Week 9: New Literacy Reflection

I have learned a few things about Cultural Literacy thus far. There  are hundreds of thousands of cultures and sub-cultures. Individuals are usually only aware of their own and a few others (which they may not be fully literate in). Culture is non-instinctive, we are born with basic but are able to grow and learn into any culture. As we progress as a human race through technological inventions, agricultural inventions, and social/political systems, our cultures become more distinct as well as plentiful. The more there is to contribute in addition to an increasing population allows more cultures to emerge as well as current cultures to change. To not teach a student about the many cultures that surround them only serves them an injustice as a teacher. It is important for students to be able to comfortably identify and discuss different cultures, they should be curious about other cultures than their own. Cultural Literacy allow students to explore and become more aware of the world around them which leads to more opportunity to mental, cognitive, and social growth.

Second Life is definitely a tool that can be utilized to creatively explore culture. The downside is that it is a software that must be downloaded, which can pose a problem for students who do not have computers, up to date computers, or parent permission for Second Life. The very first thing I learned when downloading this software is that I really rooted for something I had no idea what i was getting into. I thought of Second Life somewhat like Sims (which I love) but it is way more complex than the Sims. I am up for the challenge and plan on wrecking my brain over this wonderful tool. Second Life is a virtual world that allows users to create realms, visit other realms, and interact with other avatars. This is great for students to explore with, especially if a class created several cultures to explore and then spent days exploring others. The drawback is that students will be more exposed to outside users who may not be using Second Life as an educational tool. There are plenty of creepers out there and I would hate for my students to fall victim to it. I wish there was a way of creating a private group that allows the teacher/administrator to monitor as well as restrict behaviors on Second Life.

I have high hopes for our Cultural Literacy Project, it should be a fun realm of cultural literacy learning!