Background
wanted to ride his bike around town and hang out with friends. The pseudonym my young person chose for himself is Larry.
Do you have a computer, Ipod, MP3 player, Wii, ect.?
- Yea, I have a computer, Iphone, Ipad, Play Station 4, X-Box, and a Wii
What kinds of things do you use the computer for?
- I like to look up YouTube videos and I upload my Go-Pro footage of four wheeler races and bike tricks
What is your favorite thing to do on the computer?
- Watch YouTube videos and play games
How did you learn that?
- I pretty much taught myself
What are some other things you use the computer for?
- I listen and download music
What is your favorite game? Why?
- NBA Basketball on the Play Station 4 because I like basketball
Do you know other people who do this?
- Yea, my friends and some of my family
How do you use the computer at school?
- Research, typing, and testing
How would you like to use the computer at school?
- To play games
Do you think teachers would let you use the computer to do these things? Why? Why not?
- Maybe if we had some free time or as a reward
Anything else you want to tell me?
- I would rather be outside playing and hanging out with my friends on nice days than inside on the computer. I usually only play video games or go on the computer when I'm board or when it's raining.
Quotes From Readings
"Increasingly, a fluid movement between print and digital text characterizes the lifeworlds of children and young people."
Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 11
"As they engage in discussions which are immediate and relevant to them, and which relate to their cultural surroundings, these young people are learning how to negotiate their positions as readers and writers of media texts."
-Rebekah Willet
As cited in Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 23
"Literacy is not just about decoding marks on a page; it is also about performing social acts of meaning, where meanings and practices vary according to context."
-Barton & Hamilton, 1998; Street, 1997
As cited in Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 29
"Online text making is an activity that can disrupt and interrogate traditional ways of doing things, such as using 'txt' message spellings and 'emoticons'; mixed fonts and cases; the creation and counter-intuitive valuing of very blurred or very boring images; videos of unusual topics ; and sites with 'resistant' or irreverent messages."
-Davies, 2004; 2006a
As cited in Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 31
Reference
Carrington, V., & Robinson, M. (2009). Digital Literacies Social Learning and Classroom Practices. London: SAGE Publications.
It sounds like to me that your interviewee, like mine in mostly interested in using technology to play video games. I think they like the interactive aspect of playing games. They don't like to be passive much like the book said, but to be actively involved. One of the quotes you used mentioned being literate in social acts. I think this is true, your interviewee, Larry, mentioned that he taught himself how to use youtube.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a clear line for Larry, as well as many other youth that were interviewed for this assignment, about what computers are used for inside and outside of school. That line is even sharper when students such as Larry only see computer usage in the classroom as an administrator of tests, or to type papers or conduct research; anything beyond that would merely be a reward for good behavior.
ReplyDeleteLarry also appears to have a preconceived notion on how he learns out of school (self-taught or from friends), and how he learns in school (from teachers, texts, and computers). He also seems to be socially driven; he prefers spending time with friends than playing games and he uploads videos of himself online to share with others. Claire Dowdall touches on social motivation (p. 51) and the importance it has in education.
I always love to see kids who have taught themselves how to do things on the computer. I think we underestimate how difficult it can be to teach yourself how to do something, and it's not a skill that should be ignored. It sounds like your young person isn't what we consider the traditional Digital Native in the fact that he would rather be outside then plugged into a computer or other device. That helps reenforce the fact that not all young people are made equal in their technology interests and capabilities.
ReplyDelete