? id=821667