Hanna

New Media Literacies

First level
Performance - the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery
Simulation - the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes
Negotiation - the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms
Visualization - the ability to interpret and create data representations for the purpose of expressing ideas, finding patterns, and identifying trends

Second level
Play - the capacity to experiment with one's surroundings as a form of problem-solving
Multitasking - the ability to scan one's environment and shift focus as needed to salient details
Collective Intelligence - the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others towards a common goal
Networking - the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information

Third level
Appropriation - the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content
Distributed Cognition - the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities
Judgment - the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources
Transmedia Navigation - the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

I have actually placed these New Media Literacies in these "levels" based on how important I believe them to be for the content area of foreign language. In the actual levels, I have placed each term in no particular order. I placed "performance", "simulation", "negotiation" and "visualization" in the first level, because I believe that even with the most basic understanding of a foreign language, in combination with these new media literacies, one will be better able to make their way through the target language's country. For instance, students who have simulated what it would be like to live in Germany and have used their language skills in combination with such a simulation exercise will most likely be better able to do well in such situations when they are actually in Germany (for example, going to the store and purchasing groceries). Overall, I placed terms in the first level that seemed to aim more towards the goal of actually living in the target language's country. These, I believe, are the most important skills.
However, I believe that "appropriation", "distributed cognition", "judgment" and "transmedia navigation" (based on their given definitions), however also important, are not as immediately necessary if one's goal is being able to survive in the target language's country.


"Oya? O, ja! Reading Jugendliteratur in the German Classroom" by Gisela Moffit

This article can be found on JSTOR by following the link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3531171?seq=4&Search=yes&term=classroom&term=reading&term=german&term=education&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dreading%2Bin%2Ba%2Bgerman%2Beducation%2Bclassroom%26wc%3Don%26dc%3DAll%2BDisciplines&item=8&ttl=13316&returnArticleService=showArticle&resultsServiceName=doBasicResultsFromArticle

The article describes the use of Jugendliteratur in a German (as a foreign language) classroom. Moffit explains the benefits of using this "youth literature" in high school and undergraduate classroom, and how to go about selecting texts. She also describes a method that can be used to help integrate the text into the course, and helps the students understand the meaning and importance of reading this kind of text in their early (second) language development years. She describes something similar to the DR-TA method of analyzing the text, which can be extremely helpful in the comprehension.


'Twas chilly, and the lifeless trees
Did sway and creek in the wind;
All huddled were the young children
And the man his story told.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the JubJub bird and shun
The cunning Bandersnatch!"

He took his heavy sword in hand:
Long time the evil foe he sought -
So he rested by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in deep thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with his eyes of flame,
Came dashing through the dense wood,
And screeched as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The heavy blade went whack and hack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went running back

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my daring boy!
O joyful day! Hurray! Hurrah!
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas chilly, and the lifeless trees
Did sway and creek in the wind;
All huddled were the young children
And the man his story told.

Reflection:
I think that this poem is so interesting, because it really can have so many meanings for every person. Depending on what mood the reader is in, or what prior experiences they have had can totally change the meaning. For example, I thought it was interesting how Kristine's was about a swimmer and a sea/lake, because I know her to be a swimmer. I also took note in how people changed some words/names of animals while others left them alone. I think that creating an image of the creature in one's mind can create different meanings for different people - especially when we don't know what a "Jubjub bird" is - we can either think that it is something imaginary, or that it is a real bird that Carroll just renamed. I think that I had the idea that this was like a fairy tale, so I wrote it like it was in some creepy forest, I think - like a prince slaying a Dragon. I actually pictured a dragon in my mind, and almost changed the word Jabberwock to "dragon". - I think I got my idea from the real life movie Alice in Wonderland.

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