Critical Thinking Paper [Group One]

While reading the article, the first question that I had was how you would use this technique at the elementary level. I want to teach second grade, they are not responsible enough to use the technologies needed. I also was curious about things that were in the videos, where they school appropriate? What guidelines did they have? Like the author was saying, her being an, “experienced teacher definitely played a big part” in the project approval. (Brown, 2008)
If I used the satiric film project at an elementary level, I would probably have the students put on a play or skit rather than having them record themselves. Although I do think it is an important part of the project. It is emerging technologies that the students will eventually have access to everyday. I would probably make sure that the students ran their topics by me as well. I think that as an educator, getting the approval for the assignment would be challenging. I would probably explain to whomever I would have to go through that the assignment is letting the students bring out their creative side and even invite him to come and watch the final products. That way he could see how great of an assignment it was.
I liked how Brown used the democratic process letting her students help provide “RIDDYS”. When I read that, it made me think of my F200 class last semester. Dr. Jacqueline Blackwell uses the democratic process throughout the whole class. It is definitely something I will incorporate in my class in the future. It gives you a power in the classroom and makes you feel like your opinion and input does matter. To help provide the grading topics and points also helps students to achieve a higher grade more than likely. They are pretty much giving their selves the grade. I have noticed, in past readings from my other education courses that valuing students’ voices in the classroom makes positive impacts, making it easier to form a community in a class.
In the article, Andie Brown talks about the assignment being great for everyone. “I recall a young man who was amazingly intelligent but so bored with school that his grades were average and below. His satire about campus police was hilarious and pointed. He spent way more time on this project than anything we’d done all semester, and the final product was great. He left high school on a high note I don’t believe he would have reached without this techno-English assignment.” (Brown, 2008)
I think that being an educator is one of the hardest careers out there. You get so many different personalities and when you put them all together, they almost never one hundred percent all understand what is being taught. As an educator, it is your responsibility that each student understands the topic and information given everyday. Not everyone learns the same way, and as a teacher you will learn something new everyday. Using a project like this is a great way to allow all students to understand, use their creativity and support each other all at once.
I remember my senior year, doing something very similar to Brown’s project. We were learning satire and had groups we were put in. After watching multiple examples of satire, we had to show an example of our own satire. We could present it in any way: a power point, a paper, a poem, a skit/play, a video, a drawing, and if we wanted to do anything else we had to run it by our teacher. Out of everything that we did in class that entire year, I remember those presentations the most, and to this day my friends and I think back and still laugh at some of the things that were in those projects. It was the last assignment as well and left everyone on a “high note”. I heard classmates talk more the say we presented then I had the entire year. You could tell that they really enjoyed their selves. Everyone got the concept and enjoyed being in the class for that project. It allows everyone to play a part as well. If you did a video, the people who were shy could be the recorder, and the loud outgoing group members could be the ones acting. Like I said before, it is just a great way to bring the class together and enjoy being in class for once.

Brown, Andie. (2008, May). Teachers & Technology: English with an Edge. THE Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/05/15teachers—technology-english-with-an-edge.aspx