‘No Grown-Up Left Behind’Supporting literacy with digital technologies

(and developing digital literacies)

Week 6-7 lecture for EDB006 Learning NetworksBy Kelli McGraw

@kmcg2375 / kelli.mcgraw@qut.edu.au

Tweet using #EDB006 to take notes or chat about this lecture

(please!)

Supporting literacy with digital technologies…1. Writing with technologies2. Modeling with technologies3. Visualising with technologies4. Presenting with technologies

…and developing digital literacies5. Ability to confidently use and create digital texts6. Ability to participate in digital text environments7. Ability to understand cultural context and be critically aware

literacy (some common definitions)1. the ability to read and write2. the ability to use language proficiently

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts

UNESCO (2004)

The flexible and sustainable mastery of a repertoire of practices with the texts of traditional and new communications technologies via spoken, print and multimedia.

literacy (more difficult version!)

(Luke & Freebody, 2000)

Literacy definition ‘unpacked’…

• The flexible and sustainable mastery

• of a repertoire of practices

• with the texts of traditional and new communications technologies

• via spoken, print and multimedia.

digital literacyThe ability to confidently use, participate in and understand digital texts.

(from ACMA.gov.au on ‘digital media literacy’)

http://www.acma.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WEB/STANDARD/1001/pc=PC_311470

(OMG, so many definitions!!)

Literacy is not just ‘basic skills’ (yuk!)Literate practices can be operational, cultural or critical in nature.

i.e. Literacy involves being REALLY GOOD AT:• Using (coding and decoding) language• Participating in text environments• Understanding the context of a text

SUMMARY:

Literacy happens across a range of language modes

• Reading• Writing• Speaking• Listening• Viewing• CreatingHence references to ‘multimodal’ literacy

Literate practices + multimodal literacy= ability to use/create texts in a variety of media:• Print• Live• Audiovisual• Digital

Multimodal texts• text, picture, diagram, graph, sound, animation etc.

Enriched expression and communication• Knowledge representations • ways of communicating

Creating new language and culture• Cya, BBS, LOL, :-), XD,

Dependence on technology• Can’t spell without spelling/grammar check

e.g., there, their, they’re, apostrophe (') in the possessive adjective• Can’t perform basic arithmetic without a calculator

The copy and paste culture• Plagiarism

Impacts of technologies on literacy

Writing & Modelling with Technologies

• Plan and organise ideasmind or concept mapping, Freemind, , Freeplane, mind42.com

• Creative writing and publishingblogs, bio-stories, Poetry Forge arts and music, 53 Paper, Garageband (on Mac)Showme, VoiceThread, Instagram, YouTube, Evernote

• Collaborative writingwikis, wikihow, wikispace, Evernote, Google Docs/Drive, TitanPad, Dropbox

• Modeling knowledge with graphic organisersFreemind, mind42.com, ReadWriteThink

• Modeling analysis with spreadsheetExcel, Number, Google Docs

• Modeling object with 3D software Google Sketchup, CAD

• Modeling situation with simulation softwareScratch, PhET (chemistry simulation)

Visualising & Presenting with Technologies

• Paint/draw ideasKidPix, Paint, Skitch and MANY drawing apps!

• Digital story tellingMovieMaker & iMovie,Cartoon story maker (PC + Flash), Google Earth, Voicethread, Talking Books using Powerpoint

Examples: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/using-technology-support-literacy

• Presentation softwarePowerPoint, Keynote, Google Docs (now ‘Drive’)Online: Prezi, Adobe Presenters, Captivate.

• Sharing materialSlideshare, Storify, Dropbox, Evernote

• VideoconferencingCollaborate, Skype, Wimba, Facetime, Screencast,

EXAMPLES:http://macfieldsdrama.edublogs.org/http://englishteachinginoz.wordpress.com/tag/identity/http://poetryroom.pbworks.com/

• The meaning of literacy is evolving to include the abilities to use, understand, analyse, sythesise and create multimodal texts and communications in different contexts.

• The impact of technologies on literacy is subject to debate. Multi-literate teachers understand how to use technologies to support and develop multi-literate students.

• Digital technologies support the development of multi-literacies by enabling creating, writing, modeling, visualising, communicating, expressing, presenting and so on.

Summary