Changing Literacies

Quotes

"Other classrooms use their wiki as an information hub.  In this context, the wiki becomes the site where homework is posted, where assignments are listed, and where student upload various pieces of work.  The wiki is a central point for accessing and disseminating information; for drawing students and teachers together in a community space unhindered by distance and time." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 4

I have heard about wikis before, but I have never seen them used within the classroom.  I really liked the idea of having a kind of classroom site where students and parents could access that displayed everything they might need to know.  I work with middle school students a lot, and they can be very forgetful, especially when they don't write information down.  If something like this was used, parents would not only be able to see homework assignments and such, but they would also know what was going on in their child's classroom, and even see work that they've done.  This, to me, seems like a great idea, and it's rather disappointing that many teachers don't take advantage of the opportunity.

"We now realize that to read online texts in a critical way, one needs to see them as more than free-standing, isolated constructs to be deciphered in the same ways as paper-based texts." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 5

I really liked the discussion they had here about how blogs were examined for accuracy and realism.  When working with online media, there is always the question of whether or not what you're reading is the truth.  We ask ourselves the same questions when reading news articles or even watching or hearing about events.  The ability to examine text, and the world, critically is a great skill to have.  Finding online resources is not always easy, because sometimes information is unreliable.  This also relates back to the discussion in Chapter 4 about Wikipedia and it's academic use.  Cross-referencing information is always important, and working with digital text can be a good way to teach that.

"The idea that digital technology might help to motivate reluctant learners and provide more meaningful contexts for literacy has captured the attention of an increasing number of educators." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 6

One of the major questions I think every teacher faces is "How do I teach someone who doesn't want to learn?"  What if nothing that is tried in the classroom motivates that student to learn?  It's a big issue, and I love the idea that technology can be that motivating factor for students.  There was a conversation about the use of video games in this aspect, which is something I find interesting.  I think games, whether digital or not, have always been a good motivation for kids, especially those that are younger.  I have, however, seen high school kids get excited by the use of games.  They're kind of a universal teaching methods that we don't always utilize, because there's this belief that high school kids shouldn't be playing games in class.  When dealing with reluctant learners, though, any means that works shouldn't be ignored.

Illuminated Text