Bringing Classics to a New Age (Blog 3)

When students hear the word classic, they may automatically groan and roll their eyes at these old text. Although I was a student who was excited to read some of the classics but not all students are made from the same cloth. In this new era it is essential to use new technological tools to bridge the gap of old literature to an era of digital collaboration. Edmondson gives the idea of updating literature circles by using Wiki. Although I am still getting used to using Wiki, I found that it is very useful in gathering information and that it could even be used as an alternative to research papers in my own class. Since Wikis are supposed to gather information, I would have my students create a wiki page either as an alternative for a research paper or to enhance their papers to display their research and to expound their creativity. Edmondson also encourages that with these digital projects to have students have specific duties in the project to ensure that everyone is not only contributing but display their understanding of the novel.

Ostenson and Gleason-Sutton discuss how to create new modes of communication in regards to student projects. However, it is important to note that when allowing students to use digital tools for their projects that we as teachers should not automatically assume that students know how to use these tools. We have to scaffold students. For some students it will challenge them outside of just writing a paper or answering a test. It will force them to use higher level of thinking and creativity to take what they have learned in class and to expand on those ideas.

In all of the articles, building an interpretative community is essential with students' understanding of classics. Although students have their own duties for their digital projects but discussing the ideas from the classics and obtaining tips on how to work on the projects from each other will open doors for students than a lecture will. In the article "Remixing Old and New Literacies Remixing Old and New Literacies" it displays various ways to bring classics to life in this digital age. For example, students can use the website The Story of Stuff to recreate the lives of authors or even characters of the text that they are reading. Since many students feel that the authors' bios are not so interesting, this activity will force them to see how an author's history is sometimes essential to the creation of a narrative.

References:

Edmondson, E. (2012). Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities. The English Journal, 101(4), 43-49.

Gainer, J., & Lapp, D. (2010). Remixing Old and New Literacies = Motivated Students. The English Journal, 100(1), 58-64.

Ostenson, J., & Gleason-Sutton, E. (2011). Making the Classics Matter to Students through Digital Literacies and Essential Questions. The English Journal, 101(2), 37-43.