The readings this second week of  class have, I admit, both intrigued and made me feel completely inadequate.  My mind is filled with concepts such as affinity spaces and participatory cultures--- ways of introducing new literacies and enhancing opportunities for students --in the face of such challenges as: participation gaps, cyberbullying, and determining the authenticity or validity of information our students find online... It is enough to make us question how to ensure that we are providing the best learning environments for our students in the wake of constant change.

As stated in Networked Publics: "what has changed are the ways in which people are networked and mobilized with and through media" (Varnelis, K., 2012, p.2).  So the question is not whether we will approach literacies in our learning spaces through the use of digital media, but how.  

As an Educator, I worry that I am not going to possess the proficiency needed to give students the best opportunity for success in a digital age.  You are reading a blog post from a student that achieved her BS writing papers on a word processor (no internet!)  Keyboarding class in High School was done on typewriters...

I panic... and then I relent--- I have spoken before about my commitment to life-long learning. I have already learned so much, and I know that my desire to give each and every one of my student's their best chance at a positive outcome-- will drive my own journey to learning.  It's what I must do for them-- they are the future.  I refer to Serafini: "As multimodal texts become the norm rather than the exception in today's schools, educators need to expand their own knowledge to support students' ability to design, interpret, and use multimodal texts in a variety of settings" (Serafini, 2014, p.18)

That being said, I have also spoken at length about the value I place on networking and professional development through collaboration. This is how we grow, as teachers, and expand our knowledge base.  It is paramount that our educational policy makers and administrators provide quality opportunities for experience and training in multimodal texts and teaching with
proficiency in the digital arena. Personally, I will gladly accept  the guidance of my fellow students and colleagues.  I am grateful for this course, and the opportunities it has afforded me: the chance to learn from others and expand my skills.  "We should...expand our own knowledge base concerning literacy and multimodality if we expect to expand the literate lives of out students" (Serafini,2014, p.18).

Serafini, F. (2014). Reading the Visual. New York, NY: Teacher's College Press.

Varnelis, K.(2012). Networked Publics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
    

Response Quote

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p.9).
This statement could not be more relevant than it is in our time. "Education at all levels faces great challenges in the face of rapid change. Indeed, we are in a period that could be characterized as fruitful turbulence in education as digital technologies create new social, cultural as well as cognitive affordances"(Gillen and Barton, 2010, p.10)  We, as Educators, strive to facilitate learning environments for our students that will prepare them to think critically, problem-solve, seek new information, and apply knowledge to new applications--in short, prepare them for jobs and life situations that may not yet exist.  This requires multiple literacies, including digital and technological literacy. 
I have spent the entirety of my career in the field of Early Childhood Education--mainly preschool and Toddler-aged children.  The use of technology in the classroom, the limitation of screen time, and the value of new media  has long been debated in ECE professional communities, and professional development activities. The lines are almost visible in the sand between proponents and opponents.  I am transitioning into an administrative role in my facility, and will soon be called upon to articulate my policy in this area, and stand on this subject. I am truly embarking on this course of study with intentions of gleaning as much input from others to help me formulate my own position, more fully.    
Already, I have seen how the use of technology can open doors for different learning styles of students.  The access to information is immediate and gratifying--School-agers in our after-school program have a wide-variety of information and reference materials at their fingertips.  This makes finding information on a given topic more rewarding.  The use of blogs and social-media make networking possibilities and story-telling exponentially greater than ever before. "The uses of technology have a two-fold advantage: they can promote the types of literacy traditionally encouraged, as well as the digital fluency needed to prosper in the digital age"(Huffaker, D., 2005, p.93) I have personally found the access to teaching ideas, journal articles, and professional forums has been a huge plus, as well.
The most important part of the opening quotation is that of "careful and sensitive attention" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9) As responsible educators, we must approach every facet of the learning environments we prepare armed with knowledge, information, research, and best-practices.  This includes open-mindedness to new literacies and their potential, as well as the commitment to life-long learning on our part.  "If learning is to be efficacious, then what a child does now as a learner must be connected in  meaningful and motivated ways" (Knobel, M., and Lankshear, C., 2011, p.207)

Gillen, J.&Barton, D. (2010, January). Digital Literacies: A Research Briefing by the Technology Enhanced learning phase of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Economic and Social Research Council.  Retrieved from: http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk
Huffaker, D. (2005). The educated blogger: using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom. AACE Journal, 13(2), p.91-98
Knobel, M. and Lankshear, C. (2011) Literacies: Social, cultural and historical perspectives. New York: Peter Lang

Hello everyone!  My name is Virginia Miller, and I have never blogged before!  This is my 3rd course in the MEd program, and it has certainly been a wonderfully, fulfilling experience.
As I mention in my Forum post, I work at an intergenerational daycare center .  We serve participants ranging in age from 6 weeks old to 104! Activities are both planned as well as spontaneous.  The program is truly mutually beneficial to both age groups, and I am very proud of the innovations we have made in this growing field.
I am looking forward to the interaction with each of you as we go through this course.  It is an area of study that is out of my comfort zone-- so I will accept any and all advice and encouragement from each of you!   I hope to finish this term with a much better grasp of technology, its benefits, and possible concerns with regard to our students.
When I am not studying-- I can be found at one of my 3 jobs: Lake Shore Family Center, teaching piano, or cantoring ( singing) !
I look forward to all of your insights and working with each of you this term!