Connections+for+Classroom+Learning


 * Connecting Literacies with Harry Potter**

For the most part, the audience of J.K.Rowling has grown up along side her characters. Many readers regard her characters as friends and companions of their childhood and adolecense and were very sorry to see the original series reach its seven book conclusion. With this in mind, many children, teens, and young adults can identify with Harry and friends and make new connections through original works generated by these figures.

The Potter series has generated a great deal of discussion on the nature of good and evil, friendship, death, etc. There have also been political commentaries concerning the involvement of goverment of beaucracy in citizens' lives, and the bungling of public programs and subsequent officials. (Much of this pokes more fun at British government, but the parallels are still familiar.) Rowling even went so far as to posit her great leader character, Headmaster [|Albus Dumbledore], as homosexual in the seventh and last book, which caused a maelstorm of controversy.

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Fans were able to blog, post, and remark about Rowling's sexual preferance for her wisest, most fatherly character in a very new ethos way. The author, rather offhand, remarked that she sort of thought of Dumbledore as gay, which would be more or less acceptable in the UK, but became an even larger bone of contension in the US. This sparked discussion on sexuality, ethical behavior, privacy rights, etc.

Of course, not all Potter fanfic has educational applications, some is simply for the edification of the author and the story itself. Often the various [|Hogwarts' houses] might have a dueling match to see which authors can pen better stories of their favorite characters - whose plot are better developed, which characters most authentic and true to form.

The readership and authorship of this space (and Mugglenet.com) know how to navigate through the complex portals of its universe. Each area has its rules and/or terms of service or use to protect itself and other participants unsavory or unobliging individuals. Participants on this site also know what passes as "good" writing or storytelling, something that challenges the traditional and tangible publishing community. Such ideas can even juxtapose itself in classrooms as students share emerging ideas of their own experiences with new literacies.

Please don't think that Harry Potter and friends haven't been remixed, parodied, or otherwise assulted by creative minds. These are some of my students' favorites:

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