Zines

Zines, pronounced as "zeens" answers.com informs me, are a new form of authentic writing practices that can go on in any classroom. Perhaps you have heard of e-zines, publishing non-traditional writing pieces on the internet for publication, but zines can even be incorporated in the classroom.

The article "The Zine Project" discusses how zines actually work within a classroom. One was quoted commenting on the zine project: "I think letting [students] speak about what was going on in their lives and then using them to invent writing prompts was a good tactic."

Agreed. What a great way to formulate interest in writing. Not to state the obvious, but people like to talk about themselves and what they know. Especially adolescent students... Perhaps those who are resistant to writing are assigned tasks that are not authentic; they have no relevance to them, they seem school-related and boring, so they give up before they start. I think there would be little resistance to writing if the task was focused on a topic of their interest on a writing topic they created themselves.

Main concerns? Maybe some are skeptical of zines. Maybe some of skeptical of Hobbs' media literacy project, but Hobbs poses a great argument. She provides a list of skills that English teachers are required to teach (in her specific school), but I am sure this list is similar to most schools. Here is a sample of items on her list:

-Examine the structure of persuasive arguments
-Examine the effects of word choice, tone, bias, point of view, and structure
-Incorporate research and critical analysis of topics
-Recognize structure as a part of the message
-Evaluate the competence and credibility of speakers
-Adjust your spoken and written language based on your audience

Quickly looking at these necessary skills, one can see how easily these skills can apply to either the zine project or the media literacy project. These projects are interesting to the students because they directly effect them. They are consumed in the media and with problems and issues that effect their every-day lives, so why wouldn't they want to express their concerns, complaints, problems, or praises through creative writing?

Zines and media literacy will appeal to students because they differ from normal "classroom" assignments. Writing can be cool--we just need to know how to approach it so that it will interest students. Both Hobbs and Tobi Jacobi have great strategies to get students motivated to write. Publication will motivate student activity; we just need to give students the appropriate tools to get their messages heard.