The increased presence of multimodal communication is changing the way we think about materiality in composition. Technology has broadened the material choices available for communication, and it has complicated the always unfastened production of meaning, particularly as we move beyond the printed page and onto the illuminated screen. As a consequence, it is no longer sufficient to think of “new media” as a supplement to alphabetic writing.
My teaching experience has taught me that students need to be able to critically read, negotiate, and write texts in environments they encounter in their everyday lives. However, due to institutional standards, the core curriculum is largely based on reading and writing formulaic alphabetic texts. Surprisingly, I wasn’t asked to teach the types of texts that I encounter, interact, and produce outside of the classroom. This led me to question why the core curriculum does not emphasize the very types of mediated communication that students (and even teachers) often participate in.
Often it is the case that when educators think of digital technology they cringe. This response is generally based on the assumption that students already lack the basic critical thinking skills to read and correctly interpret a written text. I’m sure you have heard this argument. Sometimes this is the case, but often it is not. As such, academic writing is given priority over other modes of communication. However, we can’t forget that students also need to be introduced to the critical thinking skills of interpreting the types of texts they encounter and often partake in their everyday lives. It is not enough for educators to simply treat technology as a supplement to alphabetic texts. It is not enough for educators to incorporate a Blackboard online component to a course and call it “digital literacy.”
Advertisements, photographs, YouTube videos, blogs, news outlets, social networking sites and others are part of the landscape of the digital age. It is important that students, as well as teachers, learn to identify and navigate this ever changing landscape that makes up their world. How we get there from here isn’t clear, but we should actively try.
Technology is advancing at quick pace, students participate in this digital landscape, and there is now a need for educators to begin to bridge the gap and truly include digital literacy in their programs.
