A New Literacies Perspective

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Technology and the web are really becoming an essential part of our world… and education.  The pace at which the web is changing and transforming is incredible.  It began as just an information tool and now has become an interactive means to presenting ideas, opinions, pictures, videos, and more.  It is disappointing, as a teacher, that schools are not using technology and the web to its full potential.  There are the issues of web safety that schools need to watch out for, but sheltering them from most of the resources out there on the web is just going to hinder their progress in this 21^st century, fast-paced world.  Not to mention the fact that they are all using these resources at home without the filters.  It is our responsibility as educators to keep up-to-date with where our world is going, and this includes giving them opportunities to interact with the web in ways that will allow them to be successful when they are out of school. Before we can teach students to utilize these new technologies, we first have to feel comfortable using them.  Teachers are as much new learners to this area as students are, if not more.
-Chapter 1: The Read/Write Web


     As 21^st century educators we need to be ready for some big shifts in teaching that will happen because of the new technologies and web based instruction.  We need to take a step back as “teachers” and “enforcers” and realize we are no longer the “know-all” and “be-all” of learning/content.  There is now a whole world out there on the web for students to go and find their own information whenever they want it.  They don’t have to rely solely on their teachers for answers, but they do have to instead become critical learners.  I was always sure to tell students to analyze their textbooks when reading and look for areas of omission and inaccuracy.  I would definitely want to continue this when teaching them to find accurate information on the web, where anyone can publish facts or ideas.  I think the most important thing to take out of this is, to be a great educator you must be willing to accept change and new ideas in order to be effective to your students.  “If we fail to graduate students who are not able to create, sustain, and participate in these networks in safe, ethical, and effective ways, we’ve done them a disservice.” (Richardson, p.149).
-Chapter 2: What it all Means


      I view “new literacies” as new ways that students are going to have to read, write, listen, and speak using more than just books.  That includes being about to work with websites, blogs, podcasts, presentation media, etc.  For our students to become successful in this competition-centered world they need to feel comfortable using these “new literacies” and realize that they are constantly changing.  We can’t be afraid of the unknown because it is where our world is going.  “Employers now seek individuals who know how to read, write, and communicate on the internet to solve problems.” (Leu, Zawilinski, Castek, Banerjee, Housand, Liu, and O’Neil, p.40) Let’s give our students a fighting chance to achieve in society. 
 -Article: “What is New about the New Literacies of Online Reading Comprehension?”

Conclusion:

      I know that it is not easy to veer away from what we are 
used to and what we grew up learning, but it is a necessity to keep up with new technologies.   I still get emotional about the fact that soon we probably will not need paper books to read because of the new technology coming out to read books electronically.  I think we need to be able to feel and turn the pages of a book to really experience it, but in this new world maybe that is not really the case.  We need to have the willingness to accept and embrace the change because if not the world will move on without you.