Blogging and Students of Color and Culture
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Posted By: William Jackson on March 22, 2016 Blogging and Students of Color and Culture by William Jackson, M.Ed. Edward Waters College Educational Technology Department of Education and Urban Studies "Instead of just teaching students of color and culture how to use technology educators of technology must also be responsible for teaching the morality and ethics of using technology." Wm Jackson Blogging allows and encourages the sharing of stories, expression of ideas, collaboration of research, the opportunity to increase reading and comprehension and engages the mind in applying new strategies of thinking. Blogging is about communication and the diversity of connecting with thought leaders, content creators, microbloggers, vbloggers, podcasters and the list continues to grow as Social Media platforms expand. The importance of content is seen as people consume information that hopes to inspire and create a reaction if at a minimum inspiring "thinking." Blogging and Students of Color can Culture need to understand the value of their created content and be afforded the opportunity to create positive and transformative content that allows students the empowerment to share their ideas. Robert Benchley, a noted content creator states that, "writing is not just saying something, it's acquiring a process by which to think about what to say." Students of Color and Culture have fantastic ideas, but sometimes lack the skills to express them with written and spoken words. Social Media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumbler do not offer specific writing guidelines, they are platforms to share information. Twitter is a publishing platform, but is limited to 140 characters. Condensing the ability to share and extend points of ideas which can be lost in translation and meaning. The frequency of blogging allows for extending ideas across a broad spectrum of platforms that encourages engagement, this exposure to the diversity of thinking can be helpful to students of color and culture because they are not limited to their environmental conditions or restrictions. One of the issues for students in nations like China, North Korea, Cuba and other non-democratic countries is that open dialogues are restricted and limited. So thinking is confined, limited, monitored and even manipulated. The Internet is breaking barriers and allowing for the expansion of "Thought Freedom," so those nations like this nation have opportunities of unique engagement. The intention of "Thought Freedom" is not to create dissension or even to promote civil unrest or open conflict, but allow for the expansion of thinking and embracing the diversity that the world is. To apply the best of us to create better societies, communities, neighborhoods and schools. Students of color and culture are not traditionally given opportunities to write/blog about their experiences, sharing their thoughts and even reading others to understand that thinking, rationalization, critical and higher order thinking can be applied outside of the classroom. Allowing imagination to build comprehension to allow writing to expand from the mind to the computer to application in life. Students of color and culture are not lacking in many cases in the ability to read, the challenge is the ability to comprehend information. To read it, digest it and regurgitate it in a way that explains what it is they read and how they can apply it. HBCU's have understood for years that achievement gaps for students of color and culture, that is why they offer remedial classes in writing/reading and mathematics. The creativity process has not be challenged, engaged and honed to handle the level of work in higher education. HBCU's gradually integrate writing, more are infusing blogging as a way of allowing students to publish their works and gain valuable feedback from peers and other educators that may decide to follow them. In my Educational Technology class, students are taught the value of their content, the importance of telling their own stories and shown why they need to be active, engaged and participate in learning opportunities that allow for networking and content sharing. Students access YouTube videos to see how writing/blogging is shared in the business world, global commerce, education and even in the music industry. Social Media has greatly influenced how society through mobile devices accesses news and information and even how it is developed. North Carolina Central University Chancellor Charlie Nelms has stated about the importance of writing, "We have to hold ourselves (HBCUs) to a higher level of accountability, We have to reform gateway courses, We have too many students who are not making through their basic courses and they are not able to go on to their majors." This is not the faults of HBCUs, but the lack of skills gained before students get to these Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Students of color and culture must be provided the opportunities that engage students in writing and afford them the understanding of how important and beneficial blogging is. They must be exposed to other writers of color and culture. Schools should not be afraid to expose all their students to Black/African American, African, Hispanic, Latino, Mexican, Native American, Haitian, Cuban and other writers when teaching their students of color and culture and even white the value of writing and blogging. Teachers do not have to feel they are experts in the diversity of diverse writers, they have access to the biggest and unlimited resource in history, the Internet. Allow students to research writers/bloggers/content creators and even podcasters. If teachers do not they will be held accountable for limiting and even restricting their students to still thinking in a colonial and colonist way of life. Limiting their thinking once again by a European mindset that children of color and culture either do not deserve to learn about the greatness of their culture and the contributors or are still fearful of what will happen as children of color and culture gain intellectual freedoms to think on their own. The National Commission on Writing for American Families, Schools and Colleges has declared, writing skills need to be improved if students are to succeed in school, higher education, and life. Writing today is not a frill for the few. "Writing/blogging is an essential skill for those of diversity of color and culture. Why let others tell your stories, be empowered to tell your own." Wm Jackson, M.Ed. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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William Jackson
Enigineering Educator, Duval County Public Schools South Carolina State University class of 1985 Member Since October 2008 |
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