Blog Quiz- Kajder and Friedmen

When Friedman describes the new middle, he addresses the impact that the flattened world will have in classrooms. Students will “have to fundamentally reorient what they are learning and educators how they are teaching” (278). While I was in high school, the employable traits necessary for the flat world middle class were not even touched upon, but then again, the 16-bit Super Nintendo was considered high tech.

What I have picked up from people who have student taught and have observed is that the blending of literacies is not common practice in the typical high school.

This leads me to believe that the ELA work being done in classrooms like Sara Kajder’s is starting to retrain the minds of students. Melding what they know and enjoy with the critical skills of language arts is laying the foundation for the untouchable “new middlers.” The transition, however, may take more time than we have.

The first four essential skills/traits that Freidman describes, collaboration, orchestration, synthesis, and explanation, benefits that students can acquire in ELA class rooms such as Kajder's. Collaboration and orchestration would result from critiquing one another's work. Synthesis is attained by blending an understanding of the text and rendering that knowledge onto the screen, which would also improve the students ability to explain things more coherently.

Though not directly addressed in class rooms i fell that adaptation would come in time, by seeing what skills are needed in a given enviroment, be it class room or job market. This leaves passion and a green outlook, which seems more like personality traits which could be fostered through active class precipitation.