O'Brien Chapter

After reading David O’Brien’s chapter “‘Struggling’ Adolescents’ Engagement in Multimediating: Countering the Institutional Construction of Incompetence,” I realized how effective the Internet and technology can be in motivating adolescents who are reluctant to do work or participate in class.

While I was reading the chapter, one quotation really sparked my interest. O’Brien states, “adolescents classified as ‘at risk’ or ‘struggling,’ labels they usually acquire early in their academic careers, competently engage in media-centric tasks, most of which involve using media as well as engaging in traditional literary practices”(31-32). This quotation illustrates that students that educators target as “at risk” or “struggling” students are not given the chance to excel. If we can incorporate media literacy or technology into our classrooms, we would be able to reach these kids.

When I was student teaching, I encountered many students who were labeled by teachers as at risk, struggling, or problem students. I feel that the problems that these students had were because they were made to think that they incapable of learning or accomplishing the tasks their other classmates did. I think that taking a personal interest in these students will make them feel valuable, and if we can incorporate the things they like, like technology, into our lessons they will be more apt to learn.