Katy L on 2009-07-01
Digital literacy should be embraced by all teachers. Finally, Visual Arts has been recognised as an important subject. Thank you to Jason Ohler and Sir Ken Robinson.
This link has been bookmarked by 37 people . It was first bookmarked on 28 Feb 2009, by Christy Tucker.
"Experiment fearlessly." Although experts may claim to understand the pedagogical implications of media, the reality is that media are evolving so quickly that teachers should trust their instincts as they explore what works. We are all learning together.
essential read on orchestrating the media collage, becoming literate
Digital fluency is much more of a perspective than a technical skill set. Teachers who are truly digitally fluent will blend creativity and innovation into lesson plans, assignments, and projects and understand the role that digital tools can play in creating academic expectations that are authentically connected, both locally and globally, to their students' lives.
March 2009 | Volume 66 | Number 6
Literacy 2.0 Pages 8-13
Orchestrating the Media Collage
Jason Ohler
Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
It is no coincidence that the words letter and literacy look alike. When the concept of a literate person arose centuries ago, it referred to those few who were considered educated, precisely because they "knew the letters."1 To this day, the prevailing definition of a literate person is still someone who has the ability to read, write, and understand words.
Yet the word literacy rarely appears by itself anymore. Public narrative embraces a number of specialty literacies, including math literacy, research literacy, and even citizenship literacy, to name a few. Understanding the evolving nature of literacy is important because it enables us to understand the emerging nature of illiteracy as well. After all, regardless of the literacy under consideration, the illiterate get left out.
At the epicenter of the evolving nature of literacy is digital literacy, the term du jour used to describe the skills, expectations, and perspectives involved in living in a technological society. How has digital literacy evolved in the 25 years since digital tools began appearing in classrooms? And how can we make it more responsive to our present needs?
Writing What You Read
Modern literacy has always meant being able to both read and write narrative in the media forms of the day, whatever they may be. Just being able to read is not sufficient.
For centuries, this has meant being able to consume and produce words through reading and writing and, to a lesser extent, listening and speaking. But the world of digital expression has changed all of this in three respects:
* New media demand new literacies. Because of inexpensive, easy-to-use, widely distributed new media tools, being literate now means being able to read and write a number of new media forms, including sound, graphics, and moving
Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
Katy L on 2009-07-01
Digital literacy should be embraced by all teachers. Finally, Visual Arts has been recognised as an important subject. Thank you to Jason Ohler and Sir Ken Robinson.

Concetta Gotlieb on 2009-05-05
It's about communicating and working together. The end goal is building new ways of doing things, innovating, creating awareness.
Orchestrating the Media Collage
Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
Jason Ohler argues that literacy these days demands multiple intelligences, many different media and the ability to create as well as critically absorb. New literacies, media collage and participatory social media are what it's all about these days.
Wow - a great read!
This is an article we used for discussion of 21st century literacy in our CFG
Although some teachers are genuinely excited about the emerging nature of literacy brought about by powerful digital tools, others feel overwhelmed—some to the point where they are prompted to leave the profession. It is my fervent hope that they don't leave. Their students need them.
Teachers don't have to be advanced technicians. Their students tend to be fearless adopters of new technology who have the luxury of time and well-developed informal learning communities to keep up on the latest and greatest happenings in the world of technology. What is important is that teachers become advanced managers of their students' talents, time, and productivity. Teachers need to be able to articulate standards of quality and provide feedback that students can use to meet those standards. They need to be the guide on the side rather than the technician magician.
Now more than ever, students living in the overwhelming and often distracting world of technical possibility need the clear voice of a teacher who can help them develop literacies that will be important to them for a lifetime. Now more than ever, students need teachers who can help them sort through choices, apply technology wisely, and tell their stories clearly and with humanity.
My advice to teachers concerned with digital literacy? Focus on expression first and technology second—and everything will fall into place.
Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
Article from ed leadership regarding literact 2.0
Practical guidelines for teaching/learning "media collage" and digital fluencies. via Christy Tucker.
Both brilliant and practical. Should be required reading. - "the lag time between being able to read media and being able to write in those media is shrinking quickly for the non-elite. Text took many centuries, audiovisual information took roughly one century, and Web narrative took about 15 years. Thus, a new dimension of literacy is now in play-namely, the ability to adapt to new media forms and fit them into the overall media collage quickly and effectively."
Both brilliant and practical. Should be required reading. - "the lag time between being able to read media and being able to write in those media is shrinking quickly for the non-elite. Text took many centuries, audiovisual information took roughly one century, and Web narrative took about 15 years. Thus, a new dimension of literacy is now in play—namely, the ability to adapt to new media forms and fit them into the overall media collage quickly and effectively."
Guidelines for teachers for supporting multimedia and digital literacy
Public Stiky Notes
One great aspect of web 2.0 is how accessible it is. I can create, collaborate and access my Google Documents on any computer with internet access, anywhere, without regard to who made the computer.
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