Chapter 2 Content Area Reading

Learning with New Literacies

Reader Response   Chapter 2

 

I remember some time ago when I was in high school. Mrs. Brown was my English teacher and it was the class everyone feared because Mrs. Brown’s big assignment was the 12 page research paper. This was back in 1980 and the Internet was around yet. In fact, we were using punch cards to run computer programs and the Math teacher was the first person I knew to have a desktop computer. It ran functions and saved information on Floppy Discs. Mrs. Brown had us in the library doing research and writing information on 3 X 5 index cards. I remember having some 100 cards written up with reference info and page numbers. All this was to be combined like a giant jigsaw puzzle and then handwritten for the first draft.

Final draft was to be typed (you know…..with a typewriter!)

That was my literacy training in high school. These days, there are many more options and labor saving features at our student’s disposal.  PC’s, laptops, writing software and the internet have allowed students greater access. New literacies are transforming the way the world reads and writes.

Chapter 2 in, Content Area Reading by Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, we read that reading and writing aren’t just about print anymore as we move from a page-dominated literacy to a screen-dominated literacy (pg 31-32).

Even in this class TEGR 585, I am learning the power of new literacies via blogging. It is a use of the internet for my own personal growth with commitment to reading, reflecting, & writing in a way that is ultimately shared with classmates.

Voices in the Classroom (pgs. 34 – 35) describes a scenario in which William takes advantage of a grant that helps him bring technology into his classroom. This technology opened new literacy doors for his students as well as opening a door to his own growth.

I have been lucky enough to watch the growth and expansion of the internet and computers in my lifetime. Most, if not all students in K-12 classrooms have grown up with computers and internet access. It is vital that they acquired the necessary skills to use this media to their benefit. It will always be a part of their daily lives and it isn’t necessarily “New” to them at all. However, proper use and referencing techniques may be new forms of literacy.

Students of the 21^st century are tech savvy. They can work their way through internet searches with very little training as many of them spend countless hours online as part of their daily routine. Our job, our goal if you will is to help them do it with clarity and honor. The temptation to use someone else’s work off the internet is quite alluring as there is so much out there to choose from. What used to take hours to research and type up can now be done by a simple search, copy & paste.

This new literacy is a powerful tool and should be integrated into our daily classroom plans. Practice will produce better understanding and teacher guided projects will help hone skills as well as develop a sense of honesty and respect for the information being used.