I now get the appeal of New Literacies in drawing from digital literacies. Digital literacies allow educators and students to use “non-traditional” tools and technologies as part of teaching and learning. It helps to break the norms of how literacy is defined and what tools help in defining literacy.
Haddix and Ssealey-Ruiz’s (2012) article rung so true to me as I read, “…in many urban districts I work with, the same tools and practices get policed and censored. Students are prohibited from using them.” I remember when I was in high school (an all-boys boarding school), bringing laptops and cell phones to school were banned. It had been the practiced then and it is still the practice now. Often, students including myself would bring these electronic devices to schools for various reasons. One day I saw a couple of students in the dorm exchanging software that helped them create amazing music, and make demos with these devices. Those who were not familiar were learning from their more experienced peers. Some of these students were doing amazing things with these digital tools that the school would consider a distraction from academic work. I can’t help but think that if these digital tools were incorporated into our classrooms, maybe it would have got some more students at least, interested and engaged in “academic work”. Of course, these laptops and cellphones were not always used in “creative” ventures. Students did spend a lot of times watching movies and talking for long hours with their partners in other schools like the school authorities suspected. Nevertheless, should schools ban these technologies? Are their reasons justified?
Wargo’s (2017) work on the how digital tools empower LGBTQ youth provides evidence for the need to incorporate digital tools in the classroom. Children of today are exposed to so many new apps, programs, and social media sites and many more are created each day. These tools have given a platform to minority groups especially, to resist identities imposed on them or perform identities they want. Digital literacies afford people the opportunity to express themselves even if they are not considered literate by traditional standards of pen and paper/reading and writing. They also allow students to bring texts (comic books, posters, snapchats, news stories, blog posts, etc.) they already know into the classroom in order to critique them. One question I have though is how much of these digital literacies do we allow into the classroom? Like in my high school, should there be a limit?
One digital literacy I am most fascinated with is spoken word poetry. I usually watch spoken word artists from different countries who use this form to examine and discuss social issues around them. I will leave you with the video below how of a spoken word artist uses this form of literacy to inspire students around the world. The video is a bit lengthy because the artist performs a poem before her talk. If you don’t have much time, I suggest just listening to the poem.
Edwin-
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love slam poetry. I'm always amazed by how talented others are and the way that this spoken medium changes the way I hear a story. Your piece has me thinking about all of the different negotiations Dylan makes in the story. I am particularly drawn to how Holly takes the time to not jump to conclusions based on her perceptions of his identity performance as "asleep." I just had time to watch the beginning of this video but it has me making all kinds of connections to Kirkland's book for next week!
Edwin, I too, am thinking about the possibilities of providing students agency through the use of digital tools and literacies. My view of literacy is continuing to grow; I am beginning to see literacy as more of a process as opposed to a thing. Literacy, perhaps as a figured world, wherein tools like new literacies function as tools to provide students with opportunities and navigational possibilities. As I reflect on what you shared about when you were in school, I can't help but think about how I, as a teacher and student, was both police and policed. It's so interesting when we look at life and experiences through a different analytical lens just how troubling sometimes things may appear. I didn't realize that the very thing that I now would advise teachers not to do - that is prevent students from access to technology (i.e. Tumblr, Snapchat, Flicker, Instagram) - is the actual thing that I did myself as an educator. I suppose that the catalyst for me is within the new knowledge and understanding I have of how new technologies can function within the classroom space. I now have some basis for advocating for the use of new technologies within classroom spaces resultant of my own evolving and changing epistemology.
ReplyDeleteBYTW if you like poetry you should check out Saul Williams https://youtu.be/Cp-KwrzwpJI
Edwin, I think the articles this week support your statement "...if these digital tools were incorporated into our classrooms, maybe it would have got some more students at least, interested and engaged in 'academic work'" (Bonney, 2018). Compton-Lilly et al. (2017) explain that intersectionality "reveals how the teaching of reading, writing, and other literacy practices is intricately interwoven with networks of self that extend beyond the classrooms (p. 135). Others find that the use of digital tools are policed and restricted more severely depending on gender and race of students (Haddix and Sealey-Ruiz, 2012). I am surprised I don't recall the word "bias" being discussed. Compton-Lilly et al. (2017) suggest teachers be aware of expectations and norms in educational spaces, and Haddix and Sealey-Ruiz (2012) consider that African-American and Latino adolescent males are "positioned marginally" (p. 189), but there is no direct mention of bias nor extensive consideration in how teacher training or exploration of identity might play into the positioning of students in regards to digital tools.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I realized as I was blogging this week: Often, I do restrict my student Zaidden's use of his phone. Our district prides itself on being 1:1 in regards to iPads, yet here was a student who gained both agency and expertise by using his own device. I have often considered that people see their personal technology as an extension of identity and affinity (iPhone users, Samsung people, etc.). Why would students not be similar? How much does MY DEVICE play into MY DEVELOPMENT of MY LITERACIES? seems to be the question I am holding onto at the moment.
Edwin,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your thoughts about how digital tools and literacies create new spaces for people who have been marginalized to express their identity and get their voice heard. Thinking about the Parkland shooting and all the momentum behind it, makes me wonder how much we would continue to be talking about it if it weren't for those high school students getting on social media platforms and discussing it. I also appreciate how social media can allow for everyone to get in on an issue and express their identity. My own Twitter account is split everyday with tweets about calling for gun reform and people who are against gun reform. I have learned so much more about my friends' identities from seeing the comments they have made and the tweets they have retweeted. At the same time, it has me negotiating my own identity in relation to others. Before I make a comment or retweet something, I do think, "How will so-and-so react to this when it is direct contradiction to their beliefs?".
~Sarah