Chapter 4 - Hobbs

In the text "Reading the Media" by Renee Hobbs, I think the most important part of the chapter is titled: "The Power of Dialogue".

"Teaching about media and commication didn't work with that kind of predictabilty because students felt confident to bring their own experiences and knowledge into the classroom. They weren't timid."

• I am not sure if I read this incorrectly, but this section of the paragraph sounds as though Hobbs is feeling negative about this fact. In the even she is being positive about it, isn't this what we want for our students? Don't we want them to be confident in their school work and with what they do in the classroom? Not too long ago we read and article about how to use criticism/constructive criticsm in the classroom and how the students confidence affected their grades. The fact that students are confident with using technology is wonderful because the only reaction from confidence will be positive!

"...many teachers like to be the experts-the ones doing most of the talking in the classroom about the topics they care about."

• This is the wonderful thing about technology! The teachers no longer have to pressure themselves into thinking they need to know everything. Students can finally learn about the things they want and they can control how they learn based on technology resources. Teachers no longer need to be afraid of asking the students questions because they are also becoming the experts in the classroom. Sound familiar? It should!This has been an ongoing topic all semester!

"As a result, teachers relied on their expertise in using critical questioning and articulation techniques."

• This is where we need to be experts. We and other teachers need to allow the students to control the lesson and the classroom. We can further challenge them by asking questions and speaking to them as though they are finally the professionals.