Terminology!
This past week has led me to question the definitions that I had previously taken for granted.
‘Technology’ is no longer a tool, it is a medium, a process, and system in which we are learning.
There are many types of ‘literacies’ evolving as we challenge our understanding of ‘competencies in various concepts’; is literacy therefore ‘communicating an understanding’ about something?
I am wondering what it would have been like to have these conversations back in the 60s when Marshall McCluhen coined the phrase, “The medium is the message”. If Google had been around back then, I wonder how people would have discussed this radical thought to describe the pervasive forms of technologies of that time.
I searched a few websites (through the ‘suggested readings’ link in our course blog) and thought I would share the following:
According to William Kist, in Global Education (1), the concept of ‘literacy’ includes a broad range of definitions: new literacies, multiliteracies, multimodalities, media literacy, information and communication technology (ICT).
In his book, Kist offers a list of defining characteristics for classrooms that practice these new literacies.
Characteristics of New Literacies Classrooms:
Daily work in multiple forms of representations
Explicit discussions of the merits of using various symbol systems
Think alouds by the teacher, who models problem solving using various symbol systems
Collaborative and individual activities
Student engagement
Interestingly, the list does not mention digital literacy specifically, but judging by the 21st Century Learning focus of his book, it is inherent.
A US based organization, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills(2), stresses the inclusion of several interdisciplinary literacies (financial, economic, business, entrepreneurship, civic, health and environmental) in it’s call for curriculum reform. I found the discussion of these literacies to be quite comprehensive, for example the ‘Environmental Literacy’ strand included several headings that describe competence in understanding and engaging in environmental issues.
In our 21st Century Global Village, it is not surprising that various regional and national levels of government are calling for educational reform. BC’s Education Plan and Digital Literacy Standards (3) address the need for change in our educational institutions. Graduates of our system will need to be literate across many forms.
1. Kist, William. Global Education. Solution Tree Press, IL. 2013. Global Education site visited on July 6, 2013.
2. Partnership for 21st Century Skills, DC. P21
site visited July 6, 2013.
3. BCs Digital Literacy Standards (draft form) Digital Literacy Standards site visited July 6, 2013
Doni, it sounds like you have a strong vision for the future of education and are already an advocate for the use of technology! You mentioned how much you value your learning network, and I am wondering what it looks like for you. What portion is digital compared to face to face? Do you rely more on people you know, or “experts” you have never met? I am trying to sort out how best to use twitter, pearltrees, etc so I would be eager to hear any strategies or tips you have for managing a learning network.
I agree that the BC Education Plan offers a step in the right direction for change in education, but I still see many potential pitfalls. From the small sample of teachers in our class, there is a huge discrepancy between the technology available in different schools. This new vision is going to take a strong economic commitment from the government to properly fund both devices in schools and access to the internet.
On Thursday, you listed some concepts you are taking forward in the course. I am curious what you mean by “there’s an app for that!” Are you referring to the volume of apps available, or are you suggesting that we find the best app for each purpose? I think we need to keep in mind that while there is an app for everything, we need focus on our purpose, and not just use apps with students because they are “cool” or “exciting.”
Thanks Amy!
I think the lack of consistency in technology (in device availability, tech support, teacher training) is a real concern when it comes to 21st Century Learning. One way around the lack of tech is to use the other things at our fingertips (our go-to people, books, community members, environment, etc) in our learning activities. This can help create a future generation of independent thinkers, problem solvers and change makers.
In terms of my comment about apps, I mean that for every ‘problem’ or ‘desire’ (need or want) there are dozens of apps to help us. It is sometimes overwhelming, and so I use the phrase ‘there’s an app for that’ (sometimes in jest) to inspire me to solve my own problems! I agree with you that we need to focus on our purpose, otherwise technology can quickly be used just for play (which has a time and place).
I also like Kist’s sense of multimodal literacies, and what the day to day life in school settings would look like if it represented a more organic, less industrial approach to learning. I can’t stress the issue of contradictory government policy and implementation at this point in time. If we thought the introduction of ICT into educational settings was ill-conceived and thoughtlessly implemented before, now the use of ICT is being positioned as one of the five elements of the BC Education Plan. And yet, the previous problems with inequitable ICT resource availability persist. This situation is not going to change at governmental or even administrative levels. Teachers, and teacher librarians are the ones in the position to observe, document, and question the inconsistencies and contradictions.