Metacognitive Final Reflection

“The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives” (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

            My very first blog post started out with this quote featured above, and consequently it is the first and last thing I will take away from this course. Above all, I see New Media and New Literacies as more or less useless unless one can take the information and skills embedded within it and apply it to their own life to derive true meaning from it.

            Throughout this course, whether we were learning about Henry Jenkin’s core media literacy skills of the 21^st century, participatory culture, digital natives/digital immigrants, transliteracy or information literacy, we had opportunities to apply this information to our every-day life in an effort to make the most sense of it. In doing so, I have learned a great deal. For example, I learned that “play” is one of the 21^st century core media literacy skills and is of the utmost important. I then was able to make better sense of it as I made the connection to my personal life- in college I had one professor who before every new math lesson would empty out a bunch of math manipulatives on the table and give us college students the chance to actually PLAY with the blocks etc. What did it teach me? It taught me that this skill gets all individuals interested in what is going to be taught and that once our initial curiosities are catered to, my attention span is longer. How did I make the connection to my work life? Well, as a teacher I now ALWAYS give my students the opportunity to play and test out any new materials I am introducing, that way they are engaged and excited but then ready to focus when the lecture begins.

            I also gained understanding on the concept of participatory culture. I learned participatory culture is a media driven culture in which people are constantly consumers and producers, shifting away from individual work into a community of expression- a community that shares and explores others expression. How did I apply this to my life to make it meaningful? One word- Instagram. Instagram is an example of something I use in my everyday life that falls under this category of participatory culture. Instagram is a way for you, your friends, your relatives, celebrities, and people all over the whole to look at and share pictures they have taken/that have been taken. The pictures take on all kinds of creative forms- no picture is exactly alike because every person has the option to edit his/her image taken.            

            In addition, I learned about everything that falls under the category of growing up digital. I learned about digital natives and digital immigrants- making the connection by identifying myself as a digital native, however, taking into account that my audience/learners cannot simply be classified under this measure thanks to Bennett and Maton’s 2010 article entitled “ Beyond the digital natives debate: Towards a more nuanced understanding of students’ technology experiences” I was able to make connections to another course in MALET program where I learned the definitions of a digital native and digital immigrant and apply it to this article that taught me although these terms will always be an important general measure of classifying people in terms of technology expertise, I now understand and see how qualitative methods are truly critical to acquire in depth insights into our individual learners. 

            Can you see where I’m going with this?! Every topic learned in this course deepened my understanding of new media and new literacy because right from the start I was exposed to and reminded of the importance of taking information and making it real-world applicable- making the information meaningful to YOU through generating those crucial connections.

             New Media and New Literacies is a course that has truly broadened and deepened my understanding when it comes to how I now see and define emerging literacy and media, especially in terms of technology. This course has already impacted me in terms of my education and my personal life (I.e., work life.) This course will go on to impact the work I intend to accomplish throughout this MALET program as I have not only gained a plethora of resources to reference in future papers and exposure to specific tools/software/programs to use in future projects but because I have gained a solid foundational understanding of what counts as emerging technologies and what makes up new media and new literacies. I am educated and will continued to be educated on both the positive and negative effects of learning and emerging technologies, which will make me one well-rounded socially aware lifelong learner!

Literacy Guide

Learner Population- Elementary &Secondary Learners (Grades 4+)

Overview:

            Information literacy is essential for lifelong learning. Information literacy refers to the ability to “recognize the extent and nature of an information need” and then to locate, access, evaluate and effectively use the needed information (Plattsburgh State Information and Computer Literacy Task Force, 2001.) In addition, when computer technology skills are taught within the framework of information literacy skills, students are set up in an environment to achieve their upmost potential (Plumas Lake Elementary School District). 

Components:           

            For student learners, they are many components that make up information literacy.  Students, regardless of the subject content area, must first recognize and/or develop a solid question that can be supported by selecting credible sources. Next, learners must search for the information amongst books in the library and search engines online and then begin evaluating the information discovered by citing resources and ultimately creating a product reflecting their findings to the intended audience.

Model and Support Resources:

            There are many models one can follow in terms of creating information literate learners and programs. The Big6 Skills is a process model that shows problem-solving encompassing six stages.  

1. Task Definition

1.1 Define the information problem

            “What am I supposed to do?”

            “What problem am I trying to solve?”

                        Strategies:

                                    - Read the assignment carefully using highlighters

                                    - Ask clarifying questions

1.2 Identify information needed

            “What do I need to know?”

            “What kind of information do I gather?”

                        Strategies:

                                    - KWL chart

                                    -Concept Map for organization

Resources:

http://www.peterussell.com/mindmaps/mindmap.html

This website uses mind maps to help advance note taking skills and linking information together.

http://www.inspiration.com/  

This program allows students to create a concept web/map which is then transformed into an outline. software program helps the user develop a concept map or web, which can be transformed into an outline.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

http://www.graphic.org/

A solid list of different online tools, with examples, to graphically organize ideas.

2. Information Seeking Strategies

2.1 Determine all possible sources

            - locate information from a variety of sources for best results

2.2 Select the best sources

            - based on the specific topic

3. Location and Access

3.1 Locate sources

            - Indexes and catalogues in the library

            - Search engines on the web

            * Each source is arranged in specific order (I.e., alphabetically, chronological, etc)

3.2 Find information within sources

            - Table of contents and index- find specific information without reading entire source

Resource:

http://www.schrockguide.net/critical-evaluation.html

This website can be used by elementary and middle school students as it includes evaluation sheets for students to fill out while browsing different information sources.

4. Use of Information

4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)

4.2 Extract relevant information

5. Synthesis

5.1 Organize from multiple sources

5.2 Present the information

Resource:

http://www.kidport.com/Grade4/TAL/G4-TAL-Ordering.htm

This website helps students organize their information, in particular grade 4 students.

http://www.electricteacher.com/

This website has a lot of examples of project- centered applications for students.

6. Evaluation

6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)

6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

My Literacy Guide Paper Personal References:

http://www.schrockguide.net/information-literacy.html

http://aasl.ala.org/essentiallinks/index.php?title=Information_Literacy

http://www.plusd.org/Schools/Libraries/Information-Literacy/index.html

Facebook Reflection

How do you see a Facebook page as adding value to the learning environment that you are creating?  

            Creating a Facebook page will definitely be yet another resource/tool to help increase the value of the learning environment I am creating. For starters, it gives my learners (digital natives AND digital immigrants) a platform they are already familiar with- most likely.  My digital native learners may have a Facebook to keep in touch with friends and post pictures etc where as my digital immigrant learners may have a Facebook to keep in touch with family members far away, old friends or they may just simply heard about it from their students, grandkids, nieces, nephews etc.  Because of the familiarity, they may feel less anxious when I create a Facebook page simply for the teacher workshop in creating learning how to create a safe teacher website. This page will be an organized resource so that all of my learners have just one place to go when they need to find relevant You tube videos I have posted, helpful links, as well as be able to ask questions, engage in discussion and comment and share on their peers progress. Such social media networks allow opportunities to incorporate video, photos, audio files, blogs etc (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2009.)

Given that you would use private pages for internal postings, are there ways that you would try to encourage an ongoing community or commitment through the Facebook venue? 

           

            There are definitely ways I would try to encourage an ongoing community or commitment through the Facebook venue. I actually think I have already begun to do so unintentionally. For example, keeping every post relevant and keeping up with ongoing discussion. In addition, I have stuck to the focus of the issue at hand on my page in terms of being a resource for creating a teacher website (for teachers) however I have extended my page to also post any interesting, helpful, funny, etc links relating to teachers. By doing so, this can give my members an outlet for the project at hand and simply take a break by finding humor in teacher pictures posted, or finding inspiration in the teacher quotes uploaded, etc.

How would you plan on maintaining such an outward-facing social presence?   Would you maintain this yourself or share the responsibilities with the learners in your environment?  

            I would definitely share the responsibilities with the learners in my environment- because we ALL (myself as the teacher included) can learn from one another.  My page isn’t intended to simply spit out information at my learners, the goal is to be a support for my learners and an outlet- a means for getting advice, having questions asked and answered, giving advice, etc.  I would still take on the responsibility of posting, updating, adding to the Facebook page but I would also have the learners receive the opportunity to contribute whenever they may like.

Adolescent Technology Interview

I chose to interview my female cousin who is in the 7^th grade. I asked her 4 questions:

1-     What forms of social media do you use?

2-     On a scale of 1-10 (1 being you hate and 10 being you love), how do you feel about technology in general? Can technology ever be “too much?”

3-     If you were moving and could only take one item from your house with you- what would you take?

4-     What would you do for the day if Mom and Dad took away your Ipad, Computer, Laptop, Ipod, and Iphone?

            When I asked my cousin what forms of social media she uses, I was very surprised when she had a one-word response “Instagram.” She did mention how she browses for videos a lot on You Tube but doesn’t have an account herself. I would have definitely assumed that my cousin used at least three- four social media sites. Because of this- I asked her if she is interested in any other forms she replied that my Aunt and Uncle will not let her make a Facebook- even though she really wants one. “My Mom and Dad say “You’re too young Katie!” I was very happy to learn that her parents are being very Internet aware and pro-active about her Internet safety!

            For the second question regarding her feelings for technology, my cousin said “No way there can never be too much technology, I’d be like SO bored without it. Since there is nothing bad about it and only good…10 DUH!” At this point in the interview I was not surprised at all that my cousin voted on loving technology because I know just how much technology she uses on a daily basis (which is a lot!) I also wasn’t surprised she didn’t see anything bad about technology- because she is at that age where its her way or the highway, her thinking hasn’t quite evolved or matured yet to think of the bigger picture and impact it can and is having on people (the negative effects.)

            After asking Katie what the one item or belonging she would with her if she was moving she immediately (without ANY hesitation) replied “ MY IPHONE 5!” I was a bit surprised to hear how her parents allowed her to have the latest Iphone, however, I wasn’t surprised her phone was the one thing she would take away with her.  Being that typical teenage girl- she is glued to that thing always!!

            The best part of our interview came from me asking her what she would do for the day if Mom and Dad took away all of her technology like her Ipad, Computer, Laptop, and Iphone? Katie answered “Oh my god, maybe like go to a friends house so I can use her Ipad for the Internet?” She seemed completely dumfounded and at a loss when I then had to tell her she couldn’t borrow anyone else’s technology. She then responded “I guess I would do what I usually do just without my phone like play lacrosse outside or go to the mall. I just wouldn’t Instagram what I did that day like my Lacrosse jersey or if I went to Starbucks in the Mall.  The day wouldn’t be a big deal I don’t think cause’ I’ve forgotten to take my phone places before. The night time when I’m at home or in bed would just stink cause’ then when it’s dark I’d be bored.”  At this point in time I learned that my cousin, being so active in sports, first thought not having her phone would be the biggest deal ever but then when she thought about it she realized she is so busy that she has left her phone at home before and survived just fine! I also learned that it’s a night where she uses the most technology- because this is when she is typically unable to be active outside (involved in sport activities or friends.) I can definitely agree and even relate to her comment because similar to myself, I'm using technology most at night when I have finished my work/activities for the day in the comfort of my own time at home.

Marshall McLuhan

            After reviewing the readings and video clips, there is one particular video clip that still (after a week of reviewing) I find so incredibly fascinating due to it’s oddness, bluntness, yet ability to make perfect sense. In “Marshall McLuhan Speaks” the video entitled “My reading habits” from 1967 completely captivated me. Marshall discusses how after years of reading and reading experience he eventually began to read on the right hand pages of what he considers to be serious books. However, if the book is as he notes “relaxing” or fun, he will read every word of the book.

            Marshall explains how he only reads on the right hand side of such serious books because of how much redundancy he has discovered in these well-written books. By simply reading just the right hand pages he is left feeling captivated rather than bored if he were to be reading both pages that tend to repeat aspects over and over again (McLuhan, 1967.) When reading, I would assume Marshall was following Green’s Model in terms of operational or common literacy practices where he used the text to decode and encode the information presented. However, I also think after his revelation that Marshall began using Green’s model in terms of cultural or specific literacy practices because he was using such operational strategies to then receive/transit meaning from the text to develop his own understanding of the context. Although at first I found this video clip and his overall statement to be very humorous, the more I thought about it the more I realized just how right he truly is. When I am reading a lengthy novel, I find myself getting bored and even sleepy because of how much the plot or characters are repeated in an unnecessary fashion. I never once considered that If I simply read one side of the page I would be able to remain engaged while really looking deep into my own creative and imagination to put the pieces of information I may have missed from the other page. In general, this would make reading so much more fun for me as I will be intellectually and creatively stimulated.

            Although this video clip was very short, I think it really says so much about the person and learner Marshall was. He was a man who wasn’t afraid to dig deep within himself and let his mind and imagination take over and piece together the information in the way it was most interesting and made the most sense to him internally, when the information may not have been presenting itself the way in which he wanted or needed. To me, that is a truly creative soul.  Based on this clip alone, I’m truly inspired by Marshall. He was this incredibly intelligence man who wasn’t afraid to be blunt about not only how he admits to reading only the right side pages of a book but in doing so how he can truly explain his reasoning enough for it to seem less weird and make total and complete sense! 

 

http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/understanding-me/1967-my-reading-habits.php

Video Deconstruction

            I chose to deconstruct the “Allstate Good Life Anthem” commercial/ video advertisement.  This video highlights the good that exists in people's everyday lives while encouraging them to not let their fears prevent them from doing the things they love with the ones they love most.

            After watching the video for the first time, the first key words that came to my mind was genuine, heart-warming, inspiring, wholesome, powerful and yet incredibly humbling.  I then analyzed all of the people featured in this video, which was my absolute favorite part. The individuals in this video ranged from young children, teenagers, young adults, to middle-aged adults. The individuals represented people of different races and ethnicities as well as gender. The video featured the common people- those who make up our world and there was absolutely nothing superficial about any of them. Throughout the video, the camera zoomed in and out on the activities that the common people were indulging in. This feature truly helped to captivate and lure in the viewers. For example, as a young man was mud sliding the video clip zoomed out so the viewers were able to see the entire setting and then zoomed in very close on the man’s face as he was sliding in the mud which gave the viewers a real sense of the genuine emotion of excitement and pure happiness that the man embodied.

            Each segment in the video features a video clip portraying people living life to the fullest despite the scary statistic the particular event holds.  For example, it shows a man swimming in the ocean (how people still swim in the ocean) while the little girl’s narration exclaims “there are man eating sharks in every ocean but we still swim..” followed by another man cliff jumping so freely into the water.  

            After all of these precise observations, the product being sold was Allstate insurance. I found the product VERY appealing and would definitely use this insurance simply because it took a different selling approach. Allstate wasn’t overbearing like many other people are when trying to sell you a product, they didn’t constantly discuss their name, motto, etc and never once even mentioned all of the “great” aspects their insurance company holds. In addition, they weren’t demeaning like many other brands are in terms of bringing down other companies by comparing facts (I.e., Well Allstate is more financially affordable than Aetna etc.”) Overall, the ad is trying to make people feel as if they can and should live life to its’ fullest and feel safe and comforted in doing so because they are supported- by Allstate.           

            This video, in my opinion, was definitely created to not have or feature any assumptions. However, after truly going through the deconstruction process I learned that even the most genuine, wholesome and inspiring video advertisements make assumptions even if they don’t intentionally mean to. In terms of gender, the boys/men in this video were featured doing the more dangerous and thrill-seeking activities whether it be hunting for snakes in a jungle, cliff-jumping, sliding through mud, driving the convertible, driving dirt bikes, riding a bike, riding a skateboard and playing football. The girls/women in this video were featured doing more feminine associated activities like dancing in the rain, catching rain drops, being the passenger in the convertible, using the keys to open up their home, romantically holding their man as they sit in the mud, and dancing in the back seat of a car. In terms of race/wealth, the video showed three white boys riding their bikes in what appeared a very safe neighborhood as they rode directly into their garage (rather than black boys who are stereotypically not from nice areas and cant afford bikes/don’t ride them as safely). I could also see how the majority of African Americans were featured on the football team segment in the video rather than anywhere else, and that white people were featured doing activities that cost money like swimming in the open sea and cliff jumping on vacation, partaking in a mud competition and driving a convertible.  In addition, the young African American narrating this video who was shown at the end appeared to be in a more impoverished and rural setting (in comparison to the neighborhood the white boys riding bikes were). The house that the little girl ran out of appeared to be small as seen by the narrow walkway front entrance as well as the lack of a yard and grass. The house across the street looked very tiny too, and the fence that surrounded the little girl’s house appeared to be wooden and a bit worn down.

            Overall, the company's campaign connects Allstate's core values of customer service and what it means to put people in Good Hands.  The motto “Good Hands for the Good Life" and the video shows how Allstate wants to show viewers they are there for there customers day in and day out, rather than just when the bad stuff happens. The overall truthful life lesson being conveyed is that all the bad things that happen in life can’t and won’t stop us from making our lives good.

 *If you haven't seen this video commercial,  I highly suggest you watch it!!

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI1bKm22Up0

More or Less Democracy in the Internet Age?

More or Less Democracy in the Internet Age?

by Mark E. Kann

           I found it incredibly interesting how Mark Kann discusses the growth of the Internet in terms of the democratic imagination in the book “Networked Publics.”

            I agree with Kann in the sense that the Internet’s advancement has enabled a new context to online citizen interaction in terms of political deliberation, debate, decision-making, petitioning, protesting, etc (Kann, 2005.) Similar to how people share their opinions on the streets through local protests, asking you to sign a petition they may have, debates in the Town Hall etc- people have another means to share their ideas and opinions freely which is via online for anyone to see.  I myself have used the Internet to sign petitions and to vote in opinion-based polls. For example, just yesterday I signed a wildlife petition and a few weeks ago I voted in a poll on who I want to win the upcoming election in my town in terms of a new Board of Education member.

            In addition the Internet made aspects like elections and polling inexpensive and widely accessible which is a point Kann mentions that I had not ever even considered before. Kann also brings about the point that there are in fact clear features as to what works well on the Internet and what doesn’t. In what I found to be a very appropriate and realistic explanation, Kann highlights where each of the opposing ideas lie. For example, features like chat rooms, blogs, wikkies, etc provide users with the opportunity for discussion-- but that discussion is generally “undisciplined” rather than deliberative (Kann,2005.) In terms of my own personal experience, when I am reading blog pots and blog comments from other individual’s I always question what I am reading and do further research on my own because people can say just about anything they want on the internet- regardless of its validity.  In addition, in the chat rooms I have been exposed to people tend to have a language all of there own. Conversation isn’t something that is structured in terms of asking specific questions and having others answer each of those questions- it is a lot more free-spirited with no rules. With that being said, I agree with Kann (2005) when he says that such undisciplined talk can be a great way to tap into the public’s opinions via polls, etc. This aspect of undisciplined talk works well in terms of the Internet. It is facilitated talk supported by facts deems more suitable for in-person presentations, debates, discussions etc whether it be in the congress hall or the “halls of the Ivy League Universities” (Kann,2005.) When having a heated political debate, it helps to be in-person so that the facilitator can get right to the point in receiving the answers the public needs to hear- there is no room for the candidate’s to avoid a question by getting sidetracked in a discussion that is heading off-topic. If the debate was over the internet where candidates clearly have more freedom and less restriction, it would be a lot more easy for readers to not only misinterpret what he/she is saying but also for the candidate to talk over questions and/or not address specific ones appropriately.

            Overall in terms of politics, I truly agree that undisciplined talk is best suited for aspects like tapping into the opinions of the public in terms of questionnaires and polls via the Internet where as facilitated talk should occur in terms of in-person meetings, discussions, debates, etc.

           

http://networkedpublics.org/digital_democracy/more_or_less_democracy_in_the_internet_age

Participatory Culture and Media Literacy

             When reading “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21^st Century” by Henry Jenkins one aspect completely surprised me- but in a good-surprise kind of way! When reading about the Core Media Literacy Skills students should have, the very first discussed was that of the importance of “Play.”  As an educator myself, I have ALWAYS whole-heartedly believed in the importance of play- where as many teacher I have come in contact with completely despise it. 

            When reflecting on my elementary school experience, I never recall being able to simply “play” or “test-out” anything whether it be a new learning-based computer program or the snails we were to be studying in science. However, in college, all of that changed. Mostly all of my professors encouraged us to let our students “play” or “explore” when first introducing a topic. Through play, the students are able to get all of their initial curiosities out while beginning to form their own understanding of what is to be used.  I remember sitting in a teaching mathematics class as my professor dumped Cuisinaire rods (math blocks/manipulatives) out on every one of our desks. He looked at us and said, “Okay, now I’ll give you 10 minutes to play…” We all looked at him and he said, “I’m not kidding- get your jitters out now and go explore!” All of us 20-year-olds immediately felt tempted to put our hands on the blocks, before the professor even told us to, so can you imagine how hard it would be for 1^st or 2^nd graders to keep their hands off blocks right in front of them that they have never used before and expect them to sit through an entire lesson first?” – Impossible.

            Relating back to the reading from Jenkins, students gain so much knowledge and skills from something like “Play.” In the reading, for example, Sam and Willie absolutely love baseball cards. Off the bat (pun-intended) they are motivated, engaged and interested. The play motivated three different kinds of learning they practiced without even realizing they were in fact learning and strengthening core academic skills like using math to find bating averages, classifying the players based on scores, or even social studies through reading the locations the players lived in and wanting to figure out where on the map it was in location to themselves. Overall, the key of play promotes discovery, inquiry, excitement and engagement- the core principles behind what it takes to learn. If a teacher can make a student interested about a certain content/topic, they student is GUARANTEED to learn through engagement (Jenkins, pg 24.)

            In terms of Green’s literacy model, the “cultural” issue is what underlines the skill of “play.”  The ‘cultural’ dimension helps students apply operational factors as a way to enhance the learners’ ability to relate to the social world around them. Students are using operational strategies to receive and transmit the keyword MEANING as well as developing and understanding of content and context.  Students easily find more meaning in something they find interesting rather than something that serves of little interest to them. Relating to the baseball trading card example, Sam and Willie are able to receive and transmit the meaning behind the role of mathematics involved in trading cards and by practicing the specific math skills they develop a deeper understanding of the content (math) at hand through the context of trading baseball cards. Moreover, that “deeper understanding” or “deeper meaning” I mentioned comes from Sam and Willie’s ability to make the necessary connections from content to their every-day life and vis versa (Jenkins, pg 25.)

            Overall, I absolutely cherished this article by Henry Jenkins. I believe, unlike many educators, he was spot on when highlighted and went into depth about play as it pertains to a core media skill in the world of education.  It was very exciting and refreshing to read an article, by a professional, who see’s the true importance in an aspect of teaching AND learning like “play” as I do!

Jenkins, H.J. (2006)., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

Literacy Debate Follow-Up Post

What counts as literacy?

            After reading “Literacy Debate- Online, R U Really Reading?” by Motoko Rich I began to really think about what it truly means to read in the so-called “Digital Age.” I believe that literacy can come in the form of both online text and paper text or another words what one reads online and what one reads in a book. Similar to the opinions of Nadia, Zachary, and Hunter I consider that the Internet will continue to create a new kind of reading, writing and discovery method for finding out information.  Regardless of how or what one is reading/writing, individuals are exposing themselves to words on a page and a storyline. The format of the two options are definitely different seeing as reading in a book the words go from left to right and on the internet it can be more scattered, however, the individual is still practicing the literacy skills needed to acquire information by exposing themselves to text and information to expand their learning, thinking, imagination, etc. Literacy via the Internet can benefit all kinds of children and can cater to all different kind of learners. For example, Linda Jackson’s research study showed that low-income students who were given Internet access improved their standardized reading test scores. In addition, the environment of reading online whether at home or in school can provide more comfort to people with learning disabilities like Hunter. Whether one is reading an ebook online, writing a blog, reading current-event articles, or simply scanning sources of interest, literacy is being practiced even if it is not in the most traditional sense (Rich, 2008.)

How does literacy change in response to the new media landscape?

            Throughout the years, literacy has begun to re-define itself in an effort to keep up with the dynamic media world we live in today. Deborah Konyk, Nadia’s mother, grew up in a world where reading only came in one form- via a book.  However, due to all the advancements we have made in technology, the new media landscape revolves around the use of the Internet.  Because of this ever-popular and ever-growing Internet, literacy evolved from reading and writing on paper and books and expanded to also include typing as a form of writing and reading online. In addition, because of the new forms literacy has begun to take on, the ways in which we assess our students must as well. Although the USA isn’t quite ready for a change in assessment, other countries have begun to implement testing a child on his/her Internet proficiency (Rich, 2008). I believe that within the next few years our country will begin to assess students on their proficiency via the Internet (at least in terms of literacy) as well because of the popularity in literacy online.  As long as the current media landscape grows and advances, literacy will always be changing in an effort to stimulate the minds of individuals by giving them connections to draw upon and link together.

What value should we ascribe to the new forms of communication that continue to emerge and evolve online?

When thinking about the value we should ascribe to the new forms of communication that continue to evolve online (Jenkins, 2009) I agree with Motoko Rich 2008) when he exclaimed that “The question of how to value different kinds of reading is complicated because people read for many reasons.”  It is because of this that I feel as if the amount of value ascribed to new forms of communication and literacy should depend on the specific form itself. For example, Nadia reads stories online that are nearly 45 pages long. Because of the spelling and grammatical errors that the reading contains the value I would place on this kind of interest geared reading is significantly low. However, this type of reading clearly sparks and strengthens her imagination and creativity as it enables her to add characters and come up with alternate twists throughout the story, which shows me there is still value to be had in terms of Nadia’s benefit. When comparing the Internet to a book, I agree with Zachary when he exclaimed, “The web is more about a conversation- books are more one-way” (Rich, 2008.)  In terms of communication, the internet gives people from all over the world a chance to give their opinion while reading other opinions through tasks like blogging and commenting underneath articles- some scholarly some not.  People on an individual level need to weigh how much value they are going to put on a particular source(s). I personally think that there is definitely some value to be taken out of the communication that continues to evolve online as well as some value that should always be ascribed to literacy in its traditional form. 

Rich, M. (2008, July 27). Literacy debate: Online, r u really reading? . The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1379784618-Lf7u/8E lKFkO2X0GO1B7Q

September 14, 2013

“The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives” (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

As an educator, this quote sums up everything I want my students to take out of literacy. Everyday, my students and I tackle the ever-popular “Reader’s Workshop.” In Reader’s Workshop, my students and I explore a whole plethora of texts, digging to find the meaning behind what we have read and exposing ourselves to different strategies to understand exactly what it is we have read or are reading.  Because each and every one of my students are different- and therefore learn differently, it is so incredibly intriguing to watch what it is they do with a certain text. Some of my students like to immediately open a book and begin reading the words in an attempt to gain understanding from the book where as other students like to “picture-read” and start by examining the pictures on each page before reading the words. Ultimately, the different strategies are what helps them make sense of what they are reading (even if the process in which they go about reading and attaining the information is different).  In addition, the connections my students make to the reading can differ as well- because we all go through different experiences and have different experiences in life. For example, when reading a book about a Black Bear,  Jimmy may take the information he learned and apply it to his next trip to the zoo when he is now able to recognize a bear and the environment in which it lives. However, three weeks after reading about the black bear Julia finds herself reading a book on horses and finds herself being able to draw the connection that both a bear and horse are mammals.  The goals I have for all my students isn’t just to master how to read and interpret text so that they can eventually pass a state test or receive a 100 on an exam—it is about learning how to derive meaning from what is being read, make connections, and attain such skills in order to apply it and strengthen those skills in the years to follow.

On a more personal level, I choose my texts based on my interest level because that is what motivates me and engages me into wanting to learn and read.  I find myself making sense of what I have read through the connections I am able to make from the text to my every-day life.  When reading, I am constantly highlighting,re-reading and looking for any place I can make a connection to something I have learned in the past, experienced or am experiencing currently.  I whole heartedly agree with this quotation “ In a sociocultural approach, the focus of learning and education is not children, nor schools, but human lives viewed as trajectories through multiple social practices in various social institutions. If learning is to be efficacious, then what a child or an adult does now as a learner must be connected in meaningful and motivating ways with `mature' (insider) versions of related social practices, (Gee, Hull & Lankshear 1996, p. 4). Being able to derive meaning from a text is what truly makes or breaks a person’s understanding on what is being read- which is why it so incredibly important for me to find meaning in what I have read as well as encourage, assist and support my students in the process as well.

Growing up I was never exposed to technology in terms of literacy throughout my elementary and middle school years. Although I can definitely recall using a computer to excerpts of books in school, read it was only until I reached high school where I saw my first “smart-board” and used my first “ipad” in context with learning a content in school. However, in a vast majority of the classrooms I have worked and volunteered in I have seen a ton of smart-boards, computers and even individual ipads for the students’ to use when reading. Being 22 years old I have of course been exposed to the up and coming technology world however I still find myself preferring to read a paper copy of a book over a book on a kindle or an ipad. With all of that being said, I think it is so important for future educators to expose themselves and their students to literacy both in the technology world and the hard-copy paper way we all grew up with. I’d like to end with this quote that I absolutely love, “Firstly, the importance of the word and the printed page remains, but such importance is being transformed in relation to new technologies,new cultures, and new forms of life. Secondly, it will become increasingly more important to equip our students with a vision of the future of literacy, `a picture of the texts and discourses, skills and knowledges' that they might need, and their associated social and educational visions, rather than simple mastery of particular skills and methods (Luke & Elkins 1998, p. 4; see also Luke 1998).” 

Reference:

 Literacy and the New Technologies in School Education: Meeting the L(IT)eracy Challenge?  

Durrant, Cal; Green, Bill. "Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the l(IT)eracy challenge?" The Free Library 01 June 2000. 14 September 2013 <http://www.thefreelibrary.com/literacy and the new technologies in school education: meeting the...-a063132991>.