Part One: Defining Transliteracy
In 2005, The Transliteracy Project under the direction of Dr. Alan Liu of the University of California at Santa Barbara introduced the word transliteracy to the academic world. Transliteracy has always existed, however it wasn't until recently that the concept was given an official name, so to speak. Dr. Sue Thomas, lead creator of the Production and Research in Transliteracy Group, defines the concept of transliteracy as "the ability to read, write and intersect across a range of platforms, tools, and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks." (Thomas, et al). According to Dr. Thomas, transliteracy is different from media literacy "because it offers a wider analysis of reading, writing and interacting across a range of platforms, tools, media and cultures. Transliteracy does not replace, but rather contains media literacy and digital literacy." (Thomas, et al). Transliteracy includes economic, social, cultural, and global issues. Dr. Thomas clarifies that it is important to understand that transliteracy is not just about computer-based mediums, but all types of communication. Transliteracy treats them all as "equal in value and moves between and across them." (Thomas, et al). Part Two: How Does Transliteracy Change Content and Student Engagement This year has been a year of experimentation. For centuries, teachers of writing generally only accepted written compositions on some kind of paper-like product, such as papyrus, vellum, or Big Chief lined paper. Students were instructed to use only smudge-and-leak-proof pens, or face losing 10 points for lack of neatness. I'm embarrassed to say that I was one of those writing teachers. Paper. Pen. Perfect. Every time. Call it the Evolution of Ms. Giner because this year I bravely dared to think outside of my safe, familiar, yet musty box. AND like the sugar addict who has just discovered the recently opened Dunkin Donuts around the corner, I was hooked on something beautifully different and new. I am forever faithful to the Language Arts curriculum. That will never change. I firmly believe that I should implement the ELA program our school district has researched and invested in. Luckily for us, Benchmark Advance is one of the better programs on the market. How I present the content of my lessons has changed. Today, I feel that students need to have more to say about the content of the lesson. For example, this past week, we studied volcanoes. The graphics provided by Benchmark Advanced are weak: a diagram of the inside of a volcano and a photo of a plaster cast of a Mt. Vesuvius victim. My kids were not making connections. So, after we read the required article, I asked my kids to write five burning questions they had about ANYTHING related to volcanoes. Next, they Googled for answers to share. During their searching, one of my boys googled "recent volcano activity" and Mt. Etna popped up. Turns out Mt. Etna had erupted earlier in the morning, so there was live feed from Italy. The kids were mesmerized. Brian read news article after news article, then shared with the group the latest developments on Mt. Etna. For their writing activity, the kids asked if they could use Storyboardthat.com to write a graphic novel written from the point of view of an eye-witness to Mt. Etna's latest eruption. Of course, YES! My students flipped back and forth between NatGeo articles, videos of Mt. Etna erupting, and Storyboardthat as they wrote. Nobody was going to hand in a perfectly handwritten essay on crisp, clean paper. AND that is perfectly ok. Including the teacher, everyone was actively engaged, sharing information, helping one another navigate Storyboardthat.com., discussing possible scenarios, and creating wonderful stories. Including the teacher, everyone was learning. Resources: Transliteracy: Crossing Divides by Sue Thomas, Chris Joseph, Jess Laccetti, Bruce Mason, Simon Mills, Simon Perril, Kate Pullinger www.transliteracy.com
1 Comment
Rafael Garcia Avila
6/1/2019 11:31:52 pm
Wow Tess,
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Tess Giner
This is my 25th year as a public school teacher. I've taught every grade between Kindergarten and 12th grade. I hope to encourage my students to love writing and reading as much as I do. Archives
July 2019
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