Expectations and Reactions- Week 1

First of all I am so thankful that I took the advice of my brother and pursued my degree in Educational Technology.  After 18 years in the classroom, I needed to make myself more comfortable with all the digital tools because I found myself wanting to use it but not having the literacy necessary to be effective.  I fully expect that with each class I take I will be able to use at least one more digital tool that will help me be more effective in my class.  However, the one issue I am trying to resolve is that I am quickly becoming a "jack of all trades but a master of none".  The good thing is that I am able to experiment with a variety of tools which allows me to find the ones that I want to master once I have completed all the courses.  In some weird way my experiences model the topic of our lecture/readings of Week 1 on defining literacy in the 21st century.

I, like so many of my peers and a number of my students, am overwhelmed by the language of the digital age.  If someone used the word "blog", "widget", "wiki", or ever touched the # symbol on the telephone when I was growing up, you would have mocked them for being ignorant and illiterate!  Wow, how things have changed. Now, I am taking classes online learning how to use blogs, widgets, wikis, and (#ThingsThatAreTrending) I am slowing becoming less ignorant.  Who would have thought?

 I really enjoyed watching the video and seeing how people defined literacy in the 21st century.  I really did not realize how difficult it can be in the modern era.  It has really made me think about what my job is as an educator as I encounter the digital natives on a regular basis.  I recognize the need to use these tools to teach "traditional" literacy skills and I am excited to do so.  Therefore, as I continue to learn more I find myself evolving many of my methods in the classroom.  I have always been one who is not afraid to try new things with my high school students and they seem to appreciate the willingness to do some things a little differently.  I am looking forward to learning how to use digital tools to further enhance my students' literacy.  I think I understand my job better now that I have some knowledge of 2.0 literacy compared to 1.0 literacy.  As a high school teacher, I find that I must become proficient in the skills first so that I can then model 21st century literacy to my students.  However, as I take more and more of these classes I keep wondering why textbooks are necessary.  Please understand that I am not trying to be cynical, but with each class I take I am learning so many ways to communicate information and engage my students that a textbook now seems so limiting.  I know that may sound like a negative attitude, but it is a sincere question.  If I were to teach literacy 2.0 with textbooks, I think I would be missing my target audience.  I do understand the need for supplemental resources, and I want to reiterate that I am not complaining, but in the digital world of literacy textbooks seem to represent the ancient scrolls of Alexandria.  It makes for a great museum piece, but provides little value to a digital native or an online course.  I really think part of why this question exists in my mind is that I have seen how my students look at my textbooks when I issue them at the beginning of the year and they kind of smirk at my antiquated practice.  They know they will never take it home, and many never even bring it to class.  When I teach my history lessons very seldom do I use the book other than a guideline, and often times I prefer the unlimited websites I have at my disposal as I provide slides, notes, and discussion points. Anyway, I was just wondering as I was reflecting on this week's lesson. Maybe I should just save that debate for a different post! No worries!!  See everyone online...
Brian