Literacy as Social Practice

“The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives”.

     According to the psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, learning takes place through social interaction (Santrock, 2012). In addition to Vygotsky’s emphasis on social interaction as a role in development, he also maintains that language and culture are key components (Eggen & Kauchak, 2013). Our learning is tied to our environment and the way in which we interact within that environment and with others in that environment.  Literacy in social practices involves what people do, what they understand and how that information is applied to their lives to bring meaning.  How do we are learners use technology to show our understanding?  Literacy can no longer be confined to reading and writing from written text. 

     Literacy involves the use of text, images, music, and even the spoken word.  Kress contends that the combination of these multimodes makes literacy more complex  (Gillen & Barton). One must think not only about the text, but about the meaning of all the modes and how those modes combine to form meaning.  No longer can we view the written word and ignore the surrounding images or view a movie and ignore the music.  These additional components tell a story.  While watching a scary movie, the music changes to that eerie sound, you immediately know something horrible is about to happen. Perhaps you are reading Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe electronically and there is the sound of waves crashing against rocks in the background, immediately you are transferred to a beach setting and the words of the text come alive.  Maybe you are reading a documentary about child soldiers and there are images on the page of young boys with sad eyes holding guns, the image evokes sympathy for their plight and we want to help.  That is the power of digital literacy.  It transforms our world and has the power to change who we are and how we interact with others. 

     Learning can never be isolated to the just the classroom, especially digital technological learning.  Our culture shapes our learning and literacies shape our culture.  Social interaction plays a fundamental role in development. What students are learning outside of the classroom out paces what is taught in the classroom (Lankshear, 2011). There is a connection between people and the social culture in which they act, interact in and share experiences.  We learn through our experiences and see the world through the eyes of others.  My knowledge would be limited without the ability to experience the world through others.  Technology helps us see and understand those experiences faster.  The faster we understand, the sooner those experiences can enrich our lives.

     An environment that changes as fast as digital technology comes with a “hazardous material” warning.  There are benefits, but there are also dangers. There is the chance of abuse and harm to the users when not used wisely.  With sites that allow collaboration and the ability to voice opinions, it becomes easy to accept information as facts when that information has not been proven to be fact.  Users of the tools must be aware of the potential dangers.  Social media in the hands of irresponsible users becomes a means to target and torture.  Unfortunately, it’s easier to torture someone from a distance than when face to face with the individual.  Cyber bullying affects more people than we realize.  As we grow and learn in the rapidly changing digital environment, we have to “tech” responsibly and teach others to do the same.

   

References

Durrant, C., & Green, B. (2000, June 1). The Free Library. Retrieved  May 15, 2015 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/literacy+and+the+new+technologies+in+school+education%3a+meeting+the...-a063132991: http://www.thefreelibrary.com

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2013). Educational Psychology. New Jersey: Pearson.

Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (n.d.). T.L.R.P. Technology Enhanced Learning. Retrieved May 15, 2015 from http://www.tlrp.org/docs/DigitalLiteracies.pdf: http://www.tlrp.org/docs/DigitalLiteracies.pdf

Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2011). Literacies Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Santrock, J. W. (2012). Adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill.