The fact that I am taking classes online, lends to the idea that I am "moving with the times" and open to the use of technology in formerly unheard of situations. The ability to email my advisor and have full conversations with classmates, without ever knowing what their voice sounds like, is a phenomenon and convenience wrapped up in one. My schoolbooks were purchased through an app and videos for class are watched through "Youtube." The face of literacy has evolved tremendously, with new literacies having some people embrace the change and others grappling to move forward. "New literacies, in contrast with traditional literacies, are more participatory. They are more collaborative in allowing for the open sharing and creation of information on sites like wikis and blogs" (Wilbur, 2010, p.2). They also allow large groups to come together, when face-to-face contact in not possible.
In the school where I work, new literacies are second-nature. I take attendance, post assignments and grades through an online system. Students turn in assignments digitally, and can see my feedback while at home, over the weekend. Other teachers take advantage of blog usage, in order to encourage conversations while outside of the classroom. Although the use of technology has helped to improve many areas of the literary educational experience, the overuse by some students has stunted their ability to think, write and function outside of a digitized world or medium. Gillen and Barton mention the multimodality of text (messaging), as images are intermingling with words (2010, p.6). Texting has also "given rise to an entire genre of writing and set of phrases and abbreviations (Wilbur, 2010, p. 2), outside of the standard English language. Unaware, or unable to distinguish between cyberspace and reality, the abbreviations, emoticons and lingo used by students in their digital conversations, start to appear in their educational writings. Things such as "neways" (anyways), a lowercase "i" when being used as a noun, and idk (I don't know) are seen on assignments that are turned in and correspondence with faculty.
While literacy, both traditional and new, has its perks and downfalls with each group of individuals, I believe the advancement of technology will only prove beneficial as time progresses. Even though my students face their own setbacks with using new literacies, their knowledge of technology is great. As I continue to increase my knowledge in technology, as an educato,r I will do my best to help them use new literacies more accurately and effectively.
So true! The Center for Distance Learning is the perfect example of the possibilities for all digital media. I wrote a paper on this very subject for a class at ESC and addressed the idea that while some may scoff at a degree from an online university, this may very well be the college of the future. Naturally, one cannot become a physician studying online, but the rigor is there, the collaboration is there. Interestingly, we have all become very comfortable with posting and interacting this way. Articulating ideas through writing is a glorious thing and it makes one more efficient in language, does it not?
ReplyDeleteIn a recent professional development moment, a trainer encouraged us to use more colorful fonts in our PowerPoints and on hand-outs, claiming that Times New Roman is a tired old horse that children cannot respond to. I have to admit that it makes sense to me; font is a detail that enhances. When our Smart Board breaks down, I panic a little. I depend on it a lot. This year, I hope to get Google Docs in my room where I can comment on children's writing in real time. It would be a novelty that they would enjoy. My conferring time with them on assignments in Writer's Workshop could use some sprucing up.
I can tell you that our students have a response to long, multi-screen texts in online reading comprehension standard tests and they have not the stamina to push through the more difficult vocabulary and context much less the sheer volume. Here, they freeze at the sight of the digital. There is a long way to go in preparing children to make it through; especially those kids who are caught right in the middle of the implementation of Common Core. Middle school children often do not have the background knowledge to support the rigor. I will be waiting to meet elementary children in three or four years. How have they adapted to a new curriculum, a new rigor, a new literacy?
Simone,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your view on new literacies and how the overuse of technology has proven to be somewhat of a challenge to certain students. In my 6th grade class, I have seen the advantages and disadvantages of the students having their own I-pad to use in their classes throughout the day. Sometimes I wonder if the children of this generation are going to loose the basic functions and knowledge that we attained while we were younger. On the other hand, perhaps the children of this generation are going to be way ahead of us, learning new literacies and texts that will be beneficial for them in this constantly changing world.
Dana Wilbur stated, "What does it mean to read an eBook that so closely approximates the real thing? Is it just the same? Reading on a computer screen, or online is very different from reading a book, at least right now. But that is changing quickly and a multitude of factors relate to those changes" (Wilbur 2010). There is no doubt that the new literacies and new technological advances are beneficial in order to prepare us for the evolving world. However, I often wonder if we're losing basic knowledge and skills that one receives from simple day to day activities, such as reading a map instead of listening to the GPS, or having a face to face conversation instead of an online conversation. Are we going to see a loss of skills that will hinder us in the future because of new literacies and new technology?
Simone, I couldn't agree more about students not having the stamina to push through more complex texts as a result of their growing up with the internet. I often find my students complaining that more traditional assignments are too hard or labor intensive when in fact they require less time and effort than an assignment utilizing the internet. The perception attached to reading from a book, or highlighting text by hand seems to be so daunting to the generation of students that we teach, that they would rather do more work as long as it involved the use of technology. As I wrote about in my blog, as much as I value new literacies and their impact on education, I do still feel that there is less intention and mindfulness when it comes to the work produced. Whether it is because you have access to a million other portals while completing work on the internet, or because of the demand for instant gratification, I don't know, but I feel there is more carelessness in general. When you have to sit down with a hard copy of something and pull out a pen or highlighter to annotate the text, you can't open a new tab and multitask with social media in the same way. I find it hard to identify my stance on this topic in a concrete way because I definitely do value to importance of new literacies and the seemingly infinite possibilities as they relate to the work we do.
ReplyDeleteTo briefly speak to your first paragraph: it is quite amazing that we have the opportunity to embark on this journey of higher education all through the computer. As different as it is from my own perceptions of education, I am optimistic to get a taste for, as you correctly identify, the future of education.
“The fact that I am taking classes online, lends to the idea that I am "moving with the times" and open to the use of technology in formerly unheard of situations”.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with this comment, I was initially intimidated by the thought of taking online classes, but after a couple of years of contemplating, I finally decided to do it, I said to myself, why not? This is an example of the power of media; it definitely changes a person, perhaps not initially, but overtime. I find this program a great journey of sorts, unfamiliar terrain that I am embarking upon. As you stated “I can communicate with my classmates without ever knowing what their voice sounds like”. Somehow as the class progresses, I believe this become less and less foreign to me. I must add that when students add their picture there seems to be a stronger sense of connection for sharing and collaborating. Perhaps all I need to connect are words and a picture, oh, the power of media!
“Although the use of technology has helped to improve many areas of the literary educational experience, the overuse by some students has stunted their ability to think, write and function outside of a digitized world or medium.” Perhaps this is one among many of the academic/social disadvantages/repercussions of media that our students will face.