In many ways I find it hard to believe we are beginning our second year of school since we first started our conversation about new literacies, new technologies, and new ways of thinking about literacy in our classrooms--and in our world--in the summer of 2006. Last year was definitely a challenge for me, in so many ways, but I can tell each of you that working with you on this new literacies project was the highlight of all that I juggled and endured. As we embark on a new year, and hopefully the last few months of my "official project" (for I fear I may never cease to follow my interest in this topic) I hope we can extend our conversation of new literacies in this space.
Initially I am setting the blog up as a private space, so that we can all feel at ease about posting our thoughts, questions, discoveries, ideas, challenges, successes, and anything, really, that we wish to share. My own personal journey into this endeavor has taught me there really aren't any wrong or silly questions, that there are far more questions than answers (no matter how much I study), and that our individual understandings are enhanced so much more through our shared understandings than when we try to "figure any of it out" on our own.
So, my new post here is titled, "A New View" because I really wonder if any of you have a view that is slightly new. I can tell you that I definitely have a new view of new literacies after a year of focusing on this topic. Not only did my work with all of you over last year shape and mold my view significantly, I also read some wonderful resources that helped with my understanding as well. I will be most happy to post some of those titles here (if anyone is interested) and/or send pdf files, or urls for others.
Other professional experiences have also greatly extended my view of new literacies. I look forward to sharing more in this blog. I have several new ideas for this school year and look forward to implementing some of them in Patrice's classroom, hopefully some others in our school as well, and introducing them to the rest of the faculty as Patrice and I plan professional sessions for the faculty at our school. Heck we might even present one of them at GCTE!
So how do you view new literacies these days? What kinds of ideas do you have for teaching new literacies in your classroom this year? Please jump into the conversation! We don't get to converse nearly enough about this topic, or any other for that matter!
4 comments:
Although I began widening my idea of new literacies and looking for literacies in all the write places after our "new literacies" intensive Summer Institute in 2006, I am completely blown away by and inspired by and eager for the video clip you shared with us entitled "Did You Know". Wrapping my mind around the development of technology in a sense that I'LL see some of these "futuristic" changes simply floors me. And yet, it encourages me to take what we learned in SI and just make it available. I don't want to hold my students back. I don't want to look at them and say, "You're only 8. You don't know how to use that, and you don't even need it." That's total hogwash! My students in the past two weeks have shown a hunger for the use of the computer in an attempt to express who they are like none I've seen before. First thing in the morning - they want to work on their projects. During recess - they want to work on their projects. In moments of free time (which are next to never) - they want to work on their projects. Their desire to complete this graphic representation of who they are in a Word Processed Personal Billboard consumes them. Yet, they are patient with one another and engrossed in watching their classmates work. I think some of the attraction may be that their teacher, an adult, has given them free reign and creative control to explore and produce this project. Most of them jump right into accessing their saved document and toying with the various drawing tools. Occasionally I get to step into the facilitator role. And that, is minimal at best because these kids embrace the challenge of learning something new and applying it to a task that is meaningful - sharing themselves with the "world". So, becoming the "guide on the side" is a fulfilling title because I know I'm fostering an internal motivation in children that can only grow!
Hey Laura!
What a pleasant surprise to see you around tonight! I am totally blown away by the comments you made about your 3rd graders and their levels of engagement! When I posted earlier about my new views, a large part of what I was thinking of was the way that "our kids" are so engaged with the technology, and communicating, and enjoying it, and understanding it! Even when, perhaps, we don't! Yet what you stated about using what we learn (in SI, and elsewhere) and simply making it available, is a very difficult thing for many teachers to do. And I often wonder about that. Is it because some teachers cling to a previous paradigm of education and literacy? I wonder if they become stuck because of personal values? One of the books I started reading this summer, Crossing the Digital Divide, by Barbara Monroe has given rise (for me) to thinking about the influence of personal values in this whole arena. I tell you the more I "poke around", think about, study, research, and talk about this notion of new literacies, the more I realize how very little I know about it...and how very much I really need to learn about it! I agree with you about what youngsters know and understand about the technology. And just as the video "Did You Know?" points out, we are living in exponential times. When we think about your third graders at this moment in time, with a teacher like you, and then think about that exponentially...it is truly mind-boggling. You go girl! Lucky 8 year olds to have you as their teacher! Please continue to share here what your kids are doing and your thoughts and reactions to their learning! I enjoyed your post immensely! I sure hope you have another amazing week with them!
I agree totally that there's an energy and enthusiasm when students use technology that is quite different to anything I've seen before. My great leap forward in the new literacies this summer was starting to use blogs. My AP students blogged about their summer reading. I was amazed at the length, detail, and enthusiasm with which they responded. It was so successful that I am planning to keep the blog going all year. And I've set up a blog for each of my classes.
By the way, do you know anything about the site livejournal.com? Can I trust it?
By the way, my name here is so terribly formal because all my school blogs are run through the same site!
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