Further Reflections on Our November New Literacies Circle

I was thinking about Maria's initial question yesterday -- if we could begin by discussing the epistemological and ontological shifts that have taken place in our theoretical understanding of literacy -- and I'm not sure if we ever really addressed these points. I am wondering if we can come back to the points Lankshear and Knobel share in those opening chapters to see if we agree with their position that even our ontological view of ourselves and our world has shifted because of the metaphors/lens of "bites" versus "atoms?" If so, then this may be a reason to acknowledge the "new" in the new literacies......

I know some of you went to presentation that Jabari Mahiri gave last year on digital literacy instruction and a point he made during his talk was that people -- teens included -- who are actively participating in on-line communities as part of their daily routines (e.g., Second Life) see themselves as having on-line identities that are not only equally "real" as IRL but that this next generation of technology users and consumers are developing and establishing a sense of identify which is much more dynamic/fluid.... Mahiri said a great deal more on this topic (and more coherently than I am trying to restate here) but I think there is a link here between what Mahiri was saying and what Lankshear and Knobel have suggested.

Of course, at this moment, I have neither my Lankshear and Knobel book or my file with my notes from Mahiri's lecture. I will try and gather those soon and take another stab at explaining my point soon. But I didn't want to forget about this in the hectic pace of finals, Thanksgiving, etc.

UPDATE

I have just sent you all an email that will enable you to start new threads of your own on this blog.... Jennie

Multiliteracies

This blog has been created for members of the Language Literacy and Technology Department at Nazareth College. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle the events of our 2009-2010 professional circle on the theme of multiliteracies. While blogs serve as a mechanism for the dissemination of information and for the commenting and dialoguing among users and viewers, it is the hope of this author, that this blog provides us the opportunity not only to dialogue but to first handedly experience one aspect of changing literacy pedagogy in doing so.....

We read and discussed our first article of the academic year: A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures (1996) written by The New London Group. A fascinating read and timely much needed discussion followed as we sat together around a conference table eating Alladins and discussing the following:

• We began by explaining our perceptions on the question of What is Multiliteracy? This led us into a discussion of how we understand multiliteracies from the New London article and how we understand it (as a concept) personally?

• The bulk of our discussion revolved around how multiliteracies fall within each of our programs and within our department.  We discussed ideas for  ways multiliteracies do and could in the future play a part of our programs—through courses, assignments, the development of new courses, a general infusion throughout the programs and department?

• We then began to tackle where we hope to see multiliteracies in our future.  Through the confimration of our book list to come and dates, we all agreed to continuing this rich discussion we had just begun, so as to remain innovative in our programs and in our department by keeping up with ever changing technologies and thereby ever changing pedagogies.

As I think back on today's lunch, I feel excited and invigorated by the dialogue we shared today.... What is going through any of your minds as you think back to our discussion and this great jumping off point
of The New London Group article?