The Blue Glow from the Back Row: Live Theater and the Wireless Teen

Autor/in	Richardson, John M.
Titel	The Blue Glow from the Back Row: Live Theater and the Wireless Teen
Quelle	In: English Journal, 102 (2012) 1, S.88-91 (4 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0013-8274
Schlagwörter	Writing Instruction; Access to Information; Foreign Countries; Theaters; Internet; Handheld Devices; English Teachers; Grade 12; Student Attitudes; English Instruction; Drama; High School Students; Secondary Education; Adolescents; Focus Groups; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schreibunterricht; Ausland; English language lessons; Teacher; Teachers; Englischunterricht; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; School year 12; 12. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 12; Schülerverhalten; English langauage lessons; Schauspiel; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Sekundarbereich; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Kanada
Abstract	Every year the author and his colleagues take their grade 12 English students to see four plays at one of Canada's major theaters. Chatting about the series on the last day of class, his students asked him if he had seen "the blue glow from the back row." Laughing at his bewilderment, they told him that during the performances so many students were texting and surfing the Web on handheld devices, the entire back row had radiated an eerie blue light. The author found his students' comments intriguing. Two questions occurred to him, and a study began to take shape. First, how do students raised in the world of instant access to information, entertainment, and communication experience live, literary theater? Second, what is the best way for an English teacher to prepare these young people for a trip to the theater? This article describes this study and discusses its implications for educators. By teaching students to appreciate live theater on its own terms, the author's goal is to "build bridges" between students' digital mindsets and the stage. He hopes that his students will come to see that theater invites them to watch real people moving in real space, and that more than two thousand years of theatrical tradition await their discovery and enjoyment. (Contains 3 figures.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Council of Teachers of English. 1111 West Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096. Tel: 877-369-6283; Tel: 217-328-3870; Web site: http://www.ncte.org/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10