Response "Expanding the New Literacies Conversation"

The “Expanding the New Literacies Conversation" states that the “most profound influence on life in the 21st century may turn out to be the Internet” (Leu, et al).  I couldn’t agree with this statement more.  We are all digital citizens and our lives are surrounded by the Internet not just on our computers or at work but also our phones, TVs, and cars.    The article goes on to say that the research community is beginning to see that Internet is not technology but a context to read, write, and communicate (Leu, et al).  We as educators need to figure out what do we do now?  First we need to understand that New Literacies is the bigger digital picture and new literacies are the smaller pieces that are used to see the bigger digital picture.  Once we do that we need to understand that digital literacy has grown to include a variety of options including Social Networking (Facebook, MySpace), wikis, and blogs to name a few.  Second our job as teachers is how to best prepare students to navigate these digital resources.  We also need to realize that these resources affect our teaching as well as the students learning.  Teachers need to be willing to expand their our knowledge and skills to effectively integrate these new digital literacies their classrooms.  As with anything new teachers need to be willing to expand their knowledge and skills, then they will be able to authentically and effectively integrate these new and digital literacies into their classroom.

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