christina+curran

Greetings. I'm Christina and am currently finishing my undergrad at Fordham Lincoln Center, majoring in English Lit and Creative Writing. I'm part of the 5-Year Teacher's Certification Program at Fordham with a focus in Adolescent Literature. I'm kind of nervous for the intensity of cramming 2 years of grad school into one but I'm hoping to stay sane and make the most of it! I currently help 6th and 7th grade girls in an afterschool program in East Harlem and am really enjoying the atmosphere of an all-girl's small school. I am hoping to work at a Free School or develop a creative writing program in a public school.

I currently live in Morningside Heights with my two close friends in our little nest. During my free time, I love to read and find kindred spirits to discuss arts and culture with. I'm interested in feminist and gender studies and am doing a program at Columbia called FemSex this semester. I'm really looking forward to the conversations that will be started and how they will affect my views as an educator and a woman. I recently spent nine months living an unreal life in Glasgow, UK, learning about medieval English, Scottish literature and film photography. It was an amazing experience filled with roadtrips to nature, amazing people and an active underground music scene. I miss it but am ready to embrace New York City again! And begin the next stage of an increasingly more adult life!



__**My life as a technology user**__ My relationship with various technological gadgets fluctuates. I’ve never been a big cellphone person and have never owned a Smartphone of any kind. Non-Smartphone users are definitely a dying breed. I mostly use my cellphone to make necessary calls or text my whereabouts. Smartphones have enabled people to become more active on Twitter and Facebook but I have yet to make a Twitter. I also am slowly but surely getting into the world of podcasts, such as This American Life, NPR, or Freakonomics. I listen to these programs from my iPod on the subway or while eating breakfast, or on my laptop before sleep. Such shows have definitely replaced the radio or daily newspaper, at least for me. Currently, my laptop plays a larger part in my life than I would like it to.. I do not have a TV in my apartment, so when I’m home, I have my laptop in front of me 80% of the time. I do not have to be actively engaging in any web activity and most of the time, I’m playing background music on Spotify. I feel like I spend a lot of my time on my laptop checking emails from professors, sending emails and Gchatting with friends: things that could have possibly been done during the day with a Smartphone. I spend a lot of time browsing media, beauty, design and music blogs as forms of procrastination. I am a Gawker media and xoJane.com addict. I have a Wordpress portfolio for my pieces of writing and a Tumblr for my photography and am constantly reformatting and updating them. Most of my schoolwork is also either on Blackboard or must be typed out so… more laptop! Although I do not have an active Twitter, I follow various comedians on Twitter and peruse them as a break from computer work. Basically, the Internet has become another extension of my brain (which is why I chose the development of an RSS feed as a personal project). Earlier in my life, before the teenaged years and the popularity of the Internet, the computer was used as a means for educational and recreational games. One of my earliest memories of using the computer was in grade school computer class. We had to use “Typing Tutor” in order to test our typing speed. My mom would buy me MathQuest games to play as a treat on the weekend. At friends’ houses and afterschool, we would constantly play The Sims or The Oregon Trail. The computer was only an extension to video games, not a gateway to social interaction or endless Internet browsing. It wasn’t until AOL instant messaging, emails and chatrooms when I was about 10 that the computer began to give an alternative to face-to-face interaction. This past summer, I was in a long-distance, international relationship that completely relied on technology. We had been practically living together in the UK and were planning on continuing that lifestyle in New York. My former partner and I did not have the financial means to partake in international cell- phone calls or texts. Instead, we utilized every form of free or inexpensive digital communication a few times a day: Skype, GooglePhone, Facebook chat, Gchat. I was staring at a screen more often than not and began to forget that romantic relationships should exist face-to-face at some point. Looking back, it was a bizarre existence using Skype as a replacement for a “date” or email “Good-mornings” as a replacement for a text. Relying on these forms of digital communication are useful in the short-term but in my experience, not at all realistic for more than a few months. Many friends and family members have told me that long-distance relationships are more possible than ever with the popularity of Skype and social networking. For me, interpersonal relationships (and books!) are necessary aspects of life that technology can never eradicate.

__**Personal Use Project**__ For my personal use project, I will be created an RSS feed collector through Bloglines.com for educational and leisure sites that I frequent. Also, I hope to use Bloglines to find other RSS feeds to follow. I will also be creating a DisQus account to be more active concerning conversations and comments within the blogs/sites on my Bloglines dashboard. If all of these words sound foreign to you, follow my journey at technologicpedagogic.wordpress.com

__**NETS Initial Reflection and Goals**__
Disclaimer: I’m currently in the 5-Year Fordham Teacher’s Track and am still an undergrad. My classroom experience is limited to individual tutoring and classroom observations. I’m not student-teaching fulltime yet. This semester, I’m waiting to hear back for an internship for the Brooklyn Free School. Most of my reflections will be based on past experiences and observations and goals will hopefully be based on future teaching or this position (if i get it).

The most common use of technology that I’ve seen in the classroom for bringing about creativity is Powerpoint presentations. It is such a simple and easy to use format that anyone can use, even teachers who are not comfortable with technology. That being said, I haven’t really been privy to an observation of a classroom that used anything other than Powerpoint during teacher presentations.
 * Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity **
 * Goals: I’d like to use other forms of technologic organizers, such as Prezi or learn about more reliable sites that provide educational multimedia. I’d also really like to incorporate NPR podcasts in my classroom, as I find that they really spark creativity and imagination without being too complicated.

As a student, I’ve been a part of online learning communities mostly through Blackboard, GoogleGroups or blogs. These platforms were highly effective, as they allowed much more creative freedom in our responses and often involved the teacher’s feedback, also. I often review the contributions to these communities in preparation for exams or final projects.
 * Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments **
 * Goal: I’d like to make sure that all students in my classroom have daily access to an email account. I’d use this account to communicate with them at least two or three times a week, creating a type of newsletter regarding class reminders, enrichment opportunities, or clarification with assignments. As far as using technology for class organization and digital assessment, I would also like to create a Wikispace or a Dropbox for my future classroom at the beginning of the semester. These tools lead to the creation of a digital learning space where students can submit their work via upload. There would also be space for assigned or unassigned discussion about the lessons in class. Such a space would allow students to organize a sort of portfolio along the way that they can reference easily and communicate with classmates as they may not be able to in the classroom. As a teacher, I would be able to post extracurricular readings and feedback on students’ submitted works, which would be more efficient (and waste a lot less paper!)

The most informative and engaging lessons in my schooling have been the ones that utilize multimedia and technology to transform the subject into something larger than a stiff concept within a classroom. I went to a middle school that was awarded a Blue Ribbon for Technology award and we were constantly engaged in digital learning. There was a computer class where a science lesson was video-streamed from a zookeeper at the San Diego Zoo. We were also responsible for tracking a live-stream of the weather from the National Weather Service and it really provided a new level of interactive learning.
 * Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning **
 * Goal: I would like to engage students in online lessons as a supplement to in class learning. For example, they could do an assigned lesson on Webquest.org during computer class or at home. These lessons are already planned and are like a digital journey through all types of resources that I’ve heard students usually enjoy. Also, I’d really like to learn more about video streaming and developing live podcasts within the classroom. The video-streaming could allow the students to feel like they are going somewhere outside of the classroom, even if a field trip is not within the budget.

I’m aware that many students do get lazy about citation or sometimes may even plagiarize. With Sparknotes and Wikipedia, it is quite easy to plagiarize ideas without even knowing it. Also, there has been a rise in online bullying on social media and online academic platforms that can also affect the morale of the classroom.
 * Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility **
 * Goal: If I incorporate online communities within the classroom, I would also have to create a set of classroom expectations to encourage just as much respect in an e-classroom as in a regular classroom. These guidelines would have to constantly be enforced throughout the semester so I would carefully moderate the responses on the established community. Also, I would set both written and spoken guidelines regarding proper citation. At the beginning of the school year, I would spend a lesson or two reviewing proper MLA citation (which is the most popular in high schools). I hope to find an online resource that would help me in planning this type of lesson. With every research assignment or essay, I could send a copy of this MLA guidelines document from the beginning of the semester as a reminder and refresher for students.

**Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership** In my few classes in the Fordham GSE, I’ve definitely learned about so many technologic tools that I never even knew existed. I found out about a Jeopardy-format assessment website and also about Prezis, which is like an advanced Powerpoint program, just from peer presentations on other topics. Also, I have used online lesson plan communities as sparks for my own mock lesson plans. Often these sites have creative lesson plans for all subjects and grades.
 * Goal-I’d like learn how to use RSS feeds to communicate with other teacher-bloggers and professional online organizations. I’ve read a lot of blogs and online articles about teaching, education and media but never have actually participated in any of them. I think that online participation in professional organizations would really enrich my teaching career as well as encourage me to reach out to other educators through a new platform.

[] Please view this as a complete show, as the actual layout is far from aesthetically pleasing. Thanks!
 * A Prezi Guide to Copyright Clarity**


 * Final Statement on Digital Literacy (Grades 7-12)**

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, being “literate” means having the ability to read and write. Entering high school/middle school, all of you have this ability to some degree. As citizens, we //need// to be literate in order to function in society. How else would we read street signs, books, menus, medical forms and… Facebook statuses? As you most likely know, digital communication and media invades our daily lives on a regular basis, whether you use your cell phone to text, Facebook to message friends, write for a blog, or use a website for school research. In fact, more than half of all teenagers have posted some sort of original material to the Internet, creating a larger social community of viewers and critics than ever before. When you contribute to or use the Internet, to any degree, you are projecting your voice out into a large community of digital information. You are absorbing others’ voices and perspectives, sometimes without even realizing it! Therefore, literacy is no longer used only to refer to reading printed books and writing letters or filling out forms. ** Traditional literacy has expanded to include “digital literacy”, or the ability to ** ** understand the power of digital media and the impact it has over us, while using critical thinking skills to change it into new forms ** (Jenkins, 20). My aim this semester is to work on bringing our brain power (critical thinking skills), social etiquette, and enthusiasm for learning with us while engaging with the Internet or other forms of digital media (radio, TV, podcasts). I hope that the result will be a learning experience that is not hindered but enriched by the digital world. So, as well as improving our “offline” reading and writing skills this year, we will also be focusing on becoming “digitally literate” in the classroom through student and teacher use of frequent digital tools in presentations, assignments, lectures, conversations, etc. In accordance with digital literacy, I will be frequently communicating with both parents and students through email, so please make sure that an email account is set up and checked regularly.

Below is a preliminary list of digital skills and tools that will be focused on in our classroom this year in order to promote digital literacy and integrate it into our intellectual lives:


 * 1) ** Students will develop research skills and be able to think critically about the legitimacy of online resources. ** With the influx of online resources and citizen journalism, judgment is an important quality to bring to the techno-academic world (Jenkins 2005, 45). There are many online resources that you all will encounter in project research and personal browsing, some much more valid and factual than others. This year, we will practice the ways that we should bring our critical reading skills with us while reading websites or digital articles. Most of us have practice using highlighters or Post-its to point out the most important parts of our research or reading. Students will be required to make a NoteStar account, (which can be viewed by me) and take digital notes on their research.
 * 2) Also, what kind of credit we should give to the creators of our sources? Is citation enough? How much of the information in this article can you use in your own paper? Students will be given a presentation about copyright clarity at the beginning of the year, as well as a handout. **With every written assignment that has required outside research sources, you will receive an attached “ Source Inquiry ” worksheet that must be filled out**. It is meant to encourage students to really think about what information you’re using, why you’re using it and where it came from.
 * 3) Through weekly participation in our class blog, **students will learn how to express their opinions through a digital platform while engaging and conversing with fellow students** **and myself**. Contributing to the blog is essential for two reasons:
 * 4) Participation in the class blog gives the class experience **in “working within social networks… pooling knowledge within a collective intelligence, [and] negotiating across cultural differences that shape… different communities…”** (20) Students will be posting responses and, thus, learning how to thoughtfully express themselves through the typed word. The blog will also be a place where peer tolerance and respectful communication is fostered. The same behavior and respect rules that apply in our actual classroom will apply in our digital classroom.
 * 5) **Less formal language and outer resources are encouraged in blog contributions.** This platform will serve as a method of creating new ideas and thus, practice in participating and voicing all of our perspectives in an open, digital space. If you are particularly quiet in our classroom discussions, feel free to post your input through the class blog. I will be checking contributions regularly and taking them into consideration for class participation grades.

3. ** Forms of interactive media and online enrichment activities will be incorporated into the curriculum in order to imaginatively explore and process classroom ideas and teaching. ** Students will be expected to partake in class-assigned Webquests, be part of various online debates through Debate.fm, By being active and digitally “playing” with the curricular material we’re studying, the material becomes more than what’s on the page. We want to use the digital information we’ve gained through research in order to “construct arguments and mobilize evidence” through digital tools or websites. (Jenkins, 24) 4. Learning to transform and adapt material is essential in digital literacy, as it enhances our creative learning by dissecting or transforming existing material. (Jenkins, 33) **Students will be assigned multiple creative projects throughout the year in which they will have to integrate literary text with other digital research and digital tools in order to “** ** identify core properties of the original work while [developing] an alternative version of the story in another medium. (Jenkins, 32) ** For example, in our unit on Moby Dick, students will be required to do research on sailors’ lives during that time and then use either Prezi, Powerpoint or another digital medium to present their findings to the class. For a final project, students will be divided into groups and required to create either a podcast or another form of digital a/v presentation on any topic of their choice covered during the year.

Note to Parents: I do understand that access to Internet and digital tools may not be available for some students and families. However, there are community resources, like the local library, where students will be able to go to use the Internet, printers and websites in order to comply with the digital literacy expectations in this classroom. If access problems still exist, please talk with me and I will be happy to give more time in the classroom or afterschool to work on school computers.

Jenkins, Henry, Puroshotma, Ravi, Clinton, Katherine, Weigel, Margaret, & Robison, Alice J. (2005). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, available at []

Final Portfolio