Literacy
What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century?
I have been extremely fortunate in my education in school and outside of school to have experienced interpreting and creating meaning through reading, writing, speaking, listening, watching, drawing, painting, sculpting, cartooning, acting, singing, gaming, choreographing, improvising, dancing, blogging, playing, designing, coding, constructing, cooking, dressing, and other engagements with cultural codes. Therefore, it's natural for me to think about literacy as something far beyond just reading and writing. I like the way this article puts it: "Literacy is ... the ability to decode and encode in any of the forms through which meaning is conveyed ... Literacy is about understanding the meaning of human codes." Literacy also encompasses “self-discipline, control of language, facilitation of personal expression, creation of compassion and an understanding of life options and decisions. It’s a collective sense of being part of a more scholarly life, a more passionate life” (Morgan, qtd. in Alberta Education "Supporting the Literacy Learner" 1). It also makes sense to consider how literacy is framed by the institutions that govern or assist with literacy development. If we look at the general learning outcomes in the English Language Arts Program of Studies, we see that the Alberta Government understands literacy to involve 1) exploring thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences; 2) comprehending and responding personally and critically to texts; 3) managing ideas and information; 4) enhancing the clarity and artistry of communication; and 5) respecting, supporting, and collaborating with others. I would add that students need to be able to do all of this in both the physical world and the digital/online world. Additionally, the Inspiring Action Discussion Paper, which describes the future of public education in Alberta, states that literacy is what enables people to "acquire, create, connect and communicate meaning in a wide variety of contexts" and, along with numeracy, is the foundation for other learning (9). For more information on Alberta Education's vision for literacy, visit their website and check out their articles. The bottom line is that literacy instills a sense of dignity in people, empowers them to engage fully with the people and world around them, and enables them to decide who they will become and the legacy they'll leave behind. I want this for myself. I want this for my students. |
What does reading and writing in the 21st century involve?
Just as literacy is more than reading and writing, so reading and writing involve more than books, papers, and pencils. Reading and writing in the 21st century is multimodal. To get a sense of what I mean, here is a hypothetical letter to families I drafted. Mutlimodal means that students "easily combine and move between drama, art, text, music, speech, sound, physical movement, animation/gaming, etc." (NTCE "Multimodal Literacies"). Reading multimodal texts involves recognizing signs (signifier [sounds, images, words] + signified [concept, idea, feeling]), using various comprehension strategies, and developing vocabulary for talking about conventions and techniques of various modes. Students also need to move from learning to read, to reading and evaluating multimodal texts to learn. Evaluation involves considering the factors involved in text's creation (author, intent, bias, political-economic-socio-historical context) as well as its message (is it reliable? true? good? beautiful?). Reading to learn involves moving past aesthetic reading to efferent reading, in which students are able to select what is significant to them and to consider it critically. Writing multimodal texts involves selecting, designing, and sharing their message for a variety of purposes and with a variety of audiences. They need to be affirmed that their ideas and voice are valuable. Students need to understand the expectations (i.e., literary norms/conventions, and values) of their audience. Because this audience is increasingly diverse, they need practice with cross-cultural and online communication. They need to be able to wield rhetorical power in both the form and content of their message, considering visual (and possibly tactile) design as well as appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos in their syntax and diction. Both reading and writing require understanding at least the basic operations of the information and communications technology used to create multimodal texts (i.e., basic technical skills). This will enable them to both read and write more conscientiously and effectively; they will understand the deliberate choices that creators have made, and to be able to make their own choices when creating. Most importantly, students require the metacognition required to know which reading and writing strategies to use across a variety of contexts in order to transfer their skills between disciplines (these are my ideas about writing across the curriculum) as well as into their future as citizens and workers. |
Digital & Media Literacy
Digital and Media Literacy incorporates the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for the six language arts, but communication in an online and/or mass media environment has some unique characteristics and poses additional challenges and opportunities, especially regarding ethics. Students need to be able to practice cyber safety and netiquette, especially on social media sites. They also need to understand the nature of Web 3.0 and how that affects ads as well as searches. Speaking of searches, they need to be able to apply excellent research practices, manage information adeptly, and decode multimodal resources. Additionally, it doesn't hurt to have some basic technical skills, such as hardware and software troubleshooting, web design, video and photo editing, and coding.
Digital and Media Literacy incorporates the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for the six language arts, but communication in an online and/or mass media environment has some unique characteristics and poses additional challenges and opportunities, especially regarding ethics. Students need to be able to practice cyber safety and netiquette, especially on social media sites. They also need to understand the nature of Web 3.0 and how that affects ads as well as searches. Speaking of searches, they need to be able to apply excellent research practices, manage information adeptly, and decode multimodal resources. Additionally, it doesn't hurt to have some basic technical skills, such as hardware and software troubleshooting, web design, video and photo editing, and coding.