Assessment 1 – Online Reflection Task
These colourful bricks were known as the iMac G3; and first appeared in my school when I was in Grade 6 (2003), upon the launch of its computer lab. Before their introduction, each classroom housed a single computer, a combinational cassette/CD player, and a television linked to a VCR. Little did I know that the iMac G3 was one of many technological advances that would pave the way for the digital boom we know today.
Since the early 2000s, I have watched (and interacted) as technology has continued to develop rapidly; birthing social networking platforms, blogs, wikis, folksonomies, video sharing sites, streaming services, apps, and online trades and services – of which, I now use combinations of daily. Simultaneously, the digital devices we consumed through became more compact, portable, and continuously linked. My first mobile device, a Motorola C201 limited to standard calls, SMS and classic Snake, is now obsolete. Long since replaced by my iPhone 11 and its predecessors, I can now make unlimited calls and SMS’s, take photos, use the internet, write notes, play multiple games, read books, scroll social platforms, and even use my digital wallet – all through one device.
No longer limited to traditional forms, consumers are now actively embedded as creators, contributors, collaborators, critics, and producers through digital technologies and are part of a larger digital narrative (Walsh, 2013, p.p. 182). With my current knowledge, I can surmise that digital literacies are deictic, interactive, collaborative, social, and involve specific navigational skills and understandings unseen within traditional forms (Walsh, 2013, p.p. 182; Leu et al., 2011; Leu et al., 2015).
After reading through Module 1.2, I have begun to reflect upon digital literacies from a personal and educational perspective. Before undertaking my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship), I explored digital literacies as a creator when completing a unit on Digital Voices as part of my Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing. These studies unlocked the power of digital literacies as a creator, deepening my creative skills and comprehensive understanding of digital works. During this course, I enjoyed working with online writing applications such as Telescopictext, Twine, Article ReWriter, and Twitter. I explored online forms such as multimedia, e-books, fan fiction, and Twitter poetics. Some of the more memorable digital literacies I’ve shared below.
Digital literacies are identifiable by their combinations of graphics, illustrations, hyperlinks, videos, conversational components, dialogue, ‘hot spots’, embedded games, interactivity, sounds, music, movement, language, and creative or collaborative opportunities (James & De Kock, 2013; Yokoda & Teale, 2014; Walsh, 2013). Through my creative writing unit and Module 1.2, I have begun to re-evaluate how i can best implement digital literacy within a classroom. But where to start? It is suggested that when utilised for educational purposes, digital literacies undergo rigorous and systematic analysis to determine their suitability, relevance, reliability, and accessibility – ultimately using the digital features to deepen learning and support and engage learners in ways that traditional forms cannot (Leu et al., 2011; Leu et al., 2015; Lamb, 2011; Yokota &Teale, 2014; McGeehan et al., 2018).
I also noted that when digital devices, such as the iMac G3, entered my own schooling experience, my teachers were also learning alongside us how to navigate and understand the digital world. In my personal experience, too many educators still lack these necessary skills and experiences to implement digital literacies successfully. McGeehan et al. (2018) state that digital tools and literacies are “more reliable” when taught by certified or experienced educators (p.p. 62). Therefore, the implementation of digital literacies is something I aspire to do better at as a TL, and I hope that through completing INF533, this will be achievable.
Word count – 553/500 +/- 10% (excluding in-text referencing and reference list)
Reference List
- Henley, J. (2013) “Firestorm”, The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/may/26/firestorm-bushfire-dunalley-holmes-family
- James, R. & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg goliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2013.783394
- Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67371172&site=ehost-live
- Le, N & Huynh, M. (2008). “The Boat”, SBS. Retrieved from: https://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/
- Leu, D. J., McVerry, J. G., O’Bryne, W. I., Kiili, C., Zawilinski, L., Everett-Cacopardo, H., Kennedy, C., & Forzani, E. (2011). The new literacies of online reading comprehension: Expanding the literacy and learning curriculum. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(1), 5-14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228409747_The_New_Literacies_of_Online_Reading_Comprehension_Expanding_the_Literacy_and_Learning_Curriculum
- Leu, D. J., Forzani, E., Timbrell, N., & Maykel, C. (2015). Seeing the forest, not the trees: Essential technologies for literacy in the primary-grade and upper elementrary-grade classroom. Reading Teacher, 69(2), 139-145. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1406
- McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in TeacherEducation, 34(2), 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488
- Paglia, N. (2010). “The Most Northern Place: A Story of Thule, Greenland”, Unit 9, adapted by Bregman, A. Retrieved from: https://www.themostnorthernplace.com
- Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).
- Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262
An insightful reflection, Michaela, which does a great job of showing your current knowledge, context and thoughts through you personal journey in the space. I would caution you against over-referencing – it’s generally true in most tasks, but particularly so in a reflective post like this. While I understand the ideas may be reflected across different readings, it’s unlikely you really need to identify all the points of that. It’s encouraged to include page / para numbers for all in-text citations, even when paraphrasing (and be sure to use the correct style, eg: p. 123 – note, it’s a single p. for a single page, or use pp. for multiple pages).
Great to see you making the most of the blog environment with tags, categories, hyperlinks and embedded media. Make sure you caption any embedded images/video, as well as include a reference, and there are a few things you’ve hyperlinked that should probably be referenced in-text, too. As a side note, The Most Northern Place reference isn’t correct – as a start, there are two authors given (Paglia & Bregman), no quote marks around the title are required, and much of the detail you’ve included is extraneous to the reference.
Over 600 words by my count – I’m afraid in-text references do count as part of your word limit.
Don’t use dot points in your reference list – it’s not an issue that you can’t do the style indent for this in your blog 🙂
Various other issues with formatting – please make sure you are using CSU’s APA 7th referencing tools to avoid errors (eg: we don’t use “” around titles).
Cheers
Tehani