New Literacies vs new literacies

New Literacies versus new literacies, what is the difference you ask? No, it isn’t as simple as a capitalization mistake. Lowercase new literacies are ways to read specific technologies such as text messaging or social media outlets. New Literacies takes place over many lowercase platforms and looks for commonalities between them (Leu, et al 2014). Lowercase new literacies are ever changing. As soon as we learn them, more are appearing.

Facebook is an example of a new literacy, and just look at the history of the website. Facebook has grown from one posting on a friend’s wall and not being able to comment back and forth to the massive social media outlet it is today. Friends can post videos, comment to one another, have group messages, and do many other activities on the website. Users must adapt to the changes and learn how to use the site.

Twitter is another example of an evolving new literacy. When the app first came out, users could post a short 140 character message. Now, that has expanded to 280 characters with users being able to tweet pictures inline rather than an external link.

Facebook and Twitter and just two examples of new literacies that are common and used by millions everyday. Users must adapt with changes of be left behind. This is where New Literacies theory enters. There are eight common thoughts of New Literacies according to Leu et al, (2014):

1. The Internet is this generation’s defining technology for literacy

and learning within our global community.

2. The Internet and related technologies require new literacies to

fully access their potential.

3. New literacies are deictic; they rapidly change.

4. New literacies are multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted, and, as

a result, our understanding of them benefits from multiple points

of view.

5. Critical literacies are central to new literacies.

6. New forms of strategic knowledge are required with new litera-

cies.

7. New social practices are a central element of new literacies.

8. Teachers become more important, though their role changes,

within new literacy classrooms.

(Leu, et al, 2014)

As teachers we should keep these guidelines in mind when we are teaching online reading. If we teach students to understand how to read using the New Literacy guidelines, they will become better online readers because they will learn to adapt with the changing times. Just take a look below at how these eight and nine year old students are using technology within the classroom!

References:

Leu, D.J., Zawilinski, L., Forzani, E., & Timbrell, N. (2014). Best practices in new literacies and the new literacies of online research and comprehension.  In Morrow, L.M. & Gambrell, L. B. (Eds.) Best practices in literacy instruction.  5th Edition. New York: Guilford Press.