1.
My
conceptual understanding
Overall,
my conceptual understanding of literacy has changed since the beginning of this
class. At the beginning of this class, I
thought of literacy in relation to its use in Language Arts. My original definition of literacy was the
ability to read and write. I knew that
more had to be added to this, but I had no idea how much more. In TE 301, we learned that literacy helps a
person survive in a culture, but I could not articulate what all of those
skills are. Therefore, I was ready to
learn how much more should be added to this original definition of literacy.
During
this semester, I have learned about ways to better enhance this definition of
literacy. First, reading the Tompkins
book showed me that in our modern times, children need to learn how to be
digitally literate. There is so much
technology in our society that children are constantly exposed to it. However, being able to navigate through,
interpret, and analyze information presented in digital technologies are
completely different skills than those involved with printed information. So, it is important for students to know how
to successfully use technology to become literate.
Also,
researching about my new literacy (numeracy) allowed me to learn in-depth about
a specific type of new literacy that is different from anything I had ever thought
of. Learning about numeracy taught me
that literacy involves much more than just Language Arts. Numeracy is defined as the ability to use
mathematical concepts and processes to solve everyday problems. In addition, I learned there are two types of
numeracy. The first type of numeracy
involves math in the everyday world. The
second type of numeracy involves math done within the classroom. Therefore, I learned literacy involves other
subjects and it is used both inside of the classroom and outside of the
classroom.
In
addition, reviewing a few other new literacy projects has taught me even more
about other types of literacy. For example,
looking at a visual literacy project taught me that the ability to interpret
images is also a part of literacy. I
always saw literacy as involving speech or text, but now I know it also
involves images. In addition, after
reviewing a couple of geo-literacy projects, I learned literacy also involves
knowing about the world around us and how one person’s decisions affect the
entire world. Therefore, literacy is
also the feeling of interconnectedness with the world.
Finally,
working with Prezi as my technology has helped me develop my own digital
literacy. This technology allows the
creator to present information to an audience in a nonlinear way, which is
completely different than the linear way printed text is presented. Therefore, I was able to explore how to
present information to an audience in a nonlinear way that would make sense to
an audience. Also, I got to practice how
to condense my writing in a way that was to-the-point so as to convey ideas to
an audience in a shorter way. In a
Prezi, there is not much room for text, so it is important to be able to write
ideas in a more condensed form than in printed text. This is also important so the audience does
not feel overwhelmed when viewing the project.
Thus,
after completing this project, I have learned new knowledge and skills involved
with literacy. First, I have learned new
knowledge about what literacy involves.
I have learned specific ways to articulate what exactly literacy
is. Literacy is the ability to navigate
and interpret technology, use math to solve everyday problems, interpret visual
images, make informed decisions that affect the entire world, and know how the
world is interconnected. This project
has given me the knowledge that literacy involves much more than Language
Arts. This knowledge is contrasted with
more traditional literacies because traditional literacies usually only involve
Language Arts. Second, I have learned
new skills in developing my literacies.
I have gained the skills on how to use a technology, in my case Prezi, to
present information to an audience. I
was able to condense my writing and present information in a nonlinear way,
both of which I did not have much practice with. This is similar to traditional literacies
because some of my ideas were written down, and they were presented in a way so
the audience is required to read the information. However, this is different from traditional
literacies because traditional literacies usually present information in a
linear way.
In
the end, my conceptual growth has affected my conception of learning in
Language Arts. This exploration of new
literacies allowed me to see the many ways in which students can be
literate. Just because a student is not
literate in traditional ways, this does not mean they are not literate. Therefore, it is important for teachers to
develop Language Arts lessons that involve various types of literacy, including
the new literacies, to help cater the lessons to the various learners in the
classroom.
2.
Classroom
implications
After
engaging in this project and reflecting on my learning, I have determined ways
to implement literacy into my future classroom.
Providing effective literacy instruction for diverse learners involves
incorporating literacy into all school subjects, not just Language Arts. It is important for the teacher to provide
students with a well-rounded idea of what literacy is so they do not get caught
in the typical trap of seeing literacy as only being connected to Language Arts. For example, numeracy is a type of literacy
that involves mathematics. Also, visual
literacy can be incorporated into all school subjects because it involves the
interpretation of images, all of which are incorporated in every school subject. In addition, it is important for teachers to
incorporate literacy instruction throughout the entire day so they help
students develop into well-rounded individuals.
For instance, if teachers only focus on helping their students learn to
read and write, then the students will not be literate in any other ways, which
could damage them in the future. Additionally,
I will integrate subjects together so the students can use these new literacies
throughout the entire day. For instance,
if I integrate math into each subject, the students will be able to use
numeracy during the entire school day instead of just during math time. I will also assess students with each
literacy to see where each student is at with each type of literacy. This will help me provide each student with the
appropriate scaffolding to help them develop each type of literacy. Finally, I will allow students to use as many
technologies as I am afforded in my classroom so they become familiar with the
wide range of possibilities provided to them by digital means, and to help them
develop digital literacy skills. When I
have students use technology, I will ensure the technology is being used to
develop a specific skill or set of skills so the students make use of the technology
in meaningful ways.
Specifically,
it is important for students to develop digital literacy skills. To develop digital literacy, students need to
be able to navigate the technology they are using. If the students have no idea how to navigate
their given technology, then they will have no way of learning information from
it. Students will need support on how to
navigate through their technology. I
will provide this support by allowing the students to explore the technology on
their own, and be able to ask me or their peers about any questions that arise
as they are using the technology. Also,
students should know how to make meaning from the technology they are using. Often times, information is presented in a
nonlinear way in technologies.
Therefore, students should know how to gather meaning from this
nontraditional way of presenting the information. So, students will also need support with how
to make meaning from nonlinear text. I
will provide this support by scaffolding the students in reading in a nonlinear
way. Therefore, the students will have a
lot of practice in doing this before they have to read nonlinearly on their
own. In addition, it can be easy to get
distracted by unimportant information, so the students should also know how to
determine what the “big ideas” are with the information being presented. Students will need support on picking out the
important ideas in the information presented to them. I will provide this support by allowing
students plenty of practice in picking out the “big ideas” as a class and in
groups before they do this on their own.
Finally, students need to know how to alter their traditional literacy
skills (e.g., reading and writing) to best use their given technology. For example, students may need to condense
their writing, skim the information presented, and so on. Thus, students need support in altering their
pre-existing traditional literacy skills to meet the demands of their given
technology. I will provide this support
by showing students several examples as a large group, and having them brainstorm
as a class on how they would alter their traditional literacy skills to best accommodate
the technology.
Also,
students need specific skills to develop numeracy. First, students need mathematical know-how, which
involves the understanding of mathematical concepts involved in the
problem. To develop this aspect of
numeracy, the students need support in learning about the various mathematical ideas
that are appropriate for their grade level.
I will provide students with this support by teaching them the
mathematical concepts in multiple ways (e.g., group lessons, small group lessons,
individual help, etc.). Also, I will
integrate the math concepts students are learning into other subjects so they
are constantly using these skills throughout the day. Second, students need contextual know-how,
which involves the understanding of how context relates to the problem. To develop this aspect of numeracy, the
students need support in relating the context of the problem into their
solution. I will provide this support by
providing a context in as many math problems as I can. This way, the students will not see the
problem in isolation, but with a specific context that they will need to use to
successfully solve the problem. Third,
students need strategic know-how, which involves the ability to determine and
utilize a strategy to successfully solve the problem. To develop this aspect of numeracy, the
students need to be provided with various strategies they can use to solve
everyday problems. I will provide this
support by giving students various strategies to use, as well as many
experiences practicing the use of those strategies. Also, I will allow students to share their
strategies with each other, so they can learn from one another.
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