New Technology, New Literacies and New Challenges

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I am often confused by the conflicting perspectives voiced by my fellow teachers about the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating new educational technology into instruction time.  I wonder if the negative feedback stems from the insecurity of using these tools and the fear of the unknown.  Whenever anything is unfamiliar, it is natural to experience a sense of apprehension related to it.  Now, it would be a truly archaic thought to consider implementing a composition class without using basic programs like word processing.  Initially, when this technology was innovative, some people failed to see the benefits of using it, which are unanimously accepted today.  Below I have listed a few of the main advantages, which stand out, in my mind.     

1. The physical act of typing is much less arduous and quicker than handwriting an essay or message. 

2. It is much simpler to make changes and fix structural problems by cutting and pasting sections of the writing to make the piece flow better.   (Whenever I am required to write something by hand, I consistently forget to mention something important.  I either have to rewrite the whole message or draw arrows to the added information.  Either way, it is inconvenient and creates a messy message.)

3. Programs like word processing help make students aware of mechanical writing errors in their paper so that they can make corrections easily.

4. Typing everything on the computer makes it much easier for peer and teacher evaluations of students’ work.  (In my opening journals assignment, I am often confused by students’ handwriting.  Some students consistently produce completely unintelligible responses.  When I confront them about my inability to read their handwriting, they claim that they can’t write neater.  Sometimes I dream about having a row of computers in the back of my class to require students to do research or work on writing activities, so that I will be able to read their work without a struggle.  Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be realistic in a kitchen classroom. They could easily be damaged.)

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The article Guiding Principles for Supporting New Literacies in Your Classroom, by Karchmer-Klein and Shinas, discuss the way in which literacy instruction must be approached with the reality of constantly evolving technology.  We, teachers, must put our fear aside and learn how to support our students in developing the specific cognitive processes that are necessary to effectively use information communication technology (ICT).  On page 289, Karchmer-Klein and Shinas cite Bezemer & Kress (2008) and Coiro & Dobler (2007) when they recognize that in order for individuals to use ICT, “One must know how to navigate nonlinear text, repeatedly evaluate resources, sift through extraneous materials, infer meaning, and use a range of features to compose unified messages.” 

In this article, four guidelines are stressed to help teachers employ technology to support literacy development.  First, the authors remind us to be mindful of the constantly evolving technology and what is available.  Second, we must acknowledge the challenges of the new technological literacies and identify appropriate instructional goals.  Also, we must be careful not to take for granted that our tech-savvy students know everything they need in regards to educational technology.  And finally, we need to adapt assessment methods according to the technology expectations of the class.  I would like to further discuss the importance of acknowledging the challenges and the goals of using new technology in instruction. 

This article stresses the fact that new educational technology adds various challenges for the students utilizing it compared to using traditional books.  In addition to the text, students are expected to construct a unified meaning from the visuals and audio sometimes included.  On page 290, Karchmer-Klein and Shinas cite that, “Research tells us that this model (inquiry-based model) demands a set of skills different from those needed for traditional reading comprehension activities” (Leu et al., 2009).  Thus, it is vital for us to identify the appropriate skills that we must teach students in order for them to gain meaning from electronic texts and learn how to proficiently use them.  We must model our expectations for students and demonstrate exactly what we desire them to produce or attain from an electronic resource.  I remember a class during my undergraduate degree when my teacher explained an assignment in which the class was expected to create an online tutorial to present to the class.  She did not demonstrate the process or provide an example of her expectations. This produced a significant amount of unnecessary stress for all of the students.  This type of confusion is something I try to avoid in my own classroom by providing rubrics, modeling the skill and providing examples of the final goal. 

In spite of the numerous challenges of teaching literacy through technology, it would be counterproductive to rely solely on traditionally bound printed texts.  The more ways we are able to expose our students to literacy the better chance we have to motivate them to read.  By equipping students with the skills they need to utilize academic technology and allowing them to have a choice about what tools they will use to create final project or search for information provides students with a sense of ownership over the task and freedom that is not possible when completely avoiding technology.  It is also encouraging to remember that most high school students come to the class with a basic mastery of technology and do not need to start from ground zero.  In conclusion, I found a helpful online article, similar to that of Karchmer-Klein and Shinas', titled The Ten Skills Modern Teachers Must Have on the cite http://www.edudemic.com/2013/03/the-10-skills-modern-teachers-must-have/.  My favorite is number nine, which encourages teachers to try new technology programs and not to be afraid of failure.  Without taking risks to learn new skills, one will never master anything new.