6:3 New Literacies Skills

Where did I find this word?

I found this word in the book, Grown Up Digital, by Don Tapscott.  Don Tapscott is a commentator on the transformative impact the digital age has on our modern society.  This book is about what Tapscott describes as the Net Generation and its contributions to our society.

I found the phrase "new literacies skills" in the chapter of the book addressing the Net Generation brain.  The author goes into detail of how the brains of the members of this generation function differently (than even their parents) while searching for information online (rather than in traditional text).

What is the definition of this word?

Donald Leu, the codirector of the New Literacies Research Team at the University of Connecticut (and a member of the International Reading Association's Hall of Fame), asserts that "new literacies skills" are "litreacy skills necessary for individuals, groups, and societies to access the best information in the shortest time to identify and solve the most important problems and then communicate this information" (Tapscott, 2009, p 112).

What is my familiarity with this word?

I have transacted with the term "new litaracies" in many of my graduate classes.  I am a business teacher that instructs in a variety of computer science classes in high school, so, this term has come up a lot in the past few years. 

Because of the transformative nature of our digital society, my level of familiarity with this term continues to evolve.  I am continually adding and subtracting descriptive elements from my prior knowledge of this term.

Do I want to know this word well and why?

This is definitely a term that I want to know well.  Because I am a teacher and also becuase I'm working and going to school fully submersed in the digital culture.  I am also raising a son that will see techological advances in his lifetime that we can only imagine now.  It is imperative that I know how to communicate with and within these new literacies and new technologies.

Do I want others to know this word well?  Why or why not?

In order to live in a society such as ours, it is important that individuals are well versed in the literacies of the day.  In order to be effective employers, employees, parents, educators, consumers, and civic-minded individuals, people need to be aware of the discourses that they are involved in.

Reference

Tapscott, D. (2009).  Grown up digital: How the net generation is changing your world.  New York, NY:  McGraw-Hill.