Changing Education
What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? Before starting this course, I always assumed that literacy had to do with reading and writing. However, there is a lot more to the definition and what it truly means. Throughout many readings and videos, I have learned that literacy is starting to have a different meaning to everyone who uses the word.
This video above really started my thinking about what it means to be literate in the 21st century and how it is changing from how it has been defined in the past. It also helps realize how teacher must change their teaching ways to help prepare students for the new world. Using technology will give students the opportunity to think and create on their own.
Since my deep dig into this topic I have decided that there are many ways to be so called literate. In the 21st century the youth are in the mix with technology and are learning more than ever thought possible. The technology in the world is reevaluating the literacy skills to be able to function in the 21st century. This being said the kids are learning more when introduced to technology which in itself are making them literate. Being literate now is more about being educated or having knowledge in any field.
In many classrooms that I go into I notice that most students are able to work a computer better than I can. Does this make me illiterate? No, the students may be more knowledgeable than I am with certain technology. Being literate no longer means the traditional way of learning and thinking, it has become way more than that to me. This video below helps explain the differences of the education system and literacy from the beginning to now. This video below helped put the differences into perspective to me. In the video he states that the best definition of literacy is fluency. This helps make sense of the true meaning of literacy in the 21st century. There are many different ways to explain literacy some include; social, cultural, and financial literacy. There is more than just one way to be literate in the 21st century.
Also in this video above, it makes an emphasis on group collaboration. This skill is something that will have to be mastered in the 21st century. With anything that is done being able to work in a group is very important. Group collaboration and working with technology go hand in hand and will help all students become literate in their own skills. Without allowing students to become literate by using the technology that they have at the tips of their fingers is in return holding them back. This is why we need as teachers to let them have access to what will help them become literate in their era. By using technology in the classroom we can change the world of learning and help harvest their learning. We can use these tools to make the youth take their learning to a whole other level.
Also with changing the way we see ‘being literate’, students are able to take control of their own learning and get their own experiences from the amazing ability to use technology. With this amazing ability for students they will be able to view many others opinions from everywhere and will change the way they learn and think.
The kids of the 21st century are more than just learners, they are inventers and engineers. They must make stuff their own and ask questions and think on their own. When they are able to come up with their own logic on things are more likely to remember and learn the material. In the new era of learning, teachers must make learning more interactive and allow students to think on their own. In one of the readings, it put into perspective what it actually means to be literate and how as teachers we can help our students learn and become literate.
“When one comes to understand the design inherent in digital texts, one comes closer to bridging this gap between the digital realm of literacy and the traditional. More importantly, without this understanding, educators are only scratching the surface of their students’ learning capacities.” (Rowsell & Burke, 2009)
This is why I believe that as teachers we must take this and run with it for our students. This gives us the ability to help our students learn and become literate in their own way. Which in the end will help more people understand the real meaning of the word literate. By being the stepping stone for students to understand that they are in control of their own learning, we can take their learning to a whole new level.
(2014, September 30). Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://vimeo.com/107628541
(2014, August 10). Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0poR8zfAls
Rowsell, J., & Burke, A. (n.d.). Reading by Design: Two Case Studies of Digital Reading Practices.
