Now that I have completed my new literacy project and have reviewed a classmate's, I can honestly say that when I started this class I did not realize all the different types of literacy there are. I just assumed there was one literacy-writing. From working on this project though, I have come to realize there are many other ways to be literate such as culturally, technologically, emotionally, visually, and environmentally. These are all important aspects of the world, but I had never considered them to be literacy learning methods.
When it came to actually starting my new literacy project, I was completely overwhelmed because I am the type of person who avoids technology like the plague. So when it came to this project where we had to use a technology to teach it to others, I was worried. To make matters worse, when we were exploring topics in class I had no idea where to even begin. I kept flip-flopping between visual and emotional literacy because I figured those would be the two areas I would be able to do a project passionately about. As the deadline came closer to turn in a project plan, I decided to do emotional literacy because I was interested to see how it impacted learning. Now the only thing I had to do was decide on a technology, so I started looking at projects from students last year. Then AHA! I found a technology that I actually thought was cool and not very frustrating to use...a scrap blog! It was exactly like making a scrapbook, but only online! I love anything crafty, so this seemed to be the perfect thing for me to do!
Finally, I was able to start on my project! As I tinkered around with the scrap blog technology, I have to admit I was a bit frustrated at first, but as I started to familiarize myself with the technology and how it worked, it was a piece of cake. I found out this was a technology I feel young students would be able to use successfully because it is accessible and easy to use once you get over the initial start. As I started to design my page layouts I did research on emotional literacy and for the first time realized how important feelings and emotions are when it come to literacy. People experience feelings and emotions everyday, it is a part of who we are and a result of what we experience. But to imagine not being able to express feelings, would be terrible. This is were emotional literacy comes into play. This literacy deals with people, their emotions, and how they relate to themselves, others, literature, and the world around them. Being able to express feelings is an essential and healthy way for us to express ourselves and if we do not develop these skills, it could hinder us from being able to tell others how we feel as well as understand how others feel.
Emotional literacy does play an important role for all individuals whether they realize it or not. When it comes to incorporating this into a classroom, I feel it is necessary. Even though it is not directly expressed in the GLCEs to express one's feelings, the expectations they set when it comes to comprehension, demands them. In order to comprehend and apply what students are reading, they have to have the knowledge and/or experiences in order to connect to the text. This is where emotions can be found. When students can bring their own experiences into what they are learning and reading, it not only helps them understand what is going on, but they also are bringing significant meaning to what they are learning. If scrap blogs and other similar technologies will help students develop these skills in a way that is important to them, then I feel these technologies should be made available to students. Regardless of the new literacy, I feel every individual would benefit from being exposed to new technologies as well as new literacy's.
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Stefanie, it is funny how similar our experiences were with this project. I was also scared an nervous to use a new technology because I am proficient in basic technology skills, but when it comes to learning new things about technology I become really nervous. I also did not realize how involved literacy is, and the many topics that affect our daily lives and experiences are incorporated into different literacy’s. I also chose scrapblog because I like being crafty and love doing scrapbooks and it seemed like a perfect fit for me.
ReplyDeleteI believe that incorporating the many different types of literacy’s we have learned into a classroom is vital to having a well balanced classroom community. As well as incorporating new technologies into the classroom since that is where the world is going and it will be the best way to reach out to our future students. As you mentioned, the GLCEs cover the many subjects and important aspects that related to them that a teacher needs to cover, but it is missing life skills. Using the literacy’s in the classroom will help not only the subjects taught in school, but also allow connections to the students’ daily lives both inside and outside of the classroom.