using social media to define the new humanities classroom
DESCRIPTION
Can we harness the power of social media to provide students with a vehicle for exploring and creating original content? WA Mash (Worcester Academy Mashup) is an online magazine where the power of social media is captured to provide creative writing students with a platform for exploring ideas and fostering and contributing to the larger global conversation. By exploring the possibilities offered by the use of social media tools, we explore how one teacher is defining the New Humanities at the secondary school level. Built off the work of Richard E. Miller at Rutgers University, students blog in a timely fashion about a wide variety of cultural, political and economic issues. Most importantly, it is about creating original content and redefining the role of student and teacher. They compliment their work with audio, video, photos and micro-blogging by integrating social media tools like YouTube and Vimeo, Twitter and Flickr. Think Slate or Salon for high school. The conversation will explore the nature and role of the New Humanities in education. How do we define it? What does it look it? What role does it play? And how do we move forward with implementation?TRANSCRIPT
Using Social Media to Define the New HumanitiesAntonio VivaAssociate Head of School, Worcester Academy
Some background...
Classroom teacher (English, Technology and Theater) 1995-2000
Senior Research and Development Associate for EDC on US Dept. of Education Research Project (focus on curriculum, leadership and technology development in schools)
Teaching Creative Writing @ WA 2006 to present
Hired in 2002 as CIO at Worcester Academy
Associate Head of School in 2004
Context Conversation Collaboration
What is the basis for thinking about the New Digital Humanities?
Why should schools rethink they way they teach traditional humanities subjects?
What is one approach?
How do classes in the New Digital Humanities function differently from traditional approaches?
What do students think?
How can we learn from their experience to continue shaping this new paradigm of thinking?
Where do we go from here?
Are there other examples?
What new questions do we now have?
What our next steps?
So how do we educate our students for success in the Web 2.0 world?
Can we harness the power of social media to provide students with a vehicle for exploring and
creating original content?
Old School Creative Writing
Genre based instruction
Anthology of work as primary text/resource
Student work not published
Blogging/Journaling
Assessments were traditional, rubric based
Mostly fiction, poetry etc.
Workshop style with peer edit, peer review process
In depth study of literary elements and terms as vehicle for creation
What is the basis for thinking about the New Humanities?
The Spirit of the New Humanities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHvoBPjhsBA
The Spirit of the New Humanities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHvoBPjhsBA
A Personal Paradigm Shift
Rutgers University Center for the New Humanities & work of Richard E. Miller
“Possible for people to communicate instantly and globally through technology. English is a discipline that excels at human expression and the study of human culture related to expression.”
“We (humanities teachers) should be the place that’s at the very cutting edge of education for students in these areas.”
“Multimedia composition; not only is it important for students to be able to excel in the use of verbal and written language as a means for communicating ideas, but they must also be able to excel in the use and manipulation of visual images. That is what it NOW means to compose.”
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daqMDfBKuLU
Why should schools rethink they way they teach traditional humanities subjects?
Key Concepts from Panel
Creativity, Collaboration and Courage
Schools should be a place where students generate ideas rather than just regurgitate them.
Ability to try out new ideas and test creative ideas.
Fostering new humanities rich environments where teachers can help “capture and harness student energy in order to shape it.”
Provide opportunities for students to convey concepts and original ideas through thoughtful, technology rich collaboration opportunities.
“Schools should be about communication.”
The Birth of The WA Mash
Our Process Was Organic
Sir Ken Robinson “Are Schools Killing Creativity?”
KSU “Vision of Student Today”
What do we want to communicate? To whom and how best do we communicate this message?
Modeled after Salon.com and Slate.com
Our Primary Publishing
Tools
Explore WA Mash
wamash.com
Student PerspectivesQ&A with WA Mash Contributors
Next Steps
Change must be ORGANICAn Organic approach to change meets each user/member of the community using
their specific strengths and passions as the starting point.
Organic Change
Comprehensive school change mandates do not honor the diversity in our schools. Technology mandates in particular, create anxiety, fear and self doubt.
Strategic vision, mission driven decisions and institutional goals are non-negotiable. How we get to the final destination is filled with possibilities, open to conversation and collaborative.
Establish a culture where creativity, innovation and the appetite to try new things are the norm. Never fear making mistakes enjoy the beauty of learning from it.
Support the inventors, creative thinkers, risk takers, self-described “artists” and innovators with resources, professional development and public accolades.
Don’t follow trends, create them.
Copyright 2007 - Antonio Viva
Discussion/Questions
Follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation!or @antonioviva
Blog – antonioviva.comEDSocialMedia Contributor – www.edsocialmedia.comStudent Work – wamash.com
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