JuliAnna Ávila

In this conceptual essay, I ask, what might happen when educators
default to unexamined habits in their classrooms? How might we
be ignoring the more creative pedagogical options, not for lack
of good intentions but simply out of routine and tradition? I
utilize John Dewey’s (1902/1990) exploration of habit as it provides a
constructive lens through which we can think about our own
pedagogy as I explore the negative role that habit can play for a
thoughtful and creative practitioner. I then turn to assumption
analysis (Brookfield,  2017) as a method to uncover hidden habits and
argue that in an era of standardization, when so much might be
recommended or even dictated to us, we need to continue to be
vigilant about critically questioning our own approaches. To
illustrate my assertions, I include examples from my own practice
as a teacher educator.

Using social media in a university English course, students created a menu of Instagram prompts after reading challenging texts and reported that this activity increased understanding. J ohn Dewey might be surprised to find himself on Instagram, accompanied by his own set of hashtags (e.g., #experienceandeducation, #traditionalvpro-gressive, #experiencesmatter), and perhaps even be amused to find his picture alongside an image from the movie Divergent in a post combining references to the two. Or, he might be glad that students found his ideas approachable and relevant enough to merit a series of Instagram posts. In this article, I provide an overview of how we, as a university English class, created a menu of Instagram prompts that students used to create posts in response to course readings, including Experience and Education (Dewey, 1938). The motivation for this project was to increase engagement with our more demanding readings. For example, students would be reading Dewey, whose still-relevant ideas and theories often have to be uncovered by close and deliberate reading. If students can respond to Dewey with imagery and hashtags, along with more academic written responses, then a dense text might become more accessible. As a former high school English teacher and literacy coach and current university-based educator, I am continually looking for activities that will invite students in, especially when we are reading difficult texts; I am also modeling for my English education students how they might integrate popular digital culture into classroom practices. My goal was not to study Instagram itself. I chose it because it provided a pedagogical middle ground: Both students and I were familiar with it, and because of the largely visual nature of it, that would, arguably, complement the more formal writing that students did. The tool is not necessarily the critical aspect here, but asking students to design use of that tool in our class was. The research question guiding this study was as follows: How did students in a college English class choose to implement the Instagram reading response options that they collectively created? After outlining the framework that structures this project, I explain how, specifically, we brought this into our class by creating a menu of prompts that students then used to respond to course readings. Theoretical Framework Design and Digital Agency Kress's (2010) conception of design was central to this project: Design is an assertion of the individual's interest in participating appropriately in the social and communicational world; and an insistence on their capacity to shape their interests through the design of messages with the resources available to them in specific situations….It is the position taken by those who have become accustomed to produce (for YouTube even if not in or for the school) and who

This paper is a course description of a Digital Literacies class offered to both undergraduate and graduate students at an American university. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to describe the pedagogical bones of this course, drawing upon theories of learning in a participatory culture, including a discussion of how, and where, the course fell short; and (2) to reflect upon the process of teaching this course while trying to involve students in substantial and meaningful ways, even though the author, as professor, retained the final say on grading. The author highlights specific course activities where students had significant input. Although this is not a report of a data-driven research project, students’ voices and thoughts play a significant role in this paper as they provided feedback on the implementation of this course.

In this article, the authors consider ways teachers can bring critical literacy into the classroom using Common Core State Language Arts Standards as a starting point and examining an 11th grader’s response to a critical literacy assignment. Furthermore, they explore how teachers can use digital tools to introduce meaningful critical literacy without simply domesticating either of them. The authors conclude by suggesting ways that critical literacy can be used to make both digital literacies and standards seem more relevant to students.

This essay describes the digital story of one 12-year-old girl from New Orleans, living in a FEMA trailer park at the time, who participated in an after-school technology program. I focus on the lessons her participation offered, including the need for educators to allow space for "desire lines" to learning, even in a time of standardization and accountability.