Ann writes

New literacy/Old literacy

In my last post on alleged generational differences, I concluded by saying we as educators should pay less attention to generations and more attention to both traditional and digital literacy. A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education resonated with me, and seems to reinforce this approach. We can not turn back the clock on technology, nor should we. We as educators can make use of new media, but also to be sure that is it grounded in literacy. The author, Thomas Benton,  makes some basic points that I have paraphrased below:

• Expecting high quality evidence and examples with correct citations.
• Teaching academic honesty and enforcing the rules fairly and rigorously.
• Teaching students how to evaluate the credibility of sources. For example, why Wikipedia, though useful, is a starting point, not a definitive resource.
• Grading writing carefully, giving attention to the details of grammar and punctuation and logic.
• Emphasizing writing as a painstaking  process that involves revision and re-evaluation
• Emphasizing reading as an equally painstaking process, being able to appraise and critique.

The technology may change but the underlying intellect, the logic and literacy, stays the same and never goes out of style. (Although based on some of the rhetoric in a presidential election year, one would think the politicians and pundits believe this has already happened….). So, back to school, back to basics—I am reviewing my classes and asking myself: Why am I choosing a particular tool? What objective do I wish to accomplish? What outcomes will I measure? Is it sustainable?

Tags: literacy, technology