Toward New Media Texts

It is a great thing that we now have the opportunity to teach students literacy through visual representations and technology.  However, it is very common for teachers who have been in the work force for some time now, to be very intimidated and feel under-qualified to use the technology that is provided for them in the classrooms and in their school.

This text also infers on page 71 and some others that English composition teachers have continued to privilege alphabetic text.  These teachers are often not comfortable with new technology and revert to the way they were taught and the things they are comfortable with.  The question is, does it truly matter which method the students are taught with as long as they are getting the information they need.  However, i believe that in this day and age, the teachers should be up to date on the technology that is available to them and know how to utilize it and make it effective in the classroom.

Often times administrators and big wigs in the community think of technology and the last place they think to put it is in a literacy classroom.  I think it is vital for administrators to be able to understand how to use the technology in the classrooms and how it is very versatile across disciplines.  When teachers have the support of administrators, they are more likely to utilize the things that are available to them.  I believe that technology in the literacy classroom can help students understand the material they are learning about, get them out of the classroom and out of their desk, and allow them to think outside of the box.  Through digital literacy, students can really grasp the pose of poetry, and voice of short stories, and many other things that are very important in the literacy classroom.