What are new literacies?

My understanding of Lankshear and Knobel’s idea of new literacies is that new literacies are the new (although not necessarily chronologically new) ways to communicate and interact with others within certain social contexts, and although new computing and communications technologies can be involve, they do not have to be. Now I may not have gotten this correct (and I apologize Dr. Knobel if you ever read this), so in order for me to understand the idea of new literacies I have to put it into my own words. I see new literacies as the new and different ways that we communicate and interact with each other, and if we are not participating in a specific social context, we may not understand the specific "language" associated with that culture.

For example, I am not familiar with much of the slang that my students use. They speak using terms that I do not know the meaning of. Therefore, I would not consider myself to be literate in their culture. In order for me to become literate I would have to learn the vocabulary and rules to their "language". I would have to watch the television shows and movies that they watch and listen to the music that they listen to. I would have to participate in their activities, dress according to their styles, and engage in what interests them. If I did all of this, maybe I would start to use their words appropriately and understand what they say.

If I make no attempt to engage in their "world" I will always be an illiterate outsider. The same is true for new literacies. If I never attempt to learn how they work, I will never become literate. I will never understand why they appeal to certain individuals or how they can be used to enhance my teaching and enrich the learning experiences of my students.

In the article, "’New’ Literacies: Research and Social Practice”, the new literacies that are discussed are Fan Fiction, Manga, Chatting, and Blogging. Each of these practices has its own set of rules that must be followed by its participants. Once you have learned the rules you can become actively engaged.

Most of my students participate in chatting. They have grown up with instant messaging and many of them take for granted that it has always existed. I have found that a negative effect of this generation of IMers is that their spelling and grammar are awful. I often read essays that include IM abbreviations, and some students even speak in “IM”. If you do not participate in IMing or chatting, you may not understand what they are saying.

The number one new literacy that I see used in my school is texting. Although the students are not allowed to text during school, they most definitely do. I have even become an avid texter. It is a way of communicating that is fast and straight to the point. There is no need for polite conversation in order to state or receive the information that you need or want, and it is extremely easy to send multiple messages out at the same time. Texting has changed the way that we communicate. It is not uncommon to see people texting while they are having a conversation with someone or during a meal. Although we should be enjoying the time that we have with those who are around us, we are also keeping ourselves connected to those who are not currently with us. Is this wrong? As much as I want to say yes, I (to an extent) would be a hypocrite. Last night I was at the movies, and during the movie I found myself texting in order to solidify plans for the week. Was I multitasking or was I doing something I shouldn’t?

If we are to embrace new literacies, learn from them, and use them as educational tools, then we need to figure out what makes them so attractive to young learners. If I think about how I can apply text messaging to my class, I have to think about the various aspect of texting that appeal to the students and apply those aspects to my teaching.