Evolution of Literacy

The term “literacy” reaches far beyond the ability to decode text in a book about two children named Dick and Jane.  In fact, just as children’s literature has moved past the days of Dick and Jane, so has the definition of literacy.  The definition of literacy is always evolving, much like the dancer in the “Evolution of Dance” in the video below. 

In their 2004 article, Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack gave an example of the evolution of literacy by stating that, “Throughout history, literacy and literacy instruction have changed regularly as a result of changing social contexts and the technologies they often prompt.”  The skills necessary to be literate in today’s society are vastly different than they were when I was growing up in the 1980’s and much of this change revolves around technology.  

What does this mean for me as a kindergarten teacher?  What can I do to prepare my students for a society that is evolving at lightning speed?  In my opinion, the answer lies in building a foundation.  The early childhood years are a prime period to help children build a foundation upon which to construct a solid educational structure.  Just as the foundation includes traditional elements of literacy like phonemic awareness, word recognition, comprehension and vocabulary, it must also evolve to include technological literacy as well.  Laying the foundation for new literacies in my kindergarten classroom must include not only introductions to various technological mediums, but time to explore each medium so that new knowledge can be built.  

While it is easy to discuss the importance of new literacies and their implications on my teaching, successful implementation of new literacies will certainly pose challenges.  Brooks-Young (2010) pointed out that many teachers often make the mistake of simply using technological tools to complete traditional tasks.  To combat that, I must challenge myself to constantly evolve as a teacher so that I can stay up-to-date on new technologies and teaching methods that are available for me to help facilitate new literacies at the highest possible level.

References

Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use: Learning with the web and mobile technologies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Laipply, J. (2006, April 6). Evolution of Dance. Retrieved October 28, 2012 from           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

Leu, D.J., Jr., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., & Cammack, D.W. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies. In R.B. Ruddell, & N. Unrau (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading (5th ed., pp. 1570-1613). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=leu/