"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives"(Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9)
Wilber (2010) describes today’s world as “a place and space that is constantly changing with the development of new technologies and the current rise of complementary new languages and literacy practices.” As a high school teacher, I witness firsthand how technology influences today’s youth. At times I feel I can relate to my students in the use of current technologies to more efficiently communicate with others. I remember when I was in high school, a teacher would either call home or send a letter home with the student or via mail, when he or she wanted to communicate a message to the parent or guardian of a student. This process was lengthy and at times very inefficient. Today by contrast, social networking and other technological advances such as email and text messages, provide a more efficient and less time consuming form of communication. With changes comes adjustment periods, while our technology changes in the blink of an eye, we must be committed to adapt to such changes in a hasty manner.
Changes in technology affect the way we communicate. Years back it was very common for people to communicate using hand written formal methods. Such method followed an established format and etiquette. Such format and etiquette restricted the use of the hand written methods to only those who knew them. Today we see how format and etiquette have taken a secondary role in our communication. By the reduction of the strictness of format and etiquette we have been able to open the channels of communication to those who don’t know or are not aware of such practices. In the present we see how a 150 character micro blog carries powerful messages across borders, how a text message carries news worth knowing, and how a status on a social network can communicate ones views on a topic. Furthermore, it is not the how we communicate, but the mere fact that we are communicating that now matters the most.
“Children, adolescents, and adults alike may find that stories help in understanding the world around them, and create or sustain relationships and contexts among peers.” (Denning, 2001) Today we no longer need novels by famous and distinguish authors to communicate messages or relay past travesties. Today, many take on social networks and blogs to publish their views of their world, tell their stories, and publish their version of today’s events. At the moment many individuals are choosing to create their own realities, their own worlds, and sharing them with the rest of the world.
I am a passive participant of the changes happening with technology and literacy today. I choose to communicate with friends, relatives, and acquaintances using Facebook. Twitter provides me the opportunity to share current events with those who follow me. A short text message allows my wife to know that I’m safe. Wikipedia provides me all the information I need (with supporting sources). Thus, I chose to be a participant of modern literacy and technology, I understand that these are not the only venues for the furthering of my knowledge. I still resort to newspapers to obtain most of my news, a good novel to read on my free time, and traditional correspondence to share pictures with my love ones. In conclusion, as quickly as everything around us changes, it is important for us to adapt those new technologies to our needs.
I would definitely agree and say that the common thread is continuously evolving. "...change happens so rapidly that the changes to literacy are limited not to technology, but rather our ability to adapt and acquire the new literacies that emerge" (Wilber, 2010, p.1). If we're not able to adapt and change then we limit our effectiveness, our learning, our understanding, our growth. When you mentioned etiquette and format it just made me think about how "texting lingo" is becoming more popular beyond text messages. It's a little frustrating trying to understand what all of it means but it's also necessary, especially as a teacher to at least be able to understand and interpret the meaning when it is a common way of communicating with adolescents today. It almost reminds me of "kid writing" where early primary teachers are trying to understand the word that a kindergartner is trying to say; it may not make sense to us but it makes perfect sense to them. If they are going to be taught to express themselves with meaning, I think that part of that includes making meaning out of what all they already know in addition to adding new more meaningful ways to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe whole issue of “texting lingo” in terms of format and etiquette concerns me, both as an educator and as a citizen. I agree whole heartedly that it opens “the channels of communication to those who don’t know or are not aware of such practices.” My concern is that it can also foster traditional illiteracy. As Alexis stated, it is quite similar to “kid writing,” the writing of an untrained person. So in our efforts to keep the channels of communication open, how do we also keep our standards high? As Levine stated, “writing competencies are capable of initiating change. Writing conveys and records innovation, dissent, and criticism; above all it can give access to political mechanisms and the political process generally, where many of the possibilities for personal and social transformation lie.” (Levine, 1982:262)
ReplyDeleteHow do we ensure that students can translate “texting lingo” into formal English so that they are effective outside of their social network? I don’t allow my sons and daughters (including those that I have informally adopted) to use text slang with me. I set the standard by using formal English when communicating with them. They may have, at some point, used texting slang in our communication, but my responses set the standard, which they soon follow. What do we do as educators to ensure that the upcoming generation is bi-literate?
I too am concerned about the 'slang' element of this new literacy. How do we maintain integrity as academics/educators and appreciate the beauty and complexity of language both written and spoken. How do we keep that sacred and yet embrace the cultural and social developments of semiotics and linguistic exchange?
ReplyDeleteThe new technologies that we have in our hands right now gives us access to unlimited amount of knowledge in one click of a button. It enables us to be in contact with the people who have once been part of our lives, some of whom will be next to impossible to reach, like a grade school teacher or a friend from college. The world is busier than ever, and we are bombarded by information constantly. Thus, there is a need for speed and efficiency, combined with the need to get an emotion across the computer or smartphone screen. Thus, we type LOL or BRB. Or we might text "C u 2moro". The creation of this language is but an effect of what we as human beings born in the age of information technology have to deal with everyday. We may look at it as "language of the uneducated" or as Ms. McKenzie said, "kid writing", but it gets the message across in a fast, effective way, to as many people as possible. Also, a person who has mastery of the English language may feel the need to "belong" socially in the internet/IT world and try to learn this new language. Isn't this how languages develop, through social interaction and exchange?
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