Chapter 3 and 16

I liked that Alvermann touched on the fact that there are multiple kinds of literacy. As I experienced in my own high school career, many times literacy is only taught in the context of academic literacy. For example, I managed to graduate high school, but am borderline technologically illiterate. I am still trying to figure out the capabilities of the iPhone I purchased two months ago. Since classes seem to focus on academic literacy, students, like me, are left life confused by common technologies. I understand that teachers only have a limited time to introduce content and that the ability to read and comprehend written text is important. (It happens to be a task I am dedicating my life to.)  However, students need to master more than one type of literacy to function in our ever-changing world. As Alvermann suggests, students today are “Digital Natives.” It might be helpful for students to use digital literacy to aid in their study of academic literacy. Projects can be made into multimedia presentations. Class discussions or journal assignments can even be turned into online blogs like this one. By incorporating other literacies into the classroom, students might be able to become academically literate faster and with more ease. Like Alevermann found, times have changed and classrooms must change also. Traditional methods of teaching are not working in many cases. Looking to teach through other literacies students are familiar with or need to know, may be a helpful solution to this growing problem.

Furthermore, Jackson and Cooper’s assertion that teachers should not have stereotypical perceptions against lower achieving students seems sadly oblivious. Each student should be viewed as having the same potential. In my classroom, I plan on not allowing any student to fail a test or paper, excluding finals or midterm exams. If a student fails a test or paper, they will complete the assignment until they pass. Students should know that they are better than failing. Also, teachers should believe their students are better than a failing grade. When students realize their potential, they will work harder to achieve a better quality of work.