Originally Published as part of Exploring the Digital Turn
Kathy Mills suggests that educators practicing in the ‘digital turn’ (Mills, 2016, p. 1) have the opportunity to embrace and communicate a broader understanding of literacy than that typically defined by formal educational institutions. Mills (2016) identifies historical and present hegemonies resulting from cultural prioritization of alphabetic text, and describes means through which multiple modes of communication made available by digital and Web 2.0 resources facilitate understanding and communication requiring sensory literacies. She identifies technological knowledge as imperative in today’s knowledge society, identifies gaps in standardized test driven curricula regarding the classroom integration of digital technology, and describes a pedagogical technique through which digital resources might be explored. While I agree with Mills regarding the value of classroom integration of digital technology, and I am fascinated by theories describing non-alphabetic literacy, I believe her suggested reasons for the inclusion of digital technology in the classroom may be too narrow. The rich history of educational/instructional technology tells a story of other eras in which the latest technology was thought to be the educational golden ticket. The narrative is littered with stories of technological innovations which failed to live up to pedagogical hype, such as public television and computer-based instruction (Reiser, 2001). The conclusion on the part of those studying these technological innovations is that they are most effective when intentionally partnered with effective instructional design to serve an educational process. Experts in the field of educational technology recommend that the process lead the way, and that digital technology be incorporated when its use will amplify the educational experience. The tech in and of itself is not the thing. In Season 4 Episode 7 of the television show Brooklyn 99, crazy detective Adrian Pimento places a bet using money lent him by the distinguished Captain Holt. In frustration, Captain Holt insists he and Detective Pimento pay a visit to Pimento’s bookie. The bookie, it turns out, is a college freshman, and cannot get the money back because the bet was placed online. Captain Holt is surprised betting can be done online, and the freshman explains that he keeps telling PImento bookies are no longer needed, he can get online and place bets himself. Pimento is agitated, and responds, “I don’t mess with computers, okay? Ever since I died of dysentry on the Oregon Trail I was like no, thank you, I’m done with this.” This exchange captures so much that is wonderful and challenging about educating students in the digital turn. Digital resources open up to those to whom they are available a world of resources, and I am looking forward to discovering more about how they might be intentionally incorporated to advantage our understanding of sensory literacy. But people are most likely to take advantage of those resources when they identify a need or process which they will enhance. Pimento liked having a bookie, his digital death on the Oregon Trail was obviously traumatic enough that he avoids engagement with digital resources just because they are there. The impact of his digital death speaks to the strength of the multimodal digital Oregon Trail experience, and illustrates the potential classroom benefit found in the process-driven inclusion of digital resources. I am looking forward to learning more about sensory literacies and how they might inform the effective partnership of instructional design and educational technologies. ~Kathy Essmiller Mills, K. A. (2015). Literacy theories for the digital age: Social, critical, multimodal, spatial, material and sensory lenses. Multilingual Matters. Reiser, R. A. (2001). A history of instructional design and technology: Part I: A history of instructional media. Educational technology research and development, 49(1), 53
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One of my professors invited us to create a Wordle (Wordle.com) at the beginning of the semester explaining our understanding at that point of the topics we would be investigating. The Wordle I created may be found above. At the conclusion of the course, we were invited again to create a Wordle, drawing this time upon the learning we had experienced throughout the course. This simple exercise created digital artifacts which could then be included in a digital portfolio to document our learning, helping us know what we know.
Student (or classroom) maintenance of a multi-media digital portfolio contributes to meaningful learning by providing an audience for student work. Understanding the presence of an audience creates authentic, real-life experiences which contribute to meaningful learning. Portfolios may be formal (such as those used for summative assessment and job searches) or informal. I maintain an informal class portfolio for my elementary music class. Together, we create, and I am able to publish their work on the class website. They are able to view, celebrate, and share their work. Together we are able to know what we know. |
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