"No one form of text reigns supreme; together they construct the multimodal textual landscape of the city." -- Digital Literacies, Introduction
The author used this quote to discuss the way in which people can get around a foreign city, such as Hong Kong, but I think this sort of thing is true even in a place like the classroom. You go from reading a textbook to looking something up on the computer to watching a video or putting together a presentation. There are so many different forms of text and we, as teachers, can't just focus on one of them. They can all work together to enhance learning.
"However, access to technology is never simple--schools have qualitatively different kinds of access, with physical, digital, human, and social resources all impacting on the skills, knowledge, and learning that can be expected." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 1
As a substitute, I see this very often. I've been to schools who only have one computer lab and no personal computers for the teachers, and others that are rich in technology. Some schools within the same school district are like this, with some having more than others. Integrating technology can be incredibly difficult when the technology itself is not available. It's hard to be innovative when the tools are not there. Many teachers work out of pocket and raise funds on their own to supply their classrooms. Even within the same schools, some classrooms have more than others. Some teachers don't even get the luxury of their own classroom, and instead have to push a cart from room to room and borrow the room's of other teachers. They don't have the same opportunities as the other teachers.
"Literacy is not just about decoding marks on a page; it is also about performing social acts of meaning, where meanings and practices vary according to context." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 2
This is kind of what we've been talking about throughout the course of this class, that the definition of literacy is changing. Literacy is no longer just the ability to read and write, but to interrupt symbols and what's on a screen. It's also about the skills that can be learned and how they are applied. I like how this also mentions context, because that has a lot to do with how learning is taking place. Sometimes, students have difficulty understanding something in the context of the classroom, but may understand it better when applied in some other way.
"Clare and Tom's formal education has been driven by a strong focus on developing functional skills-based literacy as a result of current high-stakes assessment regimes and teacher accountability." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 3
I am a firm believer that high-stakes tests are ruining education. So much about student learning and teacher ability is based on these tests. However, most students, especially those in upper middle school and high school, usually don't care about these tests. They don't care if they do well or not. It's a waste of time for them, and they don't see the point. They don't try their best most of the time, even when there is a reward in place. There are also students who are brilliant that are awful at taking tests, and so they don't do well. These tests have nothing to do with their abilities, but how well they can repeat an answer or do what is asked correctly.
Technology and the Classroom
I've always believed that incorporating technology in the classroom is a good thing, and that it can be very helpful to student learning. We talk so much about incorporating technology and how important it is, but sometimes the resources aren't there, or they're so stretched that it's difficult to get them regularly into the classroom. If there is only one computer lab, or one mobile lab, and every teacher wants to use them in the classroom, then it's impossible to get a hold of said lab. It can't become a regular use in the classroom. Not all schools are made equal, and this is especially so in areas where the school districts don't have a lot of money to spend on technology.
Illuminated Text
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