M2: Blog Post 1- Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter
As a 7th grade English Language Arts and reading interventionist, the topic of new media and new literacies is exciting and daunting. I am excited to teach literacy as Garcia mentions in Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: “Powerful literacy instruction should prepare students today to produce, communicate, interpret and socialize with peers, adults, and the broader world they will enter when they graduate”. (p.2) Educators have been working towards this goal for decades, but with the addition in the last 40 years of digital literacy, educators have more objectives than reading and writing the written word. Now educators are tasked with teaching digital literacy skills, and using digital platforms. As well as be able to keep learning as new technology, and new literacies as they emerge. These are practices and skills that are vital to all, students and adults alike, to be able to communicate effectively in the 21st century.
New Literacies are a valuable resource and tool, when you have access to them. My school district is a rural school district with more than 60% of students living below the poverty line. “Although all but 10% of Americans use the Internet, those who do not have Internet access at home tend to have less than a secondary education and live in households earning less than $30,000 a year.” (Vanek, 2020, p.3) How can people rise above their station, when the things that could lift them up are unavailable to them? My goal as an educator is to give students the gift of new literacies, even if they can’t access them at home, in the hopes that they will be able to use them elsewhere and also in the future. Beecher states, “Effective literacy skills open the doors to more educational and employment opportunities so that people can lift themselves out of poverty and chronic underemployment.”(p.23) There are so many statistics linking low literacy rates with poverty and poor health. Educators have the daunting role of trying to help students out of the cycle of poverty and ultimately improving their lives by improving their literacy. What a gift and what a challenge.
When we acknowledge that new literacies can be limiting, we can find a solution to the problem. Just because students can’t access the internet at home doesn’t mean that we should eliminate new literacies in the classroom. We should inundate the classroom with these skills and practices so that when students get the opportunity to use digital skills in the real world, we have adequately prepared them for it. “Instead it starts with the utilization and appreciation of the diversity, cherishes students’ own life experience and appropriately implement in specific contexts, stimulates students’ metacognition, facilitates the understanding of purposes and functions of the resources, and finally, enables students to generalize the learned literacy knowledge in different contexts.” (Sang, 2017, p.19) When you realize that learning new literacies can greatly improve students’ lives, you realize the value and importance and strive to implement them.
Beecher, C. (2023, July 19). Chapter 1. What is literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching Early Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/
Garcia, A. (2018) International Literacy Association. Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and justice:More than just tools [Literacy leadership brief]. Newark, DE: Author https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf
Sang , Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies . Journal of Education and Practice. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1139059.pdf
Vanek, J. (2020). Digital literacy: Issue brief [Issue brief]. World Education, Inc. U.S. Department of Education, Adult Education & Literacy. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf
Witte, S., O’Byrne, W. I., & Bass, B. (2019, November 7). Definition of literacy in a Digital age. National Council of Teachers of English. https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
Hi Jenn,
ReplyDeleteI related to your point about how teachers are tasked with teaching digital literacy skills to students. We must teach digital literacy because "It is important for learners to have multiple opportunities to engage in multimodal literacy practices as a means to communicate information that supports participating in a diverse and democratic society. Learners are navigating digital spaces during a time when narratives are being constructed for a variety of purposes. Learners need a heightened awareness about how texts and tools can be used to produce and circulate biased narratives aimed at justifying exclusionary practices and policies that disproportionately impact nondominant communities.". (NCTE, 2019). Last week at my school we had online AIMS Web testing, and I work with 1st-3rd grade. Once these students had gotten onto their chromebooks it was a relief, because at this age not all students are digitally literate, specifically the younger students who haven't had much access and experience with computers.
References:
NCTE Position Statement (2019): Definitions of Literacy in a Digital Age
I really enjoyed your post. I also agree in that when students may not have access to new literacies in their homes, it is even more important that we as teachers expose them to these new literacies at school. Like you mentioned, they are a valuable source when one has access to them. Our world is growing and revolving, and having these skills is a must, "An important mission of teaching and learning literacy is to equip students with literacy skills so that they can
ReplyDeletefully participate in social and cultural activities in the modern world" (Sang). This article brought out that these new literacies are vital for not only academic learning, but social and cultural learning as well. When we help our students to learn to navigate these tools safely, it can help in the future when they get the opportunity to apply these skills.
Hi Jenn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I also teach in a rural title 1 district where over half of the students live in poverty. You are absolutely right that new media and literacies can be a great tool, but only for those that can access it. I have students who don' t have any power at home at all, let alone WIFI. At school, all of my students have the same access to technology therefore they are able to use it in school but when they go home they do not have that same opportunity. I like that you said your hope is to teach them about digital literacy and let them take that and use it as they are able to.
Hi Maranda!
DeleteI bet we have a lot in common if you're also in a rural title 1 district! I'm located just west of Binghamton, where are you located? Thankfully, we do have equity at school, all students have access to chromebooks to use, but in 7th grade, the students do not take them home. So, we do not have homework that needs to use any internet or new media simply because not all students have access to the internet or devices at home.
I look forward to sharing ideas and brainstorming how to help our rural kids thrive in new media, despite our obstacles!