Reed,+Robert+Isaac-Closing+Reflection

I am defining new literacies as a change to the old way of doing things. New literacies are the skills my students need in order to be successful in the real world. In the past, reading and writing and arithmetic were all one needed to get by. Now students need to be technologically savvy as well. They still need the reading, writing, and arithmetic; but they need it delivered to them in a more advanced and evolved way. In order to keep my students on track, I am going to have to reach them where they are, whether it is on the ipad, iphone, internet, etc. New literacies is the ability to gain the information that one needs, and to do so in ways that are innovative and dynamic. Being able to find the answer is one thing, but being able to create something new is another. Think global, act local, 21st century skills, digital literacy, ...
 * 1. Now that you’ve had this #|professional development experience, how are you defining “new literacies?” How do you think your definition has changed or evolved this week?**

This week I was reminded of some tools and technologies that I had heard about previously. Glogster, prezi, Google docs, core math tools, animoto, xtranormal, voki, and the list goes on. I have heard of many of these tools before, and then just shrugged them off and continued to do what I always had done. However, this week allowed me to see that many of these tools are valuable to me as an educator. In the past, I was afraid to use them because I figured they would be more of a time waster. I am now beginning to see that they can definitely contribute to the learning experience, and that even though some of them may be a little simple, they can help the student become more engaged and the lessons more dynamic. I will definitely try to incorporate some of these tools into the classroom, because the least they can do is give my students a break from the same old routine and inject some energy into the classroom by engaging the students. Hopefully, I will find a way to write some lessons that will allow me to use these tools in a meaningful manner.
 * 2. Describe some new literacies that you learned about this week? What did you know about these topics before the week began and how has your experience this week contributed to your understanding of these new literacies?**

Technology is what allows us to advance and evolve as societies and as learners. There is so much more out there than any textbook can hold. Technology allows us to go beyond the walls of a classroom and allow our students to gain insight and knowledge that they never before had access to. These technologies allow our students to gain real world skills and real world abilities. They become digitally literate and globally competitive. As the students gain more skills, they can further develop technologies which in turn create a more advanced student who can continue the cycle of enhancing the technology even further.
 * 3. In what ways are the new literacies prompted by technology? How do they affect one another?**

Content doesn't seem to change much over time. However, content delivery needs to evolve and become more dynamic. Students need more than just basic skills and abilities. As a math teacher, I need to push my students to go beyond memorizing a formula and drilling a few math problems. The goal of the course goes deeper than passing a test. My students need to be able to apply the mathematics. They need to be able to create and synthesize. My students need to be able to solve a problem effectively and explore new ways of approaching it. My students need to know that the answers lie beyond the scope of the textbook, and it is up to me to show them where they need to go in order to gain the problem solving skills that they need.
 * 4. How do new literacies affect the way we think about academic]] content? Describe an examples of how some specific academic content is affected by changes in the ways we reading write and thinking (i.e. new literacies).**

New literacies have encouraged me to think outside the box. Over time, teaching practices become stale. It is easy to keep doing something the same way, especially if it is how you were taught. Today's learners have evolved into an extremely social and global student, and it is up to the teachers to provide an educational platform that best suits their needs. Student need to learn how to create rather than repeat. If they can only repeat what is show to them, they will not be able to compete in a new more global market. The traditional teaching methods no longer work for students who are anything but traditional. Educators need to become more innovative and provide dynamic learning experiences in order for today's learners to be successful.
 * 5. How do new literacies affect the way we think about our teaching practices? How do they affect the development of new teaching practices or approaches to teaching?**

Going forward, new literacies are an essential part of the new classroom. Our students are going to need to the skills and abilities to help them compete locally and globally. I am starting to see more of a need for a revised approach to teaching and learning. The old way of listening to a lecture and repeating the steps of the teacher are out. Now, it is up to the teachers to design lessons that begin with allowing the students to create. When the students create, they are more likely to remember. Content knowledge is just a small part of the education process. Sure, the students need to know the material, but more importantly, they need to be able to apply the material and produce something new. Problem solving is essential.
 * 6. During the week, you learning about several conceptual / theoretical frameworks for understanding the new literacies including, project-based inquiry, TPACK, Bloom’s revised cognitive theory, online identity, and #|global literacies (i.e. cultural competence, cultural awareness, cosmopolitanism). Describe your personal perspective on new literacies as it is informed by these conceptual and theoretical ideas.**

I really like the idea of the design studio and the problem based inquiry approach to learning. I feel like my student could really benefit from these explorations and that they would become more digitally literate and gain 21st century skills by participating in these types of lessons. My typical school of thought was that if I explain something to the students (lecture), that they would have a better understanding of it. However, the creative process behind the design studio projects have allowed me to reconsider and I believe that if the PBI is designed adequately, that it could be a very effective teaching tool. Students just need to be taught how to approach it appropriately. I feel like that within these projects, there is a role for every student and that together, they could be successful in learning from each other.
 * 7. How does the design process you learned about in your design studio work and the video digging deeper session support your understanding of the creative process?**

I have a very limited online identity and I do so purposefully. I suppose that if I were to extend my identity, I would take steps to safeguard personal information. I would also make sure to keep private those things that I didn't want the whole world to know about. Going forward, I am hoping to develop a classroom website that is more in depth. I would also like to look for meaningful ways to bring certain aspects of social median into the classroom.
 * 8. You learned this week about how to manage, and in some cases create, your online identity. What action steps will you take (are you taking) to manage and further extend your online identity?**

If I had one more day at the workshop, I would like it to be devoted to content specific, and grade level specific materials. I am a high school math teacher, and many times math examples at workshops and professional development seminars are very elementary. The presenters always say that you can use their ideas for any level, but they always seem to fallback to a very basic math problem. Sometimes it is difficult to discern how it would apply to algebra, much less calculus. So, if I had another day at the institute, I would like to learn how to use some of the tools in a higher level classroom setting.
 * 9. If you had one more day in the Institute, what would you like to learn more about and why?**