CO Students Score a Chat with Cory Doctorow
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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 5/26/2009
After reading Cory Doctorow's 2008 novel Little Brother, students in Anne Smith's Language Arts class at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, CO, wanted more insight. So they gave the author a call.With the help of Karl Fisch, Arapahoe's director of technology, the ninth-grade students connected with Doctorow for a video chat via Skype. During the May 18 conversation, the author chatted with the kids about the book and lent his support to their efforts to get Little Brother onto the approved reading list for ninth graders throughout the Littleton Public Schools.
SLJ asked Fisch, students Ashley Schuett and Laura Olsen, and Smith about their coup in scoring an interview with Doctorow and what they gleaned from their online chat.
Were you impressed that Doctorow was willing to Skype and do you think authors should be approachable in this way?
Ashley Schuett and Laura Olson: With all the available technology, we believe that reaching any author is possible. Although not every author will respond, there is no restriction as to contacting them. We were very surprised with the rapid response from Doctorow, who was extremely passionate about communicating and helping our group get Little Brother approved for the Littleton Public School’s ninth-grade curriculum. Therefore, we have the same expectation for any writer/researcher/academic, etc., because they are trying to pass on their knowledge to others, so why not directly pass it on to us?
What is the impact of connecting directly with an author?
Schuett and Olson: Being able to directly connect allows for a more free-flowing conversation. Exchanging letters or emails and waiting days or perhaps weeks for a response slows down the process of learning. Having a direct conversation via Skype/Ustream also makes it a more in-depth one.
Anne Smith: Imagine reading a piece of work in an English classroom where the author was still alive. The engagement that follows from actually being able to question an author’s work,and examine purpose and intent is one not found in most traditional classrooms. But our classroom operates under the motto: This is NOT education as usual. We do things differently, empowering our kids so that they see and embrace the possibility. These authors provide that spark to push the kids and their thinking. These kids will expect more now from their education in light of these experiences.
Karl Fisch: I really like this on several levels. First, obviously, the ability for students to converse with an author about his work is powerful. Second, it demonstrates how easy it is to connect with others, no matter where you—or they—live. But third, and perhaps most important in the long run, I love the fact that these students knew a capability existed, assumed it was their prerogative to take advantage of that, and then took the initiative to contact Mr. Doctorow. If we not only enable our students to be connected learners, but also change their mindset so that they expect to be connected learners, we’ve done a good thing.
Are there any restrictions on technology in your school and how students engage with it?
Fisch: We have an Internet filter in place as required by law if we wish to receive e-rate funds as a district. We believe, however, that many districts have too restrictive settings on their filters. We do not block many educationally useful sites like blogs, wikis, and Skype, and all of our staff members have the ability to override one level of the filter at their discretion to get to some sites that are currently blocked for students (there is still a second level of filter in place, blocking things like pornography). We believe we need to help students become safe, effective, and ethical users of the Internet, and the structured and supportive environment of a high school is a great place to do that. But you can’t do that if everything is blocked.
What were the most interesting questions asked by the students?
Smith: They asked great questions about the nature of the controversial material and Doctorow’s reasoning for including kids using drugs, having sex, and portraying parents as less than capable. The kids also asked why ninth graders should read this novel. I think one of the questions I personally enjoyed was their asking what he would say to parents and others about the controversial material in his book. All good, well-thought-out questions.
A video archive of the interview is available here.
Cory Doctorow photo by Joi Ito.
