Multiliteracies in ELA Classrooms

This photo is a great representation of the way the world is moving. When I first saw it I thought it was a new version of that old trick of hiding your magazine or comic in a novel so that no one knows what you’re really reading – but now the trick is to hide your electronic book (I quickly realized that this in fact is not what the picture shows). However, it made me laugh because there is a bit of a stigma around e-readers and the lack of authenticity when reading from an electronic source (Of course, they cannot replace the wonderful sensation of flipping old, ripped pages and smelling that old book smell). I have even seen commercials defaming e-books, saying that they will cause the end of the written word and the death of the author. It annoys me when I hear things like that because since I bought an e-reader, I have bought and read more books than ever in my life. I believe that these new technological mediums for literature have been and will continue to be more and more effective in things like sharing, spreading and enjoying.

I chose this photo because not only is it important for us to remember and teach how to use the old methods, like looking up a word in a great big paper dictionary, but also the new. In this modern world we cannot look at technology as a threat, but rather as an aid, a way to make our lives easier and possibly better. I am excited to be taking this course because I love the idea of learning new and exciting way to bring modern ideas into the classroom.