WEEK 8 POST - CHATROOM ANALYSIS

After reading the example, I decided that I would use my group’s chat experience as the basis for this week’s blog post. The setting of this chat is through my group’s online chatroom on Web Vista. This chatroom can be accessed by anyone in the class, but it is not available to the general public. Mostly though, the chatroom is only accessed by Erika and me. Chats occur almost every week; Erika and I chat about the given assignments.

The analysis will consist of the following:

Our group’s use of language;
The online chatroom format; and
My personal reflection of this particular chat and the course overall.

Here is the unedited version of last week’s chat regarding media representations (stereotypes):

Adam Fitzpatrick > Hello. How did the subbing go? Erika Heltner >> has entered the room. Erika Heltner > Hey. Sorry I'm late. Crazy trying to get out of school today. How are you? Adam Fitzpatrick > fine. how was subbing? Erika Heltner > Oh, it was good. I had fifth graders today. They're such a nice change from high school kids. They're not apathetic yet. They actually like school! Adam Fitzpatrick > Do you have behavioral issues though? Adam Fitzpatrick > not you, the students Erika Heltner > I got it...No, the kids are really good. I sub at Highlands in Edina, and they seem to be pretty well-trained. I wish my kids in Telluride were as good as these kids. Adam Fitzpatrick > Do you sub often? Erika Heltner > I've been subbing this semester once or twice a week. I could probably sub every day if I had teh time, but this college thing is taking up two days of my week. Adam Fitzpatrick > My cousin subs almost all the time whilst waiting for a full time gig. He subs at Chaska and Anoka. Adam Fitzpatrick > What did you think about the reading this week? Erika Heltner > I love subbing! No planning or grading or anything. I wish I could be a full time sub with the same pay as the real deal. Unfortunately, I don't think that's an available job. The thing that was so hard for me while I was teaching English was the grading...ugh! Erika Heltner > Oh. I'm here. Sorry, I just ran to get coffee. I think I already started talking about the reading last week, so I'll try again. We are talking about Media representations right? Adam Fitzpatrick > I've never minded grading, but then I taught science. My tests were more question-very short answer. I also used a lot of multiple choice. Yes. Now we are on chapter 5. Erika Heltner > I thought the reading was fine. I like anything that encourages critical thinking and that encourages kids to try and see through stereotypes. Adam Fitzpatrick > Do you have a particular example of how you did this with your students? Erika Heltner > In the introduction, they talk about the representation of the Holocaust, and I actually do something with that in my tenth grade class when we read Night. The kids watch Schindler's list in history class, and then they watch Life is Beautiful in my class. They look at the two very unique ways of conveying the Holocaust experience. Have you seen both? Adam Fitzpatrick > I've never heard of Night. I have seen some of Schindler's List, but have never heard of Life is Beautiful. What makes LB different from SL? Erika Heltner > Well, Life is Beautiful is often criticized because people thinks it makes light of the situation. I love the movie because it really presents kind of an existential viewpoint. Life is Beautiful is about a man who gets put into a concentration camp with his son. The father makes the entire experience into a game so teh kid never has to realize what is actually going on. It's a beautiful movie, but very fantastical. So, if you've seen any of Schindler's List, you know that movie is very slow, sad, real. The end is uplifting in a tragic sense (so is Life is Beautiful), but both present the HOlocaust in very different ways. You get teh point... Erika Heltner > Night is Elie Wiesel's account of the Holocaust. He was fourteen or so when he went to Auschwitz. The kids always like the book. It's really sad, but really powerful. Adam Fitzpatrick > Is LB based on someone's own accounts or is it fiction? Erika Heltner > Fiction Erika Heltner > I'm trying to decide which "type" to talk about in my blog. I think maybe I'll try adn talk about the portrayal of teachers. The other thing I'm wondering about our assignment is this: what exactly are we supposed to find in another discipline? How teachers are presented in the journal of psychology? Do you understand this part of the assignment? Adam Fitzpatrick > I admit that I don't know everything about SL, but I think it is very powerful because it is true. Do your students ever question the fact that LB is fictional versus SL which is a real account? Have you ever tried cutting and pasting in this box. Not as easy as it seems. Adam Fitzpatrick > I read a few blogs and this is what I have concluded. Base your response on how teachers view themselves vs. how the media portrays them. I did mine on engineers. Erika Heltner > We definitely talk about the difference between fact vs. fiction. We also talk about the power of stories and memory. We also talk about the concept of whether or not it matters if it's true or not, untold or not? What is the intent of the creator? What message was SL trying to convey? What message was LB trying to convey? We usually ahve good discussions on this... Adam Fitzpatrick > Have you responded to 5 other blogs yet? Erika Heltner > Okay, so I write about how teachers are portrayed in movies. Then, I write about how I view myself? Aren't we supposed to look at how teachers are represented in another discipline like psychology or science? No, I haven't looked at any yet. Adam Fitzpatrick > I don't think it is just in how you view teachers. It is more on how teachers view teachers. As far as another discipline is concerned, I thought that at the beginning. But look at what Thom writes at the end - In other words how do those who are, say, farmers or substance abusers or insomniacs and so on..... represent THEMSELVES? Erika Heltner > Okay, I'll figure it out. I hate fuzzy directions. I always need examples. I guess I'll have to go look at some other blogs anyway, so I'll see then. How do you think engineers are portrayed? Adam Fitzpatrick > Well you can read and respond to my blog, since you have to do that for 5 classmates anyways. In short, I don't agree with the media representations. We're not all nerdlingers who retire to our offices just to run numbers on our calculators. We just happen to be in a profession that no one really thinks about. I'm willing to bet that most people don't think about engineers until something goes wrong or something is done that has never been done before. Case in point, the 35W bridge collapse. Erika Heltner > I definitely agree. I'm trying to think of a movie or show or anything wehre engineers are even portrayed. I'll give you my ideas about teachers... Erika Heltner > It seems like all teachers, if portrayed in a good way, sacrifice their entire lives for their kids. It's as if that is the only way to make an actual difference in a kid's life...to give up everything. I always felt guilt about my lack of sacrifice. I wasn't willing to give up my relationships, my passions, my everything for my students. I always thought balance, if possible, was best. Dangers Minds, Freedom Writers, Lean on Me, you know the movies... Adam Fitzpatrick > I know those movies, and I agree with you. I never sacrificed anything for my students except a high paying job for a non-paying student teaching job. I never felt any guilt, just remorse for giving up so much money for a truly crappy experience. It all worked out in the end, so that is good. As I see it, our time is up. Talk to you next week. Erika Heltner > I'm laughing outloud! Good to know it all worked out...love your honesty. See ya! Erika Heltner >> has left the room.

Our group’s use of language is mostly common everyday English. By this I mean that we write what we say, which most of the time is in complete sentences. I don’t think we use instant messaging or texting word structures, but occasionally we use abbreviations. We always write in a respectful manner, limiting profanity, especially since we write what we say.

The online chatroom format is a bit frustrating for both of us. It may not be evident from this chat, but in general it is a bit frustrating. Specifically, we are not always writing in synchronization. The following is an excerpt illustrating this point:

Adam Fitzpatrick > What did you think about the reading this week? Erika Heltner > I love subbing! No planning or grading or anything. I wish I could be a full time sub with the same pay as the real deal. Unfortunately, I don't think that's an available job. The thing that was so hard for me while I was teaching English was the grading...ugh! Erika Heltner > Oh. I'm here. Sorry, I just ran to get coffee. I think I already started talking about the reading last week, so I'll try again. We are talking about Media representations right? Adam Fitzpatrick > I've never minded grading, but then I taught science. My tests were more question-very short answer. I also used a lot of multiple choice. Yes. Now we are on chapter 5.

As can be seen, we are not communicating in an efficient manner. This tends to happen with us due to two primary factors (1) because I am not that fast at typing, and (2) we are both trying to read what the other one is writing whilst trying to type a response. This was clearly evident in our first chat, where neither of us could keep up with the other person. Since then, we have slowed things down a bit, and the results have been a more efficient chat.

My personal reflection on this chat will conclude my analysis. This chat starts off with Erika writing about her day. She was subbing that day, so our chat had to be pushed back 30 minutes from the suggested starting time. What I like most about our chats in general is that Erika shares her personal teaching experience with me. Usually I feel out of place, since I have only student taught, but this time I actually had something to contribute. Not only did I get to write about the assignment for the week, but I also wrote about my limited teaching experience.

Overall, I feel out of place in this class. I am not a teacher, and even if I was, it would be in science. I still feel that I have done an exemplary job in this class by being one of the first people done with the assignments and following through on every instruction of all assignments (Check week 3 where everyone was supposed to post a link to their commercial analysis along with a preview paragraph. Only Erika and I posted). I am thankful that I have Erika as a group partner because I get a glimpse of a non-science teacher’s perspective on teaching.