Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations Department of Middle and Secondary Education 5-17-2019 Remixing Pedagogy: How Teachers Experience Remix as a Tool for Teaching English Language Arts Stephanie J. Loomis Georgia State University CEHD Stephanie J. Loomis Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss Recommended Citation Loomis, Stephanie J. and Loomis, Stephanie J., "Remixing Pedagogy: How Teachers Experience Remix as a Tool for Teaching English Language Arts." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2019. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss/82 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Middle and Secondary Education at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, REMIXING PEDAGOGY: HOW TEACHERS EXPERIENCE REMIX AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, by STEPHANIE J. LOOMIS was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. _________________________________ Michelle Zoss, Ph.D. Committee Chair _________________________________ _________________________________ Troy Hicks, Ph.D. Nadia Behizadeh, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________________ _________________________________ Jodi Kaufmann, Ph.D. Donna Alvermann, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________________ Date _________________________________ Gertrude Tinker Sachs, Ph.D. Chairperson, Department of Middle and Secondary Education _________________________________ Paul A. Alberto, Ph.D. Dean, College of Education and Human Development AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education and Human Development’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. STEPHANIE J. LOOMIS NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Stephanie Joanne Loomis Department of Middle and Secondary Education College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University The director of this dissertation is: Michelle Zoss Department of Middle and Secondary Education College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Stephanie J. Loomis College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University 30 Pryor St. Atlanta, GA 30303 EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2019 Georgia State University Middle and Secondary Education Master’s Degree 2015 Kennesaw State University Bagwell College of Education Bachelor’s Degree 1987 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Journalism PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2018-present GTA/Instructor Georgia State University 2015-2019 GRA/Initial Teacher Preparation Specialist Georgia State University 2014-2015 GTA/Instructional Technology Kennesaw State University PUBLICATIONS: Loomis. S. (2018). #Twitter: A pedagogical tool in the high school classroom. JoLLE. Ringler Pet, S., Silvestri, K., Loomis, S., O’Byrne, W. I., & Kist, W. (2017). Mentored open online communities as a third space for teaching and learning in higher education. In M. Kent & R. Bennett (Eds.), MOOCs and higher education: Where to next? Surrey, UK: Ashgate. Loomis, S. (2016, July 21). Whistling while they worked: The need for creative freedom in collaborative projects. Hybrid Pedagogy. http://www.digitalpedagogylab.com/ Loomis, S. (2015). Read-create-write: Using altered books to inspire critical thinking. Ubiquity: The Journal of Literature, Literacy, and the Arts, Praxis Strand. 2(2), 36-52. http://ed- ubiquity.gsu.edu/wordpress/loomis-2-2/ PRESENTATIONS: Alvermann, D., Beach, C.L., & Loomis, S. (2018, Nov.). Histories, hearts, and homes: A post- intentional phenomenological look at feeling and connecting through digital remixing. Paper presentation at annual Literary Research Association (LRA) Conference, Indian Wells, CA. Williams, S. & Loomis, S. (2018, Nov.). Remixing the script: Using multi-modal tools to empower student voice in the ELA classroom. Presentation at National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference, Houston, TX. Loomis, S. (2018, Nov.). Raising the voices of teacher educators through digital literacies. Roundtable leader and paper presentation at annual National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference, Houston, TX. Zoss, M., Gordon, C. T., & Loomis, S. (2017, Aug.). Studying the meaning of teaching: One teacher across four years. Paper presentation at the triennial congress of International Society for Cultural and Activity Research Congress (ISCAR), Quebec City, Canada. Alvermann, D., Beach, C.L., & Loomis, S. (2016, Feb.). Remix: See it, think it, wear it, write it. Paper presentation at annual Journal of Language and Literacy Education (JoLLE) Conference, Athens, GA. Loomis, S. & Ringler-Pet, S. (2016, Dec.). New faces, fertile places, online spaces: Advocating for multimodal literacy experiences in teacher education. Paper presentation at Literacy Research Association Annual Convention, Nashville, TN. Loomis, S. (2016, Nov) Advocating for and empowering teachers to creatively incorporate digital elements into the composition process using smartphone applications and online communities. Roundtable leader and paper presentation at annual National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference, Atlanta, GA. Alvermann, D., Beach, C.L., & Loomis, S. (2016, Jan.). Remix & play: Making connections in digital media spaces. Paper presentation at annual Journal of Language and Literacy Education (JoLLE) Conference, Athens, GA. Ringler-Pet, S. & Loomis, S. (2015, Dec.). The Walk My World social media project as an integral mini-MOOC in a F2F graduate language development course. Pecha Kucha presentation at annual Literacy Research Association Annual Convention, San Diego, CA. REMIXING PEDAGOGY: HOW TEACHERS EXPERIENCE REMIX AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS by STEPHANIE J. LOOMIS Under the Direction of Dr. Michelle Zoss ABSTRACT Remix, a type of digital multimedia composition created by combining existing media to create new texts offers high school teachers a non-traditional approach to teaching English Language Arts (ELA). As technology in the U.S. has become more accessible and affordable, literacy practices outside school classrooms have changed. While there is a growing body of research about remix and remix culture, most of it is set outside the ELA classroom by focusing on activities after school hours or specialty courses in creative writing or technology classes. Teachers’ points of view are largely left out of studies that examine in-school experiences with remix. Additionally, existing studies are often set in either higher education or elementary schools. This case study sought to understand how two high school ELA teachers experienced using remix as a tool for teaching and how practicing remix informed their pedagogies. The study revealed insight into why teachers find it challenging to practice new pedagogies in their teaching. I grounded my theoretical framework in sociocultural theories and a remix of Peirce’s (1898) semiotic theory with Rosenblatt’s (1938/1995) transactionalism. Designed within a case study methodology, data sources included teacher remixes, recorded conversations in online meetings, emails, texts, telephone calls, and a detailed researcher journal. Data analysis included multiple iterations of open coding of transcripts, informed by grounded theory and tools of discourse analysis, as well as visual analyses of teacher-created remixes. Key findings showed that, while teachers desired to incorporate remix teaching tools for meeting student needs, constraints of professional learning obligations, state standards, and administrator expectations limited their use of non-traditional practices. Both teachers approached remix differently, encouraging their students to construct meaning through multimodal tools, while still finding paths to meeting administrative requirements through remix. Further, remix allowed teachers to increase the student-centeredness of their pedagogy and at the same