Digital Media: It's roles in my life and in the Curriculum (Blog post #1)

 What experience do you have working with online social media or digital composition as a way to connect with others?

Social Media and digital composition has played a vital role in my forming of connections with others in my life. Through connections through Facebook and other social media sites alongside with online gaming, I have made countless Affiliations, which according to Jenkins are "memberships, formal and informal, in online communities centered around various forms of media" (3). Some affiliations are more professional connections. One of these are the online friendships made with old teachers. I reached out to teachers who had played influential roles in my education and upbringing, and therefore formed meaningful affiliations with people in my field.

On the other hand, I have made lifelong friendships that only began as affiliations. Two of my closest friends were made online virtually through World of Warcraft. We bonded over Collaborative-problem solving that the game provided. It strengthened our friendships to the point were after about a year of knowing each other virtually, we finally met in person. Now I'm at a point where I couldn't imagine living without them. This is similar to

BBC produced a story that is similar to mine in showing the affiliations made through online gaming. You can view that story here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45651739

Gaming also allowed me to develop skills such as collective intelligence, performance, multitasking, and negotiation. 

As a way to promote social action?

The first idea that comes to mind of social action is the participation in the BLM movement. A lot of change is yet to come, but many pages on Facebook can found on Facebook. There is local outreach that can be found for most major cities (and even some towns!). I personally had friends who reached out that live in Milwaukee that made my participation easier to find. On said pages, hundreds of circulations were apparent. I had seen videos, podcasts, and even a blog or two that promoted social action. These inspired me and motivated me to participate in a few peaceful protests.

Describe the potentials and pitfalls you see for digital media in urban, English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms

Digital media could prove to be a giant benefactor in the education of adolescents. By creating a a technology inclusive classroom, we would be preparing them for technology based future. Skills would be acquired and developed by the usage of digital media. Students would be reading and writing online and therefore be developing their skills as readers and writers. Influencing students to participate in an online culture will allow them to write and read of things they enjoy. Students, according to DeJaynes, can experiment "communicating their ideas through multimodal texts such as collages, zines, blogs, and short films" (1). All of these multimodal texts would require students to write and plan out their projects.

Students should be able to feel safe to utilize technology in the classroom. There are potential pitfalls that come to mind when students are allowed technology usage in the classroom. The first thing that comes to mind is that students will be texting each other or not taking in the lesson. I believe a great way to combat this is by having allotted phone times where their phone usage is both allowed and encouraged. While some students may text, others may actively use their phones to learn. Another potential way of combating this is by using programs that quiz students digitally, like Kahoot. Kahoot is a great way to build trust that the students are participating in class and using their phones in an academic way.