Cory Doctorow's Little Brother

I recently finished reading Cory Doctorow's Little Brother for my Multi-Modal Literacies class. I found that the themes closely reflected the themes presented in Orwell's 1984. A stark difference in Doctorow's text was how he used modern day and futuristic technology to help give a techno-savvy feeling to his narrative. While I question Doctorow's style, I acknowledge that he took a chance (and won) by delving into a technological subculture that few know about. His descriptions, character development and plot line lend to an exciting reading experience.

I think the novel shows me how technologically illiterate teachers tend to be. While some are employing technology that would interest students, many are still sticking with the old curriculum. After reading this novel, I am forced to ask a very frank question: Why would students pay attention to me when they could be entertaining themselves with modern technology? In essence, to make sure that students remain engaged in the classroom, teachers have to utilize the technology students use everyday. Otherwise, there will be countless cases of students texting in the back of the room, surfing the web during research tutorials and refusing to turn in assignments because they weren't interesting. Teachers need to realize this paradigm shift and adjust their teaching styles accordingly, so students can learn through the medium they understand.