Teachers as Producers of Research GLIT 6757 Becoming Informed Producers of Literacy Research Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel

Slideshow available here: www.slideshare.net/netgrrrl

Academic report The purpose of this report is to examine your experiences in producing a digital media artifact in relation to 1-2 concepts associated with learning to participate in a new literacy practice. You will be reflecting upon the process of learning a new literacy in ways designed to inform our work as teachers, learners, and cultural producers.

“ Bad” use of quotes “ There is a real need for reflection on teachers’ conceptions of textuality and literacy as they exist “ for specific social purposes inside and outside schooling and in the intermediary spaces and places between them ” (Nixon, 2003, p. 409). As Kelly (2000) wrote, “ to move beyond romantic notions of English is, often, to retreat from and to reconfigure once familiar and highly invested desires embedded in our personal and social histories ” (p. 86). It is no wonder then that, as Merchant (2008) writes, “ it is hard for us [ELA educators] to know which dispositions, values and practices will remain important and which new ones may be required ” (p. 751). ”

Writing tips (cont.) What was perhaps most significant in this study, however, was the degree to which being immersed in creating a series of photoshopped images and documenting this immersion now makes it possible to discern elements of the “new ethos” dimension of new literacies as described by Lankshear and Knobel (2006, p. x). To recapitulate, the “new ethos” dimension of new literacies is concerned with …… In our data, identifiable elements of this dimension of new literacies elements include X, Y, and Z. In our data, X typically…. For example, A glanced over at B’s screen and said, “Oh that looks marvellous! Do you think he needs some shadow under his feet to ‘ground’ him a little, though?” (C’s fieldnotes, 13/07/10, p. 14) In this example it is possible to see how A is demonstrating some of the shared values of what constitutes effective photoshopping and its goal of realism and authenticity. A talks about “grounding” the figure in the image; this, it can be argued, demonstrates that A understands the importance of……

Writing tips (cont.) It is also possible to argue that A also understands the culture of constructive criticism that is valued within the online DIY photoshopping community (cf., Merchant, 2010; Potter, 2010). A begins with a supportive evaluation, then couches her suggestion as a question--leaving any subsequent changes to the discretion of B. …. This pattern—supportive evaluation, then constructive suggestion—re-appeared throughout our records of spoken data (out of 173 documented utterances, 102 utterances took this form). Interestingly, this pattern resonates with reviewer feedback patterns found in Rebecca Black’s research into fan fiction writing (Black, 2009). Black found …. For us, this pattern in our own data suggests… (and then link to, say, Jenkins’ concept of participatory culture, of Gee and Black’s take on participating effectively in an affinity space etc.).

http://sites.google.com/site/ourmsvupages/mississauga-2012-diy Different examples are archived here—keep in mind that not all of them respond to the same task you’ve been given for your paper. Examples of final reports…