The BIG revelation I had while taking this course was the realization that I was completely unaware of the new literacies. This scares me considering I have always considered myself tech savvy. Then I think about the teachers at my school who come to me as a resource for technology. I am certain that they are unsure of the new literacies. How are we going to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students, if we are not preparing them with the skills of the 21st century? Then there is the whole issue of teachers being aware, but still choosing to do nothing about it. For teachers that are unfamiliar with technology, but are willing to jump on board and begin integrating technology, research suggests that a teacher new to technology may take up to five years to become comfortable enough to effectively use the technology in the classroom setting (Dexter, Anderson, & Becker, 1999; Hadley & Sheingold, 1993; McKenzie, 1999a). Are our students doomed? Are we always going to be playing catch up?
As a second grade teacher who already feels overwhelmed at times when trying to fit all of the subjects into the day, I do not feel comfortable jumping right into teaching all five of the new literacies to my students. Do I understand that all five are important and that my students deserve to learn and use all of these skills? Of course, I do. However, I also know that in order to be successful and for me to have the courage to implement the new literacies, I need to make it manageable and doable for myself. The first new literacy I am going to implement in my classroom is to have my students create questions and/or problems to solve. This literacy is essential as it will further develop the student’s interest in a topic and teach them how to generate detailed answerable questions.
I do not feel comfortable returning to school and not sharing the information I have learned. A professional goal that I have set for myself is to share what I have learned and stress the importance to my teammates and colleagues to incorporate the new literacies into our lessons. As a member of the technology committee at my school, I plan to organize mini committees to teach the new literacies during professional development time.
