After reading all of the articles about New Literacies, I noticed that there are various interests and opinions on navigating the digital age in classrooms. The article by the International Literacy Association brought up some good points about appropriately integrating new technologies into the school. The article says classrooms should be able to move from learning with technology to learning without it fluidly, like we do as adults in our jobs. The article also explains how to integrate technology into a literature classroom. (ILA, 2018) When I was a Teaching Assistant, I remember being in two English classrooms, and both teachers used audiobooks instead of having the students read them themselves. Some students benefited from it, but there were also some who I think would have been better off reading it themselves and would have been more engaged if they were reading it. It is a hard line to walk with how much technology to bring into your classroom. The second article, Digital Literacy, further discusses what skills should be focused on in the school. The first part of digital literacy they go over is basic computer skills, meaning simple things like how to use the mouse and keyboard, and even just turning the device on. (Vanek, 2019) This is something that starts very early in students' educational careers now. I teach Kindergarten, First Grade, and Special Education; those students know how to work their computers. In the second article, the components of what it means to have digital literacy skills are something I will take with me to my classroom and make sure, even when I am modeling things on the computer, that I am explaining what I am doing and using the correct vocabulary, so my students are learning.
1. Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools (ILA, 2018) (Accessible Version)
2. Digital Literacy (Vanek, 2019)
Hi Jaclyn, great post! I like how you talk about how students should be able to move between having technology in the classroom and not having technology is super important. I believe that technology should be a tool and not an answer. If not having computers for the day completely disrupts a student’s day, then they are relying on technology too much. I think the plan to explain while you are doing when showing things to your students is really smart will go a long way.
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