Power of Literacy

In anticipation of the closing of my parents’ house next week, I have been busy the last few weeks helping my parents pack up their belongings, donate unneeded items, selling furniture on Craig’s List, and cleaning out their crawl space and garage.    As I am looking through old boxes, I have come across many books that I have fond memories of reading or hearing as a child and teenager in school and at home.  These books were part of my literacy journey and instilled in me the quest for life long learning, stirred my imagination, had me think beyond the text, and developed my passion for reading.  As a child that did not know a word of English in Kindergarten and just recently arrived in Canada, learning to read has opened up many great opportunities for me.

Books in the garage

Thus, one of the main takeaways from Phase 2 is the importance of literacy for learning, growing, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and empowerment.  It is so important to “foster reading cultures in schools”  as being literate helps in all aspects of school and life.  But being literate in the 21^st century has vastly changed with the advancement of technology.    Literacy in the 21^st century doesn’t just involve reading printed materials or writing but also involves digital literacy.   Students and teachers are using multiiliteracies and multimodal ways of learning in our connected global world for deeper understanding and ethical responsibility.  The following articles discusses 21st century literacy:

Alber, Rebecca.  (2013).  Deeper Learning:  Defining Twenty-First Century Literacy.  Edutopia.  Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/twenty-first-century-literacy-deeper-learning-rebecca-alber

National Council of Teachers of English.  21st Century Literacies.  Reading Rockets.  Retrieved November 3, 2017 from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/21st-century-literacies

Literacy is changing.  So just like the students, teachers also need to keep learning and incorporating 21^st century learning in our pedagogy as well as developing our ICT skills so that we can meet the needs of all students.   Going back to university has been really beneficial and opened my eyes to more possibilities for learning for myself and the students.  Workshops and conferences are great ways to keep learning, be current, and share ideas.   I also think that Twitter, Blogs, Instagram, and TL Facebook groups are good ways to see what other teachers are doing in the LC and recommending as resources for literacy, learning and inquiry.  

I think that it is pretty exciting for teachers that we can make learning more engaging and build more connections by integrating technology that helps all learning needs and inquiry.  LC is a great spark for innovation and inquiry built on a foundation of literacy.  For example, when I was in high school, we learned Shakespeare by reading the books, watching the plays, memorizing the lines, and using Cliff notes.  But now, information on Shakespeare and his books can be readily found.  There are graphic novels, YouTube Videos, Podcasts, Google Earth, online notes, images, online dictionaries, Smartboards for photos, and apps such as "Shakespeare's Globe 360 - Virtual Tour app" which is demonstrated at the following Youtube video and can found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brstzAVO78I:

The students can share their learning through group collaborations, drama, digital storytelling, blogs, iMovie, Google slides...  There are many articles on using digital media and Shakespeare such as the following:

Herold, Benjamin.  (2016).  Teaching Shakespeare with 21st-Century Technology.  Education Week.  Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/11/09/teaching-shakespeare-with-21st-century-technology.html

Vickers, Hannah.  (2017).  Shakespeare Week 2017 goes Digital.  Education Technology.  Retrieved from http://edtechnology.co.uk/Article/shakespeare-week-2017-goes-digital

I could also try to build connections with my students by easily sharing personal photos on a Smart Board related to Shakespeare of our travels to London and Verona to ignite more inquiry reading and learning.   Here are some photos that might increase their curiosity and perhaps they can share their own experience.:

The Rose Theatre 
- one of the theatres for Shakespeare's plays

The Globe Theatre
-also had Shakespeare's play

The following  photos in Verona that are related to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet play.  The photos help increase dialogue and discussions. The first photo is us adding to the gum wall at Juliet's house.  The next two photos are  a  statue of Juliet and Juliet's balcony.




I also think that it is important to have a global view of the world and help however we can.  Students need to be mindful of how something as small as a smartphone, can be a large impetus for  literacy development and a better life for someone in poverty or in other difficult situations. Smartphones and tablets allow access to library resources and educational apps which help develop literacy and provides empowerment.  It might also be a catalyst for some students to see and increase the value of their own literacy when helping others.