As active users of the Internet, whether it’s for work or personal use I’m sure we’ve all encountered and laughed at a Meme in the form of a humorous image or amusing phrase. While Memes are commonly used for communication purposes, have you considered using them in education as a form of teaching tool and communication framework for students? Memes are constantly evolving and have surprising benefits in which educators can consider if they choose to include them into the classroom experience.
When you use instant messaging on a daily basis, how many of you have posted a GIF or image which depicts a Meme(d) situation in response to someone else’s comments? Try to think of memes in education along those lines as my A1 includes commentary on how to bridge the gap between Memes, Mobile Culture and emerging Education Technology.
My A1 report can be found at: https://view.genial.ly/62b1025c2f3ad6001189a361/presentation-etec523-a1
Use the arrows on the right hand side to navigate between the slides. Viewing it in horizontal mode for mobiles will be more screen friendly
Happy reading!
I regularly use humorous images or amusing phrases in teaching English as a foreign language. Without them, teaching English reading would be boring. Besides, when an international student understands a joke in English, s/he starts understanding English-speaking people better because of this shared laugh/wisdom. I consider teaching English culture through laughing the most pleasant and humane method possible
I love memes!! I love the versatility and the immediacy of the information. I have so far only used memes in the classroom for humour purposes, but would definitely be willing to have students use them to demonstrate their learning.
Hi
This is a beautiful and visually creative presentation. When you grab somebodies attention using visual representations, the information is more likely to stick. This is a creative way to get students to be motivated and engaged.
Hi John! What an interesting topic and presentation! I really like your idea of effectively integrating memes into the learning objectives and course designs. Using memes is an efficient way to make courses more fun and form a cheerful atmosphere, especially for online courses where teachers cannot directly communicate with students.
Your topic reminds me of a video I watched last year; it is about a speech by Lisa Nakamura, who used samples of memes to help explain how racism, sexism, homophobia, or other general incivility information spread on the internet. She claimed that social media platforms are machines for easily creating racist and sexist discourse because things like memes involuntarily move from one person to another on mobile devices, just like viruses. I think this video can be a supplementary resource related to your “pros and cons” section: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWa8mzeAsQM
Hi John, what a relevant topic. I encounter many memes on a daily basis and they’re something I haven’t really encountered other than on my social media. I remember when I was in high school, I had a history teacher who would always include humorous images. These kept things light, amusing, and memorable. Including memes, if selected appropriately, could help make the content either more accessible, or more impactful in the sense that we remember things we find funny. I also really enjoyed the idea of having students create their own memes. It can sometimes take a lot of time and thought to create something others will find interesting or fun. It would be a great creative exercise.
Hello John, very interesting presentation and thank you for all this relevant information. During my training with adults, I have a little icebreaker activity related to memes. I usually use a Padlet and ask my participants at the start of the day how they feel about this workshop day. They must then find a meme and post it on the Padlet. It’s usually so much fun and also an interesting metaphor for feeling the energy of the group. Then, instead of the classic round table to introduce ourselves, I display the memes on the screen and we comment on the choices. Participants are free to identify themselves and explain their choice, but usually this is not necessary, as memes are already very meaningful. Another observation: when I was doing this activity 5 years ago, adults were not at all familiar with memes or gifs, but today it’s much easier and I have less need to explain what it is or how to find it. For me, the meme is a great icebreaker or transfer tool in a metaphorical context. 🙂
I love memes and I loved your presentation! I have never used memes in my lessons because I feel like it’s a little difficult for children that are learning English as a second language to actually understand and be familiar with the same social platforms and memes that are popular in North America. You also mentioned how language is very precise in memes, and how words are used as action phrases, this can be confusing to some students and they wouldn’t “get it”, and you would definitely ruin a meme if you explain it. However, I love using humor in my classes and I will definitely look for some memes that I could use in my lessons.
Great presentation! Your section at the end on the pros and cons of memes in education, made me reflect on a couple experiences I have had with memes in the classroom. I recall coming across numerous memes that I questioned may be offensive, and it is sometimes hard to determine what is both funny and appropriate for students when it comes to memes. Also, some memes may have underlining meanings that I may not be aware of, and from my perspective are funny but may be inappropriate to share with a classroom teacher. Using the platform Vidcode (https://www.vidcode.com/project/graphics), you can create your own meme. There are many other platforms where you can do this, but I have found middle years enjoy this.
Hi Rika! I like the idea of using memes to teach inferences, it sounds like a fun and effective way to breakdown/teach a difficult concept. I think the open ended nature helps as just like the process of inference, it requires a range of ideas in order for someone to reach a conclusion or reasoning based on what they know. Using open ended and fun learning (even I would like to know what happens next!) methods encourages broader thinking and gives students more room to “explore” possibilities/options (sounds a bit like inquisitive based learning or sandbox learning perhaps?) as opposed to drawing conclusions immediately (which could be harmful in the long run). Thanks for sharing, I’m definitely feeling more inspired now haha
Hi John!
Interestingly I used memes with Grade 3 students I tutored. We used memes in language as a way of practicing making inferences of a picture first before moving on to text. It was very open ended as any answer was correct as long as they were able to justify their answer with evidence from the photo. Similar to ideas you noted, it allowed the students to be creative with their writing. I also allowed students to try to follow up the meme with “what happens next” and also use photo or video technology to visibly demonstrate their thinking. Though I did use this mobile culture, it totally slipped my mind until reading your A1! Thank you for that!