What I’ve learned from “The Boys of Summer”

Summer has arrived with a vengeance – sweltering temperatures and an awesome t-shirt tan are both proof that it’s June.  My current song addiction – “The Boys of Summer”…by the Ataris.  No disrespect to the original Don Henley version.  I like that one, too.  But there’s something about the Ataris remake that has just grabbed me this summer.  Maybe it’s because it brings me back specifically to a time in my life, maybe it’s because it’s just so much fun to sing along to with windows down and volume up full blast (so no one can hear my singing voice).  Regardless, this remake is a reminder of the power of remixing.  And for students, the idea of remixing concepts can be a great learning pathway.  Whether it’s mashing up things old and new, retrofitting or updating a concept, or juxtaposing items to create the kind of cognitive dissonance that gets brains revving, the remixing gets us doing all those fun higher-level Blooms-y skills like analyzing, synthesizing, and most of all creating (or re-creating) as the case may be.  Each tweak creates a new opportunity for both academic and emotional resonance with our student-remixers and their audience.  For teachers, the idea of remixing is an age-old tradition, not a new trend, and summer seems to be a popular time to try our hand at remixing and recreating everything from our content to our materials to our philosophies.  What an exciting opportunity – maybe that’s why a fun summer jam puts me in mind to do a little remixing of my own!