Social Media and Literacy: Exploring how social media is changing our definition of literacy
For this assignment, our group has explored social media and how it is changing our definition of literacy. We have chosen to present our information through a variety of modalities, including videos and Prezi, which are hosted on our project website. Our homepage is set up as a blog which provides an overview of the creative and collaborative process that we took to create our final website. We then explore what it means to be literate in the 21st century and the influence of social media on literacy learning and development. Our research for this assignment led us to what we believe are three main themes related to the impact that social media has had on literacy learning: the promotion of collaborative learning, the motivational effect social media has on student engagement in writing, and the changing meaning of author and audience.
We have included opportunities for you to participate in social media by adding your thoughts and comments on the different pages of our site. Please click on the image below to access our site!
Mel Burgess, Emma Sarbit & Lauren MacDonald
https://blogs.ubc.ca/socialmediaandliteracy/
Thank you for posting our project Lauren. Hopefully it will be found to be useful and informative to our peers.
Hi Mel, Emma, and Lauren,
Great site and an interesting topic. As Lauren mentioned in a reply on our site, our topics overlap and relate to one another. I really like the deep look you took into social media and literacy. You may want to check out the video on the “Why” page of our site. Mimi Ito has investigated themes in both our topics at length.
May I use parts of your site (with full reference and credit to you) as Pro-D & Twitter material/content??
Best
Steve
Hi Emma, Lauren, and Mel,
Well done on your project. I liked how you interjected several features that embodied social media platforms. For example, Emma, you screen captured a text with the six key abilities that 21st Century readers and writers should have. And the best part of it all, is that you probably used your IPhone to screen capture and emailed/sent it to yourself. I also liked the scrolling board with different social media platforms/sites.
Lauren, in your Prezi, you quoted Dr. Spencer Jordan on how students found writing on the web more interactive and appealing. There was a whole community to read their work. I wonder if a large majority of students feel that way about “assignments” they have to post online, or if they find it more appealing when they get to write something they are interested in? Mel, you continued with the idea of a whole community reading someone’s work in your Mr. Pro video when you mentioned that “the world has become your audience and your critic all at once”. I loved that line and think it is true.
Have a great break,
Lisa
Thanks for the feedback on our assignment Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it!