Integration of “New Literacy”

at ColumbiaA Course Proposal

Since we live in an age of innovation, a practical

education must prepare a person for work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be

clearly defined. - Peter Drucker

The way we find, evaluate, create, and share information is changing.

Because of this, we must re-examine and redefine literacy.

If our students can’t effectively use these new resources and tools, they cannot truly be considered literate in today’s world.

And if our graduates are not literate, we as a school have failed them.

Our students – as many as 90% of them last year – use social networking tools outside the classroom.

Who is teaching them how to use these tools to their fullest potential?

Who is teaching them how to be safe and smart in the ways that they use them?

(Richardson, 2009, p. ix)

The real problem is not whether machines think, but

whether men do. - B. F. Skinner

(Mishra & Koehler, 2009)

When we combine our content knowledge, our skills at the craft of teaching, and our technological abilities, they intersect at a powerful juncture: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, or TPACK.

A teacher who utilizes TPACK in the classroom is able to bring the strengths of all three areas to bear in the education of the students.

The International Society for Technology in Education has developed National Educational Technology Standards that assert that students should meet

certain standards in technological skill acquisition.

(James, 2010)

Similarly, schools and teachers have standards that should be met in order to provide students with tools for “new literacy.”

These include the creation of a digital-age learning culture, and work and experiences that are relevant to the 21st century.

“Systemic improvement” is key in an ever-evolving world.(James, 2010)

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, but the

one most responsive to change.

- Charles Darwin

Introducing an elective language arts class to the school curriculum can help Columbia meet those standards.

This Online Publications class will promote:•creativity and innovation•communication and collaboration•research and information fluency•critical thinking, problem-solving,

and decision-making•digital citizenship•technology operations and

concepts

by teaching the theory and practice of…

A computer terminal is not some clunky old television with a typewriter in front of it. It is an interface where the mind

and body can connect with the universe and move bits of it

about.- Douglas Adams

“Given the challenges of our times, our students will need plenty of practice in using their 21st century skills to be better problem solvers and innovators, and the world could certainly use some passionate and creative problem solvers right now!”

-Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel,21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times

Studies by the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) show that educational technology implementation increases:

•student learning•understanding•achievement•motivation to learn•collaborative learning•critical thinking•problem-solving•analytical thinking•student-centered learning•constructivist education

(Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski ,2010, p. 3)Image credit Joey Devilla, www.globalnerdy.com

Additionally, technology in the classroom has a significant positive impact on at-risk students:

•nonjudgmental•motivational

• frequent and immediate feedback

• individualized • differentiated• promotion of student

autonomy• multisensory

(Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski ,2010, p. 3)Image credit Matt hew Apia, diplomatt.blogspot.com

We can put computers and Web 2.0 tools in front of our students,

but well-crafted classes and trained guides can give students the resources they need

in order to be truly competitive in the 21st century workforce and higher education environment.

Give a man a fish and you feed him

for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a

lifetime. - Lao Tzu

References

Huffaker, D. (2005). The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom. AACE Journal, 13(2), 91-98.

James, J. (2010). National Educational Technology Standards. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS

Mishra, P. and Koehler, M. (2009). [Venn diagram from TPACK wiki.] TPCK – Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Retrieved from http://tpack.org/

Pitler, H, Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Trilling, B. and Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Warlick, D. (March/April 2005). The New Literacy: Reading, writing, and arithmetic no longer guarantee students a place in the workforce. A different skill set is in high demand. Scholastic Administr@tor. Retrieved from http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=263