Argument in Social Media

Our students are constantly immersed in digital information through social media. According to Turner and Hicks (2017), on the Heinemann Blog, “digital texts influence what students buy, who they vote for, and what they believe about themselves and their world.” It is so important for them to learn how to properly express as well as analyze an argument in the digital world. It is our responsibility as educators to teach our students how to do so; however, we must first understand how to do so ourselves.

When scrolling through X, I came across a post and study shared about getting rid of long lecture times in classrooms. After an hour long lecture, a quiz was given on the information shared. Most thought that students would do well on the questions asked about the information from the end of the lecture because that would be most fresh on their minds. However, the study showed that students remembered the most information from the first 5 minutes of the lecture.

After reading chapter 6 and using Table 6.1 from Turner and Hicks (2017), I can evaluate this argument using the acronym MINDFUL. The letter “M” urges readers to monitor what we are reading. It is important to consider whether we know and trust the writer. I do not know the writer personally, but he is a well known author and speaker in the education world. The letter “I” prompts the reader to identify the claim. The claim in this instance is that teachers should not be lecturing for long periods of time because students only retain information from the beginning of the lecture. The letter “N” encourages readers to note the evidence. For this claim, there is evidence included and cited from a study posted on ERIC. This presents a strong argument as opposed to someone who just posts on social media claiming their opinion that lectures are not a meaningful way for students to learn. The letter “D” has us determine the framework. We should question whether the evidence clearly supports the claim. In this case, I believe the evidence from the student clearly supports the claim that the author is making. Continuing on with the acronym, the letter “F” tells us as readers that we must determine whether the writer is using facts or opinion. In this case, the writer of the X post used facts to support his opinion. The letter “U”, urges us as readers to understand the counterargument. For this claim, the counterargument would be that an hour-long lecture is necessary in order for students to understand and retain information taught in a class. The writer did not include any facts that dispute the counterclaim. The final letter in the acronym is “L” which has us leverage our response to the argument. Would sharing this claim or responding to this claim be beneficial? In this case, I agree with the claim that is being made and think that there is a valid point to the argument with great evidence to back it up; I find benefit in sharing this post with others in the education world. Below is a great podcast from the Heinemann blog with more information about argument in the real world for students.

Excellent podcast about argument in the real world!

It is important for students to understand how to use their social media wisely when posting, sharing, and analyzing information. In the blog post, Turner and Hicks (2017), urge us to imagine a future where important conversations are constructed around factual arguments that propel us forward rather than backwards.

References:

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017, January 25). Teaching argument to support meaningful conversation. Heinemann. https://blog.heinemann.com/teaching-argument-for-conversation

Crafting Digital Texts

Teaching our students to craft video texts is an important twenty-first century skill. According to Hicks (2013), “literally thousands of hours of video texts are created, uploaded, and viewed every minute of the day” (p. 104). Video texts consist of a message that is conveyed through means of a video; whether that be a commercial, a reel, or a full length movie. The prominence of video texts in this generation makes it crucial for students to know how to both analyze and create digital video texts. Hicks (2013) states that, “video texts…may be the form of digital writing that many of us need to learn to convey information in the twenty-first century” (p. 104). Video texts can help teach many different standards, including writing, speaking, listening, and technology standards. That's a lot of bang for your buck! As Howell et al (2017) explain, “A central concept distinguishing conventional writing from constructing multimodal texts is engagement in a conscious design perspective using the affordances of digital tools” (para. 15).

After reviewing my introduction video, I began planning how to edit the video in order to create a better video text as well as meet the requirements for my assignment. As Sydnor and Davis (2020) explain, “Skillful facilitation of video reflection can support engagement in deeper analysis” (para. 16). Analyzing what I did the first time helped me to better prepare for rerecording my second video. The first time I recorded, I did not prepare a script. I knew that I was introducing myself and then just started recording the video. When editing my video this time, I knew there were certain requirements that needed to be met. In order to ensure that I included all of the required information, I wrote, proofread, and edited a script to prepare for my recording. For my first video, I also just recorded using the video option on my MacBook Pro. The second video, I used Flip Video. Using this program, allowed me to use the tele-prompt option so that my script would scroll across the screen as I recorded. This feature assured that I would stick to the script and cover all of the required information. Flip is also a great option to use with students because it is accessible to students no matter where they are or what computer they are using. Hicks (2013) mentions, “the benefits of using web-based tools rather than a program on a specific computer are many: students can access their work at home, school, or anywhere with an internet connection; media files are stored remotely and cannot be lost; many publish their work, often with a choice between a private link or a public document (p. 113). In my second video, I chose to edit my video in Canva. This allowed me to add in texts, images, and sound clips to make my video more appealing as well as engaging. The final step in the composing process is publishing or sharing the video. Below is my edited video.

Video texts are a great tool for both teachers and students to use for many reasons. There are many ways that videos can be used in the classroom. Here is a great infographic with examples.

References

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital texts: Composing texts across media and genres. Heinemann.

Howell, E., Butler, T., & Reinking, D. (2017). Integrating Multimodal Arguments Into High School Writing Instruction. Journal of Literacy Research, 49(2), 181–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X17700456

Sydnor, J., Daley, S., & Davis, T. (2020). Video reflection cycles: Providing the tools needed to support teacher candidates toward understanding, appreciating, and enacting critical reflection. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(2). https://citejournal.org/volume-20/issue-2-20/current-practice/video-reflection-cycles-providing-the-tools-needed-to-support-teacher-candidates-toward-understanding-appreciating-and-enacting-critical-reflection