Blog Entry #1 - The "New" Literacies

Resource: https://www.latch-on.net/literacy-elements/

    When I reflect on the term new literacies, I consider how technology has impacted each of the other elements listed in the image above. I also think about how easily they are interconnected and interrelated to one another thanks to advancements in technology. Instead of talking face-to-face, we now text and send emails. Instead of writing using pencil and paper, we now type and publish digital sheets. Instead of reading a paperback copy of a book, we now read it digitally on our Kindle or iPad. While these are just a few basic ideas, I believe you can see my point. Together, all these literacy elements need to be taught in classrooms in order to support learners in becoming college and career ready for the 21st century. I also believe all of them are critical components in ELA instruction beginning in kindergarten.

    As a reading interventionist (K-4), I feel confident in teaching the new literacies but am constantly willing to learn new ways to appropriately incorporate and balance them in my small group instruction in order to meet the needs of my struggling students, especially regarding technology. Throughout the last few years, I have tried using a variety of digital tools to support my teaching such as using digital books (Epic and Raz-Kids), games (Flippity and Teach Your Monster), and assessments (i-Ready and IXL). While the majority of these have been great, I'm always on the lookout for something newer and better. A recent discovery I have made is an online phonics and comprehension program called Lalilo. Programs like this are great for individualizing instruction for each of my students throughout the large age range I service and typically are more engaging and fun for students. 

    One main obstacle I see when teaching new literacies in my classroom is actually having the technology to use; basically it comes down to money. Before COVID, I was given six Chromebooks to be able to use in my classroom. Post-COVID, they were taken from my room to help students become 1:1 in their home classrooms. In my classroom, I currently only have my main computer. I recently made a request with my school's PTA to determine if I can get support funds in purchasing some devices to be able to use again. In the meantime, if I want to use technology with my students during small group time, I have to sign up and use our school's computer lab or have teachers let me borrow a few Chromebooks they are not using at the time. This can lead to frustration and sometimes discourages me from wanting to incorporate technology altogether.

    Another obstacle is staying on top of new technology trends. I would love to get professional developments throughout the school year on new websites and general technology education that can be incorporated into my classroom. Troubleshooting technology seems to be an area of struggle for me since I don't often have enough knowledge on how to go about fixing everything. I try to Google answers, but often rely on my building's Media Specialist to support me and I would like to move away from that and begin fixing things independently. Technology trends are always coming and going, especially since COVID and digital learning began taking place, and as a teacher, I believe it's important to stay on top of the newest, latest, and greatest. If I were to get P.D. opportunities from my district, I could learn how to, for example, build better spreadsheets using an app to organize and data track to be more efficient. I know there has to be something better than Google spreadsheets or Excel that is little to no cost, but I need someone to teach me.

    A final obstacle is time constraints. Since I see my students on average for only 20 minutes a day, I have to make sure that my students are getting the most effective support they can receive. I also want to make sure that if I'm using technology, that I'm consistent with it. Therefore, I carefully consider when I choose to walk down to use our computer lab after picking all my students up in different classrooms since the time can add up quickly. I also have to consider time with simple tasks; opening a hard copy of a book takes a lot less time than logging into a Chromebook, going to Epic, signing in to Epic, finding the book, and then reading it. On the other hand, it takes me three whole minutes in the morning to login to my Google slides for our virtual blending drill then it does taking out all my letter cards, making sure they are their correct spots, and setting up the deck after each reading group. Therefore, if there isn't enough time to complete an assignment or activity using technology, then I may choose to opt technology out, but if technology helps save time, then I'll use it.