When
I read the following quote,
"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)
I
immediately focus on the word “social” and think of my responsibility as an
educator to equip my students with the
skills necessary to become active participants in their local and global
communities. For the past five years,
I’ve dedicated my professional life to teaching ELA to marginalized students in
Brooklyn, NY, and my specific goal for those students has been to equip them
with the literacy skills necessary to actively engage in and alter the social
disparities that affect their daily lives.
There is no denying that for one to actively engage in society in the
twenty-first century requires a myriad of competencies within the digital
realm, and thus literacy for me has extended far beyond a student’s ability to
read and write.
According to Gillen and Barton,
“digital literacies are firstly about critical thinking” (p. 24). I agree, and believe that education in
general is firstly about critical thinking.
I think that in order for students to engage in society they must think
critically about it. For me, this begins
with a critical analysis of digital media itself. For example, many of my students use social
media, but few have engaged in critical thought about how it can be used to
achieve negative (advertising to promote needless consumerism ) or positive
(creating awareness around issues of social justice) results.
Durrant and Green (2000) write,
“preferably, ‘doing school’ is always linked to and in the service of
‘real-life’ and ‘life-like’ social practices” (p. 13). I agree and again feel that it is impossible
to deny a ‘real-life’ that does not involve digital literacies. As the three articles I read all imply,
digital literacies are important, but they all still rely heavily on an
individual’s ability to read and write Standard Academic English. For example, all of us in this course must
know how to navigate blogs, modules, document attachments, etc., but if we posted
grammatically incorrect sentences, or responded to each other with emoticons or
“texting language,” we would fail the course.
This necessity to master traditional literacies and digital literacies
adds to the disparity that exists within our current society, and adds to the
already existing challenge that marginalized populations face in “keeping up”
with the dominant culture. If there is a
belief that all youth are engaged in advanced digital literacies, then it is a
false one. For example, my niece is in
fourth grade and is creating and editing her own films. Conversely, while she’s producing short
films, I’m teaching eighteen year old students how to attach files to their
emails.
I think digital literacies are
crucial for educators in the twenty-first century and mastery of them is
crucial for a student’s ability to participate in and challenge society. Just as there is a disparity in our society
regarding adolescent’s traditional literacies, I’ve observed that there is also
one regarding digital literacies, and therefore look forward to learning
strategies in this course that I can utilize to provide my students with the
opportunities they need for success.
Works Cited
Durrant, C. & Green,
B. (2000). Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the
l(IT)eracy challenge? Australian Journal
of Language and Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/literacy+and+the+new+technologies+in+school+education%3a+meeting+the...-a063132991
Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010) Digital
literacies: A research briefing by the Technology Enhanced Learning phase of
the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Technology Enhanced Learning. Retrieved from http://www.tlrp.org/docs/DigitalLiteracies.pdf
Shawn,
ReplyDeleteWhile looking at your reply to Briana's entry I couldn't help but notice your reply and it sparked my interest which brought me to your entry. Your writing on the contradiction between traditional and digital literacy was enlightening. When you really think about it too, which form captures the current student most? We can't deny that through technology people have found the best and least intimidating way to express themselves.
The challenge, as you write about, lies in teaching our students the ability to sort through the pointless consumerism piece of online pages, which unfortunately is mostly what are students participate in, and show them more positive ways to participate. So much of their individualism and creation can be put on display while being able to critique the work of others as long as they don't fall into the pitfalls of online marketing.
Although I do not wish to fail this course I will take the risk by ending this post with a :) and thank you for your intriguing posts.
It is without a doubt that literacies can clash and the literacies of sub-cultures may effect viability in a larger/ dominant culture. It is important that students be made aware of the importance of literacies, their own and new literacies. It is important that they are made aware that the technological tools that they use everyday are actually keys to exposing them to new knowledge and competencies. Tools that can put them at an advantage over all cultures if those tools are used to their fullest potential, by both educators and students alike.
ReplyDeleteShawn,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. Being another teacher from NYC, I know exactly what you are speaking of. During a summer program for incoming freshmen, a few students decided to use the camera on a laptop to make a short "video," instead of completing their portfolio. They used the technology that was available to them for a negative purpose, rather than producing a meaningful project. It would have been easy to just dismiss them as troublesome students, but I decided to take the time to talk to them and help them understand the importance of using technology correctly. The impact it could have on their educational career, if they are banned from using computers or have something negative place on their records.
As educators, especially in an urban setting, our job usually includes multiple roles. Knowing the obstacles that face our students, and the disadvantages, our job has to include showing them how to get ahead and make it in a society that is not necessarily working in their favor.
May we continue to inspire young minds.