✨ “If We Want Kids to Belong, Their Teachers Have to Belong Too”

By Andrea Taylor | Final Project for CURR 501: Digital Media Literacy

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📖 Where This Project Came From

I didn’t start this course planning to change my whole final project — but halfway through, I realized something: the thing I cared about most wasn’t just digital tools or lesson plans. It was the experience of being a Black educator in schools that say they care about equity, but don’t always show it.

I’ve seen teachers who look like me get pushed out — or leave on their own because the culture makes them feel like they don’t belong. I’ve felt it too. I’ve been the only one in the room, asked to “speak for” everyone, or made to feel like I had to perform instead of just teach. Meanwhile, we’re also the ones expected to fix school climate, carry emotional labor, and take care of everybody else’s kids first. And we do it — because we care. But who takes care of us?

That’s what this project is about: How can schools use digital media to support the retention and wellbeing of Black educators — not just talk about diversity, but actually practice it?

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🧠 My Tech Identity: Techno-Constructivist All the Way

If you asked me a few years ago, I might’ve said I was just trying to survive in the tech world. But after this course, I know exactly where I stand. I’m a techno-constructivist. I believe tech should be used to build something real — something human. Not just record grades or push content, but connect people, amplify truth, and push systems to do better.

This project uses tools like Padlet not just to “engage” people, but to hold space for stories, reflection, and action — especially from the people who usually don’t get heard.

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💬 My Why: What I Believe About How Students Learn 

Kids learn best when they feel safe, known, and valued — and that doesn’t just come from bulletin boards or lesson plans. It comes from the people in front of them every day. When Black teachers are supported, students see that they can be supported too.

Representation matters. And not just in the books we read, but in the bodies who teach. If we want students to believe in their power, they need to see Black joy, Black authority, Black compassion, Black boundaries, and Black creativity at the front of the room — thriving, not surviving.

So this project isn’t separate from student learning. It’s directly connected. Because when we keep Black educators in schools and create cultures that nourish them, every kid benefits.

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🎓 Course Themes and Texts That Shaped Me 

✍️ 1. Marc Prensky – Digital Natives vs. Immigrants

Prensky’s idea made me pause. It made me realize how often schools assume that if kids grow up with tech, they’re automatically “fluent.” But as we read more, I saw that this was way too simplistic — especially for Black teachers and students who haven’t had equal access or freedom to use tech as creators. My project rejects the native/immigrant binary and instead asks: Who gets to use tech as a tool for freedom?

🧠 2. Jenkins – Participatory Culture

Jenkins reminded me that tech isn’t just for consuming — it’s for creating. That’s what I’m doing with this project. I’m building tools where teachers can speak for themselves, not be spoken about. Whether it's a Padlet reflection, an audio story, or an EdPuzzle response, we’re turning schools into spaces of participation and visibility — not silence.

📺 3. Media as Ideology (Representation Matters)

We talked a lot about how media shapes what people believe — and this includes what teachers are “supposed” to look and act like. This project is my way of pushing back on the silent messages schools send — and making room for different, real, lived stories.

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🔄 What I Created (NEW)

What I made is a prototype for a Digital Reflection & Retention Hub — a space where Black educators (and all staff) can reflect on their experiences and offer anonymous or open feedback. Right now, it includes:

✅ A Padlet where educators can respond to prompts like:

• “What makes you feel valued at work?”
  
  

• “What do you need more of to thrive?”
  
  

• “If you ever wanted to leave, why?” 

• Showcasing Happy moments. 

🔗 5+ Media Links

Here are a few tools and articles I used or referenced:

1. Padlet – for anonymous staff reflections
   
   

2. Digital Promise: Why Teacher Diversity Matters-a research-based article on how teacher identity and representation impact student learning
   
   

3. Jenkins on Participatory Culture- foundational text on media participation and student voice

4. EdBuild: Fault Lines – This report breaks down how school district boundaries create racial and economic segregation, helping contextualize the kind of isolation shown in your map.
   
   

5. The Century Foundation: Why Segregation Matters – Explores the lasting educational impact of racial and socioeconomic segregation, and why equitable representation in schools — of students and teachers — matters for outcomes.

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✨ Final Thoughts

This course helped me find my voice as a digital educator — not just someone who uses tech, but someone who shapes space with it. My project is still growing, and I don’t have all the answers. But I know this: if we want students to feel like they belong, then their teachers — especially Black teachers — need to feel that too.

And if schools aren’t creating that space? Then I’ll build it myself. Online, in community, and with the help of digital tools that don’t erase who we are — but center it.

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https://padlet.com/andreataylor4444/if-we-want-to-stay-honest-reflections-from-black-educators-36ncb1f0sopzrt8b 

Chapter 4 of Rethinking Popular Culture and Media: Whose Language Is Legit?” – Rethinking the Rules in Our Classrooms

 

magine this: a student comes to school speaking with vibrant slang, a rich accent, or in a home language like Spanish or Haitian Creole. But when they get to class, they’re told to “speak properly.” Ever been in that moment—either as a teacher or a student? Chapter 4 of Rethinking Popular Culture and Media digs into that exact tension, and it shook me in the best way.

The chapter I explored is titled “What’s ‘Legit’ Language? Reframing the ‘Language Gap’” (author: Django Paris). It questions the dominant narrative that students of color, especially Black and Brown students, come into school with a deficit—that they need to “fix” their language to be successful.

🔍 What’s the Big Idea?

Paris argues that schools often treat students’ home languages as “wrong” or “improper,” pushing Standard English as the only acceptable option. But here’s the twist: this isn’t about grammar. It’s about power. The idea of “proper” language is really a gatekeeper that keeps some students in and others out.

Instead of treating multilingual students or those using African American English (AAE) as “behind,” Paris suggests that we honor these languages as assets. They carry history, culture, creativity, and intelligence. We should help students add to their language repertoire—not erase what they know.

💬 Why This Matters for Teachers (Like Me)

As a teacher moving into 4th grade ELA, I see how easy it is to slip into correction mode. But this chapter reminded me that correcting a child’s voice can feel like correcting their identity. That hits deep.

It made me reflect: Am I uplifting students' voices? Or just trying to make them sound like me?

Instead of saying “say it correctly,” what if I asked, “Tell me more about how you say that”? What if I let students write in their home language first, then guided them in code-switching when needed—not because their way is wrong, but because I want them to be powerful in all settings?

✊ A Powerful Quote

“When educators insist on ‘fixing’ students’ language, we often fail to recognize the cultural wealth already present in their linguistic repertoires.”

Let that sink in.

📚 So What Can We Do?

• Celebrate language diversity with read-alouds and media in multiple dialects and languages.

• Let students explore and write using their home voices.

• Talk openly about why certain types of English are privileged—and who made those rules.

• Be co-learners with our students. Ask questions. Listen deeply.

✨ Final Thoughts

This chapter is more than theory—it’s a call to action. It asks educators to stop being language police and start being language partners. It pushed me to rethink how I define “smart” or “fluent.” If you’re an educator, parent, or even a student who’s been told your voice wasn’t “right,” this chapter will give you a lens of justice.

Don’t just skim it. Sit with it. Let it change how you listen.

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Inspired? Go check out Chapter 4 of Rethinking Popular Culture and Media. Trust me—it’ll change the way you think about language forever. https://archive.org/details/rethinkingpopula0000unse_g0a0/page/n9/mode/2up

Chapter 4: Texts, Toys, and Representation

Focus: How popular culture—including media texts, toys, literature, games—shapes and reinforces social identities (race, class, gender, sexuality) and power structures.

🔍 Key Themes:

1. Stereotypes & Marginalization

   • Media and consumer products often perpetuate narrow, normalized representations—white, middle-class, male-centric—with marginalized identities either stereotyped or left out.

2. Hidden Ideologies

   • Popular “everyday” culture carries powerful messages that shape assumptions about who belongs, who succeeds, and who is “other.” These go unnoticed, like water to a fish.

3. Critical Media Literacy

   • Students must learn to interrogate representation: Who is shown? Who is missing? Whose story matters—and how is it framed? A major goal is to reveal invisible biases.

4. Teaching Practices Highlighted

   • Educators in this chapter use magazine/image analysis, storytelling comparisons, and content analysis of toys/books/videos to spark student critique and reflection.

5. From Critique to Action

   • The chapter closes by showing how students move from analysis to intervention—rewriting narratives, redesigning toys/media, or creating counter-stories to promote equity.

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🌟 Why This Matters

• Popular culture is deeply political—even seemingly trivial objects reinforce norms.

• Teaching students to decode representation empowers them to question dominant cultural messages and imagine more inclusive alternatives.

• This chapter provides practical classroom strategies rooted in critical media literacy, not just critique but creation and transformation.

Reflection Questions for Readers:

• Have you ever designed a lesson that connects directly to your students' communities?

• What’s one way your classroom can be more rooted in justice and joy?

Digital Tool Day: Padlet

 

Padlet is a digital tool that allows users to create collaborative bulletin boards where people can post text, images, videos, links, voice notes, and more. It's widely used in education to promote engagement, reflection, and collaboration among students. Think of it like a virtual sticky-note wall where everyone can contribute in real time.

What Can You Use Padlet For?

• Brainstorming ideas

• Class discussions

• Exit tickets or reflections

• Sharing resources or media

• Student portfolios

• Group projects

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✅ How to Use Padlet (Step-by-Step)

1. Go to www.padlet.com

• Sign up for a free account if you don’t already have one.

• You can also log in using your Google account.

2. Click “Make a Padlet”

• You’ll be prompted to choose a layout (see some common ones below).

3. Choose a Layout

Here are some popular formats:

• Wall – like sticky notes on a grid

• Column – for organizing into categories (like a KWL chart or pros/cons)

• Timeline – for chronological events

• Map – for geotagging locations

• Canvas/Freeform – lets you move posts anywhere

✅ For a digital class contract or organizing opinions, "Column" is often a great choice.

4. Customize Your Padlet

• Click the gear icon ⚙️ to:

  • Name your padlet

  • Add a description or instructions

  • Choose colors, fonts, and icons

  • Change privacy settings (who can view/post)

5. Share with Others

• Click “Share” in the top right.

• Choose your privacy: public, password-protected, or invitation-only.

• Copy and share the link or QR code with your students or colleagues.

6. Start Posting

• Click the "+" button to post.

• You can add:

  • Text

  • Images

  • Videos

  • Voice recordings

  • Files

  • Links

  • Drawings

7. Moderate and Manage

• As the owner, you can:

  • Approve posts before they go live (optional)

  • Turn on comments or reactions (hearts, stars, etc.)

  • Export or print the Padlet

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📚 Example Uses in a Classroom:

• "What do you wonder?" wall after reading a story

• Digital gallery for student projects

• Student check-in board (How are you feeling today?)

• Opinion sharing using the OREO structure

• Class contract where each student adds a value or rule

Final Project Weekend To-Do List (CURR 501 - Digital Literacy Project

 

Made the list but didn't realize it needed to be posted.

🎤 1. Finalize Pecha Kucha Presentation

• Complete and polish all 20 slides

• Make sure visuals match the spoken narrative

• Rehearse timing (20 seconds per slide)

• Record or prepare to record narration

• Practice smooth transitions & delivery

• Double-check alignment to central theme (Black teacher retention, belonging, and digital tools)

📝 2. Blog Post Draft (1,500+ words)

• Finish writing Pecha Kucha script (if not done)

• Convert script into blog post format

• Include reflection on how the digital product supports classroom change

• Add hyperlinks to tools mentioned (Padlet, EdPuzzle, etc.)

• Include media if needed (screenshots, embedded Padlet link, etc.)

• Proofread for clarity and voice

💻 3. Polish Digital Tools

• Finalize Padlet example (e.g. "Belonging Wall" or "Digital Class Contract")

• Embed EdPuzzle (student reflection or accountability activity)

• Double-check all links are working

• Ensure tools support your core message about equity, collaboration, and community

📧 4. Submit or Prepare to Submit

• Confirm submission process (blog platform, link sharing, etc.)

• Upload blog post and Pecha Kucha to required platform

• Add reflections and descriptions for any digital tools used

• Double-check rubric to meet “Excellent” criteria in all categories

📆 5. Optional Touches

• Get feedback from a peer or mentor

• Add a brief "About the Author" blurb

• Reflect briefly in a journal or note about what you've learned in this project

From Chaos to Connection: Rebuilding Classroom Community through Digital Storytelling

 

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In recent years, I've taught in a variety of grades and responsibilities, and I've frequently had to go into classes that were insecure and had a high teacher turnover rate. This year, I taught third-grade science independently and co-taught first-grade ELA. Because of the numerous shifts, I've worked with students who had a lot of trust issues and emotional barriers. Many of them were reserved, nonchalant, or acted out abruptly. It wasn't because they didn't care; it was because they'd been disappointed before. I discovered that traditional management tactics were insufficient; they required connection, consistency, and someone who truly understood them. These incidents changed my perspective on my classroom—not only as a place to study, but also as a place for healing and self-expression. That is why I am excited to use digital media not only to teach but also to help students find their voice, take charge, and interact with one another in a meaningful, long-term way.



(Only 12 of my 31 wonderful students with media permission)

 🧭 Things I Want to Change
As I prepare to return to my fourth-grade students, who were my third-grade students last year, I've been thinking a lot about what needs to change in our classroom community.

This gang had trouble getting along with one another. They lacked respect for one another, struggled to collaborate, and frequently disagreed with how we communicated as a class. When I entered a first-grade classroom in the midst of the year, however, I noticed a different type of transformation. Even though we didn't have any routines when we started in week eight, we worked together to foster a strong, respectful, and loving classroom environment.


I'd like to revisit that community-building strategy with my fourth-grade pupils. I want the classroom to be more than simply a place to study knowledge; it should be a place where students can learn how to care for, connect with, and respect their community.

The Big Idea: Model Up, Not Down.
I do not want to tell my fourth graders what to do. I want students to observe and reflect on what polite, connected classrooms are like. I'm working on a digital storytelling project in which I use videos, picture journals, and interactive boards inspired by my first-grade students to demonstrate real-life examples of compassion, how to cope with conflict, routines, and common values.

They'll see younger students setting an example, and we'll ask, "What does it mean to be a leader in the classroom?" What does it mean to be respectful in real life?


This will be the foundation for our community contract, which students will help create by discussing it online, writing Flip reflections, or collaborating on Jamboard visuals.

🙋🏾‍♀️ How I Think Students Learn.
I believe that students learn best when they feel included, known, and empowered. You don't learn in a vacuum; you learn through relationships, feeling like you belong, and imitating positive conduct.


When children believe they are valuable to the group, they want to participate, help, and care. This is why classroom community is more than just a "soft skill." It's essential for academic and personal success.

What I Think About Media and Technology Tools
Media and technology are more than simply entertaining to have; they allow you to engage, express yourself, and think about things. Students should not simply absorb material; instead, they should think about it, mix it up, create it, and demonstrate themselves.

I want my children to create excellent digital identities, not just use them. I want students to leverage storytelling platforms like Flip, collaboration tools like Canva and Padlet, and even AI-generated graphics.


This endeavor is not about making things "look good." It is about using media to demonstrate that respect, leadership, and community are demonstrated via acts rather than words.

In this research, I will use frameworks like Marc Prensky's "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants," Linda Christensen's Critical Literacy Work, and Media as Ideology/Representation.

Here are five factors that helped me think and learn:

1. Flipgrid/Flip – Empower Student Voice

2. Pecha Kucha Format Guide

3. EdPuzzle for Student Reflection

4. Jamboard for Collaborative Norms

5. Linda Christensen – Teaching for Joy and Justice

STYLE OF WRITING

This project is significant to me because it reflects who I am as a teacher: someone who values relationships, traditions, and critical thinking. I wanted to write this blog in a way that sounds both professional and personal, as that is how I feel about my teaching journey.



Last Thoughts
This venture taught me that media is more than simply material; it is also the context. It is not appropriate to generalize how to help students; instead, the strategy should be adaptable and adapted to each student's specific needs. When we show our kids what happens behind the scenes in a healthy classroom, they begin to see themselves as part of the process.


I want my fourth-grade students to not only learn more, but also become better citizens of their community. I also want the digital tools we use along the way to become an extension of who they are, rather than something that prevents them from becoming who they want to be.

Fairytales, Barbie, and the Myths That Bound Me

Although this post is specially for Barbie I must say I didn't feel called to watch the movie, maybe a glimpse. However, Hilary Duff's movie A cinderella was one of my favorites as a child. I watched it on a regular basis, seeing myself in Sam's shoes—serving others, feeling invisible, but hopeful that one day my own ambition would be realized. That someone would see me, select me out, and transport me to a world that appeared more promising than the one I was in right now. Even when reality seemed far from perfect, there were happy endings.


In retrospect, my enthusiasm for that film was more than just adolescent ardor. It has to do with a desire for recognition, change, and opportunity. I internalized, like many girls, the notion that being "rescued" from hardship meant entering a world that resembled the ones I saw on screen: opulent homes, glitzy dresses, and individuals who appeared to be effortlessly flawless.

Needless to say, I felt the same thing from Barbie, which made it hard for me to watch but still eager to play with the toy models. Dreamhouses, long legs, and all blond hair. I didn't look like any of it. It didn't feel like my world. However, it influenced how I perceive or fail to perceive my place in the world. Even though those stories made it obvious that I didn't belong, I still wanted to be a part of them.

Reading Linda Christensen's "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" helped me realize why the gap was so painful. According to Christensen, children's media, which includes cartoons, movies, and dolls, is more than just "entertainment." It is a curriculum. It teaches us what beauty is, who gets to be the hero, and what types of lives are worthy of celebration.

She states, "The cartoons, movies, and literature that children watch and read are a powerful influence on their development of self and worldview." And then I realized something: I didn't just want to escape into fairytales; I was also learning from them that my real life, my real face, and my real narrative didn't deserve a happy ending.

Christensen acknowledges this frustration. She asks us to consider how the media excludes, misrepresents, or stereotypes people of color, working-class children, and anybody who does not conform to the mainstream picture of beauty and prosperity. And she urges us to fight back. Not just for ourselves, but also for the next generation, so they don't have to imagine themselves as someone else in order to feel their life can be amazing.

This is closely related to the topics covered in this course: how youth, education, and media intersect. If we want young people to feel powerful, represented, and whole, we must hold the stories they hear accountable. We need to tell new stories, ones in which girls like me have happy endings.

So yes, I still have love for these stories but now I understand: the real fairy tale is one where all children—regardless of color, class, or culture see themselves as worthy of magic.

Prensky and Spiegel

 

 In regards to the two different positions of Marc Prensky, In terms of "digital natives" Digital Nativewas used to describe younger people who grew up with technology, claiming that they learn and think differently  than the digital immigrants." I thought that the idea itself was kind of an interesting concept but I thought it kinda oversimplified different realities.

Spiegel pushed back a lot because he made a good point of how students don't all have equal access to technology, so I think it's kind of at a bias because not many of those students have technology or even know how to use it in the ways that are intended. Although students have access in a way of accessibility doesn't really mean that they truly understand their functions or how to use them responsibly.

 

          In this case I agree with Spiegel on his stance of “Digital Native” because I feel it puts people in a place of making assumption that can lead to adults missing out on important digital skills like online safety, ethical technology use, media literacy and things of that nature. On the other hand Danah Boyd research also backed these claims up in regards to many different teenagers' usage is often but then they still needed help like navigating it responsibly and appropriately. I also think instead of having these far gone labels we have to the kind of look at digital skills in a lens of something that everyone can develop with the right guidance and without presumptions.

I look at MLLs and our students who need additional supports we must focus on all of our learners in their abilities and be more thoughtful and informed with this digital world, no matter the age or who they are as people. I also agree with Robinson when he talks about how education is not broken, but it's just being misused due to a lack of effort on investment.

 

If I bring it back to my own teaching experience or pre-teaching experience, I think of how standardization can feel kind of limiting. I remember being good at like memorizing  and still feeling like I wasn't truly like digesting what I was being taught.  I felt like everyone was being so focused on data and standardized test then on curiosity and creativity. I'll remember like when I was in my high school years I had a teacher named Mr Riley who like really encouraged us to ask those questions that you know most people wouldn't want to and he encouraged that creativity by basically saying like no question is a dumb question. It helps us to explore different ideas and use critical thinking and that classroom kind of stood out to me because you I could feel seen nd challenged to go outside the scope of what other classrooms that most times you interest are overlooked.

I love to like to read and write but they mostly likely celebrated scores or like ways of gaining higher percentages and data far as math. This in turn then felt like my creativity never really mattered in the classroom. The other topic of having a teacher who made a difference really stood out to me because it wasn't until I was in high school that I met my first teacher of African-American descent name Ms.Bennett, who really pushed me and encouraged me.

 Most times certain classrooms that I would see would be looked at like behavioral or lazy and really what they needed was different styles of teaching because not everyone comprehends on the same level. It kind of reminds me of the picture of the fish climbing the tree with all the other animals around it. All in all, I connected with Robinson's talk because as a student, I often felt that it was more about control and like babysitting than the creativity. The message that he conveyed helped me realize how powerful it is to teach where it sparks creativity and curiosity, and meets kids where they are.