Do new formats and delivery modes or multi-modal resources require users to have different literacy skills to make meaning or is this just an extension of the traditional literacy definition?

What a question, and one that has really got me thinking about the different forms of literacy I offer in my classroom and what skills are needed for students to engage effectively in these literacies.

I do think that multi-modal literacies and digital literacies particularly in the form of visual literacy use very different skills to read and respond to a standard text form of literacy. Learners need to be able to interpret message presented in different ways. We can defiantly begin to expose them to these skills and some of the digital literacy features through more traditional literacy such as texts without words but this isn’t always the same. When watching a clip you also need to consider the speed you are watching. Think about it. If you have a text without words you are spending time looking at all the pictures, analysing key features and thinking about the story line. By engaging with a similar text but in film for you can watch it many times but that initial viewing you can’t spend the same quality time analysing every detail as the story progresses, hence need vastly different skills to engage with and understand the text/literacy.

Literacy is going to be an ever changing aspect in our new digital worlds and as with many things in life their definition and meaning will also be continually adapting.