Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter
I grew up with the emergence of Digital Literacy. When I was an elementary school student in the early 2000s, I remember countless assemblies about digital citizenship and eventually many lessons on using databases as our only sources on the internet. I find these readings interesting because I think literacy is growing even broader from where it was when I was elementary/middle school. As each of the articles said, we are in a rapidly changing world and are constantly in the process of adjusting and learning new ways of communication and collaboration.
According to Constance Beecher, “literacy is not just the ability to read and write. It is also being able to effectively use digital technology to find and analyze information. Students who are digitally literate know how to do research, find reliable sources, and make judgments about what they read online and in print.” (Beecher, 2023). There is so much information online for our students to consume. It is daunting to think that it is part of our job now to teach them to be digitally literate. This is something I think I am still struggling to fully understand and do myself. However, it is so important that our students come out of school with all of these skills so that they can be well set up for the work force.
It feels easier and more comfortable to teach students based on a narrow view of literacy, but this does not benefit our students in this growing age of technology. This close-minded view will lead to students not understanding the power and importance of being multi-literate. Sang writes, “Literacy is situated because literacy practices are different in different contexts. For instance, an email written and sent to a friend is not the same as an email written and sent to the manager, and the uses of English are diverse in different countries by different cultural groups.” (Sang, 2017). This is a very true and interesting concept. In this digital age, we need to educate our children about the multiliteracies that they will be using daily. To be completely literate has an entirely different meaning now than it did in the past.
It feels easier and more comfortable to teach students based on a narrow view of literacy, but this does not benefit our students in this growing age of technology. This close-minded view will lead to students not understanding the power and importance of being multi-literate. Sang writes, “Literacy is situated because literacy practices are different in different contexts. For instance, an email written and sent to a friend is not the same as an email written and sent to the manager, and the uses of English are diverse in different countries by different cultural groups.” (Sang, 2017). This is a very true and interesting concept. In this digital age, we need to educate our children about the multiliteracies that they will be using daily. To be completely literate has an entirely different meaning now than it did in the past.
Beecher, C. (2023). Chapter 1. What is Literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Iastate.pressbooks.pub.https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/
Definition of literacy in a Digital age. National Council of Teachers of English. (2022, April 19).
https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(8), 16–19. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1139059.pdf
Hi Gracie!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! I also agree that in this day and age, students to know and understand multiliteracies. We can teach children all about reading a paperback book, writing a letter to someone an and the way to comprehend all of these important lifeskills, though it would not be beneficial to the students. It is important that students know all of these multiliteracies. One of my biggest goals as a teacher is to make sure that all students are able to function outside of school. I do not think it is as important to teach every little piece of content versus how important it is to make sure these students are able to function outside of the classroom as independently as possible. This does not mean that I do not think that children do not need to learn any content or curriculum, that is not what I am saying. If we sat there and taught about how literacy used to be, it is important, just not as helpful as it is to teach students all the new literacies that are being used in the world. Students need to learn how to write emails, read emails, communicate properly to one another, use the computer to research certain things, use scholarly articles on the computer and so forth. Teaching our students about these multiliteracies is going to help them be successful.
Gracie, I really enjoyed your post. I appreciated you sharing your vulnerabilities about educating students in an age of digital literacy, as I resonate with this 'daunting' feeling. Teaching students to read and write is already an incredibly difficult task in itself. Now we must take it many steps further to ensure that they not only can read and write, but do so across many platforms, and engage in responsible ways. As 'daunting' as this may feel, I agree with you that it is of utmost importance.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing,
Claudia