Writing for Non-Print Media: Unit One

 Writing for Non-Print Media: Unit One Reflection

        Unit one consisted of learning about the different modes of non-print media and gaining a deeper appreciation for their uses in ELA classrooms today.  There have been, and still are, many debates concerning the effectiveness, or lack of, of using unconventional (typically technological) teaching methods.

        Many teachers who have implemented technological methods into their lessons often vouch of its wonders.  I'm sure there are a few mishaps every now and again, but it seems that the benefits far outweigh the negatives.  It is important to understand that there is more than one way to convey the same message.  I do not mean by using different words or phrases, but rather, different modes: movies or videos, songs, dances, drawings and other forms of art can be used to replace the written word.  Many of the "processes" used during the development of these texts are similar, if not identical, to the steps used to develop an essay (Smagorinsky 22).

        Although they may do it unknowingly, schools gear their curriculums towards students with prominent mathematical and linguistic intelligences.  Why do they do this?  Because schools are expected to prepare their students for A), standarized exams administered by the state that students must pass in order to graduate and B), standardized exams that many colleges require, such as the SAT and ACT.  These exams are based on the mathematical and linguistic intelligences, which account for two of the supposed seven intelligences (Smagorinsky 20).

        The other five intelligences, according to Howard Gardner, are Kinesthetic, Spatial, Musical, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal (Smagorinsky 20-21).  These intelligences, if known and understood, can be used to learn the same material that is learned using the mathematical and linguistic intelligences just as, if not more, efficiently.  Teachers simply need to allow their students to have a bit of freedom in the classroom, to experiment with what works for them.  Every lesson does not need to include some technological tool, but finding that happy-medium can goa long way.  In the end it is not about how effectively we teach, but how effectively students learn.

        Here is a TedTalk from Shelley Shott, a former middle school teacher, who explains how technology in the classroom can be beneficial in more ways than one if teachers know how to implement it.