In my remarks today I’ll try to discuss some of the reasons why engagement using digital texts and tools in our classrooms is difficult. One of the main impediments to this work is the fact that the Common Core State Standards make little room for integration of new literacies. My talk will focus on the nature of information on the Internet and its implications for how teachers think about reading comprehension, critical thinking, and learning in a digital information age. In short, we need to embrace all literacies. We will explore how the Internet poses new challenges for global learners that extend beyond traditional reading comprehension skills in order to encompass these new literacies as well as the higher level thinking skills associated with them.
We will end with a call to action for teachers and administrators for truly preparing all students to be literate in a digital age. In this “call to action” I’ll provide some detail about the ORMS online learning community I’ve been building for teachers to use in their classrooms…with their students.
The PPT for this session is available below:
Image CC by Wikimedia Commons.
