Kim's Blog

Literacy in a Digital Age

Now that my predictions are done, it is time for me to discuss other interesting trends happening in the education and content world.

I read an article in Education Week entitled, “Literacy Accountability in a New-Media Age.” In the article, Paul Barnwell, a middle-school teacher in Shelbyville, Kentucky, argues that it is the responsibility of schools to teach and foster student literacy in new forms of media.

As a former teacher, it did make me wonder: In an age in which students are searching the Internet, reading blogs, checking their Facebook pages, and watching online videos as part of their daily activities, do we need to expand our understanding of literacy and literacy standards to best serve students? Barnwell states, “Redefining literacy standards does not mean throwing away measures to assess whether a student comprehends the main idea of a passage of fiction or the purpose of a how-to feature article. But it should include an acknowledgment that our students are reading, interpreting, and creating new forms of media that require as much attention as books.”

As the RTT, STEM, and common core standards initiatives continue to push forward, it may be that literacy does in fact become an all encompassing term—students will have to analyze and critique YouTube videos, blogs, and Web sites just as they do essays, short stories, and novels. On the other hand, there is no point in assessing other forms of media if students lack proficiency in more traditional forms of reading and writing. But are the two mutually exclusive?

In this digital age, what skills and assessment practices are necessary to ensure the future success of our students?