New Literacies

Having had a class with Dr. Knobel, I was familiar with the term “new literacies”. On a little bit of a side note, while taking her class and writing my paper, the word ‘literacies’ wasn’t even in the Microsoft Word dictionary. It kept telling me it was spelled wrong so I finally added it to the dictionary. I guess that is just one indication of how new the term is.

Being that “new literacies” seems to refer to all the new technologies that are changing the current definition of literacy, there are examples all around us. The chapter we read referred to fan fiction, Manga, online chat, and blogs. (As I type this in Word, blogs and Manga aren’t in the dictionary either.) Other forms of new literacies could be text messaging, using the Internet, and email. Those are all examples I encounter every day. I am online frequently, chatting with friends, emailing my family and also looking for information. I also text message often and prefer that form of quick communication to actually talking on the phone.

All the new forms of literacies are constantly changing what it means to be literate in today’s society. Before they were around, being literate meant being able to read, write and speak in a way to get by on a daily basis. Now, with all the new technologies available, so much more is involved in functioning in today’s society. Being unable to navigate a webpage or email someone would be a disadvantage at the present time. Most jobs involve some form of technology, whether it be using the computer to make Excel spreadsheets or finding information online. The inability to do those things could cost someone their job or the opportunity at a new job.

Literacy can no longer be seen as simply the ability to read and write. That definition would leave out the ability to navigate the Internet, interpret a text message or IM, and post a blog entry. These are all aspects that are greatly influencing literacy today. These issues need to be addressed in schools so that the students are capable of functioning in today’s highly digital society. Teachers need to embrace the changes taking place and incorporate them in their classrooms so the students leave informed and as ready as they can be for the ever-changing world.

An article I read for a class last semester seems to sum this all up. It stated that, “We expect that students in the future will achieve levels of literacy that are difficult to imagine today, and that definitions of literacy will be different from those now in use.” It also said, “What is clear is that literacy will no longer be an end state; instead, it will become a continuous learning processes for all of us. Being literate will be an anachronism. Becoming literate will be the more precise term, since each of us will always be acquiring new literacies as new technologies for literacy regularly appear.”

Just a quick note about Diner Dash. I have played it a few times and seem to be stuck at level 5. I know I haven’t made much progress since my last post but I can’t seem to get enough points to move on to the next level. Once, I was about 50 points away and I found that very frustrating! I figured if I played it once more I could get the points needed but then I did even worse. At that point, I decided to give it a little break and try again another day when I wasn’t feeling as frustrated and could make a fresh start. Hopefully the next time goes better! I read some online tips, thanks to Christin, so I will have to try them.