Single Story Video!

Single Story Digital Creation

Well, here it is! I am actually really happy with the finished product. I got to include many of the women I researched or read their works to learn about the single story. A quote that I got from a play called "An Afghan Women" added a really nice touch and added to my video. The quote related to how our worlds are only usually connected through a screen, but in my work and research I got to read these women's stories. I included the "screen" I usually use to show that it is my portal into the world of Middle Eastern women- at least the closest I can get.
I also wrote two poems, the first I began at the beginning of the semester. The poem is made up of questions to show that I did not have any negative opinions towards these women, only questions about the media and stereotypes that had infiltrated my thoughts. The second poem I wrote more recently. I tried to tie in aspects of all of the women I have studied and read their works. They are all so amazing. Simply amazing. And I hope that my video shows how amazing I think they are.

I am also linking this in my flipbook, though I do not know if it will update with the link I sent, or if I have to resend the link.

"Tapping Our Strength"

This non-fiction piece also came from Shattering the Stereotypes. Many of the works are from Muslim or Middle Eastern women and their experiences in America. This one is (even though my single story is about Middle Eastern women), but I think it is really important to discuss. The author, Eisa Nefertari Ulen, discusses feminism and Islam. She addresses the stereotype that women who wear any of the veils associated with Islam (burka, hijab, chador, and others) are a sign of oppression. She brings up that contrary to common belief, the Qur'an does not give into the sexist idea that Eve was the sinner who should get all of the blame, but rather both Adam and Eve are to blame. Sexism is not to be associated with Islam, the culture yes but America has the same problem.
She continues and also talks about sex. This part blew my mind and it quite humorous. She brings up the fact that woman openly "campaigned" for more foreplay when decades ago Islam called for the equality of physical pleasure in marriages, and if a man brings a woman to orgasm, he receives a blessing from Allah.
She also discusses female mutilation, which apparently many people worldwide do to "celebrate Islam," but the author tells her audience that she is trying to raise awareness about it and that it wasn't originally part of the Islmaic ways, but she compares it to female mutilation such as plastic surgery. She makes it a point that no mutilation of the body for such purposes are reasonable. She discusses fashion and other things that Americans and other cultures do to fit in the misogynistic culture. She compares bras and hijabs- that women sometimes wear them for the wrong reasons: "to please men" (48). She encourages women to dress and act for themselves. She tells readers that Non-Muslim women need to stop considering women who wear the headdresses as oppressed  and Muslim women need to accept that women of any culture can wear whatever they want. Once this is accomplished the conversation of change can move on. 
She reminds her readers that everyone has gone through hard ship and that cross cultural bridges need to be made to stop the oppression and stereotypes of others. . She The memories of pain that people have faced (even internal struggles) can bring cultures together.

"An Afghan Woman"

In Shattering the Stereotypes I came across this play called "An Afghan Woman" by Bina Sharif. And wow. It brought me to tears in such a short period of time. It wasn't so much as a play, more of a short story/personal narrative. The narrator was talking directly to the reader. She was directly addressing me, and I think that is why it made me so emotional. I think the woman is never named because many women are going through or have gone through these thoughts and situations (hence the "An" in the title rather than "The"). This piece, like the others, talked a lot about the Taliban and how different it was when they took over.
I would say the hardest part for me was when she talks about silence, which is a reoccurring theme she brings up multiple times. She repeatedly says "I am silence. My silence is silent. Silent is my silence."(246). The word 'silent' almost becomes not a word because how often she says it. She discusses how she does not have a voice, her silence is actually stronger than her voice. But me, on the other side of the television/book have a voice and need to use it for her. So here I am, making my video, ready to tell her story.
Out of the other book I read, I think she faced the most hurt from it (even over Malala). She mentions kids, which she tells her audience "And when you do speak, don't forget to mention my dead children and dead parents and dead grandparents and dead great-grand parents. Don't forget to mention the history of innocent death." (250) Even as I type that I begin to tear up.

Blessing in Disguise

Unfortunately the last two books that I was supposed to get through interlibrary loan were missed so I had to act quickly. Apparently they got my email wrong and never notified me when the book was in and by the time I asked about the books they had already been sent back. This was the first time I had used interlibrary loan so I did not know how long I should be waiting for my books. But this may have been for the best.
I had to do something quick as I have barely enough time to finish the project. One of the books I did not want to ready because it seemed more into romance rather than culture and the lives of middle eastern women. I did buy the other book which is filled with a variety of works such as plays, poems, art, fiction and non fiction. Instead of doing two blog posts per novel, I am going to do one blog post because these works are shorter. I am going to have to make up my work, but because I have been doing other research and the other books I had read were very insightful I feel I have a newer and stronger understanding of middle eastern women. Even though this will impact my grade, I think this will actually be more effective for my single story.

Persepolis- Part 2

So Marjane become quite the rebel. She ends up moving in with multiple different people and ends up on the streets and becomes sick. This allows her to reconnect with her parents. She ends up getting married but then divorced. Over this period she has run ins with the "moral police" who can really do anything they want to her. But while in Iran she does any social activism she can, including making a shorter veil to wear. It is Maji's grandmother who really helps her through all of this, and even reveals that she divorced once. She encourages Marji to leave the country, though it will be hard to leave her  parents. In the end, she leaves her parents and heads to Europe. The novel ends with "Freedom had a price".
The ending was hard for me. My family means so much to me and I don't think I would ever be able to chose freedom over my parents. But I am so glad I read this because it really helps my single story. Of course, this all happened to Marjane a while ago, but women in the Middle East still discrimination. One thing that Marjane challenges her society on is dress. She was forced to wear a veil and other covering clothes, which Marjane recognizes is more that modesty; it is taking away the basic rights of women. Marjane, who becomes very interested in sex as a teenager, goes from seeing the discussion of sex as liberated by European terms, but then as "slutty" by Iranian. She, like me, got to see a comparison between two cultures on sex. I think in the US sex is now becoming a more open conversation and less about shame, but especially when discussed by women can be seen as slutty. Each story I have read so far is about these super strong women who have been oppressed by their society.
These women are incredible. They are super heroes.
The fact that they are writing about their experiences as social justice activism is so empowering. I am so amazed by these women and I am constantly inspired by them.

Persepolis- Part 1

This story begins with Marjane (Marji) who is 10 years old after the Iranian revolution. It is interesting getting another young women's perspective on the events happening around her. Of course, this graphic novel was written years after what had happened, but still is effective coming from a young adult's perspective. Marjane is very similar to Malala. Both females grew up in a culture that oppresses women. Malala was raised in a very supportive family that continued to make social justice a priority. Marjane was raised like most other people, in a family that followed the orders of society and government. Both women have also seen their community affected by violence. Marjane at one point has to live in a bomb shelter and a neighboring Jewish family is killed. Both girls are forced by their culture to wear head scarfs and act a certain way, yet both long for equal rights. Both also have an obsession with American music and pop culture. At one point Marjane buys music on the black market. Marjane grew up before Malala, but it is important to see that many young girls have been oppressed by their own culture for a very long time.

I am Malala- Part 3

I am so inspired by Malala's journey. She continued to fight for her rights to an education and free speech. Even when the Taliban was at its highest reign of power, she continued to study and inspire herself. Up to the day when she was shot, she was going to school and not wearing her burqa. So young and brilliant, she never backed down. Even after the shooting, which I probably would have stopped fighting, she is determined to spend the rest of her life helping others get the basic human rights that every human deserves. 

I think for my single story, she has really helped me see the new movement and generation of change in the Middle East. She is braver than I will probably ever be. I also needed to see how 9/11 affected her world. The Middle East is still another completely different world, but there are similarities between my world and Malala's. Both of us have seen oppression and powerful movements for human rights. We have seen the government turn their backs on us. I don't want to compare myself to Malala because she is just so brave and strong, but I think we both have recognized problems within our society and do not want to keep quiet within them. Malala has made change happen. We can make change happen.   

I am Malala- Part 2

Looking at Malala's entire life, she has always been conscious of the restrictions on her life because she is female. When she was born, very few people of the community supported her parents because they birthed a female, which is literally seen as a failure on the parents' behalf. Malala is incredibly gifted with knowledge, but she still faced oppression by her culture. She picked up the love for social justice from her father who had always supported multiple rights such as a right to education, a right to free speech, and of course women's rights.
Even at a young age Malala noticed that her culture would cite Islamic phrases to justify the oppression of women. Just like in America, her society was incredibly impacted by the 9/11 attack. The taliban had taken over and women were not allowed to get an education, were forced to wear a burqa, and were not allowed to speak out.
It is interesting to see how the 9/11 terrorist attack had affected the middle east. I only know how America was affected by the attack. I was baffled when it was revealed the Taliban had blown up a Buddha statue in the Swat Valley (where Malala and her family lived). The Taliban destroyed a sign a peace. A sign of love and belief. And then they took over so many communities. It really opened my eyes, seeing that a lot of people in the Middle East were also terrorized. I am not trying to say that 9/11 was not a terrible tragedy that affected so many people and many lives were lost from it, but in the Middle East people were enslaved and governed by the Taliban who were taking away basic rights and torturing people.

An Eye Opening TED Talk-

TED Talk
What It's Like to be Muslim in America

This TED talk really opened my eyes. Having read through two of my stories and in the middle of three others, seeing this video truly helped me. Sometimes, no matter the character, I forget that they are more than a person on paper. This is something I am still working on, especially with my single story if Middle Eastern women. My goal for myself is to recognize that these women are human, just as much as I am. Seeing this video has really helped me. While Dalia Mogahed, the woman in the video, isn't currently living in the middle east, she is from Egypt and identifies as Muslim. I would encourage anyone who does not know much about that culture (like how I was walking into this project) this video will open your eyes. Not only is it educational, it reminds you that there is hope in this world. Dalia explains what it was like being Muslim the day after 9/11 and how it has shaped the world's stereotypes towards Muslim and middle eastern people. I encourage anyone to watch this.

I am Malala- Post #1

This young woman's story is so empowering. It is amazing to see how, even as a (very) young adult, she thinks in such optimistic and feminist ways, even after all she has been through. Her family structure is very interesting, with her two brothers and her parents, who were not supposed to get married. Because her father is empowering and doesn't follow certain ideas or customs gives Malala a benefit. She becomes a target because of her father's actions.
I can see why this book is taught in schools, as it is very empowering. I think Malala's strength to go on and write this book is so admirable. I think she inspires not only girls like her, but anyone who has been "knocked down" and is ready to get back up. 

The Space Between Our Footsteps- Part 2

I am so glad that I was recommended this book. It has added to my single story so much. Women have such an important role in society, yet are constantly discriminated against. The culture centers around men, similarly to Mexican culture. Many of the poems written by women discussed the fact that they were overshadowed by men. These women are barely allowed to use these art forms as an outlet to express their feelings. It is interesting to see that both society and the men in their lives oppress women. But these women are so strong. They know that their culture oppresses women, but they continue to fight it. This collection immersed me into the culture of Middle Eastern people and their lives. This book was perfect as my first read because it gave me a good understanding of culture that I can use as a lens as I continue to read.

Sharon Flake

While the stories she writes about do not impact the single story I am currently studying, Sharon Flake brought up a good point. She explained how people who didn't fit her characters' descriptions would feel that it was "their story." Single stories need to be told because other  people can relate to them. Readers can understand that they aren't the only ones going through or feeling something. It also allows readers to have that realization that we are all human, the African American teenagers that Flake writes about and her reader, no matter their gender or race, can understand the deeper human connection of emotion. The women I am reading about have all faced oppression. I have faced it too, not as much as them but I can empathize for and with them while I read. We are both human. And that's why it is so important to allow yourself to dive into a single story, to understand that we are all human.

Mini Lesson Reflection- Kahoot

I do think that my classmates/students learned what I wanted them to learn. Many students seemed to enjoy using Kahoot and almost everyone responded that they would use this in future classrooms. There were only a few questions, all which I was able to answer. I do think I could have improved on specificity in the tools that Kahoot has for teachers to use, such as usage of the leader board, the option for students to choose their own names or automatically selected names, usage of pictures, but I think for the time that I had I did well on teaching the main tools of Kahoot. I am proud of myself for being able to find and create something that the future teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed. I think my presentation and Kahoot itself was very fun and easy going. I am also proud of myself for be able to get back on track after I accidentally exited out of the browser, it was honestly a scary moment and I already knew I was short on time, but thankfully I recovered quickly. All in all, I think I did better than I thought and I have to forgive myself for my mistakes, since nothing will ever go exactly as planned. 

Digital Poetry Interpretation

Here is my finished product of my digital poetry interpretation of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare. I chose this poem because it isn't like many love poems. I had performed this sonnet for a Shakespeare monologue and sonnet competition back in high school, and I have always really loved it. But as I was story boarding I realized my interpretation had changed since high school. I now interpret the mistress as someone who is beautiful in her own way, she may not be what society considers to be perfect, but she is on her own, unique way. As soon as I realized this was my new way of reading the poem I contacted my friend Mazal, for not only did she fit the description, but she is so unique and beautiful in her own way. She agreed to do it and another friend agreed to read the poem and be featured at the end.
I think because I had a clear concept in my head this process was very easy and fun for me. Because I have a background in theatre, filming and directing was very easy. Clip Champ also made editing very easy for me and I was able to add the extra touches to really pull the video together. My process was very easy: story board, film, record, edit, and now I am so happy with the finished project! My three friends who helped me out did everything just as I had imagined.
After this project I definitely think a project like this, or any multimedia project would be really great in a classroom. I think even without a theatre or technology based background any student could do this. I would imagine students would rather do this than write a paper, even though more time could be put into making a video. Plus, students can learn this type of technology for later usage in life, whether it be in college or after. This was much easier and much more fun than expected!

Convocation Response

In his convocation lecture Dr. Robert Bullard went over the important history of social injustice, discussing more about the efforts that have been made for equality, that present day and how to conquer this problem. One can draw the connections between the digital divide and environmental justice about the central idea of inequality of resources, usually targeted at minorities or poorer districts. Also, both have occurred for decades, yet the problem hasn't gotten much better, and can arguably say is getting worse due to more destructive storms and newer technology. Bullard answered an audience member's question on what we, as students and citizens, can do. He informed us that by acknowledging the problem is the first step, then spreading awareness helps the situation. As a teacher, knowing about the digital divide and acknowledging that some students have less access to technology as others. All in all, addressing the problem is step one. But actively speaking up for and social injustice is what will cause change.

The Space Between Our Footsteps- Part 1

What I love about poetry books is the fact that the reader is given many views and ideas from many people. This book was a perfect way to begin my journey into the Single Story if Middle Eastern women. Something that shattered my single story if the Middle East in general was the energy of the culture and the land, more colorful than I ever imagined.

The culture is so strong. I am positive that most of these poets and artists believe in and celebrate their culture more than I do for my own. Even Naomi Shihab Nye who selected and compiled these works explains that when she would go to girl scouts she would bring "dates, apricots, and almonds"(vii) to share. While some of their beliefs are considered old fashioned and some inhumane (such as forced marriages) there are so many beautiful pieces to the culture and way of life. It is clear that the people of the Middle East appreciate what the have and don't take much for granted. While they do face war and brutality, many of the poets stressed the importance of light and the goodness in the world. The Middle East is rich with history, religion, and culture, something we often forget.

These works are also filled with color. I always imagined a dull landscape of dunes (yet still had the image of oriented rugs in my single story idea). Yet illustrated in both the poems and the painting are colorful. (16) The paintings themselves illustrate the rich, beautiful land and lifestyle, but so does the poems. The imagery is incredible and easily puts the reader there with the poet.

I have gained a new appreciation for the Middle East. The land and their culture had no meaning to me, but I cried and laughed over these artworks. I feel much more connected and have gained a much better appreciation that I wish I had sooner.

Reaction Post to "Technology Lite"

This article reminds us that technology is something that we have to adapt to, and that it is okay to not "know" technology like the back of our hand. Being flexible like Gumby to technology prevents frustration on both the teacher and students. Sometimes technology is out of our hands (in terms of that unexpected hiccups can happen) and that it is us as teachers to adapt and plan accordingly with backups and help from others. And through others and my own education of technology I can provide students with other ways of exploring the material. If teachers were to shun away technology, students may miss understandings of the material that they would've gotten through multimedia.  After reading this I definitely felt okay with my insecurities with technology. I just have to prepare myself accordingly through education on technology, create plan Bs, and understand that technology is there to help, and as the article says, it can be rewarding for both the teacher and students.

A New Single Story

I am looking forward to my new single story project, focusing in on women from the middle east. My books cover women from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria. I find that I barely know anything about life in the middle east. I've always assumed that life there was poor. I imagined, through that entire area sand huts, people in rags and in the traditional "middle eastern style" clothing that covers all but the eyes. I also in my imaginary world of the middle east imagine military trucks and weapons all over the place. I know that these ideas aren't true for that entire part of the world, but the American media has brain washed me to think that one way. Specifically for women I do know that they do not have many rights in those countries. But one problem I have is that I have only imagined the middle east, so the people there haven't been "materialized" for me. I know that they are humans and deserve every right that we have, but I still haven't connected with any of their stories, which I know is what I am about to do in this project!
So far I only have 5 books, but I am hoping to find the sixth soon.

Nonfiction: The Home That Was Our Country (Syria)

Fiction: Girls of Riyadh, Rajaa Al-Sanea (Saudi Arabia)

Historical Fiction: The Bastard of Istanbul (Turkey)

Autobiography: Persepolis (Iran)

Biography: Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

My List of Readings of a Single Story

Possible Reads:

REALISTIC FICTION: Her Name in the Sky- Kelly Quindlen

AUTOBIOGRAPHY: My lesbian experience with Loneliness (Nagata Kabi)

HISTORICAL FICTION:Patience and Sarah (Isabel Miller)

MYSTERY: Fingersmith (Sarah Waters(

SciFi- Daughters of a coral dawn _(Katherine V Forrest)

NONFICTION: Skin: Talking About Sex, Class, and Literature (Dorothy Allison) My single story is based upon lesbians/gay females. I have lots of friends who are lesbian and have told me they have faced lots of stereotyping from friends and family. Most of the time they are thought of to be more masculine, one of my friends telling me her mom told her that wearing dresses gave others "mixed signals" about her. Another being that they are good at sports or that they all love and have a cat. Also that they hate men. And the biggest one of all is that falling and being in love is much different from straight people. I always try to be as open and understanding as possible to everyone, and most of these stereotypes I don't have but society does. I am interested to see how feminism plays a role in these stories and also how romance does, if it is the same sort of typical straight love story.

Teaching with the Digital Divide

Technology, no matter the setting, can make a tremendous impact if used correctly. In Benjamin Herold's article we heard direct from a student that her class was "life changing" because of how the technology had been implemented in her classroom. In the second article "Why Ed Tech Is Not Transforming How Teachers Teach" the point is made that some teacher don't want or don't know how to integrate technology into their teaching. But I think with a new generation of teachers who are technology savvy coming into the field will change things. The millennial generation have seen the incredible improvements of technology over our lives, and we have learned to adapt to it, giving us flexibility to lean new tech tools easier. Also, other experienced teachers may have already had an incredibly effective way to teach material, but new teachers don't have that yet, allowing us to be open to technology helping us and our students. 

I think programs like I-SEEED, which focus on student based learning will revolutionize how students see education. Claudia Suarez, who participated in the program, said herself that "The curriculum taught in regular school, we don't learn anything that's related to our lives, The [lessons in urban ecology] were the first thing I learned that made me realize I could use the information and knowledge to make a change in my community." That is the kind of lessons students want to learn, and if future teachers can adapt, education will be revolutionized. 

Goals and Expectations of ENED 250

I hope to be less intimidated by technology and be able to successfully use it with students. I have always seen myself at a disadvantage with technology because I lacked it in my household during my childhood years. I am comfortable with my phone and iPad but not laptops, computers, and anything else that goes along with those, so my main goal is to feel more comfortable using a computer. I also hope that I will gain the skills to use technology in the classroom setting. Throughout my education, I used the least technology in my language classes (English and Spanish), but I hope to change that. I do believe that there is a time and place for technology in the classroom, but I also believe and expect to learn the ways to effectively use it in ways that students will learn and grow like they never have before.  

Wishful Thinking for Poorer, Less Populated Districts- A Response to "The Digital Divide in Education"

I hope that rapidly increasing technological improvements prove me wrong. I just don't see digital equality ever being achieved. I have been that kid who doesn't have internet at home. It wasn't until the summer going into college when I had unlimited data. Fortunately, I had the benefit of my parents who are both teachers at my high school. Ninth through tenth, all of my papers had to be done at school, since we had no computer at home. But the kids who didn't have computers at home had serious issues getting work done. Unlike Terence Lee's suggestion that kids have to go to the libraries, we only had one with computers that were compatible. And the hours were extremely limited. These kids have jobs. They have family. But instead kids would sit in school in academic recovery until 5:30, some kids, because of the bus, not getting home until 7:30. The stress wasn't coming from the amount of homework, but that students had to worry about whether they could rush and do all of their homework done on the computer in 2 or 3 hours. In eleventh grade we got Chromebooks, making things easier, but without wifi there wasn't much to do. And with suggestion Lee makes that students can go to a restaurant with wifi to work on laptops. The nearest McDonalds is 15 minutes from the school. We still don't have wifi at our house because it isn't available, even though we were promised it would be back in 2016. I hope that one day wifi will be available to all, but our country is large, and, like many high schools, has other problems it needs to fix first before fixing the digital divide.

Small, Rural Town Full of Single Stories

As someone who grew up in an extremely small, rural town (graduating class of 69 students) I lacked diversity in my life. The populating of the town in 2015 was 98% white, primarily Christians. I do know that more kids have been coming out more recently due to acceptance in society, but I still only knew about 5 people in my high school in the LGBTQ+ community. I compiled a list of single stories that I know I have in my head, but also some single stories that people have about me:

-Lives of people of different religions (stereotypes of how they act and celebrate their beliefs)

    - I grew up in a very small town where the population was primarily lower-class white Christians.

- The opposing side in any politics.

-Any LGBTQ, the differences between the different sexual orientations→ Gay meaning all sexual preferences other than straight

    -Also the stereotype of gay men being feminine and gay females being masculine

-Feminism. Much of society believing it’s all females>males, when really its everyone is =!

-How females dress… Something I definitely relate to. The single story that females are trying to “impress”, or the fact that every day females must or do dress feminine.

-Dancers aren’t athletes. An argument that comes up frequently. Many only think ballet. There are many other styles, and it isn’t only about the art to it.

-People with mental diseases, such as depression and anxiety. Usually told to “shake it off” or “don’t worry about it” or “just cheer up” when, in reality, that can do nothing or make the situation worse.  

More than Books- Response to "Lessons From History"

A good English teacher knows it isn't just about the books. Rather, it is about the lessons and themes the students take away, whether it's through reading, recording, discussing, or any other learning technique. I found it quite interesting that teachers since the early 1900s have found ways to engage students more deeply. When students, or anyone, can make something theirs, it naturally enlightens them onto new ideas, themes, and understandings, no matter what you are teaching them. So by having students create a pod cast, or film a scene, or create a character Facebook status, and so on, it allows them to claim their own work. And with all of the new and extremely mobile technology that has been invented, even in the past 5 years, if teachers utilize these, students will be able to not only grasp onto more concepts, but to enjoy the material that they are learning.