Others argue the very nature of literacy has expanded and we are miseducating children if we do not teach them how to use technology to research, make meaning and communicate understanding. If we do not teach this skills, kids will do little beyond consume media. Proponents of ed-tech argue, “digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” (American Library Association (2017)) An aside, at what point do we drop "digital" from that sentence?
Recently I heard author, Daniel Torday speak about how authors are moving beyond the text to augment the power of storytelling. There are current arguments in the field of literary criticism about the novel. (Some in the field of literary criticism argue that the author is dead—except the author isn’t dead, they’re Googling to see what people are saying about them!- this immediate feedback btw is a way in which the author's place in the conversation has changed) This larger context matters; old ideas about art, the academy, and knowing are being displaced though we do not know yet what will replace these ideas.
If we agree we need a new literacy (and we don't all agree), we haven't agreed on these new literacy skills entail. What do students need for the future? Publishing once was confined to print. In the 20th century it expanded to TV, radio and records. The Internet expanded it farther making it possible for students with technical skills to publish Web sites and audio content that could (conceivably) reach worldwide. Torday argued that as an author, he needs to go beyond text and include digital and social media to enhance his storytelling,
I have been working with a colleague (+Lnovo) on an assignment asking students to make a video about a line from Shakespeare's tempest. I was struck by the video controversial NY congresswoman AOC, recently made to support her Green New Deal idea. Whether or not you agree with its merits, you can see that she has leveraged futurism and digital tools (with a lovely marriage of old and new tech) to make an intriguing video. Something about this resonates far more than a text-based article. I believe we should equip students with these skills. The tools we use will change, yet there is a visual way of knowing/ teaching -yet fully explored- that students should know.
My colleague came to me asking to help her with a project on the Tempest. The project:
Tempest project: Choose a speech (no more than 16 lines) and make a movie that captures a vision for the speech; in your piece, you should find a way to incorporate text, music/sound and visuals, working together to express that vision. (Please don’t use Caliban’s “isle is full of noises” speech.) Below are a few examples to help inspire you; you might also think of music videos you think are particularly effective as you contemplate models for this kind of project. I’m imagining that your movie will be between 1-2 minutes long.
You’ll submit the movie and a written piece at least a page long in which you describe your inspiration and the process/decision-making that went into the finished product. Be specific in this written piece, and remember that anecdotes are often helpful in conveying the process of creation. Be prepared to talk about your choices and the movie you made. We’ll watch (at least some of) the films together. Here’s an example of one from the past. Check out https://www.youtube.com/user/
And here are a few other potential inspirations for a project like this:
“I Died for Beauty”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
“The Hollow Men”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I compiled this guideline for digital storytelling to hand to the students.
Check it out, there are some nice examples within the slidedeck.
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