Mixin’ It Up: Facilitating a Class Digital Audio Project

Caroline Johnson | Marie MartinoMoraine Valley Community College

April 19, 2011

Mixin’ It Up

The Assignment Informing Creativity Through Research The Writing Process Expanding Literacies with Technology Project Outcomes & Lessons Learned Q&A/Discussion

The AssignmentTeaching Com. 102 at MVCC involves

research. My task as a teacher is to: Introduce students to a variety of

different sources Motivate them to successfully

incorporate those sources into their papers or projects

And use MLA guidelines correctly.

The AssignmentI belong to the National Council of

Teachers of English (NCTE). I came across the idea for this project in the September 2010 issue. The article was entitled, “Students Produce Place-based Podcasts,” and it was written by English teachers Lori Atkins Goodson and Matt Skillen.

The AssignmentThe rationale for the project caught my

eye. The idea was to motivate students by having them publish their work on a CD, to be shared with the entire class. They would write about their hometown and record their writing using a microphone. This project would produce a different “audience” rather than the traditional teacher.

The AssignmentTraditionally, students write for the

teacher only. This is not a “real world” audience.

By increasing their audience to 30 or so of their own peers, students gain integrity and credibility.

The AssignmentThis project: provided more room for creativity Fostered student motivation Inspired students to write and tell their

own stories Motivated them to see that “text” was

something more than just words on paper.

The AssignmentI chose a multigenre approach to research and

writing: November, 2002, English Journal, states that

multigenre writing requires “much more in the way of academic skills” than the traditional monogenre research paper (Mack 92).

Students would write about their hometown, but this could include a memory from school, a neighborhood, or a family. The subject might vary, but each piece should evoke a sense of place.

The AssignmentThe benefits of this project included: Eliminating the possibility of plagiarism Providing a more academically challenging

learning experience for students Stimulating students to do creative research,and take ownership of their writing.

The AssignmentI required students to include 3 sources for the

second revision. These included both primary and secondary sources.

According to Nancy Mack, author of “The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens of Multigenre Writing,” using a multigenre approach gives students more autonomy. “By making their writing answerable for their life experiences,” Mack said, “these students create art” (Mack 97).

The AssignmentThe project met the following guidelines on source-based writing as stated in my Com. 102 syllabus:Develop strategies for reaching more than one type of audience in a piece of writing.Select source material (library, print, or fieldwork-based) appropriate to a writing project’s purpose and audience.Integrate research material from multiple sources into a piece of writing while maintaining one’s own voice.Demonstrate ethical awareness in writing by incorporating and documenting source material responsibly according to MLA guidelines.Move beyond managing correctness in writing and toward making deliberate choices about stylistic elements such as clarity, concision, cohesion, and emphasis.

Informing Creativity Through Research

“ . . . fostering an individual’s sense of curiosity and creativity in tandem with developing his ability to find, locate, and evaluate information is the essence of information literacy.”

(Hensley, Arp, & Woodward, 2004)

Informing Creativity Through ResearchLibrary instruction GOALS Students will: Identify information needs and develop appropriate

research strategies to fulfill those needs Differentiate between primary and secondary

resources Use the library resources to find book, articles or

other materials relevant to their topic Use the Web as needed to find credible, trustworthy

information related to their topic Evaluate their resources in order to determine the

integrity of the source, as well as the source’s value to their project

Informing Creativity Through ResearchThe project as a whole corresponded to the ACRL information literacy

standards 1-5: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

the information needed. The information literate student accesses needed information

effectively and efficiently. The information literate student evaluates information and its

sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally. 

(ACRL, 2011)

Informing Creativity Through ResearchStudent-centered teaching strategies:

Librarian in facilitator role Brief lectures Hands-on demonstration Active learning opportunities Use of multimedia sources Allotted time for independent research

The Writing Process

The First Day: Students wrote a journal entry describing their

hometown. Students shared their writing. Teacher modeled songs

The Next Class: Students brought in 3 songs / lyrics that related

to their hometown. Students wrote Journal #2: Analyze the songs,

and relate them to their hometown.

The Writing Process

The Second Week: Teacher passed out profile assignment. Teacher asked students to choose an event

from their hometown, and write about it. Students could choose their genre: a poem, a

narrative, a one-act play, a short story, a letter, a vignette, a dialogue, a memoir, etc.

The teacher let the students CHOOSE their genre that was most comfortable to them.

The Writing Process

The Rubric covered 7 basic areas:1. Does the piece reflect a memory of a hometown?2. Is the piece creative and written in one of the genres?3. Is the piece of adequate length?4. Does the piece tell a story or relate a memory in vivid

detail?Extra points were given for creativity and expression,

descriptive details, and grammar.

The Writing ProcessI spent a lot of time focusing on description and concrete

details, as I feel that makes the strongest writing.The following is a list of authors and their writing:

Christen wrote a descriptive piece about riding home with her Dad in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.

Sean wrote about an experience with a girl at a peace rally. Salam wrote a moving poem about Palestine. Felicia wrote a long, narrative poem about an encounter with the

Latin Kings gang in her neighborhood. Melanie wrote a poem about divorce. Ahmed wrote a letter to his Uncle Andy

The Writing Process Brian created and performed his own song (which he produced at home

with a friend) about Crestwood. Matt wrote a moving piece about growing up in Poland Jordan described her house growing up, and how it no longer exists now. Luke wrote a powerful piece about a gift his Polish grandfather gave to

him. Bart wrote about a dog, Brando Samantha wrote about prom. Frank wrote about a favorite park, Normandy Park Lamar wrote a rap/hip hop piece called, “Train Stories,” about Chicago

mass transit. Charles wrote about prejudice he and his family experienced as new

immigrant to America Bob wrote about a snowball fight

The Writing ProcessAfter students submitted their first drafts, I used the rubric to

grade them, then returned the papers with the directions for them to find and locate sources in the library.

I explained the different between primary and secondary sources. Possible primary sources included interviews and surveys. Many students interviewed family members or friends to find out more information for this project.

Secondary sources included websites, books, historical sources, newspapers, encyclopedias, poetry, etc.

Students were to find 3 possible sources and hand in these sources, with their revised 2nd draft, in a pocket folder. They received points for doing this.

The Writing ProcessI found the encouragement and uniqueness of this project

motivated students to do some innovative research, which gave their stories more authenticity and breadth.

Once I graded and handed back the revised 2nd drafts, students were then ready to do the recording process.

One other note: I gave Extra Credit to students interested in designing a cover for the project. I had several students volunteer, for a total of 3. We voted as a class on the title. Students anonymously suggested titles, then they collectively voted. They agreed upon, “Pieces of the Past: The Com. 102 Mixtaxpe, Vol. 14.

Expanding Literacies with Technology“What it means to be literate has

broadened to not only include traditional literacies, reading and writing print text for example, but also reflect the needs of students living and learning in a digital world.”

( Sylvester & Greenidge, 2009)

Expanding Literacies with TechnologySome definitions: Technological literacy—skill set needed to use

computers Media literacy—skill set needed to access,

evaluate, and/or create in various formats including text, graphics, moving images, and sound

Digital literacy—skill set needed to perform various types of tasks in a digital environment

These often overlap!

Expanding Literacies with TechnologyMaking a voice recording:

Library’s digital recorder—we only had 2 students opt for this

Gabcast (beta version) www.gabcast.com/beta --service currently defunct

Use own technology

Expanding Literacies with TechnologyAudacity –free, open source audio tool,

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Recording Editing Mixing Adding effects Converting formats Production And more . . .

“The digital aspect of the literacy offers a variety of learning opportunities, formats for creation, and spaces for expression that were not previously available.”

(Chase & Laufenberg, 2011)

Expanding Literacies with Technology

Project Outcomes & Lessons Learned Students were engaged with the writing process

from beginning to end Took ownership of the project, including the

technological aspects Students were at varying technology skill levels Innovation, intuition, and creative problem-solving in

the classroom Curiosity--going beyond techniques covered in class Empowerment by the technology transformed them

into producers of “new,” exciting forms

Project Outcomes & Lessons Learned

(cont.) Informal surveys/evaluations revealed

students enjoyed the project Also, many said they had never done

anything like this project

Project Outcomes and Lessons

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Higher level learning

Program Outcomes & Lessons“Literacy in any form, advances a

person’s ability to effectively and creatively use and communicate information.”

(Jones-Kavalier & Flannigan, 2006)

Q & A / Discussion

Questions, comments, thoughts to share?

Thanks!

Marie Martinomartinom43@morainevalley.edu

Caroline Johnsonjohnsonc@morainevalley.edu

Works CitedACRL. "ACRL | Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education." ALA | Home - American

Library Association. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm>.

Chase, Zac, and Diana Laufenberg. "Digital Literacies: Embracing the Squishiness of Digital Literacy."Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 54.7 (2011): 535-537

Goodson, Lori Atkins, and Matt Skillen. “Small-Town Perspectives, Big-Time Motivation: Composing and Producing Place-Based Podcasts.” English Journal 100.1 (September 2010): 53-57.

Hensley, Randy Burke, Lori Arp, and Beth S. Woodard. "Curiosity and Creativity as Attributes of Information Literacy." Reference & User Services Quarterly 44.1 (2004): 31-36.

Jones-Kavalier, Barbara R., and Suzanne L. Flannigan. “Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century." Educause Quarterly 29.2 (2006): 13-16. 

Mack, Nancy. “The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens of Multigenre Writing.” English Journal 92.2 (November 2002): 91-98.

Sylvester, Ruth, and Wendy-lou Greenidge. "Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers." Reading Teacher 63.4 (2009): 384-395.