Article groups

It was interesting seeing the other groups present. Before the groups led activities, I was particularly interested in how the other groups concepts can give me a  more nuanced understanding of literacy; each group pointed out different facets of literacy.  Presentations triggered my curiosity about literacy as a many faceted subject.

For example, there was a crucial take away from the class on Gaming and literacy. During their slideshow, they talked about why games can be enthralling. A main reason for this is that failure is considered a part of the process of becoming an expert. Moreover, gamers have many opportunities to try again after failure. Now, when we consider gaming as a literacy practice, we can see how continuing to engage the game in spite of failure leads to more literacy events. 

The gaming and literacy group showed how games can lead to individuals embracing a multitude of literacy events. On the other hand, the presentation and discussion on adolescent identity and literacy showed how social connections influence how we practice literacy. From this group’s presentation, I saw that adolescents typically read the books that their friends do.

Finally the make/hack/play group showed how cooperation, experimentation, and extrapolation are skills that can be cultivated through practice with others. The activity they had us do really got interesting when we shared out from our groups. I think with second attempts, we could have made more creative things. I can also see how activities like this might be useful for any practice that calls for collaboration.