21st Century Literacies

As a young student, I always associated the word ‘literacy’ with the general concept of reading. However, as I became older and progressed through my years of schooling, I learned that there are other ways one can be literate, besides having the ability to read. For example, people could be mathematically literate, historically literate, and scientifically literate. These were the four main literacies I knew of and was taught throughout my years in elementary and high school. It was only a few days ago in our very first EDUC 4P27: 21^st Century Literacies Across the Primary Junior Curriculum class that I had learned there are multiple other literacies as well. Some of these literacies include multicultural, mental health, financial, environmental, critical, global, and digital literacy. We have not yet covered or learned about these different literacies thoroughly, but that is the goal of the course, as well as how to integrate them into a primary junior curriculum.

retrieved from: http://www.loosetooth.com/Viscom/gf/21c_literacy.htm

 

As a future teacher, I believe the 21^st century literacies are all very important aspects of teaching and learning today. The world around us is rapidly and constantly changing with new technologies, skills and innovations and we must prepare and educate our students in these various areas so they are fully equipped and ready to enter the ‘real’ world. This means that we must change our traditional ways of teaching and find a way to adapt to the current demands of our society. There is not just one way of doing something, or one specific route to success. Multiple intelligences exist and lead to different kinds of skills and successes. In the same way, educators need to realize that students all learn differently, enjoy different topics, and excel in diverse skills and subject areas. Therefore, it is essential that educators learn about and incorporate 21^st century literacies into their daily classroom instruction and activities.

The reason I wanted to become a teacher is because I love working with kids and I wanted to help people, make a difference, and assist others in realizing their full potential. I look forward to the knowledge I will be learning in this course and hope it will provide me with the skills and resources needed to effectively incorporate 21^st century literacies into my own classroom one day. I believe the use of 21^st century skills will help me motivate and inspire my students, fully prepare them to be contributing members of society, and most importantly, make learning fun and engaging.

Throughout the course, I will be using this blog to share my thoughts and opinions about 21^st century literacies and to reflect on my own experiences in regards to education and the world around us.