Blogging on Goggle Blooger – my sometimes dyslexic blogging journey

The following is a reflection on my time in the subject CRN 600 – Youth popular culture and texts. In particular I want to look at how the act of blogging, the readings and CRN 600’s learning community has altered my view on the world of pop culture, our kids and my career.

The act of blogging

My fingers have the irritating ability to type quicker that my brain can think. Typing Google, Blogger or any other word with double letters into search bars can often be problematic. But lexis has prevailed often enough for me to write down a few thoughts. Blogging is not a new concept to me, during my adolescence during the dark days of Web 1.0, I was a chronic journal keeper, tirelessly documenting all the highs and lows of being an awkward kid. As a young adult I kept a LiveJournal… it was then during a bad relationship that I learnt about trolls, the importance for privacy settings and the need to be aware of digital footprints. Since my experience with LiveJournal I hadn’t really felt the need to capture my thoughts on either paper or screen in any depth. I’ve been a Facebooker since it began but I have shared only surface ponderings and witty one-liners with the world. Blogging as a requirement for a subject, at first, felt inauthentic. I didn’t have anything interesting to say, I wasn’t compelled to share my thoughts. As I started playing with the blogger platform I fell back into my usual M.O. – design first, content later. I’m a visual person and I always default to making things look right aesthetically before I can even think about content, other wise I get distracted (as I write this my headings are all done, my theme is sorted). When I found my groove the posts started to flow easily, the readings made me want to engage with digital media and find out new facets of popular culture and the issues surrounding it.

“Being able to present oneself in any way or through any persona that is desired brings a sense of freedom and creative release. This liberation allows for playful identity construction or a complete reconstruction, and under the easily hidden nature of authorship in this electronic media, you can be whoever you want to be.” (O’Sullivan, 2012, p. 203)

The act of blogging this semester has been enjoyable. Like O’Sullivan (2012, p.203) discusses, the ability to adopt a persona brings a certain freedom. The Dread Pirate Librarian was something that I had made up earlier in the year when I kept coming across great TL blogs with cool names. I’ve always been a Princess Bride tragic, in the movie version when Westley is explaining to Buttercup why he took the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts’ he says, "You see, no one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley." (Goldman, 1987). I thought to myself “would anyone surrender to a Dread Pirate Librarian?” it’s equally as ludicrous when thinking of the stereotypical Librarian. Spending my time trying to infiltrate classrooms and conquer [digital] illiteracy. I’ve won a few small wars in the name of the library, plenty of epic battles are sure to follow… giving me more fodder for future blog posts.

Looking at blogging with fresh, and now digitally literate, eyes after almost a decade of abstinence has revived the storyteller in me. Participating in the online community in such a way, seeing page visits clock up and the virtual ‘pat on the back’ you get when somebody ‘likes’ your posts is all very satisfying. I’ve put myself out there and people like it! From this experience I can definitely say that I’ll endeavor to incorporate a level of blogging into my own life from now on, the D.P. Librarian is here to stay. In a bid to move as many teachers online as possible in my work place I can see an opportunity for me to offer PD to the English faculty about easy, digital, ways to log students writing – blogging is quite perfect for the task.

The Readings

The most profound texts for me were the ones dealing with participatory culture, rights management and remixing – all videos, a medium which I find easiest to decode and relate to. Looking back on my blog I was clearly influenced by the readings but in my blogging style didn’t directly reference the readings, something which although wasn’t contained explicitly within the criteria sheet, I feel I should have done. Henry Jenkins, Cory Doctorow and Brett Gaylor taught me about collaboration, remixing and digital rights, prompting me to think about these things in a different way. It infuriated me watching Gaylor’s 2009 documentary RiP: A remix manifesto to learn about copyright and the monopoly corporations have on creativity.

How are our students meant to create anything in this minefield of legislation? If we are no longer aloud to make new from building on the past what do we have? How can we improve anything? Also the rigors of intellectual property and attribution are not ubiquitous skills in our students. Our digital natives still need digital instructions, just because I was born in a time when cars were owned by nearly every home doesn’t mean that I can innately drive one and distinctively know the road rules. When learning to drive we learn from our parents in many cases, pay for lessons if they can’t… but what happens when mum and dad don’t compute? Families assume that teachers will take on that role… and I am frankly not convinced this is happening often enough and at a high enough standard. All these internal rants are slowly making it out and onto my blog, a cathartic release, and are fueling my ‘next big thing’ at work. I applied to the curriculum committee to start a 21^st Century Skills course for Years 7-10, and they said yes! So once Uni is finished for the year I will be pouring all my time into curriculum spanning digital citizenship, digital literacy and ethical study skills.

The Google+ community

Using an online community to support and facilitate learning has been the best aspect of my Master of Education so far. Being able to share and ask questions (no matter how stupid) has added a human aspect to a mostly faceless online course. Online delivery of this course was the only option for me, as QUT is in Queensland and I am in Victoria. While not fearsome of the ‘Interwebs’ studying this way has forced me into connecting and collaborating in a different way. I feel that the skills I have learned in order to participate in the required outcomes have given me a highly competitive edge in the job market. Regardless of whether I go back into a classroom or a library I have redefined myself as highly competent in ICT. The content of the course has obviously helped me greatly too, but I’m really getting a kick out of these bonus tech skills.

I keep coming back to Douglas Adams’ quote about eBooks - “Lovers of print are simply confusing the plate for the food.” I find myself relating most things dealing with new technologies to it and it reminds us that we often focus on the wrong things. So with that I end my reflection on CRN 600 – Youth popular culture and texts and start my speculation on the career ahead of me.

• References



Doctorow, Cory (2012). Copying culture (and digital locks) talk delivered at Vivid Sydney, June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.themonthly.com.au/copying-culture-and-digital-locks-cory-doctorow-5715


Gaylor, Brett (2009). RiP: A remix manifesto [video file] retrieved from http://vimeo.com/8040182


Goldman, W. (Writer), Reiner, R. (Director), & Scheinman, A. (Producer). (1987). The Princess Bride [DVD]. USA: Act III Communications.


Jenkins, Henry. (2010, March 6). TEDxNYED - Henry Jenkins - 03/06/10 [participatory culture]. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_1mip1iS70


O’Sullivan, K. A. (2012). Books and blogs: Promoting reading achievement in digital contexts. In J. Manuel & S. Brindley (Eds.), Teenagers and reading: Literary heritages, cultural contexts and contemporary reading practices (pp. 191-209). South Australia: Wakefield Press/AATE.

Are you DIVERGENT?

Image generated on www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

In terms of popular culture being Divergent relates to a dystopian book series by Veronica Roth. If you're not aware of the plot here's a taste...

"In a post-apocalyptic Chicago, survivors divide into five factions based on their dispositions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intellectual. Each year, all sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test that describes the one faction for which they are best suited. After receiving the results, they can decide whether to remain with their family's faction or transfer to a new faction. Those who do not complete initiation into their new faction become "Factionless", and are forced to live in poverty on the streets of the city." (Wikipedia, 2014)

Divergence is a real thing and it is an integral part of creativity. Divergent thinking is defined as “the kind that goes off in different directions”(Guilford, 1959, p.381 as cited in Jauk et.al., 2013). In other words the ability to "think outside the box". As a Teacher-librarian my major daily goal is to help stimulate thought in my students and encourage divergent thinking. Many social studies have been preformed on the link between creativity and intelligence and the trying to detect the degree of correlation between the two variables. 

source: http://www.brainpickings.org/

This link has been observed as strong, to a certain point, in many of the studies on the subject. Some researchers have found that the higher an individuals' creativity potential is the higher their IQ score is likely to be. This correlation 'breaks' at an IQ score of around 120 points and the link is not observed above it. (for more information check out Jauk et al.'s study referred below) 

Well what does that mean? As I'm sure you've observed throughout life looking at the people around you, not all 'smart' people are creative. These are people we may call 'book' smart, where they learn what they're taught and don't seem to have the ability to diverge from that "Fixed" mindset (see Dr. Carol Dweck's theory to the right). And then on the other side of the coin we have our 'street' smart bunch who are able to take that 'box' and not only think outside it but probably pull some MacGyver maneuvers and fashion it into a piece of furniture or a helicopter. "Growth" mindset allows people to improve, build upon and remix the world.   

In an Educational context Sir Ken Robinson gets straight to the point, his epic RSA Edge lecture from 2010 still does the rounds through teaching communities and will continue for quite some time... until we get it right. Changing Educational Paradigms, as animated below by TheRSA.org, tells us what a lot of us know but don't know how to change. Maybe we just need to summon our own Divergence to buck the system and effect change. The parallels between the classic education system and the various 'oppressors' or 'Big Brother' corporations depicted in Dystopian fiction like Roth's Divergent are many... maybe that is why our students immerse themselves so readily in this form of Popular culture. The strong protagonist resists the oppressor's pressure to conform and instead uses their divergent ability to effect change in their world... the kids rule the school, what an appealing vision.

RSA Edge Lecture with Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Paradigms

• References




Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B., & Neubauer, A. C. (2013). The relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection. Intelligence, 41(4), 212-221. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.03.003
• 
  
• Robinson, K. (2010). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U




Wikipedia (2014). Divergent (novel). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_(novel)

Pop-culture dress-ups and gender

News feeds are wonderful things, things pop up, slap you in the face and say "Hey wake up! This is the real world!". The image below popped up in my G+ feed from Common Sense Media with the title: The 5 Worst Pop-Culture-Inspired Halloween Costumes of 2014 and 5 We'd Like to See Instead. The image instantly made my blood boil... I mean is that really a costume? Too far! They've sexualised a damn snowman! Is there no shame?! When looking at dress-ups for girls in particular I feel we get a pretty raw deal. The media is rife with these images, images that make me and many women and girls I know feel inadequate, playing to deep seeded self consciousness.

With Hallowe'en coming up I once again am thankful for having a boy child. All he wants to do is dress up as a Zombie, skeleton, mad scientist or Jake the dog from Adventure Time. No guns, or overly macho 'super heroes'. I'm pretty lucky that his view of gender isn't defined as pink Vs blue, actually it's not luck, it's been hard work. For six years we have been trying to dispel myths that paint males and females as different in anyway other than anatomically. He is surrounded by strong women and sensitive men, it will be interesting to see what kind of man he grows up to be.

Looking for a costume for a friend's Superhero/ Movie themed 30th Birthday last year I was desperate to find a female costume that didn't contain lycra. I asked my friends on Facebook*, no help at all! *Please forgive my rude language in the post below. Let's get back to this later.

Screen shot of The Dread Pirate Librarian's Facebook post. 

I know that young boys are not immune to media stereotypes and the pressure to become the macho 'man' is just as oppressive as being 'sexy' is for girls. Society needs to do more for the coming generations by not forcing these images onto our developing minds of the future. For the purposes of this post I want to focus on girls as feminist issues are currently gaining momentum with a new generation of women owning the word (check out Emma Watson address the UN). So how about if we supported our children to be inspired by real, positive examples that our girl’s can look up to? What would it look like if young girls dressed up as famously intelligent trailblazing women? Ask google and thou shalt receive! I came across several blog posts linking me to Jaime Moore's gorgeous photos of her daughter Emma. Moore looked to real women for inspiration, as she was uncomfortable with the “unrealistic fantasy” Disney princesses create for young girls. She chose five iconic women from history, dressing and posing Emma to resemble them.

Source: Jaime C. Moore Photography

“My daughter wasn’t born into royalty, but she was born into a country where she can now vote, become a doctor, a pilot, an astronaut, or even President if she wants and that’s what really matters. I wanted her to know the value of these amazing women who had gone against everything so she can now have everything.” Moore wrote in her blog on 9/5/2013.

So what next? How do we change the way female bodies are represented? One at a time... starting with yours and your daughter's. Talking freely with children about gender and stereotypes and what they mean. In regards to my own costume dilemma, I chose to cross-dress rather than fit into any of the stereotypical costumes available to me at the time (Also working around my husbands rather unkempt beard). So Tin-Tin and Captain Haddock went to the ball and lived happily ever after. 

Mr & Mrs D.P. Librarian as Captain Haddock & Tin Tin 2013

For another interesting look at Pop-culture and gender check out Popculture Maz's feelings on girls in gaming.

Kids These Days...

I have found that kids these days are a random and versatile bunch. They frequently remix popular culture in their own ways to create their identities. They are sophisticated, socially aware and caring. They are more understanding and accepting than the generations before. They have the world knocking on their door through multiple devices 24/7 and a vast array of viewpoints to put any argument into perspective. 

Who is the Dread Pirate Librarian?

Library is where the heart is... (Crampton, 2014)

I'm married to the library... weird huh? Remember the lady who married the Berlin Wall? Well... it's nothing like that. I in-fact am married to a Library Technician, whom I met in a library... we had a son and called him Dewey (gotcha!). Not far from the truth though, our son was named after The man in black from William Goldman's The Princess Bride... we dropped the 't' from Westley - as if you didn't know I love that book! As a family we literally love literacy, the books are in our blood. 

The dread pirate librarian's
fairy grandmother circa 1929

My gorgeous avatar (left), is actually my grandmother 1920's Fairy Style... our faces at that age were very similar, I often forget it is not me. As mentioned in my first ever blog post many months ago, I quit a substantive teaching position after being denied study leave last year. Many factors helped me make the choice but an overwhelming desire to be able to connect with students on a different level pushed me to make the change. Even the 'cool' maths teacher starts to hate maths after a while! So as luck would have it I managed to get a fill-in position back where my teaching career began... working along side my long suffering husband.

My position is coming to an end soon but this year has been filled with so much learning and light-bulb moments that I feel confident going forward with a new skill-set.

i <3 library (Crampton, 2014)

Cool library learning space design on a dwindling budget

Even if you've never thought of it as such, every time you re-arrange your classroom tables and chairs, even with the same old tired furniture, you are a designer. So what are our motivations for dragging tables from one side of a lifeless space to another??

LEARNING! You feel that on some level you may be helping the kids focus better or collaborate more effectively... your objectives are alway student driven.

When looking at a space you need to ask your self a few questions...

• Who or what is valued here?
• Who was this space designed for?
• What key values do you think informed the designing approach? 

Unless the answers to these questions are students... students... learning, you may have a problem on your hands.

Shifting the focus of learning spaces can be expensive... the companies catering to school furniture needs and even more specifically library furniture needs have the market cornered. Those chairs that the last librarian splurged half the budget on 20 years ago are still 'functional' but are they comfortable? Who are you catering for? But when you find that you need to weigh up the need for comfy chairs versus the need for new books, the need to keep information flowing almost always wins out.

I have created the POP CULTURE - School Library Stylin' page to curate and showcase some cheap alternatives I have found and mostly used to avoid killing our lackluster budget... ensuring that the students can still have the books and a comfy/cool place to read them too.

But... Where to start? An easy way to brighten things up is to PAINT!!... not everything though. Choose a few key areas, start small. We were lucky enough to have some water damage (always look on the bright side!) that required a few walls to be repainted. Instead of the replacing the muddy beige of the last 50 years we spoke up and asked for a new palette. But what colours? Safe is boring... even safe dates (just look at your walls now).

We had some advice from an architect masquerading as an integration aide (it pays to know your colleagues secret strengths). She told us to find a graphic or artwork in an artbook/magazine that we liked, as the artist has already chosen colours that go well together.

Source: thecarolinejohansson.com

The image to the right, by Caroline Johansson - a Frankie Magazine favourite, shows bright colours that compliment each other well. We took a picture (similar to this) to the paint shop and matched colour swatches to the picture. Then by buying inexpensive sample pots we were able to introduce the new colours into our space cheaply and gradually on signage and old furniture. The response to the new colour splashes from the school community (especially the kids) was so good that we were confident enough to use the paints on our walls.

The four photos below show some inexpensive things we have done in our school library to refresh our space. The colours we chose for our palette can be seen in picture 1 (far left) - the blue alcove and picture 4 (far right) - the re-painted bay end. As you can see we used the colours to paint frames for our sings too. We also have a lime green on other walls and frames (not shown).

Other money saving ideas include purchasing furniture from IKEA where appropriate (yellow and white lounge chairs and blue stools in picture 1) at a much lower cost and op-shops (The sofa in Picture 2 was a great find for $100 from the Salvos). Picture 2 also shows wall paper made from the pages of an old book which was beyond repair.  Picture 3 shows our new circulation desk made from weeded books (our old librarian was a hoarder) and reclaimed timber from an old walkway in front of the school that was demolished (I'll blog another time about my design for the desk). And lastly Picture 4 shows that you don't need to be a slave to a library furniture company. Instead of getting new shelving (which was way too expensive and wasteful) we tidied up our current shelves and made repairs. We painted our old bay ends and bought inexpensive picture rails from IKEA to use instead of slat wall - this helped us save thousands. 

Source: Crampton, Emma. (2014) My Library [digital images]

Hopefully the above has given you ideas about how to refresh your own space, I know our colour choices aren't everyones cup of tea (insipid was the description given by one of our teachers!) but you can't aim to please everyone and at the end of the day it's about inspiring students and making them want to be in the library. Our library is about connecting kids with books, the world and each other.