This week's reading, Expanding the Concept of Literacy, resonated with me. The following lines by Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the School of Cinematic Arts at USCC, makes me think the paradigm shift in education will be even deeper and messier than I thought.
According to the logic in the article:
- The multimedia language of the screen has become the current vernacular.
- It is capable of constructing complex meanings independent of text.
- It enables modes of thought, ways of communicating and conducting research and methods of publication and teaching that are essentially different from those of text.
- And those who are truly literate in the 21st century will be those who learn to both read and write the multimedia language of the screen (Daley, 2003).
To me, the implication here is that the vast majority of us (from K-12 all the way through higher education), in reference to 21st century media skills, are not truly literate. Although I may not have been able to articulate it, I have intuitively felt it critical to acquire such skills which is why I am taking these courses at Rutgers.
"We have an ethical responsibility to reevaluate how we teach so it matches up with the world our students live in and inhabit” (Institute for Multimedia Literacy, USCC Cinematic Arts). The following video about the Institute starts off with scenes reminiscent of the Progressive Era, which still shapes our system of education to this day.
To help me reevaluate how I teach and learn the skills necessary to match up with the world my students inhabit, in addition to Web-Based Multimedia Design for Educators, I have decided to participate in Integrating Technology into K-12 Classrooms. I joined the latter group last semester, but I have not had time to explore a lot of the resources fellow educators have posted. For Web-Based Mulitmedia Design I am going to explore the Web 2.0 tools shared in these two Thinkfinity communities and possibly incorporate discussion-thread ideas into my multimedia montage. I'm also going to join the International Society for Technology in Education. Check out ISTE in Second Life...Amazing!!
Hello Christine,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the videos which added a visual understanding of Daley's article. I have so much to catch up with as a educator and learner using technology in a dynamic setting. Guess who will be joining the ISTE community?
Also, your points of logic from Daley resonated with me in particular, "and those who are truly literate in the 21st Century will be those who learn to both read and write the multimedia language of the screen." I'm learning as fast as I can and hope to be one of the participants.
Hi there DeBora,
ReplyDeleteI'm a little overwhelmed by the ISTE Second Life group, but I'm determined to join. I don't know when I'll find the time, but I hope within the next month that I actually get to visit the ISTE "island." I don't think I can even comprehend the possibilities unless I jump into cyberspace and check it out. I'm sure you'll be a participant-In fact, you already are! In reference to how much we have to learn, I heard a great line that makes me feel better about it all..."Do what you do best, then link to the rest!" :)
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteIf you're overwhelmed, where will that leave me? Right, just jump in and figure it out as you go. Will do! Thanks!
FYI -- your choice of videos are unique and amazing.
Hi Christine!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that you're making connections between last semester's course group and ours. I have no doubts that your colleagues from the previous course had plenty of resources to share. Feel free to join an additional "active" community group to supplement any information you might find lacking in the Digital Tools group (due to lack of member interaction since most members were only on the site due to course requirements).
I'm excited to see that you're joining ISTE -- it's a GREAT organization! They too, have communities on their site that you can join (I'm a member of at least two groups myself!), so be sure to check those out as well.
I'm also really excited to see your interest in the ISTE Second Life contingent. I've floated around the island myself, but becoming accustomed to Second Life in general is a project within itself! It's always great to have some long-term technology goals (like becoming more active in SL) to work on as time permits.
I'm really looking forward to seeing your MMP develop throughout the semester!