Dr. J. David Betts

Content• Educational and Employment Background• Research Interests• Honors and Awards• Service and Outreach – Wildcat School• Favorite Theories and Researchers• Book Recommendation• Words to Grad Students• Current Courses• Discussion of Selected Publications

B.A. 1967: General Arts and Science Pennsylvania State University

M.A. 1975: Speech/Communication Pennsylvania State University

Thesis: The Pennsylvania Traveling Players: A Film (Film and Monograph: Children’s Theatre and Creative Drama)

Educational Background

Ph.D. 1994: Language, Reading, and Culture

College of Education, University of Arizona

Dissertation: Art as Mediation for Learning: The Arts Integration Program

Advisor: Dr. William Valmont Minor: Special Education and Rehabilitation,

Technology for Special Populations

Educational Background

Media* First position: 1966–1975: Executive Producer, Performing Arts Television. WPSX-TV (PBS) Penn State Television, University Park, Pennsylvania. * Latest position: 1986–2002: Vice President, Producer/Director, Co-proprietor. Southwest Series, Inc. Tucson, Arizona. Producers and distributors of educational video and audiocassettes.

Employment Background

Academic * First position: 1989–1993: Adjunct Lecturer. Department of Media

Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Arizona. * Current position: 2008–present: Associate Professor of Practice.

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies, Program in Language, Reading, and Culture. College of Education, University of Arizona.

Employment Background

Literacy

Research Interests

• Concept developed by the New London Group (East Coast)

• Idea that we live in a multimodal world – surrounded by sign and symbol systems that didn’t exist 100 years ago

• Need for competence in these areas is recognized; schools have to acknowledge new literacies

What is the New Literacy?

• 2006: Distinction for Cinematography. The Videographer Awards, for the video One Grand Family.

• 2006: Celebrate Literacy Award. International Reading Association and Tucson Area Reading Council, for Exemplary Service in the Promotion of Literacy.

• 1999: Research Award. American Alliance for Theatre and Education Research, for “Teaching Them to Imaginate,” co-authored with Dr. Laura McCammon.

Honors and Awards

Local/State Outreach • 1987–present: Kiwanis de Amigos, Tucson.

Past president.• 1992–2002: Media Arts Advisory Board,

Tucson/Pima Arts Council.• 1999–present: Arizona Technology Education

Association• 2007–2009: Local Education Agency, Strategic

Long Range Technology Plan, Arizona Department of Education, Wildcat School Tech Plan. Co-author.

Service and Outreach

National/International Outreach• 1993–present: Member, International Reading

Association• 1996–present: Member, Association for the

Advancement of Computers in Education • 2003–present: Member, Association for Educational

Communication and Technology• 2006–present: Member, International Society of the

Learning Sciences

Service and Outreach

• Charter school in Tucson run by the UA Colleges of Education and Science

• Conducted media project involving interviews with teachers, kids, professors

• Worked with media arts team to develop a “digital scrapbook”

Wildcat School

• Constructivism (theory of learning where people generate knowledge through experiences)

• In education, applied by creating environment where students have ownership of their learning and learn by doing

• Vygotsky – activity theory (human activities are complex and socially situated)

• Business and industry use this theoryto address issues of productivity

• Individuals love agency (we are here to do things)

Favorite Theories and Researchers

• Looking for Spinoza, by Antonio Damasio

• About interactions between emotion and cognition (How do you feel about a book you want to read? How does this affect your learning?)

Book Recommendation

• They are in an excellent situation at College of Education to learn how to teach reading and writing

• They can learn about nature of acquisition of literacy (work by Goodman)

• Whole language approach – look at meaning (not reductionist)

Words to Grad Students

• LRC 320 (Teaching with New Technologies, online)• LRC 430/530 (New Literacies)• LRC 505 (Language and Literacy)• LRC 515 (Semiotics of Media in Education)• LRC 551 (Reading, Writing, and Text)• LRC 560 (Multimedia Literacy)• LRC 564 (Literacy and the Arts)• LRC 645 (Technology in Literacy Research)• LRC 696a (Seminar: Semiotics and Media in Education)

Current Courses

• Betts, J. D. (2003). Art + Technology Integration: Developing an After School Curriculum. Afterschool Matters. V.2, pp. 13–22.

• Betts, J. D. (2008). Learning to Be Multimedia Teaching Artists: Apprenticeship in Multimedia Arts Education. Teaching Artist Journal. 6(4), 266–278.

Selected Publications