Pop Culture Makes the World Go Round

Dear Friends and Families of Room 205,
I wanted to give you a heads up on your child’s learning this year in Room 205. Of course we will be memorizing our multiplication and division facts, having spelling pre and post tests each week, as well as mastering our cursive handwriting. In addition to these normal subjects, we will also be studying Pop Culture and bring it into our class room on a daily basis.
Pop Culture you are asking yourself…why waste time on this? I am sure you are thinking, “My student needs to be at grade level…he/she needs to pass his/her standardized test…What is Miss Riggs thinking THIS time?!” I hear you loud and clear, but here’s the reality…Pop Culture is all around us, and it will bring your student’s learning to life!
Let me get you to see our side of this controversial coin. Pretend you are at work right now, in fact on a lunch break or a quick stop at the water cooler. What questions do you hear among your co-workers, your peers? Do these questions sound familiar??? “Did you see the game last night? How’s your fantasy Team doing? Can you believe that run by AP and that throw by Farve? What are your thoughts on Ballon Boy? Can you scream like Mary Murphy? Would you like to be on the hot tamale train? Do you agree with the Chief about firing that new Doc from Mercy West when she did not check that lady’s throat? What you think about McDreamy standing up to the Chief and pointing the finger at him? Are you going to see the MJ movie this Wednesday…so are you going to have a sick day on Thursday? How about those Law & Order story lines…hits pretty close to home, huh?”
Regardless if these are topics you are interested in, I am willing to bet my next pay check that you have at least heard of the Minnesota Vikings, “So You Think You Can Dance,” Grey’s Anatomy, Michael Jackson, and Crime TV shows. Well, here is the deal, your student has also heard about these topics and this is what they would prefer to talk about. Think about, you pick your friends from people who have similar interests as you…you talk about the same things, you watch the same shows, and generally have the same interests. If adults can handle this, why would we want to squash that for our students?
I can not tell you how many times I have heard from students in my years of teaching, “WHY ARE WE LEARNING ABOUT THIS?” Sometimes it is hard to see the real world connections in trigonometry, but what about having to learn cursive so that you can cash your paycheck, what about learning multiplication facts so you can know how much you will be paid that work week, what about learning proper grammar so that you sound educated when you go in for an interview, and what about understanding history so that we understand how the world functions today. These real world connections can be seen, but why not use REAL real world connections from our every day life that can be felt and touched every day. If our students are going to be excited about the big Vikings game or seeing the new MJ movie, why not tie their interests into the classroom and make learning fun again?!
I would like to invite you on this new journey of learning. I challenge you to learn your 5th grader’s likes and dislikes and get him/her to use that in their learning. I know that it will take open communication between you and me to help bring the real world into your child’s classroom. I am ready to step up to the plate and take on this challenge, the question is…are you ready to be on the “hot tamale train?!”
Thank you for your continued support in your student’s learning, Miss Riggs

Pop Culture Assignment #1
As we have mentioned in class, we are going to be bring Pop Culture into our classroom. Here is your first assignment:
Last year, I introduced you to the Hip-hop group “FigureHeads.” We listened to their CD, “The Movement” every day while we are in school. Well, this year we are going to be listening to a new FigureHead CD titled, “Fire in My Soul.” Your assignment is this, read the following lyrics to “Social Justice” as you listen to the new beats by clicking on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVUfON3veHo. After you listen to the song, pick 3-4 lines that relate to you and your life. Jot down some notes as to why these particular lines mean something special to you.
Part two to your assignment: Have your family at home listen to our new FigureHead song. Ask your family what they like/dislike about this song. Would they be ok with you listening to this song, as opposed to songs with explicit lyrics? Why, or why not?
Part three of your assignment goes to your family! Ask your student what the “hidden” message is to the song “Social Justice.” Have a discussion with your student about what Social Justices they know about, or have seen first hand. Also ask your student what social injustices they have seen or know about.
Note: to both students and families, have fun with this assignment! You will be listening to an awesome song with a powerful message. Be open with each other when having discussions and make sure to check in with each other as our school year progresses. We are working on bringing Pop Culture into our classroom, and this is the first step! Be sure to check out the FigureHeads website to learn even more about our favorite Hip-hop group: http://www.figureheadsinc.org/

“SOCIAL JUSTICE” - FigureHeads
Chorus
What you know about social justice/The ones who fought the ones who suffered/For basic rights like suffrage/But knowin about it ain’t enough kid/It’s time for you to rise up/It’s time for you to lead us

Verse 1
I’m a sojourner for truth like harriet Tubman/Can you feel that underground railroad rumblin/When it comes to justice stay stubborn/Like Rosa Parks on the bus not budgin/It all starts when someone does somethin/Instead of waitin around grumblin/So I let the ink flow like harriet Beecher Stowe/Whose uncle tom’s cabin helped to start the civil war/Then I’ll spit it some more like frances harpera protest poet revolution sparker/There’s no doubt that the path to a new beginnin/Is trail blazed by amazing women/do the math theres more I could name dozens/Many of whom did their thing without husbands/So raise the standard ladies it’s your life/And speak up for change if somethin ain’t right

Verse 2
Out the ashes of despair /Hiphop rose like a phoenixDuring a time where crime/ doubled up like a helixThis was the preset setting stage/ For a movementYouth took this flame of pain and straight used it
To spark a revolution and ignite a generationPassed from civil rights was this light of liberationOur interpretation/ went beyond their limitationsTeens/ remixed the dream/ and reached/ every nation Creativity was awakened/ And it’s no coincidenceHiphop transformed more than just/ instrumentsIt Bridged the gap distance / of black and Brown differenceAnd it still insists that/ We rise thru the resistance But now oddly Hiphop became commodityMarkets ideology making us like colonies/But our phil-o-sophy says we can move as oneand using technology, we shall over come

Verse 3
it’s hard when it feels like the world ignores you/but sorry I don’t feel sorry for you/ kids around the world been dying in war too/they won’t get used what you can afford new/27 million men, women and childrenare slaves on the planet and the number’s building/just a couple pennies is all you gotta pay for a five year old to work a twelve hour day/locked in a room till the carpet is made/you complain cuz you gotta work hard for Asdag,/ don’t you get it, get off yourself there’s billions of children who all need help but/ you still care more about your clothes than the slave kid who might have made those /either way I’m just saying there’s a lot to do /we on the front lines saving a spot for you

Humans as Bullies in the Cyberworld

Wow...the chick in the car at the bottom of this post is....well, CREEPY!!!! I did not have any pictures of myself where I was not smiling (as the Gizmo site suggested), but I created an avatar anyway...holy cow I am creeped out!!!! Those are my eyes, but nothing else is me! And I have auburn hair, so I thought how funny would it be to be a blond in this virtual world...LOL, this is SOOO funny to me! Anyway, how to use avatars in the classroom…My students LOOOOVE Poptropica. They create from scratch players to use for different computer games. They have to remember passwords and codes, and they chat constantly about who beat what level. I would love to see if they could create an avatar of themselves to play in Poptropica (if that is even possible!) They love playing this computer game, but how much more would they love it if THEY were the characters passing the different levels?! My charter school just purchased a mobile cart of 10 laptops to be used in the classroom. We have a project to this week about our field trip to the zoo last Wednesday (right before MEA break…whoop, whoop…even though I spent 10 hours in school on Thursday and 9.5 hours Friday, so what break?!), but if the research projects get completed, I would love to look into my students making avatars for their computer games. I will have to see how this week goes…

I chose the “Interacting with Computers” to read for the second part of this week’s assignment. First off, Aaron Doering is AWESOME! He was my professor when I took Intro to Technology back when I was in school to be a teacher. Not only did I learn so much from him and become more comfortable with my technology skills, Aaron helped me with a slide show I had to create for the U of M Swim team. When I was in Aaron’s class, I was a senior on the Swim Team at the U. I was also captain and my coach asked me to create our end of the year slide show. (Just a few tid bits on that, past years had not turned out that well and I had 35 teammates giving me 100’s of pics and song requests. Yes, I am not that old, but this slide show was created before all the new age with albums online and programs designed to make slide shows a breeze!) Anyway, I mentioned to Aaron that I had this HUGE project to do for my team and he offered to help. With his assistance, that end of the year slide show turned out to be the best one to date. Everyone…coaches and parents included, asked me for a copy of the slide show, and that had NEVER happened before. Making copied of the DVD slide show was another project in itself…and Aaron was there to help again. Anyway, Aaron is GREAT and it was awesome to read about his project for this week’s assignment!

OK, back to this week’s assignment…as I was reading this article, I kept writing questions in the margins… “Did the kids know their convos were being logged?” “How is Joan responding to this abuse?” “Holy cow…did middle schoolers really just say that?!” As I continued to read, some of my questions were answered, but not all of them.

Towards the end of this article, the question was presented, what if the students were told that their teacher was able to see how they were using the Avatar? I think that would have made a world of difference, because now they are being held accountable. But then how real would this study have been??? I think when there is interaction with computers, the loss of the human factor results in people dropping their guard and acting more brashly than normal. Without a human to fire back at you, I think more people are willing to be the bully or harass because no one is going to harass back. But is that really their true colors and they are just putting on a front when they actually have to deal with other humans??? Kind of the chicken or the egg question? Which causes what? The lack of human contact brings out the worst in us, or are we set up that way and this technology environment just helps it shine through?!?! Food for thought if anyone has comments on that one.

Also, at the end of the article, there were notes about how to change how Joan responded to the mis-use of her helping students. I think comments to get kids back on track might work, but I also think if a person wants to “bully” a non-human trapped inside of a computer, I think he/she is going to bully regardless if the non-human is asking the student to get back on track. Furthermore, I think having Joan ask the student to get back on track it only going to make the situation worse…get them more fired up to keep the harassment and bullying going. But what do I know, and maybe not getting a rise out of Joan will squash the issue and the student will get back on track.

On page 297 of this article when the comments of Students A-J were being noted, I actually wrote in the margins… “WOW!!!!!!” My jaw dropped and I was shocked that middle schoolers would be using this language, and more shocking…using this language WHILE IN SCHOOL!!!!!! I’m not saying that I’m a saint, but still, I was raised with morals and values and knowing the difference between wrong and right. What the heck were these kids thinking?!?! I’m a female so I have never asked another female the questions that Students A-J did, but at the same time, I have never been asked those questions by people in my life. Yes, I go out to the bars and yes, I know how to have a fun time, but I do so not at the expense of another person. I also surround myself with people with similar values…yes we can get rowdy, but were not going to ask a passerby, “Do you suck bug nuts?” I still can not believe that a middle school would ask that same question when it is part of an assignment…regardless if he/she did or did not know that the teacher could read the questions posted. I know that Thom can read our blogs, he told us he could at the beginning of this class. You better believe I would never ask my blog buddies what color undies they are wearing, but I certainly would not stray from the course work during our chats knowing that Thom can read all that we type!

I do find this study to be very interesting, and the questions it poses. Would there be similar sexual questions if Joan was a male character? Would it help to have a gender neutral person answering questions, or would that just stir up the students to see who could find out the sexuality of the CPA first to be able to share the answers with others? Would the outcome be different if the students were told upfront that their activity online was being recorded…or would that just mask their true colors? I guess the only way to get answers to these questions is to have more studies on this subject and change one variable at a time. Aaron Doering is an awesome professor (no offense Thom!) and I nominate Aaron to conduct more studies and let us know what he finds out!

Blog #4-We are living in the fast-paced technology world of tomorrow

These three articles on video games were particularly interesting to me, seeing as the last video game I thoroughly enjoyed was Super Mario Brothers 3. It’s been a while since I have hunkered down and played a video game for hours on end, but I do know that’s what most of my students (as well as many school age children of the world) are currently doing! We are living in a world where technology is a way of life…machines have replaced the human factor while trying to make things simpler and easier for all. I can recall my grandfather telling me of the days where ice cream cones were 5 cents, a pack of gum cost a penny, and there were men at gas stations who would fill up your tank for less than what a gallon of gas costs today. Where are those people who provide services hiding today?! Gas stations now have machines to do all the work, collect the money and YOU get to fill up your own car…make it quick because there will be a line if there is a “sale” on the price of gas and you probably are running late to next commitment. And what about grocery stores? More and more are replacing the check out clerks with machines so that YOU can scan your own food and you can be on your merry way. Why do we view face time with other humans, as “bad” time?
Regardless if you are on board with the technology craze, this train is moving and you better get a ticket. I feel fortunate enough to have grown up where new and improved technology was the norm. I did not get my first cell phone until I was in college, but I do feel comfortable in texting and downloading apps…or helping my mother set up her voicemail for the 13th time! Computers are another technology avenue I feel comfortable navigating…only because I have always had access to one, and have had to use computers for my own school work, as well as my teaching. Kids today also have a knack of understanding technology (probably having a better understanding than the generation ahead of them!) And with this love of technology, we as teachers would be crazy not to incorporate it into the classroom!
The article by Scot Osterweil is information I am going to bring to my director and school board as a way to bridge the gap between school and technology to enhance student’s learning. I think the game Labyrinth sounds just fascinating and exactly what our school needs. Our kids come form underprivileged homes, many of them being homeless. And this game sounds like the right link of building math, reading, and writing skills AND still using technology, even if you can’t afford the newest gaming system. As a teacher who works at a school who is now on AYP, I can relate to Osterweil’s quote:

“Teachers recognized the attraction of games to their students, but they can’t justify games-with all the social baggage the word carries-to administrators and parents.”

This is so true! We feel bogged down by trying to hit all the standards and trying to teach so that our kids can pass a standardized test, but what happened to making learning fun? I think this game would do an excellent job in justifying games for learning, means fun for all! The one other quote that was an “Aha” moment for me in Osterweil’s articles was:

“We expect teachers to be talented professionals while paying them low salaries and even lower levels of respect.”

Ain’t that the truth?! So my question is, why do we as teacher keep coming back to hard work, for our little pay and littler respect…it’s because of the kids, and we need to remember how to teach to these kids in this technology craze, while still making learning fun, and still hitting the standards. Wow, that’s a tough order to fill!
The second article about “genderplay” made me chuckle. It is true that many games are geared towards young men and boys, and the scantily clad women as advertisements are very enticing to the horny male population. In a world where sex sells, advertisers would be crazy not to use sexy ladies to help sell their games. Do I agree with it, or think it’s right, of course not, but until the men on this earth get re-wired and think only with their brains, and not their personal “joysticks,” I do not think sexy vixens will be going away any time soon! It would be nice if the women in video games could be seen as pioneers, but chances are, a guy is the one creating the video game, so why not have something nice to look at?!
The last article by James Paul Gee, made me reflect on my own teaching skills and how learning happens in my classroom. I have always wondered how can my students play video games on end, or take hours to update their MySpace accounts, but they can’t hunker down with a good book and read for 20 minutes?! This insider look at video games, and how it challenges the player is great information to use in the classroom. Gee mentions,

“Video games operate on the principle of “performance before competence.” That is, players can learn as they play, rather than having to master an entire body of knowledge before being able to put it to use. Research shows that students learn best when they learn in context—that is, when they can relate words, concepts, skills, or strategies to prior experience. In fact, many students are alienated from what they learn in school because those connections and experiences are absent.”

I was taught in my teaching classes at the U of M, to relate lesson to my personal life so that the kids can see real-world connections to what they are learning. How many times have we heard students say, “Why do I have to learn this? When will I use this in my life?” And if we as teachers can show them all the real-world connections, it gives more meaning to what they are learning. I have even learned to take it one step further, and not just relate lessons to my own life, but asking the students how they can be connected to what we are learning. When kids are able to make that connection, their learning is taken to a whole deeper level.
Technology is a way of life, and this craze does not seem to be losing any speed, in fact it’s just the opposite. Technology is getting faster, cheaper, and more accessible. Teachers from the past may have gotten a way with simple lessons of text books, notebooks paper, and pencils. But today’s teachers will need to master Smart Boards, websites, and LCD Projectors to keep their students learning fun, exciting, and on the cutting edge of technology to make sure everyone is entertained.