Techno-Free Zone

I really enjoyed presenting today at the Indy conference. What was interesting to me in the session and afterward at lunch was that so many of the comments related to a couple of ideas that I did that involved no technology. And I was glad to meet an art teacher from Indianapolis who was in my session who talked about how the arts are often neglected at new literacies conferences, perhaps ones that come at this more from a technological determinist standpoint. (Some of my presentation focused on the arts.) As one woman at my table said, "You could spend a half day session learning about some new toy, and by the time you walk out the door, it's outdated!" What will never be outdated is the kind of energy I felt from teachers I met today who are beyond ready to "do" English (and other subjects) in a completely new way. How can these kinds of teachers be best supported? Yes, they can use help in getting hardware they need, but what can we who are more on the sidelines of the K-12 classroom do to help them with the more fundamental process of revolutionizing the way we do school?

Memorabilia

I’m continuing to meet teachers from across the U.S. at NCTE’s Institute for 21st Century Literacies in beautiful downtown Indianapolis. Something that struck me today is the guilt factor surrounding new literacies. Of course, there has always been guilt around reading and writing. Kids in primary grades are already status conscious about their reading. I was deep into my 20s before I realized that it is OK to abandon a book. I was forcing myself to finish any book I started, and my reading life really suffered for it.

There is no doubt that teachers are continuing to struggle with the technical aspects of all this. But I was struck today by another trend: the teachers who are guilt stricken, and are really agonizing about this. Some express that they are going to have to give up something when they start a blogging project or a wiki. Whether it’s an analytic essay assignment or a Lord of the Flies simulation, there is the feeling among some teachers that something is going to have to go when they add these new forms of communicating. Although I’m feeling an intense hunger from teachers for new ideas this week, I’m also getting the feeling that the new media are threatening the proverbial baby’s being thrown out with the bath water, which was an idiom I heard used today. It made me wonder what things should endure. It’s like the teachers are mourning a former relationship as they begin to enter a new one, and feeling guilty about keeping any mementos from a former love.

Day One Indy

I’m writing this from Indianapolis, where I’m taking part in NCTE’s Institute for 21st Century Literacies. Around 275 educators are here to think about, learn about, and talk about 21st Century Literacies. In preparation for the Institute, we surveyed participants, and there was some interesting data that came out of it. Of the participants who responded to the survey (over half), 52 percent are classroom teachers. Almost two thirds of respondents are over 40 years of age. (Interesting statistic that I’ll comment on in another post.) Regarding the uses of Web 2.0 tools in their classrooms, 44 percent (the largest category) said they had thought about using Web 2.0 tools, but haven’t yet. When asked about barriers, the largest group (48 percent) said that it is “sufficient time to learn, practice, and plan.” The runner-up reason was “inadequate knowledge” (26 percent.) I’m looking forward to meeting many of these teachers over the next few days.

Hefalumps but no Woozles?

Here is a sad video fable about new literacies I found. It doesn't seem to have much of an ending, but maybe that's the point?

New Literacies in a One-Room Schoolhouse

Thanks for all the ideas for “New Literacies in 120 Seconds.” If you click on this link, you’ll see the result, which I’m afraid is rather a talking head video, but has the interesting twist of being shot in a one-room schoolhouse. It serves the purpose of introducing one of the strands of the upcoming NCTE Pathways project devoted to 21st century literacies. It really whetted my interest and enthusiasm for shooting a full-length documentary on this topic.