Digital Literacies in School
Engaging and motivating students
What are Digital Literacies?
When describing digital literacies terms such as "digital media", "new literacies", "new technologies", and "mulitmodal literacy" may be used. Digital literacies are things that digitally literate people produce, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts. They are also activities that digitally literate people can engage in such as social networking, webpage creation and digital storytelling. Students can use these technologies to find, evaluate, create, collaborate, analyze, and communicate information. Digital literacies are multimodal; where students can easily switch from one mode of communication to another. This means that a student might change from text-based reading, to watching a video, to listening to a podcast all within several minutes. Digital literacies are constantly changing and evolving as technology advances. Overall, digital literacies are new ways of doing things and new ways of creating and working with texts.
How can they be used in the classroom?
Collaborate
Engage and Motivate
Vital for 21st Century Learners
Integrating Digital Literacies into the Classroom
What Can Teachers Do?
Lesson and Strategy Ideas
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/going-digital-using-book-30623.html
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-zooming-slideshows-30886.html
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/using-microblogging-social-networking-1171.html
More Useful Resouces
Other scholarly articles that may help you learn more:
Beach, R. (2012). Constructing digital learning commons in the literacy classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(5), 448-451. doi:10.1002/JAAL.00054
Bomer, R., &Maloch, B. (2012). Diverse local literacies and standardizing policies. Language Arts, 90(1), 44-49.
Bomer, R., Zoch, M. P., David, A. D., & Ok, H. (2010). New literacies in the material world. Language Arts, 88(1), 9-19.
Bromley, K. (2012). Using smartphones to supplement classroom reading. Reading Teacher, 66(4), 340-344. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01130
Gormley, K., & McDermott, P. (2013). Integrating the digital literacies into an after-school program: a structural analysis of teachers' lessons. Language and Literacy Spectrum, 23, 20-33
Honan, E. (2012). 'A whole new literacy': teachers' understanding of students' digital learning at home. Australian Journal of Language & Literacy, 35(1), 82-98.
Husbye, N. E. (2012). Critical lessons and playful literacies: digital media in PK-2 classrooms. Language Arts, 90(2), 82-92.
Lacina, J., & Griffith, R. (2012). Blogging as a means of crafting writing. Reading Teacher, 66(4), 316-320. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01128
Karchmer-Klein, R., & Shinas, V. (2012). Guiding principles for supporting new literacies in your classroom. Reading Teacher, 65(5), 288-293. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01044
Larson, L. C. (2013). It's time to turn the digital page: preservice teachers explore e-book reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(4), 280-290.
O’Brien, D., & Scharber, C. (2008). Digital literacies: digital literacies go to school: potholes and possibilities digital literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 66-68.
Sabatino, L. (2014). Improving writing literacies through digital gaming literacies: facebook gaming in the composition classroom. Computers & Composition, 32, 41-53. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2014.04.005.
Smythe, S., & Neufeld, P. (2010). "Podcast time": negotiating digital literacies and communities of learning in a middle years ELL classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(6), 488-496.
Jessica Johnson
Email: johnsonje12@students.ecu.edu
Location: Winston-Salem, NC, United States