This blog is a space for reflection on the changing horizons of literacy and what it holds for the future. I hope to reflect on issues such as multiliteracies as well as other happenings in my life and the world.
When I initially wrote the post about critical literacy and the Brer Rabbit stories I forgot to thank one person for their support with the project. My brother, Michael Waller, helped the children to recreate and re-imagine the Brer Rabbit characters and I think you’ll agree he did an excellent job. Having the children see their story worlds realised in such aprofessional and authentic way made the experience all the more special for them.
It’s the last week of the summer holidays! I currently feel like the only teacher in the world who is looking forward to returning to work. I’m very excited about what the new academic year will bring. Not only am I looking forward to working with Orange Class on the new Ratatouille and Cliff by the Sea projects (more info soon) but I’m also really excited about starting the new MA in New Literacies at the University of Sheffield in October. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage working as a teacher and studying at the same time but I am going to make sure I enjoy it.
I’ve also rejoined the gym today, after months of threatening, and hope that the extra activity will keep me more active both mentally and physically.
I also hope to continue to post regularly on this blog as the year progresses but as my workload increases it may become less frequent, especially with the imminent arrival of Ofsted.
According to the press and most of the people I’ve spoken to iPhones seem to be the only smartphone worth getting at the moment. After a bit of searching I can across the HTC Hero smartphone – I accepted that it was no iPhone but did cost me a fraction of the price.
After a few days my opinion has changed. I actually think it appears to be better than the iPhone. One feature which I am very impressed with is the convergence of social networks within the operating system of the handset. For example the phone allows you to link contacts with their Facebook and Flickr profies showing information such as status updates and photo albums within a single contact card. It acts as a portal for digital participation. The video above shows this in a bit more detail… I didn’t expect to be impressed but I am – very!
I’ve always loved the way that media can be edited, remixed and reinvented with the use of digital technologies. I started doing it myself at a young age (see previous blog post). I noticed how Angela has recently blogged about remixing as a means of transformative story-telling (here). She uses the term hacking popular culture, which I think is a brilliant way to describe the process. (more…)
After blogging about my silent use of Flickr a few weeks ago, and with a bit of encouragement from Emma and Julia, I have finally started to participate in the photo-sharing community. I don’t class myself as a good photographer but have been proud of a few of the shots I have managed to get looking half decent. I must try and dig out the good camera I bought a few years ago (I have a feeling I’ve left it in my classroom). I’ve also ordered a HTC Hero smart-phone (I resisted getting an iPhone), which I believe can upload straight onto Flickr too so I have no excuse when I’m out and about.
The above photograph is from Disney’s Fantillusion at Disneyland Paris, which I took in July 2007. I’m quite proud of it and I’m looking forward to taking more snaps of it when I return next year.
I never seem to be happy with anything that I make and feel the need to constantly refine it – mainly the websites that I develop. One thing that I have been strangely happy and content with is the name of this blog. I have never considered re-naming it. I think Changing Horizons really sums up the way in which we can never be certain of how the world (in particular literacy) will evolve and how we should respond. This obviously poses huge questions and conflicts for those working in education about how the curriculum should evolve and respond in turn. One of things I enjoy when I attend conferences is the discussion and debate about such issues. I hope this blog acts as a catalyst for further discussion and debate.
Since I like the name so much I have decided to buy a new domain name to host the blog as an independent site. All previous permalinks from the old site will be automatically redirected here (that took a while to sort out). To access this site you can visit:
Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot… Now you have the Cootie Shot!
Anybody outside of the US ever heard of that phrase? I hadn’t until recently but it’s actually a huge part of North American children’s popular culture. It’s a ‘vaccine’ for the condition of Cooties, a fictional disease perceived to infect others, particularly members of the opposite sex through body contact, proximity or touching a person’s possessions (definition from Wikipedia). It’s probably best compared to the ‘lurgi’ in the United Kingdom.
I don’t know how to quite describe the Cooties thing. Children inventing a new disease to fit in with their play and construction of their worlds. If children are playing in their own worlds why not invent these real life factors too? They have even invented their own cure (the ritual above) and some children also sell cootie shots – talk about trying to take part in the global economy. From this single idea many other areas of literacy have begun to bleed in.
The video below shows a video produced to raise awareness of Cooties…
Interesting… but what if children made their video when they actually believed cooties was real? Children raising awareness of an issue that they perceive to be completely true. That would be very interesting indeed…
I’m debating whether or not to order Sky HD. I’ve blogged quite a bit on the HD front recently and how it’s starting to create a viewing revolution. Although I’ve got blu-ray and a lot of HD discs I feel I am missing out with HDTV. Maybe I should listen to Antony Hopkins advice in the above video? Actually I’m unsure if this is advice and question whether he’s got Sky HD (since he lives in the US) – but that’s a whole different advertising argument.
I find it strange that the person who uploaded the video above didn’t upload it in HD. While I’m busy making my decision here’s a HD video I used a few months ago in class – while teaching explanation texts and electricity (about how this whole show actually works).
This isn’t even full HD quality and it still looks amazing!
“I never thought fish swimming in a glass bowl could be so emotional”
The title of this post and the above quote come from the video sharing website YouTube in response to the high definition video above that appeared on the site and has become ‘viral’ over the past week. My guess is that the video has become so popular because it really demonstrates the potential of HD broadcasting. Today BSkyB announced that subscribers to their HD service have doubled over the past year and that the service has moved ‘centre-stage’ to their business plan. It shows that HD is becoming more widespread and popular, especially since YouTube now allows uploads in HD – just like the video above.
As well as the sheer wonder of the sea-life in the video I also find the way the people in front of the tank behave and interact. Not least the toddler playing with the rope barrier and then noticing the diver in the aquarium. It’s great how video can capture such moments and the HD quality makes it feel like you are standing there too (you must make the video fullscreen when you’re watching).
The soundtrack really adds an extra depth (no pun intended) and stirs an emotional response. Therefore users of YouTube have responded to the video through the comment feature below the video. The comments range from appreciation of the video production to serious debates about conservation and saving the oceans. It’s brilliant how Web 2.0 can be used as a platform to explore issues such as this and really make the issues in themselves ‘viral’ and open up discussion in a shared and open manner to a mass audience. At the time of writing this there have been over 2000 comments written in response to the upload and it has been viewed over a million times…
While I was at the UKLA Conference I went to listen to a symposium led by Julia Davies about the photo sharing community Flickr. It was fascinating to listen to Julia, Sigrid and David Barton talk about the different ways that people engage with the website. The gaming and play aspect is something that I’d never considered before, which led me to think about my own engagement with Flickr and what it means to me.
When I look at Flickr I always get slightly envious of the photography skills on show and could never hope to equal some of the shots that appear on the site. Besides that I mainly visit the site as a visitor and have only uploaded about 10 photos to date. I tend to enter the site and search for photos that help me to relax and take me to a place where I want to be. Flickr offers me escapism from the real world. I have a huge thing for sunsets and blue skies, especially on beaches, and if I find a photo showing a combination of these it makes me feel happy and relaxed. I can just imagine myself sat on the beach in the photo above with a cool summer’s breeze, watching the fireworks and listening to the sea. Bliss.
I am a primary school teacher and educational researcher based in the United Kingdom. I am interested in the application of multiliteracies, critical literacy and creative learning into real classrooms. I am also fascinated by children's' popular culture and how it can be embedded into the curriculum.
This blog is a space for reflection on the shifting nature of literacy and what it means for a world with constantly changing horizons.
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RT @CapeUK: Are you Creative? It's more than paper & glue – it's about finding solutions, being innovative, a critical skill to help fac ... [MultiMartin]
UKLA
- I work as part of the ‘Learning Today’ task group and have also presented findings at international conferences
Whole Child Learning
- Research and development work based around creative learning and curriculum innovation
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