(3/31) Erin - Reflection on Literacies Project

Throughout this project, my definition of literacy has definitely expanded. Before, when thinking about literacy, I immediately thought of reading and writing. In my teacher education classes so much focus has been on the “reading and writing” aspect of literacy. Throughout my education at MSU, I have learned that “reading and writing literacy” can encompass many things and be found almost everywhere (ex. menus at a restaurant, seeing labels of food at a store). However, I never realized that there were so many different literacies as there are. It was very interesting to see my peers’ projects about other literacies other the one I chose. Being able to view their projects allowed me to broaden my definition of such literacies. For example, when I chose emotional literacy, I thought it only dealt with being more aware of your emotions. However, I learned that it’s much more extensive … it’s the ability to “recognize, understand, and appropriately express our emotions” (feel.org). Also, when thinking about environmental literacy, I simply thought it only dealt with protecting the environment. However, I learned that it also deals with knowledge of environmental systems and processes, developing skills for understanding such processes, and feeling a personal and civic understanding to such issues. In a way, I relate multiple literacies to Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Just as there are many types of literacies, there are many types of intelligences. People are prone to be more literate and intelligent in some areas compared to others.

Not only did I learn a lot about my literacy, I learned a lot about my technology as well. I chose digital storytelling for my technology. I had never worked with a digital storytelling program before. It took a lot more time figuring out the program and getting used to it than I thought it would. I was definitely a “digital immigrant” when it came to digital storytelling. I felt I put a lot of time into a project that was not that advanced in presentation. However, I ended up learning a lot about this technology. It was especially interesting to me to see how other people used the same technology. I used a voice over aspect with pictures so it would actually be like I was telling a story (except digitally). A lot of people did not use voice overs, but put words on the screen instead (like in a real story). It was interesting to see how different people created different projects using the same technology. Incorporating this technology in my classroom will be very beneficial. Just as we made alphabet books in class on a topic (ex. sharks, baseball) digital storytelling could be used as well. Students could record their voices, create text, and include pictures in their presentations. Learning about this technology has made me more interested in learning about other technologies!