Blog 6: Anne Glynn

Our group project helped me understand multiliteracies through incorporation of ICT and new learning experiences. As literacy is rapidly changing in the world, new technologies and visual texts are creating multiple types of literacy which include multi-media kinds of communication (New London Group, 1996). These new types of literacy such as computer literacy, visual and cultural literacy are moving education and pedagogy into a digital sphere. It is necessary for students to become multiliterate today not only for jobs but to become an informed and effective citizen (New London Group 1996). Before experiencing this type of learning I believed much of the ICT activities and learning at school were just teaching students skills like word processing. This has taught me that there are more than functional literacy, that in today’s ‘digital’ society students have to be able to understand and interpret more that the words on a page. This is reflected in the messages conveyed in our film as well as the experience of the process. Not only did we gain experience working in a group but valuable ICT skills which we will use in our future workplace. Most importantly ICT can assist barriers in which functional literacy could never provide for in areas such as ESL, reading and writing delays. It allows the students to gain other important forms of critical thinking, communication and understandings.

Using ICT in learning, process and produce of learning activities has significant implications for pedagogy, content and knowledge. This means instead of being seen as individual elements they should be combined in teaching practices. This project gave me an insight into how this can be implemented effectively. I have interacted with learning ICT for content, implementing knowledge, considering ICT for pedagogy.