“The
questions worth posing here are: Does literacy have the same meaning it had in
the last century? Do we need a new literacy? What is it to be a 21 st century literate?
Is reading text and communicating a good and clear spoken language enough to
define literacy? What are the prerequisites of the 21st century literacy? Is
digital literacy part of it? Are we in front of one literacy or multiple literacies?[1]”. These questions frame the
continuing debates that encircle professionals dealing with educational renewal
and student achievement in a 21st Century context. If it is not,
then people are not focusing on preparing children for their futures
adequately, and expertly.
For many years, we have
attempted to encourage teachers to think in terms of what “21st
Century Literacy” means, in light of the changing environment of education and
technology. But, on a broader level, how can we get students ready for the
future and be trained in this new literacy. As Jones-Kavalier and Flanagan (2006)
point out, “prior to
the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read
and write, separating the educated from the uneducated. With the advent of a
new millennium and the rapidity with which technology has changed society, the
concept of literacy has assumed new meanings. Experts in the field suggest that
the current generation of teenagers—sometimes referred to as the
E-Generation—possesses digital competencies to effectively navigate the
multidimensional and fast-paced digital environment.”[2]
According to the National
Council for Teachers of English, they offer an excellent definition of literacy
from this perspective:
“…technology has increased
the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century
demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and
competencies, many literacies. These literacies- from reading online newspapers
to participating in virtual classrooms- are multiple, dynamic, and malleable.
As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life
possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Twenty-first
century readers and writers need to:
·
Develop proficiency
with the tools of technology
·
Build relationships
with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally.
·
Design and
share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes.
·
Manage,
analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information.
·
Create,
critique, analyze, evaluate multi-media texts.
·
Attend to
the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.[3]”
If these guidelines in this
noble mission statement are to be held valid and tenable, then we need to
foster and encourage the discussions and professional development needed to see
them become a viable reality in our schools, sooner, rather than later.
Traditional classrooms view
literacy through a two dimensional model of print media. They read, write, and analyze
the media on assignments provided by teachers presenting a narrow focus of
expectations. While traditional media will always be necessary and required in
our world, it is being overshadowed by the reality of student experience in a
different model of three-dimensional learning, and the use of a variety of
established media that are non-existent in the teaching repertoire of some
traditional teachers.[4] “The new
media literacy technical skills catapult traditional learning methods into
orbit—traditional chalkboards and overheads with pens do not occupy the same
realm as current capabilities. As an example, now teachers can do a PowerPoint
presentation with streaming video, instant Internet access, and real-time
audio-video interaction, and they can do it with relative speed and ease.”[5]
Leaders need to move
faculty toward this vision of expanded literacy opportunities, and find resources
on the Internet a first-order activity. One place to start is the Center for
Media Literacy (http://www.medialit.org/) which has a variety of resources that can assist teachers in
understanding how these expectations can be developed. One such source is Media
Literacy: A system for learning anytime, anywhere. Advertised as “an ideal
resource for administrators and staff what want to implement a comprehensive
and systematic media literacy program in their district or school with a
research-based framework.”[6]
For a vivid presentation on
how a school district moves ahead with this vision, check out the Henderson
County School District, Hendersonville, NC website on their application of the
21st Century Literacy skills throughout all curricular areas.[7] There are excellent examples of projects, reports and curriculum maps
that could serve as a starting place for teachers and schools to adapt
accordingly.
We are in the 12th
year of the 21st Century, and time for people to get moving with
preparing kids for the future.
[1] Kharbach,
M. (September 17, 2012). What teachers need to know about 21st Century
literacy? [BLOG] Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved
September 18, 2012 at http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/09/what-teachers-need-to-know-about-21st.html?goback=%2Egde_2811_member_164442559
[2] Kavalier-Jones, B. R. and S.L. Flanagan
(2006). Connecting the digital dots: Literacy of the 21st century. Educause Review Online, Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/connecting-
[3] The ncte definitions of 21st century
literacies. (2008, February
15). Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition
[4] Barnwell, P. (2012). Evolving forms of literacy. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/35966.htm
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