So, I've been given some readings and a few key questions that those readings should help me answer. Here goes....

What are new literacies and why are they important in the K-12 classroom?


As discussed in the article, Expanding the New Literacies Conversation, these literacies involve the "skills, strategies, dispositions, and social practices that are required by new technologies for information and communication." (Leu, 266) These include, in particular, new literacies for online reading comprehension. This is an area that I know my students are lacking in. These skills include the ability to read and digest search engine results. I've seen many students fail to employ this skill and wind up with material that is either ill-suited to their needs or written at a level beyond their ability to access. Another important skill for students in the k-12 classroom is the ability to assess the reliability of information found on the internet. This is key to conducting meaningful research. All of these 'new literacies' are increasingly important to today's students as they, more than any other generation, are facing a shift to a truly global network - both for work and for play.



Does your school or district have a policy about posting student work online? What does the policy state?

We are a pretty small, private facility, but we do have a policy for posting any information regarding students: you must have parent permission. It is that simple - no pictures, no work, no nothing without parent permission.





What is a weblog? How might it be used (to improve/informate) teaching and learning?


Weblogs or blogs are personal websites that allow users/authors to publish instantly to the internet. More importantly, they provide an audience to review what is published, and the chance to edit once feedback has been received. They typically contain information on the individual or on a particular area of the individual's expertise. They are extremely easy to use, and require very little tech knowledge. What I didn't get (until I read the introduction of Will Richardson's text), were the true benefits of a blog's interactive nature. Sure, they can be used for a variety of purposes - posting course assignments, communicating course progress, etc. But, what I found most interesting were the benefits that had to do with communication.


As a special educator, I have many reluctant learners - reluctant to read, reluctant to write, reluctant to participate in class. Taking participation first, those students that are uncomfortable participating during class could take advantage of the blog site to do so. Whether they needed extra time to formulate opinions or simply struggle to express themselves orally, a blogsite can provide a safe place for them to respond to course discussion after taking some more time to contemplate. In this respect, I agree with Richardson's idea that the use of blogs can "support different learning styles." (Richardson, p. 27)

I am also particularly intrigued with the concept of "connective writing." (Richardson, p. 28) This benefit had simply not occurred to me prior to our readings. I love the idea of students using the internet and a blog site to manage each step of the learning process (research, writing, publishing, and revising). Not only does the internet / blogosphere provide an authentic audience to motivate students towards best efforts, but, as Richardson states, "writing stops; blogging continues (Richardson, p.28)." Through the blog, they are given the chance to receive feedback from multiple sources and revisit their ideas based on that feedback. Done right, this could produce a more complete learning experience.



As for the informative benefits, I am a little frightened by the possibilities. In a truly self-centered sense, I love the idea that information can be shared across classrooms and among staff (lead staff to teaching staff in particular). I love the idea of using a blog to keep my TEAM teachers informed and on target for TEAM submission deadlines and my parents aware of extra curricular activities. However, the idea of creating transparency in my classroom is still a little frightening. Yes, I get the double standard I am creating here, but the idea of allowing every parent to have total access to daily classroom curriculum and discussion is a frightening one. Perhaps this suggests that, while I teach democracy, I do not practice it in my classroom. At the moment, I am okay with that. This particular aspect of classroom blogging requires some more thought on my part. I am open to suggestions / discussion for anyone considering the same.