Module 2, Blog 2

The two additional readings that I selected were Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools (ILA, 2018) and Digital Literacy (Vanek, 2019). I found both of these readings expanded on areas of New Media and New Literacies that I had not yet considered.

 

Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools (ILA, 2018)

I found many parts of this text interesting, and thought provoking. One of the biggest takeaways that I had from this resource was the emphasis that the author placed on the need for literacy learning to be driven by good lessons and the development of literacy skills, no matter the medium being used. Within the text, it states “the digital tools are secondary to the teacher’s literacy and learning goals”(ILA, 2018) The reason that I found this to be so thought provoking was that it served as a necessary reminder that even though New Media and New Literacies involve new technologies, the technologies cannot overshadow the development of literacy skills. In other words, it’s not just about introducing those new technologies but rather using those new technologies and modalities as vessels for literacy learning and development. 

Another major takeaway that I had from this text was the idea that even though literacy learning needs to update to include new modalities, that doesn’t mean we can neglect the classic print based standard literacy learning. In the text, it states “The point to grasp is that digital and nondigital contexts for learning are not discrete, and modern offices are still peppered with print-based texts. So, too, our classrooms must move fluidly between the digital and analog worlds that we simultaneously inhabit” (ILA 2018). Because the real world still has print based literacy requirements, our classrooms still need to provide that classical literacy instruction. This parallels the idea mentioned later in the text that our classrooms must mirror the skills that students will have to use within the real world (ILA, 2018).

An additional aspect of this text that my attention was drawn to was the mention of how the new technologies in literacy can serve to widen the gap of inequality. (ILA, 2018) I found this aspect of the text difficult to conceptualize. I took this to have several possible meanings. I considered that this could be referring to deficits that students come into the classroom with and how technologies cannot be expected to close those gaps. In fact, adding in additional technologies for students with deficits could provide another difficult step, making it more difficult for them to succeed in classroom/academic tasks. Another possible meaning that I considered related to the socio-economic side of things. Students from lower income families might not have access to the technologies being taught, so outside of school they could potentially be at a disadvantage when completing tasks for school as compared to students from wealthier families.

Digital Literacy (Vanek, 2019)

One of the main takeaways that I had from this text was the meaning of Digital Literacy. The text defined Digital Literacy as “more than proficiency with discrete computer skills. Certainly, these foundational skills are critical; however, the crux of what is meant by digital literacy is the recognition of these skills’ relevance in specific contexts and one’s ability to creatively apply them” (Vanek, 2019) Prior to reading through this resource, I hadn’t thought too extensively about the definition of digital literacy. It makes a lot of sense that while basic computer skills are necessary for digital literacy, they themselves do not encompass all that is meant by digital literacy. These basic computer skills must be used to communicate, locate information and derive meaning in order to demonstrate some of what is encompassed in digital literacy. 

Another point from this text that I found intriguing was how it addressed the question: why is digital literacy important. The text states “digital literacy can support or accelerate the acquisition of knowledge and the development of proficiency in a range of academic contexts” (Vanek, 2019). This statement highlights the fact that technologies, when used effectively, can aid in student learning and these digital literacies can develop skills that develop the ability for students to independently access resources and learning. Digital literacy can provide the tools to better independently learn and navigate the technological world that we live in. 

An additional point within the text that I was drawn to was the level of need for digital literacy within the workforce. The text highlighted the fact that the vast majority of jobs requiring less than a bachelor's degree that pay a living wage have digital literacy requirements such as mastery of spreadsheets and word processing(Vanek, 2019). So in order for people within our society to be gainfully employed, for the most part, they need to be digitally literate. The text also goes on to state that “lack of literacy skills will hamper adult learners at the entry level and may impede their advance to the middle-skill work so critical to an upwardly mobile career pathway”(Vanek, 2019)

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Both these texts highlight the need for digital literacy, how it can/should be implemented in the classroom, and the impact that a lack of digital literacy could have on the success of people in the adult world. The themes of these two resources are highly relevant within the profession of teaching, those teachers who do not have high levels of digital literacy have noticeable struggles with many of the necessary components of our jobs. In modern teaching, our gradebooks, conferences, shared resources, and even our instruction require digital literacy. Teachers that are not highly digitally literate struggle and often rely on the help of more digital literate coworkers, school staff, and even students. Even if teachers are experts of their content, if they lack digital literacy, they cannot teach students to be digitally literate to prepare them for the level of digital literacy required in the world today.

References:

International Literacy Association. (2018). Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and justice: More than just tools [Literacy leadership brief]. Newark, DE: Author

Vanek, Jenifer. (2019). Digital Literacy. American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf