In 2004 70% of Americans used the Internet on a typical day, up from just 45% four years previously (Warschauer, 2006:7). Seven years on and the world has been transformed into a digital era in which to not use the Internet on any given day is verging on a crime. We are heavily dependent on technology on a day to day basis, as it provides us with sources of communication, information and entertainment. Print literacy is fast becoming a thing of the past as online mediums are offering a more efficient and effective way of communicating with people from around the world. What many people find daunting about this prospect is the apparent lack of reference to traditional literacy skills; when in reality digital literacy offers a more attractive and engaging tool to address literacy in the classroom. The appealing nature of laptops and computers provides the perfect platform in which students are able to become, engaged readers who "spend more time reading, demonstrate greater enthusiasim and enjoyment of literacy, cognitively process reading material more deeply and more actively pursue literacy activities inside and outside of school" (Warschauer, 2006:57).
The concept of netspeak/textspeak in the classroom, again like all technologies to the unfamilar, can appear daunting and quite confusing. Many people, teachers in particular, struggle with student slang around the school ground as it is; therefore when this new era of literacy came about, it too came with a looming feeling of doom for teachers. But like all technology in todays society it offers an opportunity for students to communicate on a level where they are engaged and enthusiased by the learning environment and also where they feel comfortable, which is a key aspect of learning. As a teacher i feel that it is important to know your students, which i believe invovles knowing their slang or textspeak, not so that you can be their 'favorite' teacher but so that you can understand your students and what makes them tick. Textspeak's place in the classroom for me is in the form of relationships; it's not nescessaily wrong in literacy means, as it's an evolving language, what it is though is another way of understanding and connecting with students. The key to introducing textspeak is teaching children that not all language is appropriate in all settings.
Hypertext literacy on the other hand i feel needs a presence in the classroom as it's another interactive way of motivating students and engaging them with topics. By inviting the reader to continue on through a hyperlink you're offering an appealing way of displaying and presenting further information in regards to that particular topic. You're also providing the student with the possibility to research sources, find out further information and develop deeper and further thinking. Although this is a great alternative means to a textbook, i feel it's place is in the hands of the student. Providing students with the opportunity to create information wikis or blogs that have hyperlinks to specifics from a broader topic enables learning at a much deeper and more in depth level; like all technology, it also engages students as they research and connect with their learning enivronment.
"Laptop programs are seldom established with the principal goal of improving reading. At the same time, as one-to-one laptop programs are implemented in schools for broader range of literacy and learning purposes - inlcuding to promote better writing, research and design skills - such programs also have great potential for reading instruction" (Warschauer, 2006:60)
I like your analysis Romony. Understanding litearcy in all of its old and new forms is an exciting area for us to explore.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the work of Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture at http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/10/confronting_the_challenges_of.html and the earlier wok on New Media Literacies at http://newmedialiteracies.org/blog/
...while on the topic of literacy...here's another, somewhat radical idea...in this growing age of ubiquitous computer access, why don't we teach our kids to keyboard, BEFORE they learn to handwrite?"...
ReplyDelete...now note I did NOT say we do not teach them to handwrite, but given the problems that young people, particularly young boys have fine the fine motor co-ordination for handrwiting, and how easily very young children adapt to using a keyboard, isn;t it just possible that giving them the ability ton express themselves through a keyboard before they are capable of writing might just enable a very different, and much younger grasp of basic and important literacies?
I completely agree. Although radical and no doubt would cause much debate and discussion the concept of keyboards offer another platform in which students who otherwise would go silent can now interact with their peers and join in on discussions. Not only is it easier for them to communicate but they are going to be motivated and engaged on a completely higher level! Very interesting concept that could play such an important role in a primary school classroom!!
ReplyDeleteTeaching keyboarding skills before handwriting skills does seem like a radical idea - but in fact, I wonder whether as the years go by more and more kids will arrive in school with a higher level of keyboarding than handwriting skills? In fact, I suspect this process may already have begun.
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