As I have continued to explore the Literature Network Forum,
I have been intentionally observing the digital citizenship that is taking
place within this online community. This week I spent a good amount of time
reading through discussion threads dedicated to specific authors. I spent a
good amount of time reading through threads specifically related to the works
of Shakespeare. What I noticed was that digital citizenship was pretty
positive. For the most part, discussions consisted of members answering questions
posed by others or affirming the interpretations of others. I was pleased to
see that the discussions surrounding Shakespeare had sparked such positive
responses.
After reading through numerous Shakespeare threads, I
decided to explore the discussion of other well-known authors. Though I do not
teach American Literature, I greatly appreciate many of the authors whose works
have influenced this literary compilation. For this reason, I decided to read
through some threads dedicated to one of my favorite American authors, F. Scott
Fitzgerald. I stumbled upon an interesting discussion surrounding the teaching
of The Great Gatsby. A high school English teacher posed this question: “Do you
believe that allowing students to watch a film version of The Great Gatsby, either while reading the novel, or after
finishing the novel, is beneficial for comprehension? If so, which version do
you recommend?” Another English teacher responded to the post and expressed
that they felt it did help students better understand the text and that they
are excited to show their students the new film version this year. In response
to this post, yet another high school English teacher chimed in and gave a
rather longwinded response sharing their thoughts on the matter. Before sating
their opinion, they made sure to cite their educational and professional
credentials in an effort to justify their response. This Stanford graduate,
with twenty-three years of teaching experience, expressed that a “good” teacher
would not need to show a film version in order for their students to understand
the novel and that anyone who thought that Luhrmann’s adaptation of the novel
was worth watching should not be permitted to teach English. This response also
included some inappropriate language that I felt revealed the immaturity of the
forum member. Though it was disappointing to read this response, I was pleased
to read further and see that the forum member who had posted this question
replied to the post in a very dignified manner and expressed that they felt the
response was a bit harsh.
As an English teacher myself, it was fascinating to read the
dialogue of other professionals. I was most surprised at the fact that a simple
question sparked such a heated response. Despite this instance of poor digital
citizenship, the literature forum seems to be a pretty safe place to share
opinions. I am looking forward to getting involved in conversations taking
place in this community.
I'm sure I have mentioned it in your previously blog post, but it is really exciting to see you are really exploring your forum and seem to be enjoying it too. I think in any forum we hope there would only be positive digital citizenship, but since these are online for the public to get to, sadly it is more likely we will come across those who display less than perfect digital citizenship. It was really interesting to read about the question that got raised about "The Great Gatsby." It's funny to me that people are so proud of their education and feel the need to tell the reader their credentials as if their twenty plus years experience would outweigh the opinion of a teacher who has taught maybe five years. I can't believe that even after explaining his or her education the response displayed negative digital citizenship. It's like come on, your so proud of being a matured teacher but you choose to use immature language to try and get your point across. Very interesting. I think everyone's opinions are valid but I think going about it the right way not only sheds light on your character but also your validity. I like that you feel your forum for the most part shows positive responses, as well as a place to get your questions answered about your area of expertise.
ReplyDeleteWho knew a discussion of The Great Gatsby could spur such excitement! I, like you, am appalled at the behavior of the teacher who felt the need to emphasize their teaching credentials. Seems a bit hypocritical to flout your experience and then demonstrate such immaturity. Plus, I agree with the first teacher; showing the film version of a novel is an excellent way to support visual learners and students who are lacking in reading comprehension. Also, with all the excitement surrounding the new film version of The Great Gatsby, showing that film is a great way to engage the student in the excellent novel. I am glad to see you found a place to observe the interesting dynamics of digital citizenship! Maybe you should take a look at any posts about Catcher in the Rye? The new documentary about J.D. Salinger may have led to interesting discussions.
ReplyDeleteI find the comment about a good teacher not needing to show the movie to be very egotistical, and I daresay a rather poor showing of digital citizenship. A good teacher might not NEED to show it, but a good teacher might want to show it because they feel that it helps their students. It is entirely possible that you are great teacher and want to show the movie because it provides a good visual for students with poor reading comprehension. That is like saying a good teachers doesn't need SDAIE strategies to teach EL learners. It is just misguided.
ReplyDelete