Literature Across Cultures: Minkler

Monday, June 24, 2024

Minkler - Week 4 Post

My perspective is mostly informed by social media. I have not read that many multicultural books, and the movies I’ve seen are not always truthful. I am able to see what other countries look like and might be like based off of pictures and videos I see on Instagram and Facebook. I have taken some vacations and done activities based on what I’ve seen online.

The ways in which we experience people, places, cultures, issues, etc. are influenced by how we first come into contact with them. For example, if you see a politically charged message on the news, you are receiving an altered message that feeds to an agenda. You are not receiving the whole truth. I think the same can be said for different social media sites. They say not to trust everything you see online, and that is completely the truth. On social media, we often see a snapshot into someone’s life, and it is usually on a good day. People don’t often film the bad days they have, or the negative things they are experiencing. This is true for other events too. For example, I am from Spencer, Iowa, which was almost completely destroyed in flood waters this week. I have seen countless videos and photographs from the horrific scene but social media doesn’t show everything. It doesn’t show the shelters of people that have lost absolutely everything. It doesn’t show my family and their neighbors cleaning out the feet of water in their basements, and all of their ruined furniture. It doesn’t show the impact that no electricity, running water, sewer, or natural gas has on citizens. Social media doesn’t show my ruined classroom, with floating desks and books. There are so many benefits to the use of technology available to us like access to quick information, advanced ways to receive knowledge, the ability to connect with others around the world, etc., but there are also these drawbacks that need to be considered.

3 comments:

Camryn CoryJune 25, 2024 at 9:33 AM
Hi Kaetlyn!

I often remind myself of technology's benefits and drawbacks. Too often, because news sources and social media only focus on one aspect of something (rather than the whole picture), people form opinions and beliefs that are greatly skewed from the truth that is being hidden. Being able to see and hear every perspective and analyze one's own perspectives is a skill that I find to be missing from many.

With respect to multicultural books and movies, I too find myself having a lack of exposure to true depictions of other cultures. Is there a book you have read or movie you have watched that you found later to be not an accurate representation of a culture?
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Rachel MeyerJune 25, 2024 at 12:47 PM
Kaetlyn,
I am so sorry to hear about Spencer. This is a perfect example of social media because I have only seen certain videos of the damage that is has caused. I am from Sioux City and they diverted the water through McCook Lake, destroying almost the whole town. The news and media has only shown certain things and people do not understand the true devastation that is actually happening with the flood. This just shows how easy it is to form perspectives based solely on short videos and news clips we see when we actually do now know the majority of what is happening.
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Mandy StevensonJune 26, 2024 at 1:15 PM
Kaetlyn, I am so sorry that your hometown is experiencing such devastation. I agree that the media almost always misses the mark on telling the whole story. News shows are led by ratings and bringing in viewers and ad revenue. It is important to remember this as we seek to find information. As educators, we need to model this for our students.
The exposure to quick clips of the world around us on platforms like TikTok work against us in building unbiased perspectives. The algorithm is designed to draw users in with content similar to what they seek out. So, if a student watches a few TikToks about Irish farmers, their for you page will eventually pop up similar TikToks. This means the exposure to the Irish culture will be formed by these videos and will not show any other parts of the Irish culture.
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Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.