Joe's Blog

“What counts as literacy, how literacy changes in response to the new media landscape, and what value we should ascribe to the new forms of communication that continue to emerge and evolve online (Jenkins, 2009)." In today’s world, new media charges forward at an amazingly fast pace and shows no signs of slowing down. One area that definitely sees this change is education. Countless online educational programs are constantly emerging for teachers to choose from, providing students with a new literacy in the classroom. This emergence could be viewed as a help or a hinderance by educators. I personally see this new literacy as a tool to use in my own instruction, but not to replace it. In the Article "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?", Motoko Rich presents the pros and cons of embracing the internet as a component of literacy by sharing the expressions of experts. While some call the web "the "intellectual equivalent of empty calories (Rich, 2008,...

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).  As a teacher who has been in different classrooms over the years, I have seen firsthand how technology has become such an integral tool in shaping literacy for students. From online lesson platforms, which allow students to submit work, to educational games that kids enjoy playing and help them learn curriculum and ideas, digital programs are an engaging and stimulating approach that brings classrooms together. Yet, there is caution to be taken. As brought out by Durant and Green, this recent technological literacy strategy “opens up new possibilities for learning and exchange--and also, of course, new dangers.” (Durant and Green, 2000). One of those dangers is relying...

 I am a native of Rochester NY, born and raised. Currently, I live in Charlotte NY, up by Lake Ontario. I am a 1st grade teacher in the City School District, and I love my job and students. Pursuing the M.Ed. will help me continue my goal to remain a full time teacher. Over the winter break, I was able to go snowboarding, which I have a huge passion for but was not able to do last winter. In addition, I love to sing and play drums. Thank you! 

Glad to be part of this course!