M1 Blog Post 2 – New Literacies and Equity
In both my personal and professional life, new literacies have become a huge part of how I communicate, learn, and teach. As a high school Spanish teacher, I see every day how much students rely on technology and digital communication. My students are constantly using social media, videos, texting, online platforms, and interactive apps to communicate with each other. Because of this, I believe literacy today goes far beyond simply reading and writing traditional printed texts. Knobel and Lankshear (2007) explain that new literacies involve socially recognized ways of communicating and creating meaning through digital and participatory practices. This definition connects strongly to what I experience both inside and outside of the classroom.
In my own classroom, I notice that students are usually much more engaged when they can use technology in meaningful ways. For example, my students enjoy creating speaking recordings, participating in online review games, and using digital activities such as extempore far more than completing traditional worksheets every day. Since I teach Spanish, I also see how technology gives students more opportunities to practice communication in authentic ways. Students can listen to native speakers online, record themselves speaking, and collaborate with classmates digitally. These experiences help students feel more confident and connected to the language.
I can also relate to new literacies personally as a graduate student. Returning to school while working full time has shown me how important digital literacy skills really are. Much of my coursework depends on online discussion boards, blogging, research databases, and digital communication. Even learning how to create and manage a blog for this course was a reminder that literacy today includes many forms of communication beyond traditional academic writing. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming balancing work, graduate school, and family responsibilities, but technology has also made it possible for me to continue my education in ways that would have been much harder years ago.
References : Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007). *A new literacies sampler*. Peter Lang Publishing.
Marjorie, I really liked your point about students feeling more engaged when technology is used in meaningful and authentic ways rather than just replacing traditional worksheets. I think that is something many teachers are noticing now, especially in language classrooms where communication is such an important part of learning. Your example about students listening to native speakers and recording themselves speaking really stood out to me because those opportunities were much less accessible in traditional classrooms years ago. Technology can make language learning feel much more real and interactive for students.
ReplyDeleteI also connected with what you said about balancing graduate school, work, and personal responsibilities while relying heavily on digital literacy skills. I think many of us sometimes overlook how much online communication, discussion boards, blogs, and digital collaboration have become part of everyday academic life. Your post did a great job showing how new literacies are not just something students experience, but something educators and graduate students actively use as well.