What Are "New Literacies" & Why Do They Matter?

New literacies....What is that?

    Literacy is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2017) as 

        "the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, and compute,

         using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy

         involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to

         develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community

         and wider society".

One of the key components of this definition is the effective goal of literacy. Literacy is no longer "restricted to paper-based, formalized, and standardized forms of language that only reflects the dominant language and culture" (Sang, 2017, p.16) Rather, communication and literacy have shifted into the digital sphere; "the internet is one of the primary information sources of the modern era, making it a necessity for learners to understand how to participate and navigate the networked world" (NCTE, 2022). Access to quick information, new platforms for interaction, and shared cyber communities of interests, "they mobilize very different kinds of values and priorities and sensibilities than the literacies we are familiar with" (Knobel & Lankshear, 2007, p.7). Essentially, new literacies can be a variety of digital experiences if they allow for new, meaningful methods of communication and connection in the world. 

Why is it relevant?

    As a digital art teacher, these collections or articles,  and content are incredibly relevant to my day-to-day experiences. Constance Beecher stated, "digitally literate individual will want to be able to use all formats in which digital information may be conveyed in the creation of a product" (2023). In my daily classes, students are introduced and expected to learn several new "technical stuff" (Knobel & Lankshear, 2007 ; Sang, S. 2017) through the use of digital programs and communication of information, through the outlet of artwork. Such programs include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Animate, Adobe InDesign, Rhino3D Auto CAD software, and 3D printing machines and software. Additionally, students learn and use Mac desktops and software along with their school-issued Chromebook devices. My method of teaching digital art is teaching students how we got to this method of creating, thus providing them with an education is prior art-making techniques and their shift to the digital sphere. In the context of literacy, they are gaining a more well-rounded background by understanding the "historical" counterpart. For example, students in my Animation class begin by learning about frames and frame rates (the basis for animation) by creating and assessing zoetropes and phenakistoscopes. Information is gathered and applied to a stop-motion project before they transition entirely to the digital space of animation.  Knobel & Lankshear wrote " More and more the world is being hanged as a result of people exploring hunches and "vision" of what might be possible given the potential of digital technologies and electronic networks" (2007, p.10). Teaching in this method, allows students to connect to traditional practices that in art are still highly relevant, while connecting to more mainstream and digital technologies that are constant factors in their lives. 

Going beyond

    Student success is based on equitable practices, teaching and supporting the whole student, and best preparing them to be universally successful across a variety of platforms, fields, and interests. In that category, new digital literacies can help students to succeed as a new literacy may be easier for them to relate to, understand, or be able to share their interests, thoughts, and ideas. Sang writes, "the conventional view of literacy and literacy education may no longer satisfy students’ needs in working and social lives, especially beyond classroom settings" (2017, p.16 ). I have a variety of students who will tell you they cannot draw, but can create beautifully complex digital illustrations, but give them a pencil and paper, and it definitely isn't at the same level. To a degree, true access to all new literacies can be difficult if there is no technology in place or someone knowledgeable in the practices to teach students. At my district, all of the digital classes I teach are new this year, having just written the curriculum. My colleagues have mentioned how they would also need to take the classes to understand how to teach them. Also, my district has to purchase certain programs and machines to be able to run the curriculum. Despite the potential hoops, "effective literacy skills open the doors to more educational and employment opportunities..." (Beecher, 2023) and so if more students can be successful in and out of school by understanding the shift to more digital methods of communication, then we should be teaching to these new literacies and multi-literacies.

References:

Beecher, C. (2023, July 19). Chapter 1. what is literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching Early Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/ 

Definition of literacy in a Digital age. National Council of Teachers of English. (2022, April 19). https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/ 

Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007). Sampling “the New” in New Literacies (pp. 1–24). essay, Peter Lang. 

UNESCO. (2017). Literacy rates continue to rise from one generation to the next global                 literacy trends today. Retrieved from http://on.unesco.org/literacy-map.

Yuan, S. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal of Education and Practice , 8, 16–19.