My Week 1 Journal Post

In this course we view new literacies as a social practice, just as we will consider visual grammar a social resource for meaning. Reflecting on your own literacy practices while connecting to the readings, respond in your first journal post to the following quote: "The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

In my opinion, the ways in which people learn continuously changes, supported by changes and advances in technology.  As we learn about new literacies throughout this MALET program, I anticipate ongoing changes and improvements to the way we do things even today.  We use words like ‘new’ and ‘emerging’ to define technology and its place and impact on learning and the learning environment. We also look at social and cultural practices and behaviors.  As learners and educators, we compare the old, comfortable ways of doing things with new and cutting edge ways to learn, improve processes and increase the ability to collaborate with others. 

No matter what changes and improvements are made, I feel that people will continue to react positively to texts as a means for learning.  I do believe that the texts themselves may evolve to provide the learner with more visual representations of the content. As our society becomes more visual, this will allow texts to continue to be relevant and remain a mainstay in the learning environment.  Based on the reading Digital Literacies: A research  briefing by the Technology Enhanced Learning phase of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Gunther Kress states in his work The Profound Shift of Digital Literacies that “Texts are becoming intensely multimodal, that is, image is ever-increasingly appearing with writing, and, in many domains of communication, displacing writing where it had previously been dominant” (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 6).

I believe that texts both in their content versions as well as their multimodal versions will remain a part of current/modern learning environments. I feel that texts will continue to have a place in the learning environment.  They offer a sense of consistency, a sort of foundation that all learners can build upon using various forms of new literacies.  This adaptability is achieved through various means such as social media, blogs, eLearning, simulations, webcasts, and podcasts, for example.  By incorporating textbooks along with these new literacies, learners are able to meet certain core objectives and competencies while offering the adaptability to adapt the individual learner outcomes. Based on our text, “Developments from a range of social theory perspectives have progressively chipped away at the virtual monopoly over educational research of text-based practices previously exercised by psychologists of one type or another” (Lankshear and Knobel, 2011, p, 76).

Practices I follow to help aid me in my journey of continuous learning still include using texts as that foundation to build upon.  I tend to take notes based on the readings, highlight passages, and refer back to the readings as sources. These practices help me to learn, retain and to understand the content.  There is something to be said for holding the book in your hands and navigating through it.  I can use my tablet to highlight and bookmark as well, however sometimes there is a benefit to having the actual book to reference. 

Philosopher Francis Bacon was credited with the quote “Knowledge is Power.”    Learners are empowered through the use of these new and varied literacies. Through these new literacies, learning is transported from a more individual/personal scenario to one which allows for collaboration, networking, and teambuilding. In addition, offering a varied array of options allows for learners of different generations to adapt and grow. I am a strong proponent of eLearning and blended methodologies, especially in the corporate learning environment, but I do believe that there is value to textbooks even in today’s ever-changing world.  This variation helps to meet and exceed the expectations of learners and facilitators – which are different when you consider traditional versus new expectations for learning outcomes and the transfer of knowledge at a rapid pace. In addition to an individual being deemed literate because he or she encompasses the ability to read and write, Gunther Kress states that “Digital literacies are in a deep and profound sense new literacies, not merely the traditional concept of literacy – reading and writing – carried on in new media” (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p.6).

In the company I work for, we rely on various types of communication including written content, live presentations, and visual aids.  We use tablets, computers, and smartphones, smart boards for demonstration purposes and note taking, textbooks, handouts, and posters.  In addition, eLearning plays a heavy role in the training of our employees.  Although many of the courses are somewhat linear in nature today, there are also courses which involve interactions, simulations and build your own adventure type scenarios.  I am always looking for new ways to incorporate additional emerging technologies into the current offerings.  Offering the varied methodologies allows us to communicate to employees real time as opposed to textbooks which are not necessarily updated and relevant as time goes by and change happens. In analyzing the graphical representation provided of Green’s approach to literacy, I recognize the importance of incorporating all three concepts/dimensions (Operational, Cultural and Critical) of literacy and technology (Durrant & Green, 2000).  In my opinion, all are equally important and impactful for learning as a whole. Although employees are somewhat expected to adapt to the new ways of learning, in my experience they are typically open to it.  Newer employees entering the business world are typically more tech savvy and those less comfortable with technology are transitioned over time as we implement change.  Changing what they know and challenging their comfort level using new forms of media. In doing so, they are given options.  Everyone learns differently.  Some rely more heavily on the comfort level of a text, while others are engaged and stimulated by what technology has to offer. 

References

Durrant, C., Green, B. (2000) Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the l(IT)eracy challenge? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 23(2), 89-108.

Julia Gillen & David Barton, Digital Literacies: A Research Briefing by the Technology Enhanced Learning Phase of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme: ESRC 2010.

Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2011). Ideas of Functional Literacy: Critique and Redefinition of an Educational Goal. In Literacies: Social, cultural and historical perspectives. New York: Peter Lang.