Monthly Archives: January 2010
Literacy skills for teachers
Which are the literacies we need to learn in order to prepare our students for the 21st century?
Digital literacies is “the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers
Literacy has not become technological, but there has been a shift from print to digital technologies, and with this, the emergence of new families of literate practice. On the basis of this, theorists of digital literacies argue that the revolution in communication and information technologies has created new types of textual surface and hence, new literacies (Bigum & Lankshear, 1997; Durrant & Green, 2000).
Mark Pegrum arrays a spectrum of literacy skills into four “literacy groups”.
1- Language literacies Check this online journal http://www.langandlit.ualberta.ca/ full of interesting examples on how teachers used Language literacies in the classroom
According to Mark we can`t neglet traditional printed literacies. We need to be aware on how language is changing. We can see new forms of puntation, text speech and hyperlinks. David Weinberg´s talk on Knowledge in the Age of abundance is a clear example of Language literacies. http://laurenpressley.com/library/2009/10/david-weinbergers-knowledge-in-the-age-of-abundance/
“hyperlinks are a new type of punctuation, but instead of telling you where to stop, they tell you where to start” —David Weinberger
Hypertext changes the way we read and write. Hypertext is text which is not constrained to be linear.
Hypertext is text which contains links to other texts. The term was coined by Ted Nelson around 1965
HyperMedia is a term used for hypertext which is not constrained to be text: it can include graphics, video and sound , for example.
M. Wesch created a very clear video explaining the concept of Hypertext
Mark Pegrum reports that the New London Group has been talking for a long time about Multiliteracies . We need to educate students in video, audio etc literacies. We are moving to the Web 3.0 a web that will look more to a virtual world.
2-Information literacies
Once we start navigating the ocean of possibilities Internet offers we feel overwhelmed by the information overload we are exposed to. Currently in the Multiliteracies Evo session we are dealing with Tagging, Rss, Aggregation and Mash-ups all are new concepts for most participants.
Mark says the way “we access and assess information has changed . You need to have a good understand of how search engines work, you have to learn how to tag information and how to filter information. Information needs to be evaluated.”
Information filtering or filtering literacy is a key concept we have to teach our students. Below you will find several definitions of this concept:
“a field of study designed for creating a systematic approach to extracting information that a particular person finds important from a larger stream of information” (Canavese 1994, p.2).
“tools … which try to filter out irrelevant material” (Khan & Card 1997, p.305)
´a process of selecting things from a larger set of possibilities, then presenting them in a prioritized order (Malone et al. 1987).Filtering literacy
We can use different filters as for example a technological filter as Rss or personal /human filters. We need to know how where to find the experts says Mark Pergum
We must understand the concept of Continuous partial attention. “It is a state most of us enter when we’re in front of a computer screen, or trying to check out at the grocery store with a cellphone pressed to an ear — or blogging the proceedings of a conference while it’s underway. We’re aware of several things at once, shifting our attention to whatever’s most urgent — perhaps the chime of incoming e-mail, or the beep that indicates the cellphone is low on juice. It’s not a reflective state.
—Scott Kirsner, “Are your feeds turning into too many long tails? Filter!.” The Boston Globe, June 27, 2005´
3-Connection literacies
It is important how to hook into networks, how can you contribute and influence those networks. Jenkins talks about Particapatory literacies. The following video clearly explains this concept
We need to teach our students what are the consequences of Participatory Literacy . Which are the advantages and disadvantages according to Mark Pergum. Personally I think we have to show students different examples on how Participatory Literarcy has been used.
4-Remix literacies
We are surrounded by this culture. Digital natives are constantly creating new content and sharing it with the world. I found this long video by Connie Yowel a nice example of what is happening in our educational system. The seemingly simple nature of online access to information requires that we give students concrete tools to critically assess the information they find there. How can we make sure that we are engaging students both in the classroom and on their own. As teachers we have a big challenge ahead that can only be achieve successfully if we learn how to network together.
Using Text messaging in the ESL classrrom
After reading Chapter 1 of Mark Pegrum’s book From Blogs to Bombs I thought it was a good idea to test my digital native students to see if they were able to understand the txtspk in the book.
To my surprise most of them found this activity quite challenging. Out of 25 students not only one was able to understand the whole text.
They couldn`t believe that this was an essay a student sent to their teacher. We had a very interesting debate on text messaging. Next year before doing this activity I will make them read a webpage on Text Messaging and Chat abbreviation.
I would like to test you this time. Have you ever read Romeo and Juliet in Text messaging? Let´s see how much you understand.
Romeo and Juliet – Text Messaging Version by cartoonist Roz Chast, first published in the New Yorker
Act 1
Login: Romeo : R u awake? Want 2 chat?
Juliet: O Rom. Where4 art thou?
Romeo: Outside yr window.
Juliet: Stalker!
Romeo: Had 2 come. feeling jiggy.
Juliet: B careful. My family h8 u.
Romeo: Tell me about it. What about u?
Juliet: ‘m up for marriage f u are.. Is tht a bit fwd?
Romeo: No. Yes. No. Oh, dsnt mat-r, 2moro @ 9?
Juliet: Luv U xxxx
Romeo: CU then xxxx
Act 2
Friar: Do u?
Juliet: I do
Romeo: I do
Act 3
Juliet: Come bck 2 bed. It’s the nightingale not the lark.
Romeo: OK
Juliet: !!! I ws wrong !!!. It’s the lark. U gotta go. Or die.
Romeo: Damn. I shouldn’t hv wasted Tybalt & gt banished.
Juliet: When CU again?
Romeo: Soon. Promise. Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu.
Juliet: Miss u big time.
Act 4
Nurse: Yr mum says u have 2 marry Paris!!
Juliet: No way. Yuk yuk yuk. n-e-way, am mard 2 Rom.
Act 5
Friar: Really? O no. U wl have 2 take potion that makes u look ded.
Juliet: Gr8
Act 6
Romeo: J-why r u not returning my texts?
Romeo: RUOK? Am abroad but phone still works.
Romeo: TEXT ME!
Batty: Bad news. J dead. Sorry l8
Act 7
Romeo: J-wish u wr able 2 read this…am now poisoning & and climbing in yr grave. LUV U Ju xxxx
Act 8
Juliet: R-got yr text! Am alive! Ws faking it! Whr RU? Oh…
Friar: Vry bad situation.
Juliet: Nightmare. LUVU2. Always. Dagger. Ow!!! Logout
How would you use text messaging in your classroom? Would you use this activity? Would you allow your students to submit this kind of text?
What have I learned in one day
I created this short power point presentation 2 years ago. The idea was to show teachers the importance of becoming a networked teacher. This is a paradigm shift for many teachers. We feel comfortable in our four wall classroom. If we are planning to motivate students we have to look beyond these walls and prepare them for the 21st century. Social networks are key elements in todays learning environments. How many teachers are using them to motivate students? Last year I used Ning platforms with my students and the results were really good.
What have you learned in one day thanks to your PLN? A clear example would be Mariel´s blog a participant in Multiliteracies Evo session.
