Reflections on the use of digital literacies; and implications for my future practice.

As trainee teachers, we can no longer ignore technology. It is here to stay and something that will have to become engrained in our teaching. We can no longer wonder what impact technology will have on literacy, as the nature of literacy is rapidly changing and by the time we are teachers technology will be incorporated within Literacy. (Halsey 2007) Merchant (2009) concurs with this view stating that the separation of ICT and Literacy within the classroom has stood in the way of progress. Future Lab (2010) describes digital literacy as “the ability to make and share meaning
 in different modes and formats.” (FutureLab 2010:1) It allows effective creation, collaboration and communication and is the process of critically engaging with technology to reach a different audience. Digital literacy has the ability to impact upon traditional subject knowledge. (FutureLab 2010)

The challenge within the classroom is enhancing classroom practice by transforming pedagogy to make educational uses of new Literacy practices. (Burnett et al. 2006) An effective way of incorporating this new pedagogy into teaching is for both teachers and learners to appreciate the need to engage with both traditional pedagogy aswell as incorporating and making sense of the digital media world and the way in which it can create new opportunities within the classroom.  (FutureLab 2010) Becoming digitally literate is not just exploring new medias but also creating with them and understanding the creativity opportunities that lie within them. (FutureLab 2010) Within classrooms it is easily incorporated as increasingly everyday activities are now mediated through screen-based literacies. In both formal and informally practices digital literacies are being transformed. (Merchant 2009)

Within last weeks seminar the technology that engaged me the most was ‘Storybird’. This was a story making web page where you were able to create your own storybook with words and pictures. This was a technology that interested me in putting into practice within my own classroom. It was easily accessible to different ability children as it was easy to navigate around and children could add as much or as little writing as they felt happy with. As these could then be shared on the school VLE the work of the children can be shared with parents and families at home. Halsey (2007) discussed the advantages of this stating that “Writing for a real audience is said to contribute to more thoughtful content and structure of the writing” (Halsey 2007:102) therefore not only are the children engaged in a productive digital literacy writing task the quality of writing could also be better than that of another writing task. Halsey went on to discuss the importance of anticipating feedback provides a purpose for writing, adding to the motivation of the writer.

Burnett, C., Dickinson, P., Merchant, G. & Myers, J. (2006). Digital connections: Transforming literacy in the primary school. Cambridge Journal in Education, 36(1), 11–29.

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: (Sections 3.1 – 3.4 Digital Literacy in Practice)

Halsey, S. (2007) ‘Embracing emergent technologies and envisioning new ways of using them for literacy learning in the primary classroom’ English Teaching; Practice and Critique 6

Merchant, G. (2009) Literacy in virtual worlds. Sheffield Hallam University.