“The Second Educational Revolution-Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology” emphasizes that technology can individualize learning to students of varying levels and can provide a vast amount of sources for knowledge. The authors also point out how currently the education system is focused on information memorization but it should move toward emphasizing learning how to use the resources around us. “Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming” is about the benefits of reading. Gaiman states that reading fiction promotes reading in other contexts which leads to better communication skills and information sharing. He also states that fiction reading leads to empathy toward other people and the world in general. Reading allows people to explore other places and situations from which they can learn skills and knowledge that is applicable to their own life. Because of these obligations, Gaiman concludes that we all have an obligation to promote reading to future generations. The main points from “Freedom to Teach” Implications of the Removal of Persepolis from Chicago Schools” are that comic books are often targeted by the school system and that comic books actually promote critical thinking because readers have to analyze the text and the illustrations while reading. “Stereotypes vs Strategies for Digital Media Artists The Case for Culturally Relevant Media Production” states that culturally relevant media leads to students who are culturally competent, ask questions and feel confident about themselves. “Author Walter Dean Myers: ‘Reading is Not Optional’ for Kids” is about empowering kids, especially kids from disadvantaged background, to read and use reading to learn and grow. The Room of Requirement podcast focused on various stories related to libraries and their welcoming atmosphere.

I relate to “The Second Educational Revolution-Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology” article’s point about our school system focusing too much on memorization of information. These skills are no longer relevant to our world and as the article stated schools need to move onto teaching skills such as being able to use the resources technology provides, critical thinking skills, etc. In high school, the classes that provided me with these skills made me a better learner and prepared me for the real world compared to the classes that just focused on memorizing information. I also agree with Gaiman’s article as well as the video of Dean Myers which both promoted fiction reading for kids. As a student, fiction reading provides me with a way to expand my creativity, learn more about the world and become empathetic. Students of the future should be able to have this same experience. Although our world is increasingly becoming technological, we should still emphasize reading as an important part of education.

My question is for the class is: how has fiction reading, especially culturally relevant fiction reading, affected your perception of the world and yourself?

The “Telling Stories, or How Do We Know What We Know?” paper written by Ginsberg begins by emphasizing how storytelling has evolved from face to face sharing; Current day storytelling transcends geography, gender, race, etc. Then it talks about the Cultural Indicator project which tracked TV content over time and the audience’s views on social topics. They found that this content influenced heavy TV watcher’s views on certain groups and issues. For example, heavy TV watchers were found to see the world as more dangerous because of an over representation of crime on TV and were more likely to score higher on a sexism scale because of the portrayal of women on TV. Finally, the paper discusses the Cultural Environment Movement, an organization that promotes diversity in media and changing media ownership. The “From Digital Consumption to Digital Invention Toward a New Critical Theory and Practice of Multiliteracies” paper explains that often in education students are taught about digital media but are not actually engaging with the media. The paper calls for increased engagement with digital media in education and emphasizes how it helps youth build critical thinking skills while learning about their society as well as their place in it. The main point from Erica Halverson’s Ted Talk is that schools need to incorporate the arts into teaching because art (traditional art, film-making, etc.) promotes creativity, innovation, social learning and an understanding of the self. These skills lead to students becoming productive citizens in society.

The Cultural Indicator project part of the Ginsberg article resonated with me because as a person of color I have felt the direct impact of stereotypical representation of Asian/Indian Americans in American TV. Growing up, these stereotypical portrayals often led to people having assumptions about me and other Asian or Indian Americans I knew. These assumptions and microaggressions cause minority groups to feel left out of media and therefore left out of American society. Because of these experiences, I am appreciative of the CEM organization for working on bringing more representation onto media. I believe that the second article which pushed for increased youth engagement with digital media makes a good argument based on my own educational experience. In fifth grade, my teacher made all the students create blogs that we would post in throughout the year as we learned history; we would make all kinds of posts ranging from reflecting on what we learned to writing about an event from a historical figure’s perspective. This project kept me engaged in the material we learned and also helped me build my digital literacy skills. I think if more students were given opportunities like this in school, it would increase their creativity, critical thinking and help them learn to use technological resources more. In a society that is becoming increasingly technological, it is important for schools to teach students how to engage with technology and digital media. The Ted Talk also resonated with me because I pursue various kinds of arts in my free time and they have truly increased my creativity and helped me express myself in a way that allowed me to better understand myself. If more arts can be integrated into education, more students would get the opportunity to build these skills and express themselves in different ways.

My question for the class is: how has digital media impacted your view of yourself and your place in society?

My name is Siri and I am a psychology and sociology major. I am also doing an education minor. My favorite form of media is TV, Youtube and books! The last book I read (reread) was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.