Blog Entry # 1: "New Literacies"

        Teaching “new literacies” is a vital component to ELA instruction in schools today.  One of the main reasons that we must explicitly teach “new literacies” is because “digital technology changes the literacy practices in which we participate in our daily lives” (Hutchison & Colwell, 2012, p. 12).  As adults, we utilize digital technology in a variety of different ways.  As teachers, we often use technology to create and carry out lesson plans for our students.  We use online gradebooks, class websites, and iPhone apps to communicate with parents.  As professionals, we know the way technology has transformed the way that we work.  Therefore, we know what is coming for our students.  We have a unique position and obligation to model and teach the skills needed to become truly literate in the 21^st century. 

        Even the Common Core Standards reflect the importance of “new literacies.”  Within the standards themselves, “technology is integrated throughout the literacy and language arts standards, implying that being literate means being digitally literate” (Hutchison & Coldwell, 2012, p. 3).  Therefore, solely focusing on traditional literacies does not fully prepare our students for the future. We must give students opportunities to engage with technology in meaningful ways if we want them to truly be literate in the new sense of the word.  

        I believe integrating technology in a meaningful way means engaging in purposeful design.  Chapter 3 of Bridging Technology and Literacy provides a great framework for effectively integrating technology into our classrooms.  The section about long-range planning provides a great place to start.  Because I consider myself a “digital immigrant,” it can be bit intimidating to integrate technology confidently.  When I reflect on my own experiences in the classroom, I feel that I only ever made it to the Adaptation Level on the Technology Integration Matrix as discussed in Hutchison and Colwell.  While I did infuse technology into my curriculum, I was still making the decisions about what technology was being used and how my students would use the technology.  My ultimate goal would be to reach the Transformation Level by the end of the year with my students.  Ideally, after long-range planning and a year of activities that would build digital literacy skills, my students would be able to create a product that required THEM to make decisions about how and what technology they use.  Focusing on effectively embedding “new literacies” into our ELA curriculum will allow us to help our students become truly literate in the 21^st century.

        I believe that there are obstacles for teaching “new literacies” in the classroom.  One major obstacle I foresee is the inequity in access to technology.  For me this includes inequities in access to physical devices, to reliable internet networks, and to digital programs and tools that facilitate learning.  We need to be sure that the integration of technology is not widening achievement gaps within our communities.  I feel that Hutchison and Colwell provide suggestions to deal with different obstacles involving integrating technology into the classroom.  One suggestion is to identify constraints for the integration of technology ahead of time.  By doing this, we allow ourselves the time to create solutions for constraints, instead of allowing them to obstruct the integration of technology.

        Another obstacle that we might encounter as teachers is a mistrust of the “new literacies” from parents.  When I was in the classroom, I encountered parents that refused to allow their students to participate in certain digital platforms.  Even after discussing educational benefits and safety concerns, many of these parents still refused.  I feel that it is my job as a 21^st century educator to inform and educate parents about the necessity of learning these “new literacies.”  In fact, according to the Michigan Code of Educational Ethics, it is my job to promote the benefits and clarify the limitations of technology applications in my profession. 

Hutchison, A., & Colwell, J. (2015). Bridging Technology and Literacy: Developing Digital Reading         

    and Writing Practices in K-6. Rowman & Littlefield.