The author discusses social networking, video games, and other technology. These things may become outdated in the future, but are relevant today, because these are the things that interest students. The author claims that using these technologies is a good approach to teaching.As literacy is the ability to interpret and understand a variety of texts, it is important for teachers to "practice what they preach" and expand their own literacy into the forms of text that interest students. There are benefits to using this strategy. Students know how they learn. They know what they like. By using a variety of approaches to teaching, one approaches a variety of intelligences for diverse learners. For this reason, it is also crucial to get to know your students and be aware of what is going on in their lives. However, most teachers know that they should be doing this anyway.
Pop culture is very much alive in every aspect of our lives, so why should we not expect it to be an influence in our classrooms as well? One strategy for incorporating pop culture in the lesson is by giving the students the opportunity to gain credit (pop culture points) for finding content from the classroom instruction in other media they encounter.
I feel that this is a good way to approach teaching. By tapping into resources that interest students, teachers can be very successful in teaching their content areas.
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I definitely agree that using pop culture in the classroom is something that can be very beneficial to students. I read this book for my book group, and highly recommend it. It is very insightful, and yes, there is the concern that this will become outdated with time, but the theme behind the reading is good: The importance of relating the material to what interests your students.
ReplyDeleteGetting to know your students is the key to getting them involved and interested in your class!