Critical Literacy

How do you define critical literacy? What ideas do you have for fostering critical literacy among your students after reading the article? 

Critical literacy is helping your students to think outside of the text.  Students come up with their own ideas, questions, and thoughts regarding the course material.  They are encouraged to think at a deeper level and not just to take the author's word for it.  They are asked how to apply the theories and material to the real world and are encouraged to pose questions.  Critical literacy can lead to interesting classroom discussions and new ideas.  Ultimately, critical thinking can lead to action as the students decide how they will act on the knowledge they gain in class.

After reading the following self-selected article on critical literacy:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/scholasticprofessional/authors/pdfs/Sample_pages_Critical_literacy.pdf  I have a few ideas about how I can use critical literacy in my teaching discipline:

1.  When learning about building codes and regulations, we could have a classroom debate about whether older homes need to be updated and brought up to code, or whether they should be "grandfathered in", allowing existing codes to stand.  Each group will study and discuss the pros and cons of their positions, then present to the class what they have learned and how they feel.

2.  Discuss the recent mud slides in northern Utah.  (see http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/utah-mudslide-destroys-home-north-salt-lake-city-n173071)  Ask the students who they feel was responsible?  What should be done to indemnify the homeowners?  Who should provide compensation?  The home insurance (they won't)?  The contractor?  The geotechnical team?  The city?  The state?  Engage in a  discussion about where the buck stops and how different industries come together in the construction process.  Also, discuss liability in the construction and design process.

(image courtesy of nydailynews.com)

(image courtesy of 860wgul.com

Digital Text and Reflection

I read the following article for this assignment, and I was interested in learning more about Autodesk Sketchbook app, which can be used with Chromecast.  http://mashable.com/2014/10/11/5-apps-autodesk-sketchbook/

I am glad that I downloaded the app to my phone, and I played around with it for a while.  Here is a quick sketch that I drew of a basic, very simple floor plan.

I appreciate the usefulness of this app, and I like that it can be used with Chromecast, because then I can easily show what I am drawing to the class on the big screen.  Any of them that have the Chromecast version of the app, could also use it to draw images for the class to see from their seats, which might be a fun and interactive way to learn about design.  I did not feel that the app was very user-friendly, however.  It was difficult to write and draw with any accuracy with my big fat fingers, but if I could have had some sort of stylus, it would have been better.  It was also really hard to figure out how to draw straight lines, though I suspect there is a way to do it.  Also, I found it difficult to save and share my images, and it took me quite a while to figure out how to send myself the image I drew.

The image that was posted as an example of what I could draw in Sketchbook, was very detailed and colorful, so I have hope that I could do something better than my silly sketch.  I'll have to play around with it more and learn about all the tools, then see if I can come up with something more impressive.