The Golden Girls

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Comment by Kim Dyment on June 12, 2008 at 10:11pm

Final Reflection:
As I review my postings I see the connection all assigned readings and topics have concerning the future of education. I enjoyed learning about the “new literacies” because I see this everyday and now can explain the phenomenon taking place in our classrooms!

A few points really stand out for me in the way we view students who are in our classrooms and using the library. I no longer see them as people needing to be filled with knowledge, rather an active participant in the information seeking process, by which new literacies are transforming the knowledge acquisition process. A student can and has taught me a lot I the technological form of acquiring information in the basic handling of the equipment we use. I do see myself as “advanced” in the use and experience with technology in the classroom, but I have a long ways to go. With no end in sight! Exciting!

It is fantastic to see data supporting the use of “popular” sties in education. The school, board and department of Education really need to get on board with this. For example, using YouTube is something I do to teach, engage and expose students to new information. I need students to tell me how to get on the site at school due to the “blocked” function. I laugh when I think that even 5 years down the road we will be amazed that we had so many useful site blocked… wondering how we ever taught without them!

Currently I am trying to move classrooms because I want a Smart Board! My room does not have a door that locks to protect the equipment when unsupervised. I am hoping it will happen in the fall so I can expose my students to the new literacies and facilitate learning use tools they are familiar and comfortable with.

Challenges I see do not come from the wiliness of staff to jump onboard the technology train, rather the support, education and equipment needed to keep the interest, experience and excitement going. Our Technology Committee at school focuses in clear objectives and works to get the equipment needed to teach in the “new” information age.

Comment by Melanie Corcoran on June 6, 2008 at 10:26pm

BTW

Has anyone heard anything from Marlene?
I have not received feedback since last Sunday??!!

Comment by Melanie Corcoran on June 6, 2008 at 10:25pm

Hi Golden Girls!!
I sat down this evening and re-read my blog reflections and composed a final reflection on my thoughts on new literacies. I hope that it fits the criteria for the course assignment. Here it goes:
Final Reflection by Mel C

Looking back over my thoughts and reflections of literacy in the new millennium and how these new literacies need to be an integral part of the learning process of our young people today, I shall begin by metaphorically defining literacy. “Literacy as control...as crisis....as fundamental right and as social transformation, as a technological tool, as economic sufficiency as emancipation, and lastly, literacy as a repertoire of capabilities. .” When we think of literacy as these entities, we realize how critical and complex a process it is. I use the term, ‘process’ here because that is what literacy has been since the dawn of time, is now, and always will be. As a repertoire of capabilities, literacy is not solely the ability to read a written text, but an ‘engagement’ with a ‘text’ of some form which creates a relationship leading to understanding and knowledge. Therefore, once the text is taken in, literacy enables its ‘user’ to construct new knowledge. In our fast-moving and information-rich society which depends highly on technology, new literacies are constantly being introduced and used by many in everyday life. Such literacies are chat groups, websites, video games, and text messages. These literacies must be realized by all educators and students today. Schools need to be prepared to implement new literacies in the curriculum which will provide the tools to motivate and engage students in the learning process.

I found it interesting that being ‘literate’ is not just an individual skill, but that of a community. Therefore, again, the purpose of literacy in our schools is to provide the tools and skills for our students to continue to learn throughout their lives. Basically it is to provide them with the ability to understand new concepts throughout the planned curriuculum in order for them to construct their own views and senses of the world around them. This, of course, does not involve the sole entity of ‘learning to read’, but being able to process new information into knowledge. It involves the skills required to read, write, present, understand, feel, connect with, and construct information from a huge variety of resources, not only books.

How can we ensure that schools are being equipped with the ‘tools’ to promote new literacies? Who is responsible for guaranteeing that students have access to the ‘tools’ that compliment new literacies? If we believe that literacy is a fundamental right that leads to social transformation, economic sufficiency, a repertoire of capabilities, among other things, should not all the best tools be available for all to achieve this? Once we have the tools, how do we use them in our lesson planning?

I will conclude this final reflection by stating that ‘being literate today means being able to manipulate the various information and technology, developing the skills to adapt and engage in life-long learning. It means, not just ‘taking in’ by simply reading information, but absorbing and constructing a sense of new knowledge.’ Realizing this is one thing, but implementing this various information and technological tools successfully to facilitate learning is another. Therefore educators along with school librarians need to collaborate to permit learning through these new literacies.

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 5, 2008 at 9:59pm

I think it is inevitable that technology is becoming as important in learning as texts. So how can I accommodate the demands of the new literacies? Time, materials, professional development, assessment tools, etc. need to be re examined. Just as our students are developing their multi tasking, problem solving, critical thinking skills in different ways as in the past, educators will change how they view learning, assessing, literacy and knowledge.
As a teacher I want to know how we get the materials, skills and upgrades we need to keep up with the changing technology. Our school is very progressive and work so hard to obtain equipment for the benefit of the students. Why does this present itself as such a challenge? I could spend up to ½ of my week proving we need a Smart Board for example. This is frustrating because I am an educator, current in the trends of education and I know what our students need to keep up with the world. Yet I must prove it over and over again that money should be put into our students’ education. I know all the reasoning behind decisions made, but I don’t understand why there is so much red tape. The priority is the students.
I will refer to my course readings from this section to anyone wanting to know why technology is important to the teenagers we serve each day! I will continue to question the resistance to change until it changes! Until then my classes will embrace the computer lab and all its challenges. We will communicate through wikis and blogs. We will design WebPages and use the tools in our Google accounts to engage all learners.
I feel like I just had a bit of a rant...

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 5, 2008 at 7:56pm

I feel like I need to post my stuff everywhere in order for people to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I post to reply to Mel on the Sampler...also posting it here too...

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 5, 2008 at 7:54pm

Do we want to engage students in their school activities by including popular websites in their learning or do we as educators try to keep their “out of school” activities out of school? I agree with the text in that fact that we do not really have a choice here, the incorporation of popular websites is inevitable and in my opinion should be embraced. For months now the staff members at my school have tried to incorporate technology in any possible way into the classroom. Using instant messenger or Google chat would be fantastic in organizing an online discussion that could carry in and out of school.
The tables in Chapter 3 were so helpful in revealing the genres, sentence length and complex vocabulary found in popular websites. I will definitely share these visual examples with co workers. Too often these websites are criticised as being useless and not holding any academic value. Our world is moving forward, our students are moving forward...educators can not lag behind!
We need to be involved in the preparation of the students for the world. The critical thinking skills the future generation will require is far more than required in the past, due to the advertizing and information they are exposed to at a rapid rate.

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 4, 2008 at 8:22pm

Not there Amanda...I will respond to the discussion Melanie started.

Comment by Amanda Biggar on June 3, 2008 at 12:41pm

Hi girls, I started a discussion on our ch 3 reading, but you have to click 'view all' under the Discussion Forum section immediately above in order to see it. Great job fundraising Crystal :)

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 2, 2008 at 4:56pm

Girls I am posting my thoughts on New Literacy here too.

Comment by Kim Dyment on June 2, 2008 at 4:55pm

1. Which purposes do literacy in your schools address (see examples on pae 7 under Purposes). Describe and comment.

The new literacy article was interesting and I recognize some of my own thoughts and feelings in the “new” literacy as I read its evolution, seeing endless possibilities in the future of learning. In my classroom I try to reach the students in a way as to have them question and understand the knowledge they seek and are exposed to so easily, regardless of its source.

I particularly like the purpose of changing conceptions in empowerment of the individuals questioning social norms. I often struggle to compete with the ideas from “home” and an older generation when informing and exposing students to the current societal norms. Empowerment comes from knowlge and technology can assist in the classroom in exposing small coummities to the vast societal norms globally. Preparing students to embrace the interrelations of concepts such as reality, sexualitiy and maorality, is to teach accptance and harmony among all as we move to a new age of thinking.

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