Cyberspace Vs. Physical Space

"...many schools still operate from a mindset rooted in the Industrial Revolution that is 'forged in physical space' and organized around the production of material goods (Lankshear & Knobel, 2003)" (Black, Just Don't Call Them Cartoons, p 583). Whereas, contemporary students are entering classrooms with a mindset that is 'forged in cyberspace' and organized around the production and distribution of information and various texts, including traditional print documents, graphic arts, spoken and embodied language, and other forms of online and post-typographic communication" (Castells, 1996; Lankshear & Knobel, 2003)(Black, Just Don't Call Them Cartoons, p 584).

I believe the above quotes sum up the state of education today! The students of today are born into a world where nothing stays the same for very long and have learned to embrace this state of constant change and use it to their advantage. Whereas, the education system of today is still based on the old world, where things move slowly and where one has time to adjust to change because of the slow pace. At what point do we finally figure out that if we want to engage the students of today we need to ride this tide of change and use it as a framework for education?

Sometimes I feel like I am the only educator in my school that wants to, or goes out of her/his way to change. I do not like things to stay the same, and perhaps that is why I am an Educational Technologist, as opposed to an Earth Science teacher (although I am certified). But, when I think about it, Earth Science is not a stagnant subject either, and there again, maybe that is why I was drawn to it. Technology excites me!! I love to try to keep abreast (nobody really can) of all of the new technologies that are born every day. I have no problem learning from my students, in fact, I believe that being able to learn from my students, shows them that I truly want to be a part of their world.

As an educator I believe that we should seek out ways to purposefully integrate out of school literacies. Since our students"...use popular culture to locate meaning, to construct individual and group identity, and to define that identity within a larger landscape of peer relations" (Hagood, Intersections of Popular Culture, Identities, and New Literacies Research, p 538), we would be overlooking an exceptional educational tool. Students perceive these literacies as a part of who and what they are, and, if we as educators want to help our students grow into knowledgeable and proper citizens, it is incumbent upon us to use all available means to do so.

It has been shown through research that our students "...escape the boundaries of lived realities and explore new territories in textual spaces beyond what is available to them in their daily lives" (Hagood, Intersections of Popular Culture, Identities, and New Literacies Research, p 539). Isn't that what we want to see as educators? I want my students to question, explore and construct new meanings of everyday things for themselves. I, as an educator, want to be there with them to help explore, learn, and understand the world around us.

If we want our students to be life long learners, don't we want the same things for ourselves? I want to show my students that I am integrating and welcoming their new skills into my classroom. I would love to let my students teach me about anime, manga, or any topic of their choice while participating in classroom activities. I think that we, as educators, need to seek out ways to have our students integrate their every day lives into their own education. Only then will they see things as relevant as to who they are and who they want to become. Let's stop putting up the road blocks when they are not necessary. Let's stop being the teachers spoken about in the following: "...teachers frequently shy away from using popular culture texts in literacy instruction (Finders, 2000; Marsh, 2006; Marsh & Millard, 2001; Xu, 2004), thus continuing the split between in-school and out-of-school literacies (Gallego &Hollingsworth, 2000)" (Hagood, Intersections of Popular Culture, Identities, and New Literacies Research, p 536). Let's use cyberspace over physical space and become participants in a great world of new literacies!