DEER HUNTER 2005 BLOOD OF THE DEER: REVENGE: PART SIX
Who else is a little, um, troubled by this? I'm thinking of David O'Brien's chapter on multimediating and the example he uses of Tania, who brings her outside literacies in to school by making a PowerPoint show of screen shots from her favorite game, Deer Hunter (Alvermann, p. 39). Tania's example is used to illustrate the notion that students may find writing through digital media easier than writing print-centric reports.
This fits in with some of the general themes raised in Alvermann's (2006) Reconceptualizing Literacies in Adolescents' Lives. Young adults have multiple literacies and multiple texts (not just print)that may appreciated and incorporated in school environments.
So, bring it on, right?
Deer Hunter.
Ouch.
Watching this (I think)really troubling video in light of our theories about adolsecent literacies makes me wonder:
1) would I invite this in to the classroom? and in what context?
2) is there a way to frame a discussion around Deer Hunter to move a Tania toward critical consciousness of this cultural text?
3) if I invite Deer Hunter with my own critical agenda, I am truly valuing what she brings?
4) does it matter it matter if I personally value a cultural text like Deer Hunter before I invite it in to the classroom space?
My first response to this video was something like nausea. But it got me thinking... and I have suspicion that it might do the same inside of a classroom.
As O'Brien points out, it's not enough to just use technology, but to think about how we use it as knowledgeable teachers in ways that aren't "detrimental" (p. 42). As teachers, we need to make "a concerted effort to think deeply about literacy, learning, and technology together in critical, cultural, ways" (p. 42).
So, sitting Deer Hunter in the critical, cultural context of classroom discussion... Worth a shot?
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Multimediating, Adolescent Literacies, and Deerhunter (Part 6)
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4 comments:
Well, I'd have a hard time with this because of my own stance on "in your face" violence. Not that any level of violence is comfortable for me, but I REALLY go out of my way to avoid such things. So what do we do when Deer Hunter makes its way in? I'd love to hear what everyone else has to say about it like you. To think of an easier one, what about those recess games(in elementary)the boys play. They are creating their own texts with the playscape, pretending to be cops and robbers, kung fu fighters and wizards. And yet somehow I have an easier time watching pretend sword fighting than pretend shooting with guns. Why is it? I hear that boys are born to play cops and robbers, so how do I reconcile this?
Not to defend Deerhunter, but what happened to go to where the students are? Isn't trying to make (force) the student to see the horror of what she was doing kind of patrichian? I often wondered what the difference was between gun and sword playing with my own children: swords are much more violent and personal when put to actual use. Chop, chop hack hack. Not as quick as a single bullet. we could try to control everything, but then that would be counter to much of what we say is good in ELA.
Of course, I agree with you, subtext, we should strive to meet students where they are. But I wonder if part of my role as her ELA teacher is also to invite critical questioning of that text. Not forcing my own views, but genuinely questioning, inviting her to question, as I would with any other text. What do you all think?
There's something about kids' playing, even when it's Deerhunter, that I think if they can connect it to an enthusiasm for an academic task as well, that that is a time where our own values and ideas really need to take a backseat to the kids' initiative. That's not to say we should allow anything and everything, but too much questioning (even with the intent of evoking critical reflection) can be taken personally...how long before we're censoring? To Tania, Deerhunter and deer hunting is a part of life.
For some reason the old "violent" cartoons we used to watch just came to mind...those were texts in a way as well, although I'd be hard-pressed to describe any real educational value in them, rather than a good laugh. That's important too, laughing.
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