When SF Symphony announced a few weeks ago Yoshiki, band leader, drummer and pianist for X Japan will come to SF in April I was so excited, I immediately bought my ticket! X Japan was the first of its kind in Japan introducing Glam Rock and Metal. Yes, Yoshiki was inspired by the American Hard Rock, Heavy Metal band, KISS. X Japan's music genre/style became known in Japan as "Visual Kei."
X JAPAN
Yoshiki today
Whether classical or rock, Yoshiki creates awesome ballads and rock songs. I became aware of X Japan in the mid 90's when I heard their song on a commercial promoting their new single release on TV Japan. Like Micheal Jackson is the King of Pop, Yoshiki is the father of Visual Kei in Japan. If you ever have time to read about X Japan's story, you will realize how their type of look and sound was new to Japan outside of what was known in the media from Western rock musicians like David Bowie, Kiss and Iggy Pop. While not exactly Glam Rockers, Queen and Elton John were also well known in Japan at the time for their outfits, hair and songs. In Japan, there are certain expectations for how Japanese expect other Japanese citizens to look and act to show their national pride as Japanese. When X Japan came out in the 1980's, visualize shock and avoidance from the everyday Japanese person. It was quite the culture clash. The 1980's and X Japan prompted many Japanese youth to begin rebelling against Japan's expectation of them. The 1990s-present day Japanese youth culture reveals the many type of sub cultures like Goth Lolita(1980's -present day), Ganguro, a form of Blackface some youths used to embrace Black culture/ resemble some Hip Hop and/or R&B artists or the youth had a very dark tanned face with light hair and white lipstick/other white makeup over the tan( height of this sub culture was in the early- mid 2000's).
Back to Yoshiki's influence on Visual Kei: He produced Dir en Gray (1997, Death Metal), originally they dressed in Visual Kei but began using traditional rock gear in the mid 2000s. Like Yoshiki. they do look to expand their International audience and come to perform in San Francisco during the Summer months. Look for them if you are interested in one of their popular (and my favorite!) songs below, "Kodou." Even though there is very little English in their songs, they still have a good fan base in the United States that enjoys their music and concerts. Please support them with me at one of their concerts when they return to San Francisco!
Dir en Grey in traditional Visual Kei
A Dir en Grey recent look
Yoshiki and X Japan was greatly influenced Versallies' (1994, Symphony/Progressive Rock) lead Kamijo. This band dresses in Visual Kei but their outfits are modeled after the GothicVictorian Era. From the awesome guitar rifts to the classical ballads you will enjoy a day or night at the symphony! They are on a break at the moment and involved in solo projects but when they are back, I am sure they will tour Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America again because like the other Visual Kei bands, they have International fans.
Versallies
The GazettE (2002, Alternative Metal) dresses in an updated Visual Kei/Punk style. Because I am a regular Anime and Japanese music television viewer, I found out about this band. Anime has opening and ending songs by popular artists and usually features their most recent single release. It is a great marketing tactic both nationally and Internationally.
SID, (2003, Pop Rock) is another Visual Kei band with great guitar rifts and ballads I discovered through an anime, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Check out their song below, for those of you who love Ed and Al's adventure you will recall this song. Enjoy!
SID
Other rock bands that are not Visual Kei but have multiple songs featured on anime, video games and top charting singles over the past two decades and are well known Internationally are Gackt (1994, Symphonic/Hard/Alternative Rock) and Hyde of lead singer of Larc en Ciel or Laraku (1991, Pop Rock/Alternative Rock) and VAMPS (2008, Hard Rock/Alternative Rock) with K.A.Z. the lead guitarist. Gackt and Hyde constantly recreate their image so I will only feature two of their looks...otherwise this entire post will be filled with pictures!
Gackt
Gackt
While Gackt does not come to the U.S. as frequently, Hyde and K.A.Z. often bring their rock to major U.S. cities. Yes, I was there when they came to San Francisco! Their lyrics mix Japanese and English that is easy for non Japanese speakers to understand the overall meaning of the songs. Kawaiiso Hyde trying to talk to the audience. He said all he knew without appearing too nervous, "Herro San Furanshisuco!!! I love the AISUKURIMU... ICE CREAM!! GHIRADELLI! Hai..Yes... ok that's all! Sore dake...My English...Gomen..." His lyrics have meaning that has drawn many U.S. audiences to his songs. Check out two videos below from his bands.
Larc en Ciel (Hyde in Center)
Vamps: K.A.Z. (left) Hyde (right)
For those of you who are familiar with Japanese 80's rock bands, I have not forgotten to mention Luna Sea* Mr. Children and Glay*. These bands have also made their mark in the Japanese rock scene since late 80s. Japanese television dramas and anime featuring their songs have repeatedly drawn Japanese International audiences to their songs as well. While I love all of these bands I have previously mentioned, these three bands were special for me during my high school years in Japanese class because their songs were always on the radio, featured in Japanese news online, a commercial, anime, video game or television show. I could rock out to Glay and Luna Sea and dance and smile to the songs of Mr. Children \(^-^)/!!
*Luna Sea and Glay began their careers as Visual Kei and were also influential like X Japan on this movement in Japan's 1980's. In the 1990's, both groups shifted away from the Visual Kei hair, makeup and dress styles in exchange for more mainstream rock looks.
Luna Sea
Mr. Children
Glay
In closing, each band from Japan allows a space for non Japanese speakers to connect to the messages in their songs whether through lyrics, tone and beat. 2014 has allowed JRock and Visual Kei to be just as relevant as Western Rock, Metal and Punk because different technology media has allowed not only more access to these bands to new Western listeners but also a space to see where the West and East meet, diverge and create something awesome ignoring language, national, International and cultural boundaries. Also, I cannot wait to see Yoshiki share his music April 28th! For me, this is the equivalent of seeing MJ in concert. As for my MJ connection, with Thriller, he showed how to create and use music videos as a form of artistic expression and storytelling by breaking boundaries and creating a grey space between fantasy and reality. If you watched through the videos and live concert clips I included above, you will see MJ's influence is in Japan. Each song has a story being told using their own style as Japanese musicians looking to not only tell their story to their fellow Japanese but expand and share their voices with the West. The same story telling can be applied to Japanese Neo Soul and Hip Hop videos. I chose to represent Visual Kei and JRock because my school agers heard me listening to an X Japan song when I was heading on break. They were interested in Yoshiki since I played clips of both his ballads and rock music. Many of the school agers enjoy Linkin Park so they were able to enjoy Yoshiki's music.
How do I prevent children from hearing bad language in the music I play? Easy. I do not play it around them and when I show clips or music videos I always preview the video and song first by myself. One awesome quote from Yoshiki's live performance at the Grammy Museum is when the producers wanted him to shorten his songs for radio and he stated, "Who the F--k has a radio??" Seriously Yoshiki is awesome for speaking the truth! He stays current and is so well spoken. If you are unable to make it to see Yoshiki check out these videos. Enjoy!
Just for fun if you are still reading: Can you take a guess on which band(s) from the United States influenced which Visual Kei or JRock band?
Usually I travel to Disneyland twice a year. In Fall 2013, I decided to purchase my first annual pass which was a great decision. There are so many things to discover between Downtown Disney, California Adventures and Disneyland that twice a year was not enough anymore. One of my Disney influenced hobbies, pin trading, is a very social event. Before my January trip, I only purchased the pins at shops. However, my Disney friends told me I could trade with any Disney Cast Member with lanyards and look at the store collections available for trade to find the rare Hidden Mickey Pins! What?? Of course when I told my mother and brother they already knew about this. I probably was not listening when they told me. Ah well!
For the majority of my Disney trips I travel solo unless my mother decides to come and that has not happened since Winter 2011. January was the first time I met friends at Disneyland since High School Grad Night. So much fun thank you!! Since my family was interested in the parades, I filmed them to be watched when I returned home after each trip.
Disney Sensation Parade: I filmed this parade in Fall 2013 and there is quite a bit of diversity shown. What do you think? There was a two year old next to me that was perfectly copying the princess procession! Many of us stopped and watched how she remembered the choreography perfectly! As for Disney Princesses, I have had many of my classmates ask me, "Which Disney Princess are you?" Of course my answer is ".....!" I am not and will not ever be a Disney Princess. Princess Tiana and Princess Jasmine are from two of my three top Disney films so when the Disney Designer Princess Dolls came out with all the madness at the Disney store, I did stand in line to get my doll. Actually, I got the last Jasmine which is a whole other story! If you are interested I could add those pictures to a future post.
Three Kings Celebration January 2014: Donald and The Caballeros celebrate The New Year representing Brazil and Mexico. This was a new parade that displays the diversity of these countries through the performers featured. I am sure they will bring this event back. The entire cove in California Adventures dedicated to this event had awesome Mariachi bands, a salsa lesson, arts and crafts and The Three Kings display. I missed out on the Lunar New Year celebration in late January/early February but I am sure the parade would have been just as interactive and appropriate.
If you have not been to Disneyland or you have been and you never watched a parade they are very interactive. I received funny faces from a few of the performers in The Lion King march and a wave from Tiana. Yes, they interact with adults and children which makes the experience a lot of fun. Even when you line up to take pictures with the characters, no matter your age the characters will either give you a hard time like Daisy did me when I had tons of Donald pins on my lanyard but zero Daisy...Sorry Daisy I do have one now! Or do what Goofy did to me and left his leg up to pass gas. Yes, yes I have witnesses! These entertaining acts did transpire! Overall, Disney fun is what you make of it, what and who you can relate to and of course remember to see Genie at the Aladdin show in California Adventures. His jokes stem from every bit of pop culture, vary slighty every performance and are very humorous! Currently, he goes on about twerking. Enough said!
Update: I recently found clips from Disney's Chinese Lunar New Year parade on YouTube. While I was not present for these celebration, I found the parades lacked a special something the other parades had. Perhaps an element of fun? Authenticity? Please share your thoughts. Check out Hong Kong Disneyland celebration from 2009... Do you find any similarities or major differences?
When you
think of Disney you might think of the infamous mouse or his father Walt
Disney. You might even think of their homes at Disneyland and Walt Disney
World. Either way when Disney is mentioned, multiple images of characters, adventures
and magic might bring warm smiles to your soul and you may start Tigger
bouncing with happiness. Non Disney fans might remain unaffected by Disney but
become curious observers of those Tigger bouncing. Others lacking of interest
in Disney may originate from unacceptable images of Disney's past.
Henry Giroux (1997) wrote about Disney's past in his
articleAre Disney Movies Good
for your Kids?''Racial
Stereotyping is another major issue that surfaces in many of the recent Disney
animated films. But the legacy of racism does not begin with the films produced
since 1989; on the contrary, a long history of racism associated with Disney's
work can be traced back to denigrating images of people of color in films such
asSong of the South,
released in 1946, andThe
Jungle Book, which appeared in 1967. Moreover
racist representations of Native Americans as violent
"redskins" were featured in Frontierland in the 1950s. In addition,
the main restaurant in Frontierland featured the real-life figure of a former
slave, Aunt Jemima, who would sign autographs for the tourists outside of her
"Pancake House." Eventually the exhibits and the Native Americans
running them were eliminated by Disney executives because the
"Indian" canoe guides wanted to unionize. They were displaced by
robotic dancing bears. Complaints from civil rights groups got rid of the
degrading Aunt Jemima spectacle." I know many Disney fans who are shocked when learning Disney's history and want to keep it "light and fun" and ride every ride but there is more...
Like Giroux, another author Gabriel Gutierrez (2000) wrote
an articleDeconstructing
Disney: Chicano/a Children and Critical Race Theory.This article presents quite a
thorough history of Disney's marketing child centered merchandise in both the
United States and Spanish speaking countries; "Disney's inflated prices
for Spanish-language videocassettes are not surprising when understood in
context of Disney's historical relationship with Spanish-speaking communities
throughout the western hemisphere...Disney's relationship with the
Spanish-speaking community has always been questionable at
best." Another passage that caught my attention was that of The
Mouseketeers of 1955. While many of us who watchedThe Mickey Mouse Club during
our childhood through adolescence may remember when Christina Aquilera, Britney
Spears and J.T. (Justin Timberlake), Keri Russell, J.C. Chasez and Ryan Gosling were Mouseketeers, Gutierrez states, ''The Mouseketeers (1955) presented a
caucasian child culture in happy settings with catchy songs. These
children, with white names emblazoned across their shirts and mouse ears,
were identifiable as mainstream American, while children of
color were excluded from such exposure. The overt display of happiness hid
real problems. For instance, in a 1991 television interview, former -
Mouseketeer Annette Funicello reveals that every time a Mouseketeer lost a pair
of ears, "Disney took $50 out of the kid's next paycheck (Smoodin 1994,
1). Yikes...Who would have known unless these secrets were exposed right?
So now, eighteen years later after Giroux's article and fourteen years after Gutierrez's work, Disney has made steps toward revising their adventures to recapture more accurate images of culture both domestic and internationally. As Disney is continually creating new stories for children and adults awaiting a new adventure, Disney tales are becoming more culturally accurate with better themes, dilemmas and character development. In 2011, I came across Mickey's Dance Crew at Disney's California Adventure. Actually my mother found it while waiting for me. I had just exited the Aladdin show and when I called to find her she was fairly close. Located where the Tron party took place during the evenings (currently The Mad Hatter Party in 2014), I quickly followed the beat and found my mother and a very hip mouse. When I saw the dance crew members, I was reminded of the Step Up movie franchise and MTV's ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew) television series. While the 1980's movie Beat Street is similar with B - boys - breakdancers trying to find their break, movies of the 2000's like Honey, You Got Served reveal the dedication and perseverance needed to continue their life's passion, dancing, amid their daily life obstacles. Contestant interviews in ABDC gave viewers a look into the contestant's very complicated lives. The lighter side of ABDC showed viewers how diverse the dances are around The United States. Also, the legendary "Tut" is not restricted to just one's arms! Finger Tutting and full body Tutting is also possible!
Here is a clip of the Jabbawockeez ABDC Season 1 Winners and Wayne Brady! Wayne Brady has so many talents so check this out! As for the Jabba's , if you're interested in seeing their show, they are residents at Luxor in their featured show Prism in Las Vegas!
This episode of the ABDC Season 1 Finale features dance battles to compare to the idea creators of Mickey's Dance Crew had when designing the show.
A Purple Crayon is a nod to a child's imagination that all of us should cherish even as we age. One of my brother's customers had a little brother, now in his early 20's, who when asked as a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" consistently answered, "A purple crayon." As a child, he did not explain his reasoning. As a man, his reasoning is simple, "Shut Up!" While my brother and the customer laughed at the response, when I was told the story, I reflected on all the children I have worked with. No one wanted to become an object always a professional or a person such as "A doctor," "A [insert job] like Mommy/Daddy/other family member," "Mommy," "Daddy," or their older sibling. Even when I think about my own childhood, looking through photo albums I was a fairy godmother, photographer, a gymnast, a teacher, an artist and a race car driver. Even now, I really enjoy dragons and unicorns but I do not think I wanted to become one as an adult. Why become someone or something permanently when you can continually change who you are through the video games you play, stories you create, books you read and the movies you watch? The idea of growth and change were qualities I embraced throughout my childhood and adulthood. It was what my mother instilled in both my brother and I throughout our childhood and adolescence. Through my favorite stories I read and watched I did become a dragon and unicorn: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, (check out his page here. Hopefully he will come back to San Francisco soon! He is a wonderful person to meet and speak with so hopefully you get an opportunity to meet him as well!) The Baby Unicorn and The Flight of Dragons being my top three childhood favorites.
Another childhood favorite! Does anyone else remember the adventures of this brave mouse?
Back to purple crayons. I still find it intriguing he chose purple specifically. He could have said an expected color such as red or blue (I am referring to cartoons such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Voltron where the popular characters are usually wearing these colors) but he chose purple. While many associate purple with royalty and power, I wonder what this child associated purple with. Maybe Barney? He was one popular dinosaur when his television show premiered. But we will never really know his reasoning. So how do we as educators promote a child's growing imagination? First, we must remember and reflect on our childhood to appreciate the dreams and wonders children hold dear. Second, providing children a secure space to freely become whoever they choose to be without labels or restrictions on their identity.
During my childhood, I was indecisive about my favorite color. I liked them all! One thing I knew for sure was my tastes in stories, cartoons and video games. My love of RPGs (Role Playing Games) and later MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) began with watching Star Wars, Thundercats, Silverhawks, Macross (introduced to U.S. audiences as Robotech) The Last Unicorn, The Flight of Dragons, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit animated features with my family. I did not realize until my adult years that the Japanese animation studio illustrating these animated features later reformed after bankruptcy and became Studio Ghibli, home of Miyazaki Hayao's animated features such as My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa of the Wind and what he has deemed his last film The Wind Rises.
From the animated features pictured above, my interests in Anime, Japanese Animation, styled cartoons grew to include my interests in the video game franchises Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy. Phantasy Star first appeared on Sega Master System. Does anyone remember that system? I still remember when my mother first brought it home for my brother and I. Excitement! Ever since then, we owned every game console on exception of the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. The photos below are from the game cover and a promotional artwork. Myau, was my favorite character in this series who gained an ability later on in the story to fly your party members to the fortress above the clouds. If you are interested, check out a Phantasy Star Saga fan page here.
While many of us are able to revisit many wonderful memories from our childhood through looking at these images, images, brands and icons are ever present in children's lives. When you take your first education class do you remember the instructor mentioning children know icons before they can read? Coming from a family who read Marvel Comics daily, I knew exactly who this was before I knew the McDonald's icon.
Superman, Spiderman and Batman I saved for last because they are representative of the power icons hold in children's lives. With recent movie additions over the past four years, these characters are well known to children's school gear, dramatic play, storytelling and at times problem solving in the Pre - K class: "Good guys save the day and bad guys go to jail so we are all good guys right?" Some educators I spoke with about their class favorite superheroes, they told me how violent capturing bad guys is. It seems children's love of superheroes gets lost in violence moving the focus from one's duty to be responsible, protect and care for others. When I graduated from undergrad, we were given the opportunity to vote on three commencement speakers, Steven Spielberg, Oprah and Christopher Reeve. Each of these individuals would have been a wonderful speaker but we all felt so honored to see and hear Christopher Reeve. We all wore Superman icons on our gowns; buttons, iron patches and "S" icon balloons adjourned many of our gowns while others wore "S" shirts under their gowns. Everyone was decked out in something with the "S!"
When Christopher Reeve rolled up in his wheelchair, many of us had tears running down our cheeks. We were so high in the football stands but we could see him clearly. The stadium was silent as he adjusted his microphone before he spoke. He was smiling. He told us to persevere through all obstacles to reach our goal. The hard work would pay off in the future and to keep trying our best to reach our goals. When he finished his speech all of us jumped up to applaud and reveal our Superman gear if the gown was concealing it. Our school of scarlet and grey was covered in red and blue as he exited. I could not wait to tell my mother and brother who were somewhere in the stadium also watching and listening. When I managed to find them after the ceremony, my brother and I cheered and to this day are still so appreciative we got to hear him as my graduation speaker. The following year when we heard the news announcement that he had passed away, we were saddened and reflected on how he really was a Superman through his philanthropy, activism and using his celebrity to bring awareness to world issues. As for the children we work with who enjoy superheroes, just think they could become the next Christopher Reeve or grow up into a young adult who was a child who simply loved purple crayons.
As much as I am online through video gaming,
I never thought to devote time to blogging or forums. Have you ever read gamer
forums where multiple players write huge "wall- o - text" for
attention, to complain or present what they feel is an elaborate strategy
amid multiple syntax errors that makes you question whether you should go to
bed or stay up longer to explain to them that writing well even on an online
game is the most effective strategy for successful communication? Well, life in the education
field is just like online gaming. With everyone coming into the classroom from
various backgrounds, different generations and carrying multiple agendas, sometimes the
classroom feels far too chaotic than I care to tolerate.
I have worked in many
classrooms because my working experience is not as happy, upbeat or pleasant as other
educators I have met. While I love the education field, I am the triangle in a square classroom. It may look like I fit in from afar but I do not. My sharp corners are always sticking out and I have no reason to hide them. While this trait has really helped me positively change learning environments to support children who educators labeled "difficult" and "misunderstood" by giving them a space to be freely be themselves, it has isolated me from other educators. Some events that happened to me during my teaching journey, especially those in front of children would make you gasp. I did not yield or conform to show children what it means to have courage amid conflict, preserve your individuality as well as analyze the actions of others by developing a careful ear and sensitive eye to write down everything said and each action done to document an occurrence fully. It is exhausting to remember every single detail of situations from the past and present. One of Lisa Delpit's works (1996) had a passage that reminded me there was a lot of work to do in education and really calls us to action. "Time to reassess what we are doing in public schools and universities to include other voices, other experiences; time to seek the diversity in our educational movements that we talk about seeing in our classroom."
The freedom I helped those children realize was their voice. When you speak up with purpose and clarity, children and adults will stop and listen. Sounds easy enough but for adults...speaking up can become difficult or the source of what is now fashionably called "starting drama." In some school environments I have entered, educators only want to hear the only voice they find relevant: the one who signs their timesheet. Even in my experience signing timesheets, hearing voices while using my voice was a skill I was continually developing the difference was I heard all of you. Our temperaments and perceptions are two keys to building a relationship with children, adults and building a community that we embark on from birth and constantly struggle to figure out how to use effectively as we age.
I have really high standards and expectations of people I
encounter, especially from educators, so when I feel things are not flowing
correctly I will stop you immediately for a discussion. Do you ever wonder why a child stops you during class time when something seems off or unrealistic? Like adults, children have high expectations of adults and are constructing meaning from what is said to make sense of how the adult world works. So we really do need to provide a good example of how to communicate effectively as well as being courageous to speak up while being tactful. Just remember the children are watching adult behavior everywhere you go, both inside and outside of the classroom. Even when you are on vacation! An educator's work is continuous and that is exactly what we signed up for.
I have
witnessed and worked with some adults who work very well together and truly
support each other throughout their day. Yet, the reality for most of my
teaching career is made of teachers battling it out with teachers for dominance
in the classroom using a hierarchy based on their education level. We should all be united together so what is the problem? Why is there so much competition among each other for such a low paying career?
As for some administrators who are either forgetting we are all on the same team to
pursue revamping the image of children to really change the status of children
and education or they just want it their way out of arrogance and ego. As
educators, we want children to become independent, competent and innately
motivated to seek knowledge so why are teachers with less education accepting
being turned into robots and doing what they are told without question? Is it
originating from fear of losing their job? Is there a sense of hopelessness or
complacency? What do the children we teach have to look forward to in their
adult life if they can only enjoy their freedom, competence and independence during
their childhood?
I have always felt this fire to pursue everything I could in
life. I remember how my passion (in this case my outspokenness) during
undergrad caught the attention of one of my older classmates in Japanese class
during my sophomore year. He was a seven year senior, it was common at that
school for students to take multiple years to finish their degree. Many students chose to work or begin a career early and left university but return in their late 20's and 30's to finish their Bachelor degree. So this student told me when he was younger he was just like me but his fire died as he aged and
mine would too. I wish I kept in touch with him to tell him my passion is even
worse now! When I bought my first 30 Seconds to Mars CD in December 2009, I realized Closer to the Edge embodied my teaching career.
There are times when I feel like my time in the classroom is over and then I am
suddenly pulled right back into it. Teaching on the edge fueled my school age curriculum to break boundaries using technology, foreign language and social play in a way that supported children's individuality and learning style. This occurrence helped me understand my time in the
classroom is just a part of my journey so I do wonder where my next adventure
in education will take me. But to begin this journey the correct way, a very quick dedication to all the teachers and administrators who
behaved badly during my teaching journey, I finally bid you farewell. Your
actions allowed me to focus even harder on gaining even more knowledge and fire
because let’s face it you will always stay exactly who and where you are while I am sailing forward.
When you check out the video there is a lot going on visually and verbally. I recommend listening to the lyrics first and then the interviews from the youth and watching at the visuals last. Enjoy!
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. The purpose
of this blog is to fulfill a creative multimedia component for my field study
in elementary education – early childhood education this Spring 2014.
Throughout this blog I will address intersections between technology, mass media and popular culture in the classroom. Whether positive or negative, it is a
part of all our learning experiences and I know there are many educators and
parents who want its presence removed from the classroom because "children have so much of it at home," but you have to face
it…it is here to stay. Whether or not you use technology in your home, workplace or classroom is your lifestyle choice. Yet, the choice of children today who have the presence of technology in their lives is to continually explore it throughout their entire school day. So what path is the best path to follow for educators and parents to place children on the best path to learning?
As a child who grew up with computers and
video game consoles while still learning to walk and talk, turning on machines
was a natural daily occurrence for me. Yet there are a few differences between my
childhood and children I work with today. I actually loved going outside to
climb a tree, getting stuck and calling for help. Finding the best hide and
seek spots in my backyard where no one could find me. But why do children want to
go outside less? I do not know. Is it safe outside? What is the weather like?
Do they feel they have something to look forward to that cannot be found
online? It may be that children in our classrooms are seeking building
connections with others. Online communities do provide children ways of connecting to other children not only in their community but all over the world. A pen pal can be made after one conversation online and sent an email in seconds compared to pen pals organization ads listed in a published book that pairs children up to mailing letters and exchange correspondence between children from different countries and await the arrival of the letter.
In elementary classrooms I have worked in, I
have noticed children have trouble building connecting to others. Their time in
the classroom is rushed and stuffed with so much information, I know their head
is spinning when after-school time arrives. Sometimes they just want to “do nothing”
or just “play.” So part of our role as educators is to facilitate learning when
children reach this point of overload even when it occurs earlier in the day.
Since we are all different people, our methods vary. When you turn on your laptop,
tablet or phone, have you noticed how quickly overload dissipates? Have you
seen a child’s eyes widen as the lights of the screen flicker with information?
Children now are receptive to technology
devices as knowledge carriers. Before you could ask your grandparents how to
spell a hard word like, “dubious,” now children sound it out the best they can
on Google to figure out the spelling. The auto spell feature is both a help and
handicap for children. While they figure out the spelling based on what auto
spell reveals, they are not learning to spell the word independently. Handwriting has taken a
hit, as a forgotten art, children’s handwriting is really illegible at times
and worse of all it is empty, lacking their personality and style.
Childhood in the late 2000’s is not what it
was for any of us born before 2000. Children who are 10-12 tell me they feel
the way the children do in the television commercials where children now have
it so easy. They can watch television anywhere in the house where there is a (cable)
box. No longer do children have to wait for a parent or other child to finish
watching their show nor do they have to miss the show because four shows maximum
can be recorded simultaneously. Do you see a connection between technology advancement
and a child’s patience?
Technology provides things right now for both children and adults. As for adults, they
are losing patience as well. Children are shipped off to other parts of the
house and not included in what their parents are doing during “me time.” Yes,
many children preschool – school age have told me and other educators through conversations I overheard that this goes on in their household. Just
a note for parents, when your child is feeling alone during school time, they do tell on you whether you are aware of it or not. As for another note of adult patience, have you seen adults driving
recklessly to get their child to school? Seriously slow down! You are already
late so what is the point of rushing and causing an accident and putting
everyone on the road including your child danger?
As we all take a moment to slow down and think about technology in the lives of all, I will leave you with Sugata Mitra's words from his TED Talk. "My wish is to help design a future of learning by supporting children all over the world to tap into their wonder and their ability to work together. Help me build this school it will be called The School in the Cloud."
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