New Literacy Project Reflection

For my New Literacy Project, I chose to present my new knowledge of cultural literacy through a web page.

How has your conceptual understanding of literacy changed since beginning this class and how does the technology you explored inform your thinking?
As frustrating as this project was at moments, I really found it to be beneficial to my learning. Just weeks ago, my conceptual understanding of literacy was very limited. In fact, I originally defined literacy as the ability to read and write. I had never before thought that being literate could also mean being knowledgeable of your culture, emotions and even the environment. There are so many aspects of literacy that goes beyond what you can learn from just a textbook. This project has made me realize that as a future teacher, I need to expose my students to all aspects of literacy – both print and digital. Especially now a days, technology has become such an integral part of our everyday lives that it is more important than ever to expose children to digital resources that will make their lives easier. Teaching students to merely read and write is not enough anymore. Instead, teachers need to incorporate technology, authentic literature, and engaging activities that promote knowledge of culture, students’ emotions and issue of environment.
One of my biggest strides through this whole project was actually putting together my web page. I chose this technology knowing that it would be a challenge for me, but also knowing that it was about time I learned how to build one. A web page is not only a great way to inform your students about upcoming assignments and events, but it is also a great way to communicate with parents who will not always have the time to make the phone call or set up a conference. One of the biggest struggles with building my web page was becoming familiar with uploading pictures and creating links to other websites. Unfortunately, the web page I originally created on Microsoft FrontPage was not compatible with our class Wiki. Once I figured out how to publish my site, the images failed to show up. Although this was extremely aggravating, I tried to see it as a blessing in disguise. All of the problems forced me to spend hours getting familiar with the software and navigating through files. I ended up having to start all over with a new program, which I actually found easier to use. Despite all of the trouble and problems I encountered, I can now say that I have built a web page I am actually proud of.

What does it mean to provide "effective literacy instruction" to diverse learners and how does the particular technology you explored inform your thinking?
Effective literacy instruction requires teachers to incorporate a balance of teaching methods that benefit all learners. When it comes to cultural literacy, students need to gain an understanding of their own culture and gain an appreciation for the differences between their peers in the classroom. By creating a comfortable classroom environment that is welcoming and risk-free, students will feel like they can express themselves and their differences without the fear of rejection of ridicule. Not only does literacy encompass several aspects beyond reading and writing, but it also requires the use of several resources. Literacy lessons should encourage active participation from students by utilizing activities that familiarize them with technologies like PowerPoint and web pages.
When it comes to the knowledge, capacities and commitments required of students to use the technology successful, it is the teacher’s responsibility to incorporate web pages into their lessons to get children familiar with the new resource. I don’t know how beneficial a web page would be for students in lower elementary, but I can definitely see students in upper elementary utilizing the technology by incorporating it into different lessons. For example, students can visit web pages to assist in research, or use a classroom website to communicate with their peers or post projects of their own. In order to build knowledge, it would be helpful to first get students familiar with navigating the web. I think a great way to do this is to have a scavenger hunt on the computer. Students can pair up and navigate through websites to answer questions. If students are given the opportunity to build their own web page, it is going to be essential that they are able to compose complete grammatical sentences, as well as being efficient at typing. It is also crucial that students learn how to identify authentic and credible information. Since the internet is open to anyone and everyone, students will need to be able to recognize when information comes from a credible source. The more students are exposed to different technologies when they are young, the more effective they will become in their own lives as they grow older. I wish my teachers had incorporated more technology into our lessons so I would not be struggling as much as I am today with becoming familiar with all of the new digital literacy.