Mandy

P. 170. Media literacy--not just enough to consume, we must express. Hugely important. Read Mandy's blog to see her comments on this. Parental skill? Will there be a gap when people in the class are of the age to participate in whatever cultures digital media will make possible then? Will we become our parents in terms of obsolescence? (LBB answers, "yes, but"; see my comment on Mandy's blog). Davidson: US one of the only places she's visited that charge for Internet access. China (sometimes censored), Africa, Latin America, Japan--free. What does our culture say about itself by preserving stratification? Capitalist model of consumption. Mandy will blog more on convergence culture, a la Davidson talk. Lexi will comment on Wissoker's talk on the book.

Catherine's Contribution

Great links on Catherine's website. Lists of top ten challenged reading lists. Interesting to compare different groups of readers' perspectives. Homosexuality, masturbation, gender roles, cross-cultural adoption, challenges to authority. Interesting lists of "offenses." Rowling is #4 on ALA list. Critical thinking skills. How can you use them if they are censored. Range of perspectives among Christian websites observed. Emphasis on the struggle mentioned on 194. 195. Fear about evil, fear about internet (on the part of Christian extremists, parents). Discernment seemed like a good response to Amanda. Christian traditions reflected in HP books; might be useful to strengthen one's beliefs. Sentence that bridges 194-195. Hyperbolic, but provocative. Last question: is portrayal of evil a focus because it's antiauthoritarian?

Lexi's Intro of the Literacy Chapter in Jenkins

Lexi (her points and class contributions): Bruno Bettleheim (significance of fantasy; LBB remembers, "We live our lives by narratives." ) Anne Haas Dyson--what fantasies do for kids. How can kids participate in this culture? Question: How many kids have computers in homes? What goes on with these books (p. 176)? 2005: 55%. Lillian H: home-schooled example (Heather Lawver) amazing. James Paul Gee (community spaces)--people learn more from pop culture than from textbooks. Beta reading (feedback)--we should try it. Scaffolding: modeling learning/cognitive processes. Sweeney. Friere: Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Banking model. Bruffee and others picked up on the idea that this is not the only way: social significance. Constructivist theories. Who could not like student-initiated learning? Warner Brothers, man others mentioned in chapter. P. 185--good stuff in school? Kids think they can only do school work with school books. Maybe if they start with Harry, etc., the tools they learn with transfer. Several people spoke on using pop culture for this kind of transfer (SpongeBob). Public schools also have the problems of censorship, etc., in the chapter.