Discussion Post #1 - Expanding the Concept of Literacy

Literacy as we know it has changed. Being literate is no longer simply having the ability to comprehend, read and write. In this day and age where it seems like everyone has a smartphone and is linked up to social media, we tend to overlook that these advancements in technology bring about a whole new type of literacy - multimedia literacy. In "Expanding the Concept of Literacy", Elizabeth Daley's notion that literacy should also include media literacy (multimedia language) is an important one that many people don't realize because it is often not taught or outright spoken about. The sudden increase of screens, apps, and videos in our lives mask this idea that we might not be as literate as we think we are. Daley's four arguments for the expanded definition of literacy describes various reasonings that "the multimedia language of the screen" is widespread, has the ability to add meanings that go beyond text, allows for communication and research, and truly differs in the meaning of what being truly literate is. 

While I don't have my own classroom (yet), my experience with student teaching last semester makes me just a little hesitant about encouraging multimedia project development in the classroom. This is for a few reasons including students' ability to understand/analyze, limited time and limited resources. 

Before encouraging the creation of a multimedia project, I feel like it is important for students to be able to understand and analyze multimedia in general. With the widespread access to screens and multimedia, I don't think that we are taking the time to truly understand what we see and instead just take it for what it is on the "outside". Daley's second argument, "the multimedia language of the screen is capable of constructing complex meanings independent of text" (34) showcases the power that multimedia has that goes beyond a text assignment such as an essay. Multimedia can be interpreted, and analyzing media is not something that would be done instinctually unless students were trained to do so. It reminds me of the first blog post we had to complete about a commercial, where we had to reflect about it from all angles and perspectives. At first glance, I would not have done so much thinking about the commercial at all. Without being able to analyze already created pieces of multimedia, students might not fully understand the project or their creation. 

In addition to possibly not having the ability to understand or analyze, I would be a little hesitant about encouraging a multimedia project because of the time issue that teachers face. Although the advancements in technology have grown rapidly over the past few decades, the curriculums in schools have not veered away from the traditional (limiting) subjects very much. When I was student teaching, my cooperating teachers emphasized to me that they can't do or try a lot of new things because of the issue of time. To me, this means that the pressure of teaching the core subjects (reading, math, and writing) that will be tested is high and they can't waiver too much from their curriculum schedule or else they won't be able to cover all of the material. Everything was about time and how there simply wasn't enough of it. 

Next, I feel like limited resources is also a concern when incorporating multimedia projects in the curriculum. Some schools, like the one I was student teaching in, had to get rid of their computer/technology class because it did not fit in the budget. The amount of laptops or computers that were available were also not enough for every student to use one at all times. They had to be shared and in some cases, you couldn't use them if you needed to because another class had them. Limited resources might not be the case in every classroom, but based on my experience, it is a concern of mine. 

Now, every school district is different - with different administration, priorities and resources so what is my concern now (as only a student teacher with limited experience) might not be a reason for hesitation when I am eventually working in my own classroom. With all of that being said however, given the opportunity I do want to try to understand multimedia language and be able to call myself "truly literate" (Daley 37). I'm a little apprehensive about it myself but if I can achieve that then maybe I'd be more comfortable in encouraging multimedia project development in the classroom. After all, technology is only going to be advancing and at this rate we need to be able to keep up with it and learn how to "read and write the multimedia language of the screen" (Daley 37) in order to be literate educators. 

References

Daley, E. (2003). Expanding the concept of literacy. Educause, 32-40