My understanding of the work of an education professional in digital environments has developed immensely throughout this subject. As outlined in the blog post ‘Assessment 1 – Reflective Blog on digital literacy’ (Silver, 2020a) at the start of the subject I believed literacy in digital environments was primarily based on ebooks. I had little idea, other than that, what literacy in digital environments entailed. My knowledge of digital literacy types has grown to include games, hyperlinked texts (Walsh, 2013, p.182), Twitter stories (TEDSalon NY2013, 2013), and transmedia pieces (such as Inanimate Alice).
I have also gained awareness of the importance of reading as a social activity through social media. Whilst sites such as GoodReads and Inside a Dog are difficult to incorporate in primary school (as 13+ is the recommended age for social media sign up) these sites have many ideas and resources that could be incorporated into literacy activities. Using digital tools and publishing online can link curriculum work to interests and create authentic learning experiences via feedback from others (Price-Dennis, Holmes & Smith, 2015, p.201). Students could take advantage of the digital environment to make podcast or book trailers about what they have read and share these digitally with other students, classes in the school, or other schools nationally/globally. By working on their own digital pieces, students learn about purpose, structure, audience requirements, and imagery (Kearney, 2011, p.173). Already many students use digital technology for multimodal communication during their leisure time (Bjorgen, 2010, p.167). When students link their own lives and the use of digital tools, learning becomes meaningful (Peck & Cretelle, 2020, p.75). Students can achieve this by creating and publishing their own works and responding to others.
Prior to this course, I had not thought of multimedia stories giving people a ‘voice’ that can be heard by many (Matthews, 2014, p.28). Students can use this to their advantage to express ideas and feelings that build empathy and understanding (Sukovic, 2014, p.226) for and about others. This is similar to the way transmedia pieces cause a reaction from the audience or convey a message (Malita & Martin, 2010, p.3061).
I have discovered working in digital environments can have opportunities and challenges for students. Integrating the curriculum through multimodal narratives increases student engagement (Hovious, Shinas & Harper, 2020, p.3). Digital features can also improve literacy practices. These features include highlighting text for consideration, virtually shelving books for later reading, bookmarking (Serafini & Youngs, p.402), notetaking, and searching text (Lamb, 2011, p.13). Digital formats can also benefit students who struggle with literacy. For example, audiobooks provide an appealing avenue to access written material for students with reading difficulties (Grover & Hannegan, 2012, p.10). They also model fluency, pronunciation, expression, and comprehension (Hett, 2012, p.6) which increases students reading and literacy levels.
Through assessment two (Silver, 2020b), I became aware that not all digital applications are suitable for students’ educational purposes. As discussed in the blog post Experiencing Digital Literature Assessment 2, Part A – Digital Literature Reviews features need to be assessed for suitability for literacy use.
Digital literacy has moved away from the traditional scanned print books to involved digital pieces such as vlogs which include video plus snippets of social media sites (such as The Autobiography of Jane). These new formats involve new literacy skills beyond traditional literacy skills students must learn. These skills include; searching around the page, comprehending information from a variety of sources (images, music, language used), and using links (icons, sounds, etc) to navigate (Walsh, 2010, p.214). If students do not possess these skills, they may become disorientated or fail to identify fake websites (Lamb, 2011, p.17). Online digital literacy skills are still a problem amongst students as outlined in the blog post ‘Students and digital literacy – are they really literate?’ (Silver, 2020c).
An important part of working in digital environments is copyright. Students need to be aware of legal and ethical obligations of, as Ohler (2013, p.246) terms it UOPS – using other people’s stuff. This can be quite challenging. Knowing how to correctly source, use, and attribute information is increasingly important as the world becomes more digitally participative. Although I had some knowledge of copyright, by creating my own digital storytelling project I have had to hone my skills in finding images that can be used legally. Creative Commons, Wikimedia, Unsplash, and Pixabay have been useful. I have come to appreciate the complexity of copyright around images, learning myself how to attribute images. It was easier to photograph and record my own images, this has also added a sense of ownership to the project.
Overall, throughout the subject, I have increased my understanding of literature in digital environments enormously. I now have a greater knowledge of the types of digital literacy platforms, social aspects of literacy activities and how to assess materials for suitability, and skills students require when dealing with literacy in digital environments.
References
Aref, N. & Hall, A. (2013). The Autobiography of Jayne Eyre. https://theautobiographyofja.wixsite.com/jane-eyre#!transmedia/c218y
Bjørgen, A. M. (2010). Boundary crossing and learning identities – digital storytelling in primary schools. Seminar.Net: Media, Technology & Life-Long Learning, 6(2), 161–178.
Grover,S. & Hannegan, L. (2012). Listening to learn: Audiobooks supporting literacy. American Library Association.
Hallam, G., Thomas, A., & Beach, B. (2018). Creating a connected future through information and digital literacy: Strategic directions at the University of Queensland library. Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association, 67(1), 42–54. https://doi-org./10.1080/24750158.2018.1426365
Hett, K. (2012). Technology-supported literacy in the classroom: Using audiobooks and digital storytelling to enhance literacy instruction. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 40(3), 3–13.
Hovious, A., Shinas. V. & Harper, I. (2020). The compelling nature of transmedia storytelling: Empowering twenty first‑century readers and writers through multimodality. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09437-7
Kearney, M. (2011). A learning design for student-generated digital storytelling. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(2), 169-188.
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
Malita, L., & Martin, C. (2010). Digital Storytelling as web passport to success in the 21st Century. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 3060-3064.
Matthews, J.,R.G.N.B.Sc P.G.Dip. (2014). Voices from the heart: The use of digital storytelling in education: The journal of the health visitors’ association. Community Practitioner, 87(1), 28-30.
Ohler, J. (2016). Digital storytelling in the classroom: New media pathways to literacy, learning and creativity. (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Peck, S., & Cretelle, T. A. (2020). Place-Based Learning and Participatory Literacies: Building Multimodal Narratives for Change. In Mitchell, J. S., & Vaughn, E. N. (Ed.), Participatory literacy practices for P-12 classrooms in the digital age (pp. 74-94). IGI Global. http://doi-org/.10.4018/978-1-7998-0000-2.ch005
Price-Dennis, D., Holmes, K. A., & Smith, E. (2015). Exploring digital literacy practices in an inclusive classroom. Reading Teacher, 69(2), 195–205. https://doi.org./10.1002/trtr.1398
Serafini, F. & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404. www.doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.1141
Silver, T. (2020a, July 27). Assessment 1 – Reflective Blog on digital literacy [blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/learningawaits/2020/07/27/assessment-1-reflective-blog-on-digital-literacy/
Silver, T. (2020b, August 24). Experiencing Digital Literature Assessment 2, Part A – Digital Literature Reviews [blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/learningawaits/category/inf533-digital-literacy/
Silver, T. (2020c, September 13). Students and digital literacy – are they really literate? [blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/learningawaits/category/inf533-digital-literacy/
Sukovic, S. (2014). iTell: Transliteracy and Digital Storytelling. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 45(3), 205-229. https://doi-org./10.1080/00048623.2014.951114
TEDSalon NY2013. (2013). Andrew Fitzgerald – Adventures in Twitter fiction. https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_fitzgerald_adventures_in_twitter_fiction
Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal literacy: what does it mean for classroom practice? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211–239.
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).