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Literacy Ecosystems: Literacy 2.0
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Megan Ashley
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Definition and Description One of the core goals of the
various ways in which modern
education system in the United
students read, write, and create
States is to educate children to be
content. For example, when a
literate. That goal, to teach children
student reads from their textbook
how to read and write, is
they may have the option to do so
foundational to how many people,
with an eReader, a tablet, or a
both within and outside of the world
computer, as well as using the print
of education, think about school,
book version. Traditionally, students
learning, and homework. In the last
create using analog tools: physical
twenty years, the realities of life
means such as pen and paper,
beyond school have drastically
typewriters, etcetera. Now, students
changed due to the technological
consistently are able to create using
innovations of the Internet and other
digital tools such as word processor
digital tools. Subsequently, the
programs on a computer, social
definition of what it means for a
media platforms, video cameras,
student to be fully literate has also
blogs, or cell phones. In his article,
changed. The term ‘literacy 2.0� is
Understanding HTML is Critical to
used to describe the new range of
Web Literacy, Especially for Young
literacies that students need to
Creators, Paul Oh discusses the
master in order to be successful.
seemingly endless options that
One way to understand Literacy 2.0 is to consider the
young people have for creation using digital tools. He specifies some
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principal means through which
towards the ability to read, write,
young learners create, or “write”,
create, and share using digital tools
using web 2.0 tools
and web platforms, educators can
•
Words
better prepare young people for the
•
Images
realities of the future using the
•
Videos
technological channels through
•
Audio
which they are already everyday
•
Trans-media stories
active participants.
•
Game narratives
By moving the emphasis away from straight reading and writing and
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Challenges and Opportunities Putting Literacy 2.0 into practice
By teaching Literacy 2.0 to students,
means confronting a number of
educators are able to:
issues, both positive and negative,
•
Motivate children to engage in
for teachers, students, and parents.
the learning process by using
One positive aspect of embracing
the digital mediums that they
Literacy 2.0 in schools and libraries
already use in their free time.
is the ability for educators to connect
•
Enrich the learning process
learning inside the classroom to the
with the breadth and variety
widespread use of digital tools by
that 2.0 tools offer.
young people outside of the
•
Teach children how to
classroom. According to one study,
responsibly use digital tools
9.5 out of every 10 kids in the United
and engage on social media.
States use the Internet (Valenza,
•
Help catch students up who
2012). So, regardless of whether
may be falling behind their
Literacy 2.0 is taught in schools,
peers in 2.0 literacies.
students are undoubtedly using 2.0
While it seems apparent that
tools in their free time. It has also
incorporating Literacy 2.0 into the
been found that, “...information skills
educational process is worthwhile,
acquired through personal and social
there are a number of challenges
activities can benefit learning in the
that must be addressed.
academic context” (Valenza, 2012).
Some of the biggest issues facing the use of Literacy 2.0 in
ASHLEY: LITERACY 2.0 education are centered on access. In
5 Unfortunately, while schools
a perfect world, every student would
and libraries have the opportunity to
have access to everything they need
be centers of access for all students,
to be successful in life; in reality, too
tightening budgets have had
many children in the United States
negative consequences on the
live in poverty and, therefore, are
reality of this situation. Karen
already at a disadvantage when they
Wohlwend describes this issue in her
get to school. According to the
article A is for avatar: Young children
podcast Literacy 2.0: The New
in literacy 2.0 worlds and literacy 1.0
Frontier of Literacy in the Digital Age,
schools when she writes, “Ironically,
the biggest gaps between student
in a time of massive global
literacy rates are often economically
technological innovation in which
based (BAM, 2011). Children from
new literacies are popping up almost
economically disadvantaged families
daily, US schools are clamping down
often do not have a computer or
rather than ramping up.� It is up to
internet access at home, and they
educators, librarians, and parents to
are therefore not fluent in 2.0
voice their support for technological
literacies at the same rate as many
access and innovation in their school
of their peers. In order to create
districts in order for 2.0 literacies to
educational equity, schools and
become the priority and reality for
libraries need to provide access to
their children.
digital technology for all students.
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Impact and Implications Overwhelmingly, the
to learn new skills and become 2.0
implication in schools and libraries
literate themselves before being able
regarding Literacy 2.0 is that
to successfully instruct students
educators need to position
(Wohlwend, 2012). It is in this area
themselves as chief innovators in
that school librarians are uniquely
implementing these new practices.
positioned to collaborate with and
Some educators may be averse to
support teachers in their school.
using new technologies for
Schools and libraries have an
instruction or encouraging students
opportunity, as well as a duty, to
to employ these same technologies.
become centers for technological
Over half of primary school teachers
innovation in their communities by
identify themselves as technology
using 2.0 literacies in order to
novices. Therefore, they would need
educate the next generation.
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A Librarian’s Story One of the best ways to understand
Liz seems to see two types of
a concept is through storytelling.
students in the library during tech
What follows is the experience of Liz
instruction: those who pay no
Beta, a librarian at Smith High
attention and instead surf Facebook
School in Chicago, IL who started
on their phones, and those who are
her job only six months ago:
really struggling to keep up because
Liz Beta has had a rough go
they just don’t get it. She is trying
of it in her first semester at SHS. She
really hard to give equal time to her
started the year with lots of energy:
students, but she ends up feeling like
she had learned so many innovate
a babysitter most of the time. The
things in her Master’s program about
problem is that some students are
school libraries, and she was beyond
bored because they either already
ecstatic to have landed a job. But the
know the skill Liz is teaching, or they
reality of working as a librarian at a
just don’t find it interesting. And on
public school has been fraught with
the other hand, some students don’t
frustrations. She has inherited an out
have a computer or cell phone at
of date collection from the last
home and are really uncomfortable
librarian, and she isn’t seeing eye-to-
trying to learn new technology in
eye with the administration. Worst of
front of their peers.
all, she has had absolutely no luck connecting with any of her students.
Liz’s “a-ha!” moment comes in the form of Mrs. Alvarez, who is trying to revamp one of her history
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units. Liz and Mrs. Alvarez created a
a fairly simple app to use, and Liz
project that asks students to create a
was able to instruct in a very
photo-essay using the app
succinct manner.
Instagram—the previous project
3. Overall, the quality of the
involved papier mache. Liz is able to
projects were higher than in
use some of her library budget to
years past, because students
buy tablets for students who don’t
were able to have fun with the
have a tablet or a cell phone to make
medium.
sure that everyone has access to
4. Students were able to better
Instagram. Liz Beta and Mrs. Alvarez
learn the content from the history
noticed some really interesting things
unit, and by the end of the year,
at the end of this project:
many students had a higher
1. Some students were more
retention of the content than in
engaged in the process of
years past.
creating the project because they
And so, while Liz is nowhere near a
use Instagram every single day
perfect school library, she now has
as a social networking tool.
hope for what she can do with other
2. While some students weren’t familiar with using Instagram, it is
teachers in her school to better reach students.
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Resources BAM Radio Network. (2011, May 21). What’s Really Behind the Literacy Gap? Literacy 2.0: The New Frontier of Literacy in the Digital Age. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/literacy-2.0-newfrontier/id357933877?affId=1415352 Frey, N., Fisher, D. & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Guernsey, L. (2009, December 3). Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age: Session II Literacy 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibYl79NYa5U Oh, P. (2013, March 13). Understanding HTML is Critical to Web Literacy, Especially for Young Creators. The Digital Shift. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2013/03/opinion/be-a-webmaker/ Valenza, J. (2012, February 24). Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2012/02/24/youth-and-digitalmedia-from-credibility-to-information-quality/ Wohlwend, K. E. (2010). A is for avatar: Young children in literacy 2.0 worlds and literacy 1.0 schools. Language Arts, 88(2), 144-152. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/762484205?accountid=14214