Conversation #3

1. What did you learn about new literacies from this week’s video “The essential elements of digital literacies” and from the reading “Dawn of new literacies”?

Doug Belshaw highlighted a lot of great points about the broadness of digital literacies in his tedxtalk. He stressed the importance of individualism and how we should each be developing our digital literacies on our own. It was seen as linear, and one tracked but truly there is such a spectrum of digital literacy. Individual interests and important issues overlap especially when it comes to the accessibility of digital literacy. I also learned about his 8 essential elements of digital literacies: cognitive, constructive, cultural, communicative, confident, civic, creative and critical. We can remix these elements to create a structure and foundation to what we are absorbing through digital literacy.

Immediately while reading, “Dawn of new literacies” the fear of reading becoming obsolete due to the dependance of the internet and digital literacies is brought to light. A good balance of technology and curriculum is needed to keep this from happening, technology could help provide further learning after the initial reading in a textbook. The concern is what the internet could be doing to our brains in the long run. Research shows that online reading promotes; cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.  This creates a shallowness to our thinking by changing the structure of our brains. The benefits of technology are obviously quite vast and useful, but the elimination of written text could be detrimental to our learning and our futures.

2. Consult our class glossary under course profile-docs. Find one example of new literacies that surprised you and/ or that you disagree with.

I liked these examples that I did not intially think of. These are day to day and obvious things I looked past. I thought of more of text messaging and social media over anything else.

EX: video games, online forums, chatrooms, links, digital layouts etc

3.How can we apply Szwed’s and Perry’s definitions of literacy as we study new literacies?

Swed speaks it quite plainly, literacy is an essential element to modern education. So if we nee new literacies becoming the norm and necessity, we must consider his discussion on what it means to be literate. How important it is in order to succeed in this society.

Perry states, literacy is assumed to be a set of neutral, decontextualized skills that can be applied in any situation. Now when we thinking about this quote, one must think about our everyday world. Technology has become such a convenience and necessity in our day to day lives. Therefore, or circumstance or situations become impacted by new literacies.

4.What are some “new literacies” that have helped you with your schooling? Explain. 

The internet was essential to my schooling. I started at BMCC during the pandemic virtually. I wouldn’t have this education if new literacies weren’t available to me.

5.Have you ever had to help someone with technology (new literacies) who was not tech savvy? What was that experience like? 

I think that because I grew up in such an age of new literacies being developed, I have been able to adapt a bit easier to catching onto them. Some did not have this digital age as their norm. The experience of helping someone in this way seemed straight forward and simple to me, but not so much the person receiving the help.

5.What is ONE “new literacies” that you cannot live without?

Admittedly it is text messaging and the access to search for anything on the internet. I loved to learn so I like the access to information in the palm of my hand.

6. Explain your personality using ONLY three emojis – what would they be?