Central Issues and Research in New Literacies
This course is designed to provide a context in which pre-service and in-service teachers can explore the research and practice in the rapidly emerging area of the New Literacies of the Internet and other communication technologies (ICTs). This course comprises a theoretical dimension that focuses on literacy as a social practice and a practical dimension that includes hands-on use of a range of new digital technologies and new literacy practices. Attention will be paid to developing effective ways of taking up new literacies in classroom contexts.
Core Objectives:
1. Students will explain in depth, central principles that define the new literacies, broadly conceived, as well as the more specifically focused new literacies of online reading comprehension.
CTTC[1]: 2A, 2D, 2E; ISTE NETS-T[2]: 1A, 1B
2. Students will integrate the new literacies of the Internet and other communication technologies into
classroom reading, writing, and content area instruction in effective ways.
CTTC: 1A, 3D; ISTE NETS-T: 2A, 2B
3. Students will design and develop an exemplary classroom webpage that includes effective integration of the new literacies of online reading comprehension.
CTTC: 3B, 4B; ISTE NETS-T: 5B, 5D
4. Students will evaluate the online reading comprehension skills of K-12 students.
CTTC: 1C, 3C; ISTE NETS-T: 2C, 2D
5. Students will explore, in depth, one aspect of either new literacies or Internet integration into the classroom.
CTTC: 1E, 2C; ISTE NETS-T: 2A, 2B
Required Text(s):
Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007), A New Literacies Sampler. New York: Peter Lang.
Essential Questions:
· What are the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need while successfully reading and constructing online content?
· What pedagogy and instructional strategies are needed to scaffold all students to be able to successfully read and write using online texts?
· What assessment tools can be used or developed to measure these new literacies?
Course Assessments:
1. Attendance & in-class discussions (10%)
Active participation, in this course, is defined as: contributing relevant information to class discussion, demonstrating an understanding and engagement with reading assignments and/or concepts discussed in class, applying reading and other course materials to discussions, and being intellectually present and open throughout each class.
2. Online Discussions & Discussion Director (DD) (15%)
Throughout the course you will be expected to contribute in online discussions, along with the in-class discussions during our face-to-face meetings. Each week the discussions will focus on a selected reading for the week and will ask you to have read and then respond to the selection. You will respond online a minimum of one time before our weekly class meeting and one time after our class meeting. During class, we will save time to discuss face-to-face the selection or discussions that have arisen from the literature. The online discussions will be led each week by one of your peers. You are expected to involve yourself in the discussion. You may respond as often as you like, but the minimum you may respond is once before and once after class. The rubric that will be used to assess your involvement in online discussions will be based on a three-point scale. The rubric will assess whether or not you involve yourself in the discussion, attention to the literature, and depth of the discussion. The rubric can be found on the Google Doc containing the class rubrics. Discussions, both in-class and online are a valuable and necessary piece of the profession. Practice in these environments will prepare you for the situations that will present themselves throughout your future
Each week all members of the class will be expected to contribute to discussions in the virtual classroom on Google+. One week a semester, you will act as a Discussion Director (DD) for that week’s literature. You will be required to have read the week’s literature and write two prompts that address what you believe the pertinent issues of the literature are. You will post these prompts to the online discussion board the day after our face-to-face class session. As individuals read the literature and respond to your prompts, it is your responsibility to lead a discussion of what you believe to be the essential parts of that week’s readings. In the face-to-face class, you will present a quick synopsis (5 minutes) of the week’s readings and what points came up in the discussion. In class, we will then have time to discuss how the literature affects the greater elements of the course and the effect on instruction. The rubric can be found on the Google Doc containing the class rubrics. In discussion environments, at times you will need to lead a group (of peers or students) in discussion. This provides an opportunity to practice the skills and dispositions needed.
3. Online Collaborative Writing Responses (15%)
This assignment will call for you to write collaboratively with your colleagues in class using ICTs such as Wikipedia, Blogger, and Google Docs. You will work on four collaborative writing responses with your peers during the semester. These writing sessions will be conducted in place of the online discussions and DD responsibilities for the week. The rubrics used to assess this assignment are available on the Google Doc containing class rubrics.
4. Online reading comprehension analysis. (15%) You will be evaluated on the basis of your insights about the nature of online reading comprehension. Choose one of the following three options.
a. Create your own online reading assessment and score sheet and evaluate at least one student on several activities that include locating, analysis, synthesis, and communication. Create a rubric in advance and take field notes while the student progresses. Write up your analysis in a 3-5 page paper. Include your data. (Extra Credit for this approach.) OR
b. Conduct an evaluation of the online reading comprehension abilities of two different students, using the online reading assessment available at: http://newliteracies.typepad.com/science_exchange/ and the evaluation rubric, which will be provided. Include your data. Write up your analysis in a 3-5 page paper. OR
c. Conduct an evaluation of the online reading comprehension abilities of three different students, using the videos of their reading and the rubrics that I will provide. Write up your analysis in a 3-5 page paper.
5. Analyze the classroom web sites of the two finest K-12 teachers you can find who use ICTs in exemplary ways for literacy and learning. (15%)
Write a five-page analysis of what makes these locations exemplary instructional models. Be certain to analyze the extent to which new literacy instruction is included at these sites. Post your analysis on the 6YC IT-DML Wiki. You will be evaluated on both the quality of the sites that you locate as well as the insights you communicate in your analysis.
OR
Design a unit to teach online reading comprehension. The unit should revolve around a unit you already or a theme of your choice (Civil War, a novel, poetry, etc) and include one lesson for: questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating. The unit should cumulate in a finally collaborative inquiry project by your students. You may choose any lesson plan format.
6. Design and develop a classroom web page for your class, or a class that you might teach in the future (20%)
If you require a location to host this web page, please let me know by the end of the second week of class. If you already have a classroom web site, you should choose the option below. You will be evaluated on the quality of your final product and well as its utility to support and engage your students in online learning.
OR
Complete a review paper. Explore a central topic in new literacies research and instruction. The paper should review research about some aspect of Internet integration in the classroom and focus the research on instructional recommendations. The paper should be at least 15 pages long, be in APA style, and must be long enough to cover the topic thoroughly. You will be evaluated on the basis of your organization, content, and thoughtful evaluation of the research literature. You will also be evaluated on the implications that you draw for classroom practice.
OR
Create an online tutorial. Choose a free web-based ICT, and develop a how-to guide for educators. The guide must include the procedures to set up and use the technology, instructional routines/curricular ideas, and an example lesson plan. You may choose any media, but the final product must include written instructions (such as screen transitions or print) and also include screencasts or screenshots. These materials must be posted to the 6YC IT-DML Wiki.
[1] CCCT: Connecticut Teacher Technology Competencies 2001
[2] ISTE NETS-T: International Society for Technology in Education, National Educational Technology Standards – Teachers 2008
Resources:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Alvermann, D. (2008). Why bother theorizing adolescents’ online literacies for classroom practice and research? Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.
Bauerlein, M. & Howe, N. (2008). The Millennials: The Dumbest Generation or the Next Great Generation. Video at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/281855-1
Bennet, S., Maton, K., Kervin, L. (2008). The “digital natives” debate: A critical review of the evidence. British Journal of Educational Technology (39)5.
Black, R. (2007). Digital design: English language learners and reader reviews in online fiction. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel. (Eds.). A New Literacies Sampler. Peter Lang. http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/sampler.
Coiro, J., Knobel, M., Lankshear, C., Leu, D. J. (Eds.) (2008). Central issues in new literacies and new literacies research. J. Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.). Handbook of research on new literacies. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ.
Gee, J. P. (2007). Pleasure, learning, video games, and life: The projective stance. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel (Eds.). A New Literacies Sampler. Peter Lang. http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/sampler.
Hamer, J. (2007). Agency and authority in role-playing “texts.” In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel. (Eds.). A New Literacies Sampler. Peter Lang. http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/sampler.
Henry, L.A. (2006). SEARCHing for an answer: The critical role of new literacies while reading on the Internet. The Reading Teacher, 59, 614-627.
Jenkins H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: University Press.
Karchmer, R. A. (2001). The journey ahead: Thirteen teachers report how the Internet influences literacy and literacy instruction in their K–12 classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 36, 442– 467.
Kist, W. (2008). “I gave up myspace for lent”: New teachers ad social networking sites. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.
Lam, Wan Shun Eva. (2000). L2 literacy and the design of the self: A case study of a teenager writing on the internet. TESOL Quarterly, 34(3), 457-482
Lankshear, C & Knobel, M. (2007). Sampling “the new” in new literacies. In C Lankshear & M Knobel. (Eds.). A new literacies sampler. Peter Lang. http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/sampler.
Leu, D. J., Jr., Leu, D. D. & Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet: New literacies for new times (4th ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
Leu, D.J., Jr., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., Cammack, D. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies. [Article reprinted from R.B. Ruddell & N. Unrau (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, Fifth Edition (1568-1611). International Reading Association: Newark, DE.] [Online Serial]. Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/leu
Leu, D. J., Zawilinski, L., Castek, J., Banerjee, M., Housand, B., Liu, Y., and O’Neil. M (2007). What is new about the new literacies of online reading comprehension? In A. Berger, L. Rush, & J. Eakle (Eds.). Secondary school reading and writing: What research reveals for classroom practices. National Council of Teachers of English/National Conference of Research on Language and Literacy: Chicago, IL.
Leu, D. J., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D., Henry, L.A., & Reinking, D. (2008). Research on instruction and assessment in the new literacies of online reading comprehension. In Cathy Collins Block, Sherri Parris, & Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices. New York: Guilford Press.
McVerry, J.G. (2007). Power of Posting Poetry: Teaching New Literacies. Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 23(1), 51-56. (pdf file)
O’Byrne, W. I. (2009). Facilitating Critical Thinking Skills through content creation. A paper presented at the 58th Annual National Reading Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. New
York: Perseus.
Perkel, D. (2006). Copy and paste literacy: Literacy practices in the production of a MySpace profile. Informal learning and digital media.
Steinkuehler, C. & Williams, D. (2006). Where everybody knows your (screen) name: Online games as
third places. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(4), article 1. Retrieved: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/steinkuehler.html
Course listed above is part of the IT&DML program. All materials uploaded by Ian O'Byrne.
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