Since beginning this class, my conceptual understanding of literacy hasn’t necessarily changed, but instead been reinforced. Throughout all of my teacher education preparation courses here at Michigan State, it has been drilled in my head that literacy goes above and beyond the basic understanding of just being able to read and write. The “new age” definition of literacy goes as far as to include being able to use/incorporate technology, books, written and spoken text, etc. as a means of learning. By being literate you will be able to keep up and become an active member of our fast paced, constantly evolving society.
Thankfully, I took the course CEP416 last semester which was a course for future teachers who wanted to learn more and explore new technology that could be integrated into the classroom. In this course, I learned how to use many (if not all) of the technology options provided for this new literacies project, but I decided to create a webpage since I already had one up and running with previous lesson plans and information on it. Since I was well-educated in making/editing a weebly (type of website creator), I decided to make a new page labeled “Cultural Literacy” with tabs within it that would take you to other components of my literacy project. However creating my webpage was just one aspect of my project and before I did this, I had to do a little research on Ukraine and their culture. One thing that stood out to me while conducting my research was the misleading information that I found on the internet. There were several times I came across a website that I thought had reliable information, only to find out it sounded as if an elementary student put it together themselves. Not saying that a student can’t do a good job on a research project, but I wasn’t sure where they were gathering their information or if it was entirely true. This mishap made me question the things that students are reading on the internet and wonder if they believe everything they read.
After reviewing my concept map that I made on one of the first days of class, I noticed that nowhere on my map did I include “technology”. This fact is very surprising to me, because I had just taken CEP416 the semester before where we spent weeks learning about ways to integrate technology into the classroom and into lesson plans. After looking over the other things I included on my map, I realized that I primarily focused on my elementary years and how literacy played a role in my life then instead of focusing on all my schooling. Since technology didn’t really play a role on my elementary school years, I didn’t include it on my map, but if I wouldn’t focused on my elementary to college years, it definitely would’ve made an appearance since technology plays such a crucial role in schooling these days. One example of how technological is showing up in the classroom more these days than compared to when I was in elementary school, is the students that I work with in my placement asked me if they could type up their literature group writing assignment on the classroom computer after they hand wrote a rough draft; when I was in elementary school we didn’t have a classroom computer so this wouldn’t have been an option for me.
After completing and then reflecting on this literacy project, I think it is a great idea to bring to the classroom. Not only is it important for students to explore different types of literacies, but it’s also crucial that they discover and explore new technology at a young age. If I were to take this project to an elementary school classroom, I think I would be able to present it to the class the same way we were given it with the exception of a little more guidance; this includes telling them the different types of literacies, showing them examples, and providing time for them to explore different types of technology. I believe students would enjoy this project because they would be able to not only choose the type of literacy that interests them, but they will also be able to use a creative outlet to showcase their work to their parents, peers, friends, etc.
Overall, I know that the fourth graders in my placement would love exploring new technologies such as digital storytelling, Prezi, webpages, etc. instead of just the basic technology they see/use all the time like PowerPoint or Word. Not only would it be fun creating these types of technological projects, but it would also be beneficial to their reading, writing, and speaking skills that are associated with literacy. Instead of silently reading a peers research paper or reciting facts in front of the classroom, students can stand in front of their classmates and show off their hard work while also teaching them new information and showcasing them a new type of technology. Last semester while teaching my science lesson about “The Sun and The Seasons”, I incorporated a digital storybook into my lesson which showed students the difference in paths of the sun during the summer months and the winter months. They seemed to really enjoy this different way of learning and it also gave them a new view of this concept which probably really benefited the visual learners. Overall, I really enjoyed incorporating technology into a literacies project and it was nice to know that I still remembered how to use/create a webpage after not using it for a whole semester J
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