New Literacy

My definition of literacy began by involving just reading and writing. However, after many classroom discussions and listening to other people's definitions of literacy I learned that literacy can involve reading, writing, speaking, listening, and seeing. I have seen the definition of literacy expand even further after this project. I never would have thought of expressing literacy in the form of technology before this project. It was interesting to choose a type of new literacy because I never would have classified a digital scrapbook as a way of delivering literacy. I also would have never thought of literacy being in a cultural form. For example, even though I knew that reading, writing, listening, seeing, and speaking can be found in different cultures I never really thought of them as aspects of literacy. I had a hard time thinking about what I was going to focus on in cultural literacy because I kept finding myself not thinking broadly enough about the definition of literacy. We learned in class that there are many different definitions of literacy and that literacy is such a broad term that can often be altered into personal definitions. Once I started to realize that I was thinking into the project too much, I began to look at what I wanted the big picture to be and the ideas began to flow.
I did a digital scrapbook on cultural literacy, specifically on Latin America. I am familiar with scrapbooks in paper form because I work on them as a hobby and for my historian position in my sorority. However, I was very amazed at how creative you can make the scrapbooks online. It also seemed less labor intensive. It takes me a long time to imagine and create scrapbook pages in paper form. Although the digital scrapbook took me a long time to create, the most time consuming part was introducing myself to the program and how to get started. You definitely need a lot of patience and time to get started and learn any new type of technology. I feel that once you get the hang of the program, it would not take that long to write a lesson. Also, if I make a mistake on a paper scrapbook, I have to throw the page away or start over. However, if I am not satisfied with my page or anything about it on digital scrapbooks, with the click of a button I can just delete what I do not like. I feel that it is important for teachers to explore many new forms of technology. We could make class much more interesting, comprehensive, and attention grabbing by using new technology and refraining from the use of plain chalkboards.
I feel that a digital scrapbook is a wonderful tool for teaching lessons to kindergarteners. I know from experience that kindergarteners are very visual learners. What is a better way to teach than with the use of pictures and colorful scrapbook pages? I know that my kindergarteners in my field placement would be amazed because my teacher seems to teach through oral lessons and the use of dry erase boards. There are many ways that you could incorporate the core subjects into digital scrapbooks. This technology form is very flexible and allows you to create a scrapbook on any topic you would like. Now that I am more open minded about literacy and the different ways to incorporate literacy into technology, I think it would be fun to use a digital scrapbook for my next kindergarten lesson.

After working with my new technology, I realized that it was similar to PowerPoint in looks, but took different skills to work. The program would be very easy if I had all 4x6 pictures to put in the picture box and add a little caption under them. Because my scrapbook/slideshow was designed for pictures, I had to learn how to modify larger pictures as well as adding text on top of them. I used Microsoft Paint to do this, and realized that Microsoft Paint is not a very easy program to work with. It took me a long time to figure out how things worked. Because I was not familiar I had to use the Help engine frequently, which made me need to know how to read, and then locate where things are within the program. Once I got my pictures modified, the placing them within my new technology was rather simple, all I did was download the pictures and click them into the photo box.

Working with Environmental literacy showed me many ways of incorporating traditional literacy within it. There were multiple cases where I needed to know how to decipher data from graphs and charts. I also had to know how to gather data from texts, and relate the text to myself in how I can become a better “conserver of water.”

For students to be able to use this technology and study this topic, they would have to be able to know how to use Microsoft Paint, and how to download and upload pictures. At some points I felt a little frustrated with the program, so students will need to know that it takes time and patience to complete this project. Working with a new technology (or any technology for that matter) will have glitches, and we need to be aware of that from the beginning. If students know how to work with PowerPoint, they should be able to use my technology fairly easily.

Throughout this class, my conceptual understanding of literacy has changed. Before this class I thought of literacy as learning how to read, write, and speak. Now I realized that my original thoughts of literacy were only included within traditional literacy. The New Literacy project has taught me that literacy can be in many different forms, including many aspects of our lives. Some of these include environmental, cultural, and social literacy. The idea that literacy can broaden our understanding of what we are reading and learning about is different from my original thoughts of literacy. Before this class, these new literacies would be considered social studies in my mind. I thought that, yes, we can use literacy as a way to teach social studies, but learning about cultures or the environment is not literacy, it is social studies. I have learned, through this class, the importance of teaching these new literacies in my class. In the WheelerSwords article, they discuss how it is important to discuss cultural implications of language within a classroom. Within the article, it states that “A different response to language becomes possible once we recognize that language comes in different varieties, and styles, and each is systematic and rule-governed.” Throughout my schooling, I learned that there is one way to speak and write properly. Through this article and class discussions, I have learned the importance of making sure each type of language is addressed and deemed as important. Literacy is not just being able to talk and write in standard English, it can also include other styles of language as well.

Not only has this New Literacies project shifted my views on what I think literacy is, I have also learned the importance of using technologies that I may not be familiar with. Being able to view technology is also an important aspect of literacy. This new way of thinking has changed how I want to approach literacy in my classroom. People today are using printed paper less and less to practice literacy skills. Even books and newspapers can be computer based. It is important to encompass all types of technology to help broaden their knowledge of literacy.

By using different types of technology, I can also teach to a diverse number of learners. Students learn differently at different rates. By giving them multiple ways of learning, I can see what works well for some students, and what doesn’t work. Also students will be able to access different types of information within these new literacies which will appeal to different students.

I think that this technology and new literacy would help students get a better understanding of many GLCEs. For my language arts lesson, I used the GLCE about relating themes to personal experiences. Within Environmental Literacy, water conservation could be considered a theme where students need to see how water plays a role in their lives and how they can begin conserving water. The technologies can give students a nontraditional look on literacy that will be beneficial to them in their future.

New Literacies Project

For the New Literacies project, I chose to use the scrap book as my new technology that I would investigate. I chose scrapblog.com to be my guide for this scrap book. The difference between the scrap book and for example, a powerpoint is that the scrap book that you produce online can be published for the world to see, or kept private. There are many resources that you can access while creating this book, such as stickers, videos, photos, and backgrounds that are all easily accessible through this website. The opportunities are endless on this site, as you can build anything from a one page scrap blog, to a 100 page blog, using different themes or backgrounds to display your information. The scrap blog also offers unique transitions between slides. The scrap book was an interesting choice because it still allowed for creativeness and being unique, while it didn't confine you like the traditional powerpoint presentation. In order to be able to use this new technology, I had to utilize a technology expert. My roommate works for the MSU computer department, and was able to introduce me to everything I needed to know in order to use this technology. In order for children under grade three to be able to utilize this new technology, they would need a step-by-step instruction of the technology. They would also need to be literate in reading, viewing, and writing, as well as using a computer. Anyone in the higher grades would be able to understand this technology through trial and error, but in order to be able to investigate the technology on their own, they would need to be literate in writing, reading, listening, and viewing in order to be successful in using this technology. Being literate in technology is an important concept for children in our society, so as a teacher, it's important to introduce them to other technologies besides powerpoint, such as creating a website, wiki, blog, wave file etc... Teachers can turn routine projects into learned experiences by having children choose new technologies to investigate. In order to be literate in todays world, we all need to be able to understand technology and how to use it. These ideas fit with my idea of literacy because investigating these technologies turned into a new way for effective literacy instruction.

At the beginning of this class, literacy was a new concept to me. Although we had explored literacy in TE301, I believe that my true understanding of the concept did not begin until we began investigating it in this class. My understanding of literacy is an individuals ability to read, write, visualize, and speak in order to function in everyday society. Literacy is always evolving and individuals in our society will always have to keep up with changing technologies, creating a paradigm of individuals who need to constantly be keeping up with the changing times. Literacy also encompasses the outside world. Although this is my current understanding of literacy, at the beginning of the class, I assumed that literacy was the ability to being able to write. After reading assigned readings for this section from Literacy for the 21st Century, as well as assigned research articles, I was able to put forth my best definition of literacy. I feel much more prepared for my own classroom of learners. Understanding the definition of literacy is needed before stepping into a classroom. Word recognition, letter recognition, phonological and phonemic awareness, etc... are all apart of literacy. For my New Literacies project, I explored the use of the scrap book. This technology was completely new to me. I had created scrapbooks out of printed out pictures in my home but using a computer and a foreign website was a new experience. By exploring this technology and creating a project, I was able to inform myself about technology as well as cultural literacy. Through this experience, I was able to inform the other members of this class about cultural literacy through my own travels. In the fall of last year, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. During these adventures, I was a traveler in an world in which I knew nothing about. When in Asia, I was unable to understand their language, leaving me in the dark when it came to ordering dinner, or ordering a cab. Through this experience, I was able to understand what it meant to be fluent or literate in another culture or language. It's important for teachers to be able to provide "effective literacy instruction" as well as it's important for teachers to recognize other cultures and ethnicities that may exist in our classrooms. Students that grow up in other places may have different customs than U.S. raised children, making it important to learn to adapt to providing effective literacy instruction. By exploring this literacy, I was able to open my eyes to the cultures I encountered when abroad, and how many of the particular things I did while in those countries may have been peculiar or out of the ordinary for Thai citizens. Providing effective literacy instruction may be different for different cultures. In Thailand, children are supposed to give respect to their elders by producing a wai, a greeting as well as a goodbye. The wai appears to the average American citizen as a religious prayer. Therefore, teachers need to make sure that they tailor each lesson towards the children in the classroom.

comprehension

When I think about comprehension, I never think of the text factors affecting comprehension. I usually think of comprehension involving background knowledge and connection to the text, which are basically reader factors. The three text factors are structure, genre, and content/vocabulary. However, after reviewing these text factors, I realize that I have seen and practiced a lot of components of text factors without realizing it. Personally, whether or not an author organizes and presents their ideas affects how much I comprehend and enjoy the book. I remember story ideas when the text and theme are laid out well. The text factor component of oral language is very common in my kindergarten field. Everyday the CT reads a story aloud as the children listen and as Tompkins says “students use their knowledge of text factors as they listen to the teacher read aloud” (256).
Since I am in a kindergarten classroom for my field placement, it is hard for me to find a lot of text factors involved in comprehension since many text factors focus on reading. There is not one student that can read in the classroom. However, a lot of the comprehension is determined verbally in lower elementary. For example, I was in the classroom and my CT was explaining different genres. This past week they were learning about folklore. She explained that folktales usually start with “once upon a time…” Tompkins explains that “when students know about text structure and recognize genres, they are better able to apply comprehension strategies” (256). Since the CT is practicing genres and teaching ways to differentiate between genres, the students are understanding genres and can apply comprehension strategies. A common comprehension strategy that I see in my class is connecting. This strategy involves the readers making text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world links using background knowledge. The CT is consistently asking the students for feedback on a story read aloud such as “have you ever felt this way?” or “has this ever happened to you?”. Questions like these ones test the student’s background knowledge, get the children actively involved, and demonstrate whether or not the children are comprehending ideas of the text.

Good Readers understand the processes that go with reading.  Good readers are able to consciously control these processes. Many times in my life, I have been reading a book and have come to realize that for the past 10 pages I was not comprehending anything that I had read.  This is always very frustrating, especially when you have to turn back and reread what you just read.  Metacognition is when readers are able to control their reading processes.  There are five important processes that good readers can do, including predict, picture, relate, monitor, and correct the gaps in their understanding.  I realize that in order for me to understand what is being read, I need to be in an environment where distractions are minimal.  Interest in the material is also very important.  When reading a text book, I utilize the strategy of self-questioning.  By going over in my head what has happened in the chapter, I am better able to retain the information when it is needed in the future.  Making meaningful connections to the text is also a great strategy for retaining the information.  By using personal relations to the text, such as remember 'please remember my dear Aunt Sally' as "PRMDAS" the student is able to recall that information and possibly  connect it to the sentence.  The difference between cuddling up with a favorite novel as opposed to cuddling up with a textbook is entirely too different.  In the field, I notice that comprehension is very important.  During large group time, the teacher will at first ask the students to make predictions about what they believe the book will be about.  Also, the teacher periodically pauses during the book to ask questions which also help students comprehend what was going on in the book.  At the end of the book, by coming together and asking the students to discuss the major points of the book, the teacher is facilitating comprehension strategies to her young students. 

Comprehension

After reading about and discussing comprehension this week, I have learned a bit about myself in terms of comprehension. As I look at how I comprehend text I can think about ways that others comprehend text as well. In doing this, I can relate to students so I can help teach the best ways to be a good “comprehender”. In the Tompkins’ book, she talks about the eight strategies for comprehension. These strategies are predicting, connecting, visualizing, questioning, identifying big ideas, summarizing, monitoring, and evaluating. Now that I am a fluent reader I tend to do a lot of the strategies that help good comprehension unconsciously. Many times while I am reading I find myself predicting what is going to happen next, visualizing what is actually going on in the story, or connecting the text to my own life. I feel that the idea of me doing these things unconsciously is what teachers strive to get their students to do. Also in the Tompkins’ chapter, she talks about the differences between struggling readers and prolific readers. Struggling readers have a hard time drawing inferences between the text and the strategies of comprehension, while prolific readers can and do this in their reading. For students to become prolific readers, I feel that the strategies for comprehension must be taught. This is because we must be able to comprehend what we are reading to be able to truly be reading. There is no use in reading if we cannot comprehend, therefore, these strategies can be done by asking questions both orally and in writing by the teacher.

In terms of seeing comprehension in the field, I have seen a few of the strategies in action. On Tuesday I worked one-on-one with a girl in my class. I had her read a story to me and fill in a worksheet about it. While she read, I noticed her monitoring herself. From time to time she would read a line then accidentally go down to a line not directly below the one she was reading. She would notice that what she read did not make sense and try rereading the sentence over again. I also noticed her visualizing skills. There were pictures in the story, but many times she would look at the picture and tell me what they left out or what she would have put into the picture. After we read the story I could tell that she understood what she read by being able to write the big ideas on the worksheet.

Emergent Literacy

I cannot fully classify myself as a digital native based on this quiz. Although I could define some of the more common words and phrases at the end of the quiz, I was not able to define the first few terms. The article claims that “Digital Natives perceive technology as their friend and rely on it to study, work, play, relax and communicate”. Although I do like to watch television and listen to music and relax, I do not rely on technology to live my life. I enjoy using instant messaging and exploring the internet, but technology is definitely not flawless. I often am frustrated with technology when things do not work as they are supposed to. Some examples of technology at its worst is when I am taking an online quiz and my computer freezes, I am signed off of instant messaging while talking to friends, or there is no wireless internet available when I need it. Emergent literacy and the term emergent in relation to digital literacy are different in many ways. I feel that emergent literacy learners obtain their knowledge by observing and listening to others. In other words, the children mainly learn by example. When using the term emergent digital literacy with my own personal experience, I know that I do not necessarily learn technology from others. I taught myself every piece of technology I had to use before I ever had to use it. Tompkins stresses the word “before” in his definition of emergent literacy because he wants to emphasize that concepts can be learned before the person ever develops and learns literacy skills fully. From this definition, emergent literacy and emergent digital literacy are alike because they both begin as basic concepts that can expand knowledge with practice and experience.