Language Arts & Technology

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Chapter 1 – Innovative Approaches to Literacy Education

Karchmer, R, Mallette, M, Kara-Soteriou, J.,Leu, D. Innovative Approaches to Literacy Education. 2005

Chapter 1 – Innovative Approaches to Literacy Education

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is obviously a very topical issue as it has been in the media since it was first introduced. Again, it was mentioned both in Ms Patricia Polacco’s letter and in Chapter one of our textbook - Innovative Approaches to Literacy Education. Chapter 1 addresses the new literacy which is intertwined with the new information and communication technologies (ICTs).

New literacy is the new buzz term in the educational field and rightly so with all the new terminologies that are associated with the new form of technology. Some of the terms include weblog, blogger, blogging, webquest, thinkquest, etc. Just recently I introduced my students to Trellix Web software. This software allows the students to design their own web pages. For this exercise the students were exposed to a number of new terminologies. One new concept was “field”, while the word was not new to my students but in Trellix Web its usage
was different from its traditional meaning.

Chapter 1 introduced literacy scholars such as Gee and others who argued that “students must acquire multiple literacies”, to ensure that they are functionally integrated into our ever growing global community. This point I totally agree with. The students’ world are been constantly bombarded with all types of new computer games, gadgets, Internet and computer education classes. The textbook has also indicated that more people and students (page 6) are more involved in computers and the Internet.

Chapter 1 looked at the theory of the new literacies. According to Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack the new literacies of the Internet includes “the skills, strategies, and disposition necessary to successfully exploit the rapidly changing ICTs continuously emerging in our world……” The idea behind the new literacies is that it increases the students’ awareness on current technological advances.

The following are examples of the new literacies of the Internet and other ICTs cited by the authors of the book: knowing the many new strategies for constructing and comprehending information on the Internet; effectively using a search engine to find the precise information that is sought; sending an effective e-mail message in a variety of contexts and to a variety of individuals obtain useful information; and effectively using a word processor and functions such as a spell-checking, inserting graphics, and formatting text.

Two articles I have read mentioned “new literacies are deictic”, chapter one of our textbook and an article by Matthew Beall and Steve Topp Moving Towards a New Literacy: The impact of the Internet on Literacy. Basically this is saying that literacy changes with the new form of technology. Hence learning the new form of technology is just as important as learning the new literacy that is associated with that technology.

Chapter 1 one reported that there have not been many researches done on the new literacies. According to this chapter…. No state has allowed the students to use a word processor to do its state examination; although studies have shown that approximately 20% more of the students would pass their writing exams.

Chapter one indicated that there has been an increased in the use of the Internet in the classrooms, the workplaces and the schools. Based on this information it was argued that it is imperative that teachers worked together to understand the new literacies so that they can teach them to the students.

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