7/31/2019 New Literacies Assignment (Mobeen)

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New Literacies

Mobeen Uddin

Understandings ofliteracycontinue to evolve as a result of technological developments. A

simple search on Google reveals several new literacies, including those related to Information

Communicative Technologies (ICTs), rap lyrics, as well as video games. For the purpose of this shortpaper, I will focus on new literacies in relation to ICTs, which include practices such as instant messaging,

emailing, and blogging. According to the International Reading Association, To become fully literate in

todays world, students must become proficient in the new literacies of the 21st

century technologies.

As a result, literacy educators have a responsibility to effectively integrate these new technologies into

the curriculum (qtd. in Reynolds, 2011). Consequently, internet technologies are significantly

reshaping the nature of literacy instruction at all levels of schooling (Leu & Kinzer, 2000).

Unsurprisingly, many researchers have discussed the benefits of embracing these new literacies

in the classroom. Simon (2012) found that we must be connoisseurs for our students by developing an

intellectual appreciation for their lives. He asserted that utilizing internet technologies (e.g. a class web-

forum) could not only encourage shy students to develop confident voices in online spaces, but also help

bridge connections between home and school literacy practices. Additionally, when I spoke to a Grade 5

teacher who had students blog, he found boys particularly to be more motivated and engaged in his

class compared to their interest levels under traditional literacy practices. He was amazed at the

amount of time the boys put in their writing online and how excited they were when others read their

work. Richardson (2010) similarly found that as internet literacies emphasize the notion ofaudience,

writers spend more time in proofreading their work, knowing that it could be read by virtually anyone.

Finally, in their article, Leu and Kinzer (2000) discuss the possibility of collaborative writing which is

offered by new literacy practices, in which students could collaboratively write with other students

across other settings. Such projects have been noted to provide excellent opportunities for students toobtain feedback in their writing, hence furthering their literacy development (Richardson, 2010).

Despite these benefits Leu and Kinzer (2000) discuss the challenges with incorporating new

literacies. These challenges include access to technology, as some students may not have access to

computers or the internet outside of school settings. In addition, some teachers may be reluctant to

modify pedagogical practices to incorporate these new literacies (Leu & Kinzer, 2000). For example,

when I spoke to some educators about their thoughts on incorporating these new literacies, they spoke

about the pressures on them to produce high results on standardized testing, and were consequently

reluctant on deviating from traditional literacy practices. I conclude with the questions, What will be

gained with the embracement of new literacies in our educational practices? What will be lost with the

incorporation? Does the incorporation of new literacies lead to further inequities amongst students?

7/31/2019 New Literacies Assignment (Mobeen)

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References

Leu, D. & Kinzer, C. (2000). The convergence of literacy instruction and networked

technologies for information and communication. Reading Research Quarterly, 35, 108-127.

Reynolds, J. A. (2011, June 20). Technology in the 21

st

century: New literacy [Video file].Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ9pjyBrCS0.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Simon, R. (2012). Without comic books, there would be no me: Teachers as connoisseurs of

adolescents literate lives. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55, 516-526.

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