Blog Post #6

When implementing games into the classroom, it is important to understand the benefit of these games. One of the assigned readings lists the key properties of games: games are built around problem solving, games assess skills, games assess if a player can move onto to harder challenges, games collect information about players and track it over time, games integrate learning and assessment, games provide information for players to improve, and games can be equitable (Gee & Schaffer, 2010, p. 12-15). If you look at these key properties of games, it is very similar to school assessments. We want students to solve problems, we assess if they can move on, we collect data on students over time, and we give students extra support in areas they struggle in. These are all properties present in games, therefore, why can’t these games be used in schools? The article states the obvious, “Parents and teachers rightly ask: ‘Will this help my children do well on the tests they need to pass?’” (Gee & Schaffer, 2010, p. 25). Games rightfully may receive push back from educators and parents who are unaware of the benefits and who worry about test scores. However, the focus should not be test scores, but should be preparing our students for the real world to solve real life problems, like the problems they solve in games.


The game I chose was a simulation game where students are participating in a virtual knee surgery from Edheads. This game would be beneficial for a middle school science class during the human development unit where they are learning about different body systems: muscular system, skeletal system, etc. The learning standard I would use for this game is “MS-LS1-3. Use arguments supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.”. In addition to a middle school science class, this game would also be beneficial in an anatomy science elective class or even a health class. The game gives students a visual and hands-on approach to see how bones, muscles, ligaments, and tissues all work together in the human body. Additionally, students can relate the game to the real world because knee surgeries are very common procedures. When presenting this game to my students, I would do so after the muscular and skeletal system units so students have the proper background knowledge before playing. The game could be done independently or as a group, I personally would do it as a group to encourage student discourse and collaboration. To differentiate the lesson, I would provide students with a reference sheet with definitions and diagrams of the skeletal and muscular systems. I also would like the reference sheet to have a list of different medical devices. Students can then reference this sheet when playing. The game assesses student learning throughout with questions. Students can not move on until they answer the questions correctly. While students are playing the game, I will be informally assessing them by walking around to see how they are playing the game. Students will also be assessed by their completion of the game. After completing the game, students will have a better understanding of how body systems work in conjunction with each other.

 

Further Questions:

- When and how often should games be implemented in the classrooms?

- How do we address the inequity between students who do not have access to basic video/computer games at home?

References:

Gee, J. P. & Schaffer, D. W. (2010). Looking Where the Light is Bad: Video Games and the
Future of Assessment. Edge: The Latest Information for the Education Practitioner, 6(1), 3-19.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303856565_Looking_where_the_light_is_bad_Video_games_and_the_future_of_assessment

https://edheads.org/play-virtual-knee-surgery/

Blog Post #5

 Case Study 1: Google Classroom 

Overview: One platform that is very big in my district and is required for secondary grades is google classroom. Google classroom is not a new platform and has been around for roughly 10 years. I remember using google classroom myself in high school for a few classes (2014-2018). Since my time in high school, google classrooms have gained a lot of traction especially during the pandemic when school turned digital for a few months. Google classroom is a website where teachers can post lessons, tests, homework, grades, and other instructional tools for both their students and parents. In secondary grades, these platforms allow teachers to stay organized with all of their class sections. Google classroom can also be advantageous for primary teachers to keep students up to date if they miss school.


User Engagement: This platform is typically used by teachers and students only, but parents can be added as well. To add people to your classroom, you are given a code that you can share with whoever you invite including students and parents. Google classroom is very helpful because anytime a student is absent, themselves or their parent can simply log onto google classroom and make up whatever they missed on that day. I had separate classrooms for each of my periods which kept everything organized. Another neat aspect is I could schedule assignments to post at separate times so students couldn’t start assignments early.


Influence on Communication: Google classroom allows more communication between teachers and students/parents outside of the classroom. Allowing parents to join your classroom is beneficial to keep them in the loop. If you co-teach in a classroom, you can also have more than one teacher on google classroom and both can post. This allows a seamless amount of communication between all parties that work with that student. Another aspect of google classroom that enhances communication is the teachers ability to make announcements and comments for students. Teachers can post a general announcement that is sent to anyone that is part of the classroom. The announcements can be reminders to study for a test or that an assignment’s due date is approaching. Teachers can also comment on a student's assignment and students have the ability to respond to that comment. Google classroom also allows discourse between students. Teachers can post questions that students can answer and their classmates can comment on their peer’s responses. Discourse is very important inside of the classroom and google classroom furthers discourse by supporting it outside of the classroom. 


Information Consumption: Teachers are able to separate classwork for students into categories seen in the image. For example, when students have a graded lab, it would be posted as an assignment. When I would have students do closed notes with a powerpoint or study material, it would be posted under material. Questions are how discussions between peers are facilitated. Students are able to share their ideas and information they learned through this tool. You can also track grades on google classroom and post due dates. If you use any additional platforms like edpuzzle or websites, students can access them through the platform which allows the teacher to track the information students are reading/visiting. This ensures that students are getting credible and correct information. For example, I had my students create a powerpoint about different types of bacteria borne illnesses. I provided students with links on our classroom of websites to visit for information to ensure they had correct facts to complete the project.

Impact on Learning: Google classroom, like any other platforms has its benefits as well as its challenges. I asked my own students why they like and dislike google classrooms. Overall, I got a positive response but they did point out the flaws. Some benefits were the ease of navigating the website. Students said it isn’t hard to find things or turn assignments in. Students also said it keeps them organized and informed about due dates. Some drawbacks of google classroom was the lack of accessibility. Not everyone students in our district has a chromebook or wifi which can make using google classroom challenging.

Student comments: Positive

“Easy to function and navigate.”

“It keeps everything organized.”

“It reminds me when something is due.”

Student Comments: Negative

“It is hard to access assignments when you don’t have wifi or a computer.”

“I prefer paper copies, I don’t like everything online.”

“It can be overwhelming since all my classes have a their own classroom.”

Privacy and Safety: Google claims that their platform is very safe and “school friendly”. Google states that they allow administrators who use google in their school to manage the security of their google accounts. Google is also an ad free platform where students won’t be subjected to potentially dangerous or influential ads. Google does tract data, as does any online platform, but you can read up on their data collection. Below is a link with more information about Google's privacy policy.

Google Privacy Info

Case Study 2: Padlet

Overview: Another platform that can be used in a K-12 context is padlet. I was recently introduced to padlet by another teacher. I have been exploring the platform and am excited to implement it in my classroom next year. This platform has a lot of different options to choose from to make lessons engaging. The platform can be used in any discipline and every grade because of all the versatile features. For example, a secondary teacher may use padlet for message boards to discuss topics with students, whereas a primary teacher may use it to look at a story line after reading a book with their class.


User Engagement: This platform is very engaging and collaborative. Padlet has a “wall” which teachers can add content to. However, the platform allows other teachers, students, and parents to add to the wall. Padlet can be accessed by anyone a teacher allows through a shared link, QR code, and google classroom. To only allow certain students or class periods, teachers can lock their wall and create a password that they only share with their classes.


Influence on Communication: Padlet allows for more communication between teachers and students/parents. Allowing parents to join padlet and add to the wall or just view the wall to see what their children are learning/creating is a great way to get parents involved in their child’s education. Traditionally, parents would only be allowed to see their child’s work if they brought it home or went to open house/conferences. This negatively affected students who only had one parent or had parents who worked and couldn't attend these school functions. Through this platform, parents can view their child’s work online at their leisure. Padlet also allows the teacher to facilitate communication through blogs, message boards, forms, and much more. This allows not only the teacher to communicate with students, but allows students to communicate with their peers in an educational setting that's outside of the classroom.


Information Consumption: Teachers and students can be very creative when designing and adding to their digital class wall. Teachers simply select the grade level which has options from K-higher ed. Then, the teacher selects a category: Activities, assignment, collections, communication, exit ticket & feedback, icebreakers, lessons & visual aids, notes, people management, project management, resources & files, and task management. For example, I teach in a junior high so I selected 8th grade and communication and the picture below was my choices of what to use. Similar to google classroom, teachers can filter and censor what information is being accessed through this platform based on the activities and grade level they chose. This feature makes myself, as an educator, feel better about using a platform that I know is safe for my students and will not provide them with misinformation. 

                                                                                



Impact on Learning: Although I have not used padlet myself, my colleague and her students have had positive experiences with the platform. The multiple different features, customization, and the collaborative feature makes it an appealing instructional tool. I am most excited for the communication aspect. Student discourse needs to be facilitated more in classrooms and is exactly the reason I do group and partner work frequently. Padlet helps to further the discourse between students and even parents if they join the platform. I did some research to find feedback from teachers who use the platform in their classrooms.

Teacher reviews:

“Very well-structured, intuitive tool to support interaction; I much prefer it to Jamboard and Miro. I appreciate the sharing features, particularly the ability to generate QRs and download contents as slides and pdf.”

“I've only scratched the surface in terms of what Padlet can provide in my classroom, but I've loved using it for years. It's easy to set up, easy to customize, and easy to share out.”

Padlet Reviews

Privacy and Safety: The privacy policy for padlet is a little less clear than google classroom. They state that they do collect data from their users, just as any other platform, but when you visit other user’s pages on padlet, they can access your data as well. Padlet states by using their website, you are consenting to their collection of your data. Despite this, I still think padlet is a safe platform to use. Most digital platforms do some sort of data tracking into today’s society. I will attach their privacy policy below.

Padlet Privacy Info

Case Study 1 and 2:

Required Literacy: Google classroom and padlet require students to have digital literacy to be able to successfully navigate the platform. Throughout this course, we learned and stressed the importance of new literacy and how literacy goes beyond reading and writing printed text. We need to prepare our students for the digital world where they will need digital literacy. Students need to be able to navigate different platforms, access different forms of information, put information together, and communicate with others. Both google classroom and padlet support this form of literacy. An article published talked about the benefits of google classroom, especially during the pandemic. The article states, “Google classroom learning platform offers assistance to both students and teachers to connect, work together, create assignments, grade students and post materials. Likewise, students can also ask questions about the areas they do not understand.” (Oyarinde et al., 2020, p. 60). Google classroom offered so many benefits for online teaching during the pandemic, yet those benefits are still useful today for educators. The same can be argued about padlet.


Reflection and Implications: I am a big fan of google classroom and will continue to use this platform with my students in the future. I understand that equity must be taken into consideration when using these platforms due to lack of resources. Not every student has access to a computer or wifi outside of school. Therefore, I must remain mindful of these challenges and make applicable accommodations for those students. I believe that a child’s academic success can stem from their homelife. A review paper revealed that children with higher academic success have parents who read at home, set high education goals for their children, communicate with their child’s teacher, and encourage learning (Boonk et al., 2018, p. 10). Therefore, encouraging parents to join these platforms staying on top of postings and reminders to ensure that they are able to be a part of their child’s education as much as possible. However, I also must take into consideration that just because I open this digital platform to my parents, not all will join. I will need to find other ways to reach these parents. As we move toward a more digitally inclined world, we as educators must evolve our teaching. Using digital platforms like Google classroom and padlet will help improve the digital literacy of our students in this constantly changing world.

Further Questions:

- How do we keep moving toward digital instruction when some of our students lack the resources to participate?

- How do we get parents to participate in these online platforms?

References:

Boonk, L., Gijselaers, H.J.M., & Brand-Gruwel, S. (2018). A review of the relationship between
parental involvement indicators and academic achievement. Educational Research Review, 24, 10-30. doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.02.001

Community Reviews for Padlet. (2024). Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/3888349/teacher-reviews 

Oyarinde, N.O., Oyarinde, K., Gbemisola, O. (2020). Impact of Google Classroom as an Online
Learning Delivery during Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of a Secondary School in Nigeria. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioral Science, 33(9), 53-61. doi.org/10.9734/JESBS/2020/v33i930259

Images are from Google Images and screenshots from Padlet

Blog Post #4

For my final project, I would like to research digital media/new literacy practices for ELL students. There are many considerations that educators must take into account when teaching ELL students literacy. Traditional literacy is a narrow-minded idea that can negatively affect ELL students. In previous modules, we learned that ELL students who are proficient in their native language score higher in English. Additionally, we are learning that to be literate has multiple meanings instead of the traditional definition we have always used. Therefore, I want to look at the challenges as well as solutions for teaching literacy to ELL students. I would also like to focus on how digital media/new literacy practices will benefit ELL learners.

With the ELL population increasing in schools, the need for ELL trained educators increases as well. This topic resonates with me personally because I work in a very diverse school district with a high ELL population. I have personally seen my ELL students struggle with content due to a language barrier. In addition, science is a very reading heavy subject that furthers the gap and challenges for ELL students. This research will hopefully further my understanding of ELL students and prepare me as an educator to help build their literacy skills in science as well as across other disciplines.

Annotated Bibliography:

Crosby, C. (2018). Empowering English Language Learners and Immigrant Students with Digital
Literacies and Service-Learning. The Reading Matrix, 18(2). Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=0fddcd4e-4aeb-4f24-9393-53b1d3a36b5a%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=132008204&db=eue

This article describes a study conducted on the digital literacy educators are already implementing in their classrooms and if these practices help empower their ELL students. Teachers reported their ELL students being proficient in social media tools and creating presentations. The area ELL students were least proficient in were creating and completing webquests. Therefore, the author recommended using digital tools like social media and gamification aligned with service-learning projects which focus on social justice issues. These projects help empower ELL students while building their digital literacy. The author suggest that service-learning projects should be required in TESOL programs to inspire students to make changes.

Farjado, M.F. (2015). A review of critical literacy beliefs and practices of English language
learners and teachers. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL, 10, 29-56. Retrieved from
https://openurl-ebsco-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/c/hefeo2/openurl?sid=Primo&volume=10&date=20150101&spage=29&issn=1834-3198&issue=2015&genre=article&prompt=true&title=University+of+Sydney+papers+in+TESOL&epage=56

This review article identifies the challenges that both ELL students and teachers face when learning/teaching critical literacy, as well as different practices that can be implemented to help both parties. Some of the challenges described were that ELL students had difficulty comprehending sociocultural texts and couldn’t identify the author's purpose of the text. However, the author argues that educators must not underestimate ELL students and continue to challenge their literacy. The author recommends that educators use multimodal texts that include pop culture and digital texts that interest their students to implement critical literacy among ELL students. This article gave useful recommendations that educators should use when teaching their ELL students.

Yeh, E. & Mitric, S. (2020). Bridging Activities: Social Media for Connecting Language
Learners’ in-School and out-of-School Literacy Practices. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 10(3), 48-66. doi.org/10.4018/IJCALLT.2020070104

The authors of this article investigated if social media platforms like Instagram in a multimodal digital storytelling model can enhance the literacy skills of ELL students and give them an additional way of communication. The authors found that using Instagram as a tool increased the literacy skills of ELL students by fulfilling the 5 learning objectives outlined. The data proposed that the majority of ELL students found Instagram as a meaningful source of communication and visited the site 5 or more times daily. This article shows that social media is a valuable tool that can be used with the ELL population in schools and can also be utilized as an affinity space where students can find others who have similar interests.

Yeh, E. & Swinehart, N. (2022). Social media literacy in L2 environments: navigating
anonymous user-generated content. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1731-1753. doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1830805

This recent article presents a study where researchers reviewed the characteristics and trends of social media use among ELL students and how social media use affects their language ability. The study also presented the challenges ELL students face while viewing online content and how they conquer these challenges. The results of this study suggested that social media does increase language ability and yet there is a decrease in social media use among ELL students. Additionally, there are many challenges that ELL students face when engaging in online environments including information overload, difficulty navigating, evaluating information, and language discrepancies. This study gives insight on the importance of educators being prepared to assist ELL students on improving their digital literacy.

Yuan, C., Wang, L. & Eagl, J. (2019). Empowering English Language Learners through Digital
Literacies: Research, Complexities, and Implications. Media and Communication, 7(2), 128-136. doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i2.1912

This article recognizes the tensions between ELL students and public education and emphasizes the need of digital literacy to empower ELL students. The article takes an “asset lens” approach which looks at student’s strengths as opposed to their weaknesses in a “deficit lens”. The authors highlight the dark side of education by explaining how for years, English-only programs were adopted in K-12 classrooms across the nation which deliberately hurt ELL students and widened the achievement gap. The article discusses how the use of technology in classrooms and promoting digital literacy empowers ELL students to participate as active learners in the classroom. By getting ELL students to participate it helps close the achievement gap.

References:

Crosby, C. (2018). Empowering English Language Learners and Immigrant Students with Digital
Literacies and Service-Learning. The Reading Matrix, 18(2). Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=0fddcd4e-4aeb-4f24-9393-53b1d3a36b5a%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=132008204&db=eue

Farjado, M.F. (2015). A review of critical literacy beliefs and practices of English language
learners and teachers. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL, 10, 29-56. Retrieved from
https://openurl-ebsco-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/c/hefeo2/openurl?sid=Primo&volume=10&date=20150101&spage=29&issn=1834-3198&issue=2015&genre=article&prompt=true&title=University+of+Sydney+papers+in+TESOL&epage=56

Yeh, E. & Mitric, S. (2020). Bridging Activities: Social Media for Connecting Language
Learners’ in-School and out-of-School Literacy Practices. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 10(3), 48-66. doi.org/10.4018/IJCALLT.2020070104

Yeh, E. & Swinehart, N. (2022). Social media literacy in L2 environments: navigating
anonymous user-generated content. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1731-1753. doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1830805

Yuan, C., Wang, L. & Eagl, J. (2019). Empowering English Language Learners through Digtial
Literacies: Research, Complexities, and Implications. Media and Communication, 7(2), 128-136. doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i2.1912

Blog Post #3

Although creating activities that cover multiple spaces while incorporating technology can be fun for educators, we also have to consider how we support these activities beyond the screen? Very similar to ourselves, students are consumed and engaged by what is happening behind the screens of their phones which has translated to education. The assigned text states, “Current approaches to digital literacies tend to emphasize how students engage with what is displayed on their screens.” (Aguilera, 2017). As we push forward with new literacy practices, we are often thinking about what students are viewing on their phones. An interesting conversation that can be had with students, is who do they portray online vs. in person? Do their online and offline personas differ? (Aguilera, 2017). Similar to how our personas may not be entirely true or authentic, the same is to say about a lot of the information that is out on the web. For example, certain headlines that jump out at us are known as “click bait” (Aguilera, 2017). These headlines might say they have information about a certain topic then when you open it up it's fake or has misinformation. I have been a victim of click bait. I'll see an interesting headline about a celebrity and open it to find nothing about the story I was hoping to find. The same can be happening to our students. A staggering 37% of people in a survey admitted to sharing information online that turned out to be incorrect (Jacobson, 2017). Therefore, we need to teach our students to look beyond the screens and to “read the world” (Aguilera, 2017).

Allowing students to continue to use their media to learn and build their literacy is key, but teaching them how to do it in a responsible way should be emphasized. When students use technology correctly, it is called digital citizenship. It is defined as, “The rules for correct and responsible technology usage that provide guidance to students on how to direct the online world in their personal and academic lives rather than just being a citizen of a country…” (Öztürk, 2021). Just like how students need help from their parents and teachers when learning a new subject, they also need help on learning how to apply digital citizenship (Öztürk, 2021). When teaching a lesson about bacteria, I had students do a research project. I gave them a list of pre approved websites as well as journal articles to pull information from to ensure the information was true. However, I want my students to be able to decipher if the information is true for themselves. An activity that I think would be beneficial for science classes is to talk about climate change. There is so much misinformation out there surrounding climate change. I think comparing posts from social media to facts from scientific articles would be an interesting activity that could lead to a deep conversation with my students about the importance of fact checking what we see on our phones. 

As an educator who likes to incorporate digital literacy and technology into my instruction, I am aware of the challenges they pose. Something to be aware of, is students have access to all different types of media, which can contain negative and hurtful perspectives that target marginalized groups. For example, “From the online persecution of women and the LGBTQIA community through Gamergate to the sexist and racist language often found floating in the comments sections of news articles and YouTube videos, digital literacies can problematically obscure the cultural practices these tools carry.” (Garcia, 2017). Despite the creative, engaging ways digital literacy provides students, the negative narrativities and comments are visible. This is something to keep in mind as educators when we use digital literacy in our classrooms. Although we can't censor everything from our students, providing them with websites that have good information or showing them content creators/youtubers that are non-biased could help shade our students from the hurtful comments and perspectives that are seen so often in the media.

Further Questions:

1. What are ways we can teach digital citizenship to our students? 

2. How do we censor our students from inappropriate and hurtful comments in the media?

References: 

Aguilera, E. (2017). More than Bites and Bytes. Literacy Today, 35(3), 12-13. 

https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/trade-journals/more-than-bits-bytes/docview/1966006470/se-2 

Garcia, A. (2017). Nondigtial Skills. Literacy Today, 35(3), 24-25. 

https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/nondigital-skills/docview/1966005428/se-2 

Jacobson, L. (2017). Assessing News Literacy in the 21st Century. Literacy Today, 35(3), 18-22.

https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/assessing-news-literacy-21st-century/docview/1966007432/se-2 

Öztürk, G. (2021). Digital citizenship and its teaching: A literature review. Journal of 

Educational Technology and Online Learning, 4(1), 31-45. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1500928

Blog Post #2

    The world is shifting toward technology and it has affected all aspects of life including education. Teachers are constantly tasked with finding new engaging ways to deliver content to our students and get them to critically think. Fortunately, there is a lot of technology already out there that can help educators. Technology is becoming the forefront of our lives and is much more than an extension tool for teachers. In one of the assigned readings it states, “... an English classroom may explore social justice movements by looking at the rhetorical structure of hashtags in social networks…” (ILA, 2018). Students should be using different types of digital media to learn content through teacher instruction. In addition to technology being a useful tool to deliver content, students today are very tech savvy themselves, sometimes more than their teachers. In another assigned reading it states, “Need help getting the WiFi booster to work properly? Ask a student. There is no question that today’s schools are filled with digitally savvy children who have grown up with technology and the internet of things.” (Misha, 2023). Since so many students are able to work a computer with ease, we should allow them to use this strength in an educational context.

    Although technology is a useful tool, it does pose some challenges. One being that technology can be misused by students. For example, “Rather than preparing classrooms to plug in, download, or sync new tools, classrooms must facilitate authentic learning goals for students…” (ILA, 2018). This means that we should be applying technology in classrooms, but in a thoughtful way with literacy as our learning goal. Another issue that technology poses is the risk for inequality due to lack of accessibility. For example, “The inequities of schooling are exacerbated when literacy instruction focuses on tools that may not be fully accessible in all schools.” (Misha, 2023). Certain technological tools and platforms may not be affordable for lower-income schools. Not to mention the lack of chromebooks and tablets. These inequalities need to be acknowledged when moving forward with technology as the forefront of education. 

Although I have used technology in many of my lessons, I have also experienced the challenges expressed in the assigned readings. Sometimes it is hard to do a technology based lesson while strictly following learning goals and making sure students aren’t misusing the technology. For example, one day I was doing a simulation on the Earth’s revolution and walking around the classroom I noticed many students not on task and doing other things on the computer. Yes there are solutions to monitor students' screens from my own computer, but it is hard to do that when I'm circulating around the room offering extra support to students who need it. I have also experienced the inequity that comes with educational technology. As stated in earlier posts, I work at a low income district where many students do not have access to computers or wifi. Our school does the best to supply students with chromebooks but there simply isn’t enough and the high school grades are a priority. Right now 8-12th grade students have chromebooks but the 7th graders in my building do not. Therefore, it is hard to assign work that require a computer when my students simply do not have access to one. 

Despite the challenges technology poses, it still is useful and necessary in schools. In my own classroom, I want to continue to use technology as well as multiple types of media. The reading gave examples of ways to implement different types of media like Twitter in the classroom. The text states, “Searching for topics through keywords and hashtags means that multiple authors’ perspectives offer a polyphony of new ideas while inviting students to contribute to an ongoing and meaningful dialogue.” (ILA, 2018). Students can use familiar and engaging social media outlets and combine them with their education. Another way to implement digital literacy is to simply collaborate with other educators. For example, “Teachers find success in her district by using collaborative planning, adding digital components to competencies already in the curriculum and eventually developing an interdisciplinary, authentic experience for students.” (Misha, 2023). Talking to colleagues and sharing ideas is sometimes the best way to learn about new programs to use in the classroom. 

Further Questions:

1. How much of our instruction should be related to technology?

2. How do we make sure students aren’t misusing technology?

3. How do we address the inequity technology poses? 

References: 

International Literacy Association. (2018). Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, 

and Justice: More Than Just Tools. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf

Misha, A. (2023). Advancing Digital Literacy for a Digitally Inclusive Future. Dell 

Technologies. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-03-29-advancing-digital-literacy-for-a-digitally-inclusive-future 

Blog Post #1

        In the past, to be literate meant you could read and write. As society evolved, to be literate meant you could not only read and write but understand as well (Beecher, 2023). However, as society and technology continue to evolve, so does literacy which has coined the term new literacy (NCTE Position Statement, 2019). Its goal “extends beyond the conventional view of literacy as printed and written texts, and includes meaning-making practices using digital technologies (e.g., video games, weblogs, mobile texts, etc.), and explores the changes of beliefs towards literacy in the process of practices.” (Sang, 2017, p. 16). As someone who graduated high school less than 10 years ago and graduated college 1 year ago, I was part of a generation who had to become literate in terms of media. As a student in high school and college almost all of my assignments were typed instead of written. In addition to typing papers, all my information came from online journal articles, books accessed through the web, and sometimes information blogs or websites. As an educator, I have had to tap into my creativity to deliver literacy to my students in terms of media. For example, I have daily PowerPoints for instruction with videos and images, homework is completed through digital platforms like Ed puzzle, and I include technology into activities through online simulations and WebQuests. In addition to my professional life using new literacy, my personal life has been affected as well. Like many people in the world, my phone is always with me. I communicate with friends and family daily through social media and texting and I learn new information about the world from multiple types of media and share the information with those around me. 

        As stated earlier in my post, literacy has been defined and redefined many times and in the educational setting it is often defined as being able to read and write in one dialect, typically English. This narrow-minded idea negatively affects students who are English language learners (ELL). I work in a district that has many low income students as well as a large ELL population. Many times the ELL students are not able to read or write in their own native language which makes English literacy even more challenging. Therefore, by not being able to read or write proficiently in English, they are labeled as illiterate which can be problematic. However, studies found that students who can read and write in their native language first, perform better when it comes to learning English. A recent article states, “An added benefit of dual language instruction is that bilingualism and biliteracy confer cognitive, social, academic, and economic advantages to emergent bilinguals.” (Ortiz et al., 2021, p. 154). The mindset that literacy means reading and writing in English only, is harmful for ELL students. Instead, taking approaches from new literacy can help close the gap and inequities of literacy in the educational setting. New literacy supports the idea that “the language requirements and challenges in current workplaces are no longer restricted to reading and writing paper-based texts in native and other foreign languages, but have extended into recognition, interpretation, comprehension, and appreciation of languages and cultures in different forms and in diverse literacy practices.” (Sang, 2017, p. 17). Therefore, taking into account other languages and media as forms of literacy can help us prepare students for a society that is constantly evolving. 

Further Questions:

- Does the narrowly defined term of literacy harm only ELL students or other demographics as well?

- How do educators assess literacy proficiency in the new literacy context? 

- How do you assess literacy in your classroom?

References:

Beecher, C. (2023). What is Literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching  

Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/

NCTE Position Statement. (2019). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age. Category: 21st

Century Literacies, Assessment, Curriculum, Diversity, Literacy.  

https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/

Ortiz, A., Franquiz, M.E., & Lara, G.P. (2021). The science of teaching reading and English 

learners: Understanding the issues and advocating for equity. Bilingual Research Journal, 44(2), 153-157. https://doi-org.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/15235882.2021.1976584 

Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal 

of Education and Practice 8(8), 16-18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1139059.pdf