Literacy in general has been defined as the ability to read and write. Historically speaking, classrooms have focused on literacy that dealt only with physical paper. When I recall my own high school experience, I remember lots and lots of textbook reading supplemented with lots and lots of worksheets. New and emerging technology when I was in high school was simply the wonders of Word processing. Literacy when I was a student was encouraged through learning how to use the tools we were working with, and this mainly consisted of textbooks (which meant we learned how to use an index and glossary), and word processors (where we spent hours in a computer lab hoping we could figure out how to properly format a paper).
Literacy today is fundamentally the same. "Educators realize that electronic communication has become a requirement for students' success in the 21st century" (Anderson et. al., 2008, p.6). When we teach literacy to our students today, we are teaching them how to navigate information in its most prevalent form: electronic communication. Electronic communication has created the challenge of "expand[ing] our definition of literacy" (Anderson et. al., 2008, p.7). This expansion means that we have to take into account all of the different communication capabilities that exist in the electronic world.
Students today communicate through various media including texts, discussions, chats, blogs, Wikis, videos, and audio clips (just to name a few). It is imperative as teachers that we are teaching them how to use those tools appropriately to convey their thoughts and show what they have learned. It is an interesting role that teachers now find themselves in. I do not recall my science teacher ever teaching me literacy, but now I find that it is necessary as a science teacher for me to do so. The future for my students requires them to be able to effectively use technology to succeed, and I think it would be a disservice not to prepare them for effective communication in the digital world. So I think literacy has mainly evolved in the classroom from paper/pencil literacy to technology literacy. This is so much more than just reading and writing. One author defines technology literacy as "the ability to understand and evaluate technology" (Keller, 2010). So on top of just making sure that my students understand the information, I also need to make sure they can navigate through the various means of communication.
In Technology to Teach Literacy, the authors spend a little time talking about a paradigm shift in teaching. Teaching today pushes students to become problem-solvers instead of regurgitating information (Anderson et. al., 2008. To me, this shift from behaviorism to constructivism sounds like a shift toward more project based learning approaches. I have had a little experience this year with PBL, and electronic communications and technological literacy played a large role. My students throughout their project used several different media to convey their information including: google docs, twitter, google surveys, radio, and video. I expect to see more PBL incorporated into the classroom, so I think this class comes at a very opportune time for me.
References
Anderson, R. S., Grant, M. M., & Speck, B. W. (2008). Technology to teach literacy: a resource for K-8
teachers (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Keller, H. (2010, August 22). Technological Literacy: The Key to Education Reform. Retrieved May 03,
2017, from https://etcjournal.com/2010/08/22/technological-literacy-the-key-to-education-reform-2/
Re: “Students today communicate through various media including texts, discussions, chats, blogs, Wikis, videos, and audio clips (just to name a few). It is imperative as teachers that we are teaching them how to use those tools appropriately to convey their thoughts and show what they have learned. It is an interesting role that teachers now find themselves in.”
ReplyDeleteThese thoughts definitely encapsulate what literacy 2.0 means. I agree with you, the basic fundamental definition of what literacy is has not changed. However, how we teach it, the tools we use, and the way we all communicate has. I had similar experiences in school as well. Our reading textbook was the main form of reading instruction and technology was only used to publish final drafts (and that was a treat!). Now, things have drastically changed. Literacy 2.0 is all about using technological tools effectively to teach reading and writing. We have to teach in a manner that students can best learn. We also have to let them guide their own learning, allow them to explore and meet their own needs while we facilitate and direct on the side. The basal reader is simply ineffective this day in age. It’s too controlled and doesn’t allow the student any choice. Today, there are a plethora of tools available that allow teachers to customize student learning. As teachers we need to be current about the tools that are out there and be able to teach students how to appropriately and effectively use them.
April,
ReplyDeleteRE: “Literacy in general has been defined as the ability to read and write.”
The ability to read and write are still at the core of literacy. However, as you note, traditional paper-pencil literacy has been forever changed because of technology and the resulting changes in media and devices. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has developed an excellent definition of 21st century literacies which can serve as a guide for teachers as they design instruction. The link below is to the NCTE definition.
http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition
Happy learning!
Dr. Dell