Students of today are living their lives in a vastly different world to the world many educational programs have been designed for. I believe that traditional education must evolve to more closely match current and future society’s needs if students are to be adequately prepared for their future roles in society. Having been an advocate for the inclusion of relevant, authentic learning opportunities that utilise cutting-edge ICT in schools I was quite excited to engage with the course material in this unit. As a result of my engagement I have further developed not only my pedagogical beliefs but also my knowledge of available technologies and resources. I feel this development will assist me to fulfil my future role as a teacher-librarian to the best of my ability. I am also excited by what is still to come and am committed to continuing my professional development in this area.
The Jenkins’ report on participatory culture provided my first concrete experience with this concept and refined my knowledge by providing me with appropriate terminology to discuss the phenomenon of participatory culture that is so prevalent among young people in society. A participatory culture is one in which participants not only consume or use technology but also create and shape it using it for a multitude of personal applications including socialising (Jenkins, p.3). By incorporating characteristics of participatory culture in the classroom students are able to develop literacy skills appropriate to their lives. Jenkins reveals that the ‘new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking’ (Date p.4). Although certain ‘new literacies’ have developed I do not see them as replacing traditional literacies but rather expanding them, and when I came across the following model I felt it expressed exactly how I view literacy in the 21st century. Information literacy is not separate from traditional conceptions of literacy but rather refers to new aspects of literacy which has been expanded by the rapid evolution of technology.
The introduction of Web 2.0 has really facilitated participatory culture and I believe it holds great potential for education. Social networking sites, blogs, tagging tools, special interest forums and personal library tools such as Diigo and Del.icio.us can enrich teaching and learning opportunities by engaging students in learning and allowing them to take control and ownership over their learning. This encourages students to become life-long learners as they no longer need to be lead by a teacher, they are able to direct their own learning. However, despite the great benefits that can come from Web 2.0 there are negative aspects that educators must consider. These negative aspects should not mean that we ignore Web 2.0 in schools but rather embrace the responsibilities and manage the risks in order to benefit from these tools. Students need careful guidance in using Web 2.0 tools in order to protect their personal rights and safety as well as respect the rights and safety of others.
ICT has a number of implications for my future role as a teacher-librarian. A key aspect of this role is providing resources to teachers to enrich teaching and learning programs. It is essential to evaluate any potential resource before it is included in educational programs. ICT and Web 2.0 are no different and thus require careful evaluation in order to determine the strengths and weakness of the resource as well as the appropriate audience, prior knowledge and skills required and relevance to the curriculum. Scanlon, Buckingham, & Burn, (2005) encouraged me to remember that video games are not exempt from this thorough evaluation as many seemingly educational games actually provide no more educational benefit than a traditional textbook. All resources regardless of format must be carefully evaluated and as a professional educator it is essential for me to possess highly developed skills in evaluation. I also believe that an effective teacher-librarian should strive to become a leader for staff in regards to ICT. In order to fulfil this role I plan to continually develop my knowledge of and skills in using ICT. In addition I will seek quality, relevant resources to provide teaching staff with resources to enrich their teaching and learning programs, fulfil curriculum requirements and assist students to develop skills and knowledge relevant to their current and future lives. I also plan on providing support to teachers as they implement new technologies into their classrooms. I believe this will encourage teachers to be more willing to adopt new technologies.
I believe that teachers, schools, teacher-librarians and libraries need to cater for 21st century learners by providing high quality, relevant and engaging learning opportunities that allow them to develop skills and knowledge needed in their lives. In my future role as a teacher-librarian I will endeavour to draw on relevant technologies including video games and Web 2.0 in order to assist students meet learning goals and achieve their personal and academic potential.
By Kathleen Magann
Scanlon, M., Buckingham, D., & Burn, A. (2005). Motivating Maths? Digital Games and Mathematical Learning. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 14(1), 127-139. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
I am very impressed with the literacy graphic you have included in your blog. It visually represents what I would probably take 200 words to describe.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that the ‘new literacies” will not replace the current view of literacy, rather it will be an expansion of the current literacy practice. I too feel that we cannot simply disregard the current style of literacy and replace it with “new literacies”, imagine all the paper work involved! I have, however, spent many hours deliberating how the two forms of literacy could be merged together. Do we take parts of the current literacy practice and merge it with parts of the “new literacies”? I feel that this could become a very disjointed literacy program. Could we merge paper (current literacy) with what is becoming paperless (“new literacies”)? Should we be thinking about how the current literacy is taught and reconstruct it to be compatible with “new literacies”? It does not appear to be as straightforward as simply “adding on” the “new literacies”. I feel much time and effort will be involved, a great deal of pedagogical transformation to be able to merge the two systems of literacy together to create something meaningful for students.
(Jacqui Long)
I could not agree more in relation to our educational institutions needing to in order to cater for the needs of learners in the 21st Century. Not only do they need to change in terms of pedagogical approaches to content, teaching, learning and assessment but also in terms of their physical context. I have at times tried to imagine an educational institution that in its physical aspect more resembles the characteristics of online learning environments. I think there would be a lot less walls in such a place.
ReplyDeleteYour point on the fact that young people are engaging more and more in communities where they are not just passive recipients of information but actively involved in the creation, publishing and dissemination of content is an important one. This has seen a great shift in the paradigm of who are the traditional holders of knowledge and will have ramifications for future education.
The expanding literacies is another interesting point. I personally believe that the need for digital literacy is just as important as the need for traditional literacy. I guess this poses the question can one exist without the other? Believe it or not I still work with educators who insist that there is no place for digital literacy in education.
Thanks for sharing
Gregor