Blog 7

There is ample evidence that people do not learn anything well unless they are both motivated to learn and believe that they will be able to use and function with what they are learning in some way that is in in their interest. -The New London Group


This is by far one of the most honest and real facts about the dynamics of learning that I have ever read. I was truly impressed with the entire Anderson article, "The Low Bridge to High Benefits: Entry-Level Multimedia, Literacies, and Motivation". So far this has been my favorite reading. All of the classroom activities he presented are highly engaging and seem to be truly motivational for students. The evidence he provided in the article demonstrates that if students are motivated they are bound to spend more time producing work that is of higher quality. The idea of creating assignments that incorporate alphabetic literacies as well as emerging literacy skills such as multimedia literacies is extremely innovative and inspiring.

I am extremely drawn to the Playlist Assignment and can not wait to try it with one of my classes. I have begun playing with the lesson plan in my head and am thinking of ways to modify it for my own students. This assignment would work well with creative writing as well as with academic writing. For example for a creative writing piece the task would be to: If you could create your own city what would this look like? Write a story in which you describe your ideal society/ community. Describe the people, places, practices, and environment with as much detail as possible. Make sure that you describe how each song is relevant and significant to your story. Include lyrics and links to the songs. For a more "academic essay", I have been thinking of the following assignment: What are your academic/ career goals? Write an essay in which you describe the journey you will need to take in order to achieve your goals. You may focus on one specific goal or more than one. Describe what steps you will need to take in order to achieve these goals. Also, anticipate obstacles and what your response to these will be. Include lyrics and links to the songs.

Though this is a rough draft of the lesson plan I eventually hope to create and do with my own students, I feel that I may have something that will engage my students and encourage participation. A large part of my students are musically inclined, they love to listen to their ipods, participate and attend and support, the "Battle of the Bands" contests at school and know what is current or "hip" when it comes to singers and songs. I anticipate that we will need some time brainstorming and drafting and eventually some time in the computer lab. I feel so very excited to try this activity and can not wait to see the work that my students produce! : )