Relevance to Book 2

Our second book discussion was on a book called, "Bring it to Class, Unpacking Pop Culture in Literacy Learning" by Margaret Hagood. This book dealt with the usage of pop culture in classrooms and the amount of usage students give technology and the media. The main claim was that students are increasingly using and relating to pop culture and technology, including their cell phones, computers, Ipods, and TV. A great deal of their day is spent on these items and less is spent on actual books. If teachers can harness the power of these items into their lessons, students are more apt to complete their work and actually take interest in the assignments. A variety of techniques can bring pop culture and electronics into the classroom benefitting the students including, movies, music, lyrics, internet assignments, and cyber working. By bringing in outside influences, the students will be drawn into the work more and more likely to complete the task. Lyrics and musical influences will allow students to not only see things in a written, literacy sense but allow them to bring their own personalities and likes into the picture. By allowing music and movies that relate to literary pieces, the students can get a break from the mundane reading and essays. The pop culture can serve as enforcers of lessons or as rewards as appropriate.

The use of pop culture and technology at the PLC is clearly evident. Not only is the entire course electronic but they are allowed to listen to music throughout the period. E2020 is the website that holds all of the lessons, assignments, quizzes, and literary pieces. The teacher is more of a backup than a necessity because even the lectures are on the computer screen. The student can plug into the website at the beginning of the class time and never leave the screen while completing a variety of courses and projects. The majority of students also listen to music while they work. They are allowed their own headphones or some may be given to them if they find music helps them focus or work better. I think in this aspect the music takes away from the learning going on because of the fact that the entire course is computerized. The fact that it IS all computerized I also think is less than beneficial because the students are tech savvy and find ways around assignments and grades. They can easily look up summaries to literary pieces instead of reading the actual piece and they can google definitions of words instead of figuring them out for themselves. I think the teachers should be more involved instead of the computer program. I do think some students come to the PLC simply for the ability to work solely on the internet. Due to the fact that it is an alternative school, the freedom on the web is appropriate but I think only to an extent. I think the use of pop culture in other high schools could be more beneficial because the students are more willing to branch out and try new things. The students at the PLC are looking to complete their work and move on as opposed to exploring creative outreaches and testing new ways of learning.