21st Century Literacy

“If we teach today’s students the way we taught them yesterday, then we rob them of tomorrow” – John Dewey

Yep…it’s that time in the semester when I had so many other things occupying my mind space that I completely forgot that we had to do a post…oh man.

Anywho, my article group is currently looking at 21st century literacy, and what the means. Thus far, we have discovered that 21st century literacy clearly embodies not only traditional means of “reading and writing” (meaning text printed on a page), but also includes how we, as future teachers, can use digital media in the classroom to create and promote new types of literacy practices. For instance, our group watched the video “New Learners of the 21st Century” in order to better understand the direction that literacy is going during this Information Age. If you want to be blown away by the possibility that technology has in the classroom, especially when it comes to our students critical thinking skills, you need to watch this video. The vocabulary that the students used throughout this video will completely rock your world. I mean, have you ever heard a student talk about the benefits of a “trial and error” style of learning? Or how engaging an assignment or project can be? Or even that a student views an academic challenge as exciting? My question is WHY THE HELL AREN’T WE DOING THIS IN OUR SCHOOLS?

Another important idea that we are discovering with 21st Century literacy is that it promotes autonomous and self driven learning. This means that the instructor becomes less of a “teacher” (in the traditional sense of the word) and instead takes on the role of a mentor, or as a “tool” for students to come to when they have pressing questions. Now, this does not mean that the teacher just walks around the classroom and asks who needs help. No, in order to adequately engage in the different digital platforms that the students are using, the teacher must interact with these digital platforms extensively so that they can give the students the appropriate help that they need. You can’t ask a student to develop a website through wix.com that critically analyzes Hamlet’s To be or not to be soliloquy if you, as the teacher, don’t understand how to create a website with wix.

Lastly, one very important idea that Cathy Davidson touched upon in her syllabus was that engaging in 21st century literacy means that you have to accept that literacy during this Information Age is constant evolving and should never be viewed as stagnant. When we are creating a syllabus, we have to accept that, especially if we are going to engage in an inquiry-based learning practice, that the syllabus is going to change depending on the progress of the students. Assignments might need to be pulled forward or pushed back. An instructor might realize that the “comparing sources” assignment took longer than expected, so we should spend one more day making sure students understand why and how they are comparing sources so that their inquiry essay won’t involve them banging their head against the wall.

Here are a few digital platforms and resources that we have explored.

http://www.eric.ed.gov.mantis.csuchico.edu/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ801068

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cosDV-lKHvc

Bookemon-create an online book

storyborard– create a mini movie

popcorn maker– create movies with other media

ujam-create music

wix-create a website

wikibrain-brainstrm online

prezi-create an onine presentation

voicethread-collaborate with others