New Literacies personal reflection

Hello All!
This new literacies project proved to be very educational for me, and helped me understand all the possibilities literacy can offer in the classroom. This not only includes what we think literacy is in terms of being able to speak, read, and write, but other literacies that we explored through this project. For my technology, I chose to use PowerPoint. This may seem basic, but I unfortunately never got to spend time working with this technology to become proficient at it, since all the times I have used PowerPoint, it was in a group setting, and someone else usually took that job over. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to work with this technology on my own, because this could be very useful in my own teaching. I already had a basic knowledge of this technology, but I needed more to really become proficient at it…so I took time to just play around with PowerPoint, using all the features, and seeking help options from the program. It also took a time commitment as well, making sure I understood how this technology worked, and spending time learning all I could about it. In terms of K-8 students using this technology, I feel that PowerPoint is well known, or has been introduced to older students, and that in today’s classrooms, with all the technology they use (or hopefully use), students can pick up quickly on this form of technology. Students will need to have the capacities of using a computer, typing skills, and managing the options provided in this technology to really be successful, but this can be done with instruction, practice, and time.

- How has your conceptual understanding of literacy changed since beginning this class and how does the technology you explored inform your thinking?
It is very easy for me to say that I did not think literacy was so broad of a topic. When I thought of literacy, I thought about books, reading, and writing. This is so far from the truth. Thankfully, through our class topics, readings (Tompkins and Gibbons), discussions, and working with technologies, I have learned that literacy is so much more. More than reading, writing, and speaking, literacy is about understanding the world that surrounds you, it’s how you interpret things, how you read, write, and communicate to others. Literacy can span through all topics, not just staying put in a language arts class. Literacy can be broken into so many sub-divisions, and this is what educators need to understand and work with to promote this type of literacy instruction in the classroom. This growth has led me to understand that I need to be knowledgeable about so much more if I really want to make an impact on my students, and develop in them as many forms of literacy as they are willing to take in.

What does it mean to provide “effective literacy instruction” to diverse learners and how does the particular technology you explored inform your thinking?
There are so many components that go into “effective literacy instruction”. For one, you should begin by building a classroom community, where students are experienced with class discussions, open dialogue, and understanding and being open to others comments and viewpoints…and then build from there. Teaching fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition, vocabulary recognition, etc. are all components of literacy instruction. To make it effective, teachers should make sure to accommodate, modify, and use multiple strategies for each component, highlighting students natural strengths, while working on areas they need to improve on. This really emphasizes the component of diverse learners as well. Teachers should understand what each student needs to succeed in literacy, and tailor their literacy activities and strategies from there. This can also be said for using the technology I chose for the New Literacies project. Students would need the knowledge of how to use PowerPoint, and therefore, have previous understandings of technology, typing, writing strategies, etc. To understand all this, they would have needed to have formal writing instruction, as well as instruction as how to write informally, such as in an outline format, or using bullet points. They would need speaking instruction of they were to present the technology, such as how to orally present a PowerPoint, or something of that nature, and how to address the viewers. They would need viewing instruction as well, since visual education about this technology is one of the best ways to learn. As you can see, literacy instruction goes beyond reading and writing, it extends into how students speak to others, use technology, and various other things. In terms of sing this technology in curriculum; a PowerPoint could be used in almost every subject to make teacher and student presentations, outlines for a class activity/lesson, a lesson on technology, etc.

Overall, I enjoyed working with my technology, and learning about a new literacy, and literacy in general, in the process.