I chose this quote because I strongly agree with it. I have heard several teachers dismiss technology because they believe it is nothing more than a distraction. They describe it as playing, and say that no meaningful learning is taking place. I have also heard teachers say that students get enough media outside of school.
That is exactly why we should be integrating media into our curriculum. Media is something meaningful and prevalent in our students lives. So why not use that to our advantage? We can use media in authentic ways to prepare our students for the future.
I have witnessed so many benefits of media with my own students. It has changed their view of reading. They are excited about the novel we are reading and about their blog. When they come in, they tell me "I can't wait to blog about this" or "I wonder what the other kids will say about this." They are reading and commenting on each others' posts. They are doing the same thing they would be doing if we were using pencil and paper (discussing and analyzing the reading), but by using technology they are engaged and motivated.
We should be looking for opportunities to bring our students' school lives and out of school lives together. Instead of fighting technology, we should embrace it.
1. How did the Ask Anansi game support critical literacies?
The students were using the clues to promote a deeper understanding of issues that were important to them: trash, violence graffiti, pollution, stereotypes, and love. When they discovered the clues, they had to read, analyze, and question the messages. The clues appeared in multiple formats: posters, barcodes, text messages, email, etc. They had to be able to read these different formats in order to successfully find the next clue. When they were done, they taped the clues around their school, where other students could read about the issues.
2. How did the Ask Anansi game support academic literacies?
Throughout the game, students had to analyze, think critically, and problem solve. They also conducted research and documented evidence. They wrote narratives and counter narratives about their experiences.
3. How did the Ask Anansi game support digital literacies?
A digitally literate person can use technology to find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content, and use the Internet and technology tools to achieve many academic and personal goals. The students had to create, find, and evaluate the clues to the game. They collaborated with others first by working as a whole, then as a pair, and finally individually. Even though they were working individually at the end, they still had to rely on each other for the clues. They shared their work through the displaying of the clues and in their narratives. They used the IPods to take pictures and document evidence.
4. What is meant by the term "reading the word and reading the world and writing the world"? Give an example from the chapter.
It means making literacy relevant to our society and culture. What we read and write is no longer confined to traditional print. A majority of what we read is now digital. It is important we understand how to read digital information and write digital information in order to be successful in our technology rich world. An example from the chapter is the students reading the QR codes. It was something they had no experience with before, but they had to learn in order to participate in the game.
I thought this cartoon was cute and it describes critical literacy perfectly; you have to think differently.
Sources
Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
Literacies, School, and Communities. (November 2011). Retrieved from http://literaciesfall2011.wordpress.com/
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