Blog #1 : Defining New Literacy



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 basketball are growing worldwide. “The capacity to connect with individuals all over the world creates unique opportunities for learning and sharing information, for which developing digital communication skills is vital.” (Beecher, 2019) Being technologically literate at the current state of education is arguably more important than reading and writing skills, depending on the topic. The ability to send a video to all students to watch on a global platform can send a clearer message than a written document. 

The technology gap can hinder this new era of multimodal literacy. “Learners must have ready access to information and information professionals that provide expertise in print-based and digital-based texts and information sources.” (National Council of Teachers of English, 2022) While the majority of the world comes into the technological age, there are districts and schools who cannot provide the necessary tools and resources to make everyone new age literate. As educators, we need to expand our knowledge of new literacy practices, as well as adapt to each unique challenge. As we approach a new level of literacy expectations, we have to factor that new ways should be integrated not fully reliant. The pace of which all students reach new literacy standards can vary from student to student and district to district.  


References

Beecher, C. (2023, July 19). Chapter 1. what is literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching Early Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/ 

National Council of Teachers of English. (2022, April 19). Definition of literacy in a Digital age. https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/ 

Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies . Journal of Education and Practice, 8(8). 


Comments

  1. Allie CortinoMay 25, 2025 at 7:20 AM

    Hi Sonny,

    Thank you so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on how literacy is changing, especially in the world of physical education. You made such a great point, literacy is not just about reading and writing anymore. In PE, it is about understanding through movement, visuals, and even how we interact with others! I loved how you described PE as a "global language." It is so true, sports/physical movement can bring people together across cultures, even when they do not speak the same language. That kind of connection is such an important part of learning. Your thoughts on technology really stood out too. Using videos or other digital tools can be a game changer for students, especially those who learn better visually. And I really appreciated your reminder that while these tools are valuable, we still need to find a balance and make sure there is no one left behind.

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  2. DerekBowenMay 25, 2025 at 5:55 PM

    It will be interesting to see how you apply the concepts in this class to physical education. I remember my own physical education in high school and we had one "test", it was on the rules of volley ball. And I know some of the physical education teaching in my own school now pretty well because I coach with them, and the only thing they use their digital boards for is as scoreboards.

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