My name is Casey R. Weber. I am Deaf. I'm a senior with a double major in English and Deaf Studies because I want to become an English teacher for Deaf high school children. I will be graduating in spring 2010. I'm the eldest of my siblings in the family. I was born and raised in Orange County, California. I look forward to learning from not only from Professor Kent Baxter but also from you, my fellow classmates, as I know you have a lot to share with us as potential teachers of tomorrow. :-)
Answering the questions from our first homework prompt:
1) What role you feel media technology should play in teaching, at any level?
The media is extremely influential in teaching our children--as well as adults--in various levels. For example, George Veditz, a very well-known Deaf advocate for American Sign Language (ASL) rights, filmed himself in 1913 via ASL. He expressed that ASL is "God's noblest gift," and "as long as we have Deaf people, there will be sign language." This triggered the Deaf community to speak up for their rights, but simultaneously--with precise knowledge in regards to history of oppression--they kept their cool.
Until 1960, William Stokoe, an ASL linguist, broke down the linguistic properties of ASL. He discovered that ASL had various linguistic elements in the same level as English. Thus, countless videos, pictures, and even books were made to celebrate the "discovery" of our language in its entirety. We are also getting vlogs--known as "video blogs"--so the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing can sign to the camera to those who read vlogs.
More and more Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people began to realize the value of the Deaf culture. Countless debates were triggered especially in regards to how we should educate our Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing children. In today's world, it is very complex due to controversies ranging from whether children should have cochlear implants to how audism--a term simply meaning that the hearing people think Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing people are a problem within the general society--is influential in the society as a whole.
2) Have you witnessed any particularly effective or ineffective uses of media technology as a student?
I took many classes via WebCT. In one instance, I had a professor who signed the lecture in a podcast while I was at home in comfort. To be honest, I questioned the effectiveness of this type of media technology in terms of responsibility. I preferred to come to class (maybe because I'm old-fashioned) because this helped me to work hard for what I have earned.
Now, if there is much comfort, will it stimulate my learning process? If so, how much will I be able to learn from this? If I were to sit on a hard, uncomfortable chair and desk at a school taking notes of the same lecture, does it really stimulate how I learn? The answer directs me to this: it depends on how motivated you are. In addition, I personally think the media world is working too hard for us students. In my humble opinion, I think it is our responsibility to decide what's best for us to stimulate our learning experience in terms of media technology.
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Casey, I felt similarly skeptical when enrolling in an online class, there is something that a student can only gain from physically being in the classroom. But it is also hard to say that being in class automatically equals a better educational experience. I, for one, have sat in many a lecture and zoned out, either because I was out to lunch that day or because the lecturer was thoroughly dry. Without relying on the professor as a vessel for information, I have at least found that I can come to my own conclusions about the materials. I do agree that with any educational experience you must be motivated but that aside, I think it is important to integrate both technology and traditional teaching methods to give a well-rounded learning experience. And in terms of your comments on responsibility with your professor who utilized video teaching, what is so different about getting a lecture in person or via the internet? It is difficult for me to understand this point because I see them as more or less delivering the same product. You are still hearing the lecture, still expected to take notes and still expected to read the materials. The only difference is the way in which you receive the information, and to me, having the opportunity to listen to a lecture when at my most focused is an advantage. It is perhaps the most efficient way of extrapolating as much information as possible out of a class and in that way, makes technology a more progressive way of learning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Rachel. :-) To make my point clear in terms of "responsibility," I mentioned this because technology sometimes can be influential to how we behave (i.e. being irresponsible as if we wholly depend on technology as the primary source of learning, etc).
ReplyDeleteI agree we should have both technology and traditional teaching methods in a classroom; however, it's important that we come to realize this isn't about the teachers but our students as well. Some of the students would prefer the former (technology) or the latter (traditional style of teaching) or even both.
Hope this clarifies some.
Hi Casey, thank you so much for your input on your blog. I really like how you talked about the controversy about cochlear implants and how the entire idea that children should have that represents a larger problem in our society. I am looking forward to having this class with you and hearing more of your ideas.
ReplyDeleteI hope this isn't off topic, but the other day, a close friend told me he failed high school geometry. A smart and mathematically inclined kid, I asked why Geometry of all subjects. His response was that his instructor was deaf and taught the class via interpreter...the kid couldn't keep his eyes off the professor and could not for the life of him concentrate on the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteThis made me wonder; on one hand, his obvious interest in the teacher's signing showed a great interest in ASL and his obvious yearning to communicate freely with his deaf instructor; on the other hand it showed a lack of effort on the student's behalf in putting this unconventional teaching arrangement behind him to focus on the material; BUT in the end, I just wondered what other tools the teacher could have come up with to further engage the students and aid them in moving past the issue.
I don't exactly have a point here, so I will just say this: I'm ecstatic that deaf teachers; young deaf teachers; with excellent qualifications are entering the field (whether they intend to teach hearing or hearing impaired students). I think it's great for students, districts, acceptance, and the quality of learning provided to ALL students. In our major we're learning so much about how to approach so many different issues, that I'm really looking forward to seeing how your experiences, education, and fresh approach may change teaching and better English classes in our state.
Viktoriya
of http://VixieWithaVengeance.Wordpress.com
Viktoriya,
ReplyDeleteYou brought a really interesting perspective to this discussion. Suppose that teacher wasn't good at teaching his/her students? You're right, what other tools could the teacher have provided to get the students' understanding of mathematics?
Don't get me wrong, but I love math. I did very well in my math classes with an interpreter. But what really motivated me to grasp the understanding of numbers, formulas, and even theories in math is the teacher wrote a lot of things on the board. I also took notes even though I had another notetaker. My point being: would you say that writing on the board would be considered media technology? The teacher's actually "showcasing" mathematics in an intriguing way.
So, I'm going to leave it at that: it's probably because the teacher hasn't really paid much attention to "how" the students were learning.