Of Cyborgs and Critical Techno-mania

After reading “Surfing and Getting Wired in a Fifth Grade Classroom: Critical Pedagogical Methods and Techno-Culture” by John A. Weaver and Karen Grindall, I was left with more than a few questions. Two questions that stuck with me throughout the chapter were:

1. Is there a connection between critical literacy and critical techno-mania?

2. Where does the fifth grade classroom fit in?

The book this chapter was selected from was first published in 1998. Even though a fifth grade classroom is mentioned in the title, the classroom is only focused on for 7 of the 20 pages in the chapter. The authors provide three examples of critical techno-mania from a classroom.

Hollywood High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP689XtbzPg

In 1998 I was a Grade 6 student, so I had to search to find out what Hollywood High was all about. We were definitely not using this level of technology in my elementary school (it was Carmen Sandiago all the way for us). As it turns out, Hollywood High was a late 90s precursor to web-based animation platforms such as PowToons. I’m not sure if I would equate the same level of “ground-breaking” excitement as the authors have for Hollywood High, to using a current comparison (PowToons) in today’s classroom. Yes it’s cool, kind of fun, and gives students another avenue to express themselves; but it’s still just a piece of software that requires a knowledgeable and qualified teacher to take it from fun entertainment to a place where students are learning and demonstrating deeper thinking about the world around them.

Rap

The authors also discuss rap as a techno-centric art form, however I have to disagree. I question whether the students were engaged in their learning because of the use of technology, or if it was the lyrics themselves, the inclusion of celebrities they idolize and the experiential visit to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Rap music can occur with or without the use of technology. Artists can freestyle on the street, or rap to a drum beat. The two ideas are not explicitly linked and therefor I feel that the author was really reaching with this example, chasing waterfalls even. The idea of rap music as text feels more like critical literacy to me than critical techno-mania. Critical literacy involves examining underlying meaning, hidden bias or perspectives in the text that we deal with in our personal/professional/digital lives (think Power and Agency from the new Manitoba ELA curriculum for anyone familiar with that). As a side note, I hope to never see the terms rap’n or mix’n in scholarly writing ever again.

Environmental Activism

When I started reading this last section, I thought that the authors were trying to sell me another non-technology example of critical techno-mania. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case! Making connections, broadening the scope and looking globally at issues is really at the heart of critical techno-mania/critical literacy. This is an area of tech integration that I believe deserves to be further fostered and developed. There are definitely teachers who are doing this, however in my experience those teachers are few and far between. If anyone out there in the #BU755 world is participating in Mystery Skypes or bringing authors and experts into the classroom via technology I would love to hear from you!

Questions I Am Left Wondering:

1. Why do they keep referencing cyborgs?

2. What is a cyborg?

3. Can we please kill the term techno-mania?