Digital Edge Project

Political Cartoons in the Classroom
The project that I read was about a high school in Sheboygan, Michigan that utilized visual literacy during social studies lessons. In this classroom, a lesson at the beginning of every class period would be for the students to try to analyze and discuss a political cartoon that the teacher or an assigned student had shared with the class. The students, every day, would use the information that they had learned in each proceeding class to interpret the meaning behind each cartoon. The overall goal for the students was to be proficient in comprehending the messages, themes, motifs, and symbols in political cartoons.
The technology being used in this lesson is visual literacy. Visual literacy is a picture that tells a story. A political cartoon is an aspect of visual literacy because a political cartoon usually includes an agenda, a protagonist, symbolism, and themes. All of these components are present in written literature as well.
I feel that this lesson plan could be considered controversial. While I, personally, am a supporter of educating our students on both sides of the political spectrum, many other people do not share my view. It would be completely understandable for a parent to not want their child to participate in a political cartoon activity because of the messages that they send. Many political messages include moral themes and values that parents do not want to expose to their children. Granted, this teacher had approved all of the student's cartoons before they displayed them to the class. However, the teacher can never be sure what might offend a certain child, parent, family, or culture. The smallest subtlety could go overlooked with ease. I feel that this lesson is controversial, but very educational as far as technology is concerned.
Visual literacy helps children to express themselves in many other ways than just words. Visual literacy allows students to understand and become proficient in the areas of themes, motifs, symbolism, and personal propaganda. Students are given another very creative way to express themselves, and how they feel about certain issues. In this example, the subject is politics. Political cartoons are very prevalent in our society, and can have a very powerful effect on the populous. Visual literacy is a great type of technology to teach to students of the high school age, as long as the subject material is appropriate. It is difficult to use political cartoons that express no bias or prejudice, so this type of lesson is undoubtedly controversial. However, I think that the students will benefit from this lesson by developing story writing skills, and gathering an understanding of the world that they live in.

Mitchel Resnick

Mitchel Resnick's article on "Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age" encompasses an idea that remains true for many people in the world, including myself. While reading this article, I have had an intervention with myself on my uses of technology, and how my practices don't align themselves with what I should be trying to reach. I find that I use technology solely for the purposes of retrieving information. This habit, as Resnick tells us, is more attributable to the television, rather than finger painting. I feel that technology is a tremendous opportunity towards the betterment of society, and it's citizens.
Education is the key to a knowledgable, thoughtful, and creative society. With new technology, students can discover and master new ways of expressing themselves, learning new material, or even helping others. As more advanced technology enters our society, students should embrace it as an opportunity, rather than a tool. Resnick describes how the computer and education should go together, but end up serving minimal services. He states that students know skills, but are not "fluent." I like this idea of fluency, and how it relates to the misuse of technology in the educational world.
I styrongly agree that technology is a great opportunity, and that students should learn how to opperate it, so that they themselves can create newer advancements. I am embarrassed to say that my homepage is google because the majority of my computer uses rely around retireving information. This is sad, because I want to learn newer ways of expressing my creativity, but I find that it is difficult. I wish that I had been taught how to use certain technology effectively, so that I may be prepared for my future ambitions. I feel that the educational world needs to embrace technology and prioritze it so that all students of every nation can profit from the great opportunities that technology brings.