In wrapping up Adolescents and Digital Literacy, Kajder really emphasizes a couple of things. One, there are no easy answers in teaching English the in the 21st century. She explains "this is a process of examining our teaching; seeing our students; thinking critically about new tools; and finding small ways to maximize the intersections" (p. 101). Thinking about digital literacy and new media isn't just about the technology, nor is it a bag of tricks simply to motivate kids. We certainly need to think critically about the potentially negative effects of using technology and we don't want to just throw out the practices in traditional literacy that are working.
Kajder also makes it clear that this is a learning journey and that teachers have to keep learning--both with other teachers and with their students.
Sometimes the technology won't work.
Strategies for When the Technology Fails:
- Do as much upfront planning as possible (including trying the assignment yourself on student computers).
- Exhibit patience under fire.
- Model your questioning for your students while troubleshooting or retooling the assignment.
- Look to the students as experts.
- Leverage the expertise in the building.
- Frontload your teaching with content and learning goals rather than technology-driven practices to ensure a plan B.
Through reading this book, many of my beliefs about multiple discourses and literacies has been reaffirmed and I feel like I'm leaving with some good ideas about ways to pull from the technological inspirations in this book.
I didn't take notes on this, but Kajder uses a three question framework for the teachers that she profiles in the book that I think is simple and good.
1. I am doing _______________well but can do better.
2. What watching my students' literary practices teaches me that I want to build upon: ______________.
3. ________________ isn't working.
"We are all learners in a literary landscape that is unfamiliar but packed with new possibilities" (p. 14).
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