Weekly Reading 7: Forms of Digital Literacy

No Selling the Genie Lamp: A Game Literacy Practice in The Sims

Summary

In game literacy, like all types of digital literacy, “written language never sits all by itself, cur off form oral language and action (Hayes & Gee, 2010, pg. 68) but rather “is integrated with different ways of using oral language; different ways of acting and interacting; different ways of knowing, valuing, and believing; and often, different ways of using various sorts of tools and technologies (Hayes & Gee, 2010, pg. 68).  This article studied the multidimensional literacy aspects of one such game, The Sims.  One dimension revolves around visual journaling.  Through the use of an “album” on The Sims, players may create stories by using annotated pictures.  Players often display pictures and stories of their Sims’s adventures.  Other players may then become support systems, collaborators, and teachers by posting feedback, guidance, and encouragement onto others’ albums.  Players of The Sims may take digital literacy aspects even further by creating discussion threads posing new Sims challenges.  When a person chooses to create such a challenge, the player becomes a “modder,” that is he/she creates a new simulation experience based off an existing idea.  This person also becomes an expert, mentor, and negotiator as people adapt their playing style to his or her new rules.   All of these examples require players to exhibit their depth of knowledge using higher order thinking skills (apply, analyze, evaluate, and create).  In a game such as The Sims, literacy becomes a “myriad of different and evolving practices, some of which are integrally involved with and, in turn, are transforming print literacy” (Hayes & Gee, 2010, pg. 76). 

Quotation

“Essays require the writer to communicate to a fictional audience, or the assumed general rational reader, not someone already known, and thus, violate a cultural communicational norm for Athabaskians” (Hayes & Gee, 2010, pg. 68).

I chose this quote because it illustrates what I belief to be the main difference between print and digital writing.  In digital writing, audiences are generally pre-established.  If sending a friendly e-mail, your audience is a friend.  If sending a work memo, your audience may be your boss.  Working to solve a puzzle in a video game, may require chat messaging with a “gamer.”  When writing a traditional essay, the audience is usually broader.  In all honesty, most students will enter the workforce having to compose e-mails, business proposals, text messages, or postings on social media sites and will seldom, if ever, be asked to compose a traditional essay.  Thus, traditional school essay writing has lost its revelance to today's students.  They do not see the purpose behind it.  In today's world, each job task will require students to recognize the appropriate writing format per the audience being addressed.  Teaching 21^st century skills does not so much mean having to change the basic writing process but merely requires the teacher to concentrate the teaching focus on our students’ abilities to identify audience and the appropriate writing tool (often digital in nature) for the task at hand. 

 

 

Twitteracy: Tweeting as a New Literacy Practice

 

Summary

Twitter is a social media site often used to find and converse with friends, make new contacts, connect with public figures, share information, learn about current events, explore career opportunities, and social mobilization.  Through this study, it was found that Twitter usage increased student engagement, created an environment conducive of active learning, improved student and teacher relationships, and resulted in higher grades.  It was also found that student use of Twitter was linked to a number of educative goals including peer questioning and reflection. 

 

Quotation

“With more than 200 million active users posting more than 175 million tweets peer day, Twitter has experienced substantial growth in its six years.  Among Americans, 16 percent of teenagers (12-17) and one-third of young adults (18-29) use Twitter” (Greenhow & Gleason, 2012, pg. 465).

Wow!  This quote illustrates just how behind the times our current school system is.  Students are failing to see the relevance in school because we are not allowing them to use the digital tools of today.   As someone who has never tweeted, the thing that impressed me most is how Twitter is being used in current events and social change.  One study mentioned in the article showed a link between twitter discussions about democratic ideals in Tunisia and Egypt proceeded physical revolutionary events in these two counties.   Twitter has the potential of becoming a powerful digital tool in the classroom.  Not only does Twitter increase motivation by creating an active learning environment, it addresses so many 21^st century skills:  social skills, leadership skills, developing self-direction, creating global awareness, and developing civic, financial, economic, and business literacy to name a few.  It also brings the real world into the classroom, making learning relevant to students.    

Twitter usage in school as unlimited potential.  However, a huge hindrance to using twitter in the elementary classroom would be safety and liability issues.  Even though we teach our students not to give out personal information on the computer, students are still children who make mistakes.  Difficulties in supervising students’ Twitter accounts and posts would probably prevent me from being permitted to utilizing Twitter in the classroom.

 

Resources

Greenhow, C. & Gleason, B.  (2012).  Twitteracy: Tweeting as a new literacy practice.  The Educational Forum, 76, 463-477.  http://www.kdp.org/publications/theeducationalforum/pdf/TEF764_Greenhow_Gleason%20%282%29.pdf

Hayes, E. & Gee, J.  (2010).  No selling the genie lamp: a game literacy practice in The Sims.  E-Learning and Digital Media, 7(1),  67-78.  http://www.wwwords.co.uk/rss/abstract.asp?j=elea&aid=4000