Meme's In Education

from Flickr account - Meme Binge

Memes have become a thing.  There's no turning back.  And in all reality, do we want to?  They are funny, they help us (ok, maybe just me) laugh at situations that maybe aren't the most wonderful, and they are easy to make (thanks to wonderful advances in technology and photo editing and random meme generating websites).  In fact, my go to Happy Birthday posting on FB generally includes a meme...because that's just funnier than "Happy Birthday!!!"  (and yes, I add 3 exclamation points because I'm that happy that my friend is another year older).

Anyway, the point of this post, is there a place in education for memes?  I mean a place besides in the teacher's lounge.  And meme's other than the ones with an owl at the beginning of the school year vs the end of the school year and the "Hey Girl" memes.  Really.  Really...do meme's have a place in education for the sake of the students?

Recently I tried them in my K-8 technology class...another tale for another time with another blogger (hoping to have a guest blogger come share about that - +Kiersten Baschnagel).  The middle school kids nailed it.  Well...let me retract that...most of the middle school kids nailed it.  Some still didn't quite understand how the humor of a meme worked.  I took it down to 5th grade and most seemed to be able to create a meme with little trouble, although the joke was a little more basic.  When I tried 4th grade, I only had a handful of kids that could come up with a joke that was applicable to the picture.

This got me thinking...what is it about memes that makes them funny?  What skill do the students need to have in order to create a quality meme?  Is this a teachable skill?  Is it a skill that they can use in other areas?  Do they need to be witty?  Do they need a dry sense of humor?  Do they need to know the background story of the picture?

I admit, I don't know or I can't articulate exactly what it is that makes memes funny, especially because when I do, I can think of other memes that don't fit that definition.

What makes memes funny?
What skill(s) do you need to create them?
And is there a place for them in education?

Pokemon Ideas

I have been playing Pokemon Go for the past 4-5 days.

I've seen the support from fellow educators and friends and I have seen the disapproval from fellow educators and friends as well.  I don't necessarily announce it to the world, but I'm kind of enjoying it. I'm also not going out walking trying to track them down.  I look when I'm sitting at my desk or walking to a meeting or walking my dog.  Right now, Pokemon hunting isn't my priority, but it is something fun to do for a brain break...along the lines of checking my Facebook or online shopping.*

*the kind where you put it in your shopping cart and then close the window...who's with me??


However, my brain has been endlessly (or at least it feels that way) processing and trying to figure out how to make use of this game that has so many people obsessed!

My non-educator friends will argue there is no educational purpose in the game.  I won't argue because, much like their profession - I don't understand their goals and focus, and they don't understand mine.  I'm not looking for a way to make throwing the pokeball (is that what it's called?) and catching the creator educational.  Yea...at it's base, this is not an educational game.  So, why not make it one?  Why not?

So I have done some reading and I have been (like I said) doing some thinking.  Here's my very rough list of ideas...no details yet.  It's all still very theoretical and not fleshed out.
*behavior management - think Class Dojo meets Pokemon
*mapping skills - plot of a Google map where and what you catch - collaborative
*animal research - research the animal different Pokemon are based on - where does it live, what does it eat, how has it evolved, etc.  Assign points based on different aspects of animal characteristics...similar to Pokemon.  Create a Global Pokemon map showing where different animals can be caught and how many points they can get by catching them.  Go even further and plan out adventures...think Oregon Trail...what supplies will you need based on the environment and distance you'll travel. (I'm thinking this one out as I'm typing and getting kind of excited!!)
*literature/SS Go style game - students create a game similar to Pokemon Go with different characters in a story/throughout history.  As characters are caught, the designer also provides some interesting facts that are meant to entice students to learn more.  They can learn more by following clues and "capturing" more information about story/history.

Again all of these ideas are super surface with nothing carved in stone but I would love to hear from you.  Can you elaborate on anything?  Do you want to collaborate on anything?

What is Voxer?

Ok I'm going to say that I only have a slight idea what it is.  It seems like it's a messenger app.  I can send messages.  I can send voice messages.  So what's the big deal?

Well I have an iPhone and my other half has an android.  No comment.

The point is...that I can't send him a VM in iMessage.  With Voxer I can.  That's nice.  But what else?

And then that leads me to the classroom and PD in schools.  How can I use it?

I'm writing this as I'm reading +Matt Miller post on Voxer too.  I see there are a variety of chats on Voxer.  So I'm thinking like Twitter but in a "messenger" format instead.  I laughed when he said he decided to try 3, cause I want to observe 1 first. I'm not about jumping in and getting overwhelmed. LOL but that's because I won't be able to take anything away like he does.  I'd just freak out and delete the app.  Trust me.  I did it with Twitter.  At least 3 times.  :)

So in Matt's post there's a link to some Voxer chats.  I think I'm going to go try to join one and I'll report back at a later date.  I'd like to see how it compares to what I'm imagining...which is Twitter. After I stopped deleting it.  ;)

***Update***

I now use Voxer regularly!  And I LOVE it!  I'm in a Catholic Ed chat.  It's a great support network that I go to often with lots of questions.  It's so amazingly helpful when it comes to the unique perspective of working in a Catholic school.  I also recently joined a group that is for support for blogging.  I really enjoy blogging.  It helps take what's in my head and think through and organize it. We are very new but everyone is so very active.  It's thrilling and inspirational.  I also use Voxer for my school's Sunshine Committee.  Or at least I'm working on it.  The idea is that everyone is so busy, I'd love to be able to propose ideas and/or ask questions to get feedback in real time but around everyone's busy schedule.  I want the team to know we don't HAVE to meet after school...5 seconds at any point in the day to answer is PERFECT!

I also use it with a friend of mine.  It makes it possible and dare I say "EASY" to chat while making dinner...juggling kids...working on grading...etc.

I can't wait to explore more.  I know there is a Voxer group for #edumatch and there's a Voxer Edcamp.  Please if you're in a Voxer group that you'd like to share...pop it in the comments and I'll either join or tweet it out there.  Thanks!