New Media & New Literacies

          Digital literacy goes further than simply using an application or source. In “More than Bits and Bytes” by Aguilera (2017) he states that we must evaluate what is on the screen, what’s behind the screen and what is beyond the screen. Simple engagement and the mechanics behind each piece of technology are only surface level literacies. Learning what is beyond the screen is how we take digital literacy to the next step. “By helping students deepen understandings of the world beyond the screen, we can empower students to participate in broader debates that might shape the future of digital technology in an open democracy” (Aguilera, 2017). The purpose of understanding what is beyond the screen avoids the tendency to have technology lead instruction.  In physical education, a perfect example of combining analog and digital literacies to reach a more complex goal is having students create a new game. The project has leadership roles, student-led...

Challenges Ahead      Technology and the new literacy practices are great, if you know how to effectively use them to get your curriculum thru to students. Sticking a laptop in front of a student and expecting them to engage in learning is the same thing as throwing a book in front of them and telling them to read. The content is relevant but useless if the teaching strategy is outdated. Garcia (2018) states that “digital tools are secondary to the teacher’s literacy and learning goals”. As the technological world evolves, we must adapt with it. Our biggest challenge as educators is finding the balance between integrating new methods with our old. We almost have to become students with new literacies and media practices.  My attitudes and beliefs as a teacher have always been to prepare students for the next phase of life. “Classroom technology uses should more clearly mirror the kinds of work environments that we expect students to eventually encounter” (Garcia, 2...

Defining New Literacy Literacy is often loosely defined as being able to read a book or write a paper. As the world evolves, we must evolve our definition of what literacy means. “New Literacies and Multiliteracies both suggest that literacy practices are no longer restricted to reading and writing printed and written texts in one official and standard form but include multiple modes of representation in diverse cultural contexts and in various languages…” (Sang, 2017) In physical education, being literate means to understand the activities going on and being able to socialize in a different setting than the traditional academic classroom. Physical education is dealt a mixed group of abilities, languages and cultures. So, being able to portray our lessons and foster an environment that embraces diversity relies much more on the technological advances, visual aids and non-verbal communication. Physical education is also a global language. Many activities like baseball, soccer and ba...