1.
My initial thought about
“literacy” was that it only referred to reading and writing subjects.
Throughout grade school I never saw the importance of literacy outside of
everyday reading and writing. I never thought literacy connected to different
aspects of learning inside and outside the classroom. After the new literacy’s
project my understanding of literacy has grown, especially with cultural
literacy. You can be can be literate in anything, it just means the mastering
of that skill (like an expert). Cultural literacy means having the knowledge
(as well as the capacity to do) all the aspects of that culture that makes it
unique such as language (idioms, slang, body language, etc.), history, and
anything that can contribute to the understanding of the reading, writing, and
media of that culture.
The new literacies projects forced
me to learn about two different kinds of literacy. I thought of myself as
digitally literate but now I know there is so much more to learn. Researching
cultural literacy and applying it with a foreign technology opened my eyes to a
few things. My group’s technology was called Second Life and it was a very
frustrating but interesting digital technology. It reminded me of some of the
students I have in my current placement and how they must feel when learning
something challenging. YouTube and Google were great scaffolding tools to aid
in my exploration of Second Life. I never explored a virtual world and now I
feel that with solid direction it can be very useful in the classroom. Virtual
places are no longer restricted for social meet ups but many organizations and
educational institutions use Second Life as an education tool (which I find
very cool). Virtual classrooms require more interaction that the typical online
class. Every online class I have experienced consisted of blogs and discussion
posts that didn’t require much interaction. Second Life can be quite intriguing
and very interactive after learning the technology. Second Life is such as
complex tool that it is not as user friendly as a blog or discussion forum.
2.
I
believe giving effective literacy instruction is providing meaningful lessons
that connect to the outside world. Diverse learners need diverse instruction
that includes different presentations that cater to the various learning
styles, senses, and background experiences. Students should be able to actively discuss, question, and
explore the topic at hand while making real world connections. When building
cultural literacy students need to be able to be submersed in that culture as
much as possible. Through using my new technology Second Life, I realized how
many cultures and groups there are in the world. I use to think culture as just
race and religion but culture is way broader as well as complex. Teachers serve
their students an injustice by not exposing them to outside cultures during grade
school. I personally believe that if I were culturally literate prior to
entering college then possibly history classes (as well as others) would have
been more enjoyable. Students would not feel so divided if they were more
culturally aware. Knowledge is power and in this case it can build bridges for
diverse students across the globe. For students to become culturally literate
then they must be curious but also willing to accept other cultural views. It
takes students to be brave enough to explore but respectful to the cultures
they are exploring. In my opinion I believe cultural literacy teaches students
it is ok to be different and that their uniqueness contributes to our society.
Second
Life is not a technology I would introduce to my second graders. It is a very
complex technology that can be overwhelming for anew internet users (also is not age appropriate). In
general, I believe that students need to have general knowledge of the internet
such as what it is, why it is used, how it can be used, and what you shouldn’t
do (or allow) while on the internet. Students should always be provided with
behavioral expectations as well as what is appropriate on the internet and what
is not. I am a firm believer in visual aids as well as giving examples. When teaching
any kind of digital literacy I would provide what is acceptable and what is not,
the objectives of the lesson, example sites, and guided practice prior to allowing
students explore on their own. This project has taught me a lot about being a
student as well as being a teacher. Before creating any lesson a teacher must
think about how to support their students during learning experiences. Active
participation, meaningful practice, guided discussions, as well as making connections
contribute to building literacy in any field.
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