Gleaning the Tubes…
I am very excited about using new technologies to foster literacy. I found Swenson et al (2006) to be an extremely interesting read, and caught myself nodding along at times as I read. This article addresses some of the complications I have found in working with “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001); these students are so wholly immersed in their digital lives that the antiquated interface of books with paper seems uninteresting and devoid of meaning. Swenson et al point out that students spend the time equivalent of a full time job each week interacting with various forms of media. How can a book, a seemingly static artifice devoid of hyperlinks, actually tell us anything?
All pessimism aside, I have seen fascinating projects utilizing a blend of new and old technologies. I have seen the digital equivalent of the ‘commonplace books’ that Swenson references in her article. I have also seen the adaptation of business technologies to didactic practice, and been enthralled by the power of computers to convey information elegantly.
Some may be surprised to hear me praise the rise of digital texts; at one time I was practically a Luddite, clinging to my battered Smith typewriter or lugging around an old Skywriter to do my correspondence. I actually used carbon paper to make copies of documents I was typing. Now, I know this may date me a bit; I am not actually that old, but I have seen the remarkable spread of communication technology during my adult life, and I find it fascinating. The amount of information available is difficult to fathom. Examining the Leu et al document and its veritable cornucopia of hyperlinks was staggering. The ease with which one goes from information source to information source, from database to library stack to periodical reference boggles my mind. This may be the root difference between gen X and the digital natives of today; they expect nothing less than this synergy of interface and information, and when they have it, they can create amazing things. It is up to the rest of us to try and keep up.
—Ludlow
Leu, D. J., Leu, D. D., & Coiro C. (nd). Teaching with the Internet K—12: New Literacies for New Times. Accessed April 5, 2008 from http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~djleu/fourth.html.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(55), 1-6.
Swenson, J., Young, C. A., McGrail, E., Rozema, R., & Whitin, P. (2006). Extending the conversation: new technologies, new literacies, and English Education. English Education, 38(4), 351-369.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I, too, have a penchant for the “good old days” that were never really that good to begin with. I love the relics of the days gone by, and I cling to them as gentle reminders. My students laugh when I reminisce about my big old dictionary, and they cannot believe that I would carry around a twenty pound typewriter rather than a laptop. But for all their laughter, I think there is also appreciation. After all, it means something to find something you know you like and hold on to it. Everything in the technological age feels replaceable and interchangeable; products now sometimes lack authenticity. I think there will always be value in “old-fashioned” mediums like books and paintings–I certainly hope so. I think there should be a degree of reciprocity between the old and new literacies: just as they have something to learn from us, so we, too, have something we can learn from them. And, as others have pointed out, not every teacher has that Luddite history. Some are pioneering the next wave of technology to keep up the fight to instruct and delight.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Yes, technology is fascinating! I must admit that digital texts can be quite helpful resources in that there are so many links and pointers to other resources within 1 text that make it easy to get to another resource without actually moving and physically searching. Digital resources, when available to students, save time and money. It is generally free to read a text online versus going and buying a book at a store. My students have asked why they can’t have online textbooks instead of lugging around heavy hardbacks each day.
The problem is funding. Students would need laptops to be able to access these digital texts every day in class and at home. Students would need to learn how to take notes while on the computer reading. If parallel readings or separate books for the class were digital texts, then students can’t very well highlight or mark in the margins unless the digital text was able to be altered or copied onto a document that could be marked on.
Also, maybe I am old-fashioned, but I like to actually hold what I’m reading and turn pages rather than stare at a computer screen. I like being able to mark up the text that I’m studying. I like pulling out a small paper-backed copy to read in “in-between” moments. It would take much longer to pull out a laptop and boot it up. I’d rather read a book than listen to an audio book. Then I get to determine the pace and imagine the sounds of the characters’ voices. There’s something to be said for old technology…
April 7th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Hi Ludlow,
You mentioned “It is up to the rest of us to try and keep up.” That’s a pretty daunting task these days.
I wonder if you think Sylvia Martinez’s concept of using students to assist teachers is a viable one?? She speaks about it here (a presentation from a totally free online conference for educators!)
Best,
Lani