Another literacy event that I took place in last week was one in which I was trying to teach my students how to analyze blogs on the internet to prepare them for the blogs that they will be creating on their own research of a topic. When the students arrived in class they were greeted by student blogs that were projected onto our big screen. I navigated through a few blogs reading a few, skimming a few and then had kids turn and talk about what they had observed. Like coupons, I wanted students to see that blogs were not something that should be taken at face value; we need to read between the lines. They are digital texts that usually convey a deeper meaning and feeling from the author. Blogs and digital literacy in general are rapidly becoming a huge part of our culture and society. These are the ‘new literacies’ and as an educator I feel that there is an urgent call to more my students in this direction.
There is an important call for citizens to increasing participate in social action in our society. Blogging is a great way in using critical literacy to prepare as well as participate in a social action stance. “…interpret print for purposes that lead to participation in public events where their use of language and materials, and their attention to others’ actions, may be recognized as both competent and innovative.” (Bloome & Encisco, 2007) Blogging counts as literacy in most parts of society, yet oddly enough most schools are not giving value to it yet. Victoria Carrington argues, “…the emergence of computer technology, the Internet, and the unique melding of visual forms, print and audio which has followed, mean that ‘text’ is now different.” (Carrington, 2003) It combines reading with critical thinking by tapping into our social and cultural influences in order to get us to write and respond in meaningful ways.
The responses the blogs invoke from their readers tap directly into our social and cultural influences. For instance when reading and responding to a blog about, say, the plight of black bear being hunted, someone in the New York City area would probably respond differently than someone in a Middle American state where hunting is more culturally and socially accepted. These social and cultural discourses influence our participation in these types of literacies. It is apparent that the culture and social practices we participate in will directly affect the way in which we work with different types of texts, there by grounding the importance of multiple-literacies.
Works Cited
Bloome, D. & Encisco. P. (2007). Looking out across Columbus: What we mean by
“multiple literacies.” Theory into Practice. 45(4), 296-303.
Carrington, V. (2003). ‘I’m in a bad mood. Let’s go shopping’: Interactive dolls,
Consumer culture and a ‘glocalized’ model of literacy. Journal of Early
Childhood Literacy, 3(1), 83-98.
