Literacy and Technology Fall 2022

Teacher Burnout: More like Teacher Exploitation What is teacher burnout?  Teacher burnout is a psychological condition that leads to exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased teacher achievement and self-worth due to the mounting pressures, responsibilities, and work, teachers are currently facing for the low-paying salary they have put up with for decades. “Although often portrayed as the capacity for individual resilience, burnout can also be the result of unusually demanding school environments that lack appropriate organizational supports or limits.” - Doris Santoro and Olga Acosta Price As a result… the profession is experiencing a “Great Resignation” and there are shortages across the nation that are extremely hard to fill.  Yet, the education system is evidently avoiding the extremely fast-approaching turnover cliff and has failed to do anything to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of teacher burnout.  What are the mounting pressures on teachers? Forced to work ...

By Christine Schalich Hiring teachers in 2022 be like… What are we trying to convey here? How are you “reading” this? All kidding aside… Why would anyone want to become a teacher under the circumstances that current teachers are put under? Is it because we as teachers believe in a world where everyone matters and we want to change the way things are?   Is it because we just want to educate the students in the way that best suits their needs?  Or my favorite “you’re a teacher because you want holidays and summers off”. Whatever your “why” is, you have to be thinking how has teaching become so far from what it used to be?  Teaching is an art form. Whether you are the traditional; teaching using only the hardcover book with pencil and paper. Or the technologically advanced:using a link to your online reminder app for students' homework and an Instagram page where your class portfolio highlights students' achievements and work. Or you are somewhere in between you have to be t...

  Are we overusing technology in the classroom?... Finding an appropriate balance.  Julia Lavin Using technology in the classroom is a great way to get students engaged in learning. However, there are also plenty of activities and lessons that have been converted to digital media that may not necessarily add anything to the students' learning. Teachers and students spent two years either fully online or bouncing back and forth between online and in-person instruction. Has this change led us to be too dependent on technology?  Throughout the school day, when students are not working on their chromebooks on their desks, they are staring at the smart board in the front of the room. Teachers could now even   We all hear the talk about being sure to limit children’s screen time at home… but we are okay with allowing them to stare at the screen for 6 hours a day at school. As heard from The Critical Media Project , On average high schoolers spend more than one-third o...

  How does one Read the World? Many often think of literacy in a narrow way- reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing. However, a multiliteracies perspective challenges us to think beyond this definition and broaden our thinking around what literacy is and how things like power, positioning, perspective, context, and identity intersect with our understanding of literacy.  Zeimke & Muhtaris (2020 ) challenge us to rethink how we define literacy, and specifically include empathy and action in a digital age. Some would argue that this is a critical literacy stance. Take for example, this image:   Now, think about:  1.           - Who created this text? For what purpose? 2.            - Whose voice is included? Excluded? 3.            - How does power circulate in this text?    -How do you read this text? From what position? My h...