This document discusses the evolving definition of literacy and how digital technologies can support literacy development and multiliteracies. Literacy now involves mastery of various language modes including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and creating across traditional and digital texts. Technologies can enrich expression and communication through multimodal texts, new language and culture, and enable writing, modeling, visualizing, and presenting to develop creative and critical literacies.

1. ‘No Grown-Up Left Behind’
Supporting literacy with digital technologies
(and developing digital literacies)
Week 6-7 lecture for EDB006 Learning Networks
By Kelli McGraw
@kmcg2375 / kelli.mcgraw@qut.edu.au

2. Tweet using #EDB006 to take notes or chat
about this lecture
(please!)

3. Supporting literacy with digital
technologies…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Writing with technologies
Modeling with technologies
Visualising with technologies
Presenting with technologies
…and developing digital literacies
1. Ability to confidently use and create digital texts
2. Ability to participate in digital text environments
3. Ability to understand cultural context and be critically aware

4. literacy (some common definitions)
1.
2.
the ability to read and write
the ability to use language proficiently
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers
1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
Ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and
compute, using printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts
UNESCO (2004)

5. literacy (more difficult version!)
The flexible and sustainable mastery of a repertoire
of practices with the texts of traditional and new
communications technologies
via spoken, print and multimedia.
(Luke & Freebody, 2000)

6. Literacy definition ‘unpacked’…
• The flexible and sustainable mastery
• of a repertoire of practices
• with the texts of traditional and new communications
technologies
• via spoken, print and multimedia.

7. digital literacy
The ability to confidently use, participate in
and understand digital texts.
(from ACMA.gov.au on ‘digital media literacy’)

8. http://www.acma.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WEB/STANDARD/1001/pc=PC_311470

9. (OMG, so many definitions!!)
SUMMARY:
Literacy is not just ‘basic skills’ (yuk!)
Literate practices can be operational, cultural
or critical in nature.
i.e. Literacy involves being REALLY GOOD AT:
• Using (coding and decoding) language
• Participating in text environments
• Understanding the context of a text
Literate practices + multimodal literacy
= ability to use/create texts in a variety of
media:
•
•
•
•
Print
Live
Audiovisual
Digital
Literacy happens across a
range of language modes
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Viewing
Creating
Hence references to
‘multimodal’ literacy

10. Impacts of technologies on literacy
Multimodal texts
• text, picture, diagram, graph, sound, animation etc.
Enriched expression and communication
• Knowledge representations
• ways of communicating
Creating new language and culture
• Cya, BBS, LOL, :-), XD, 
Dependence on technology
• Can’t spell without spelling/grammar check
e.g., there, their, they’re, apostrophe (') in the possessive adjective
• Can’t perform basic arithmetic without a calculator
The copy and paste culture
• Plagiarism

11. Writing & Modelling with Technologies
• Plan and organise ideas
mind or concept mapping,
Freemind, , Freeplane,
mind42.com
• Modeling knowledge with
graphic organisers
Freemind, mind42.com,
ReadWriteThink
• Creative writing and publishing
blogs, bio-stories,
Poetry Forge arts and music,
53 Paper, Garageband (on Mac)
Showme, VoiceThread,
Instagram, YouTube,
Evernote
• Modeling analysis with
spreadsheet
Excel, Number, Google Docs
• Collaborative writing
wikis, wikihow, wikispace,
Evernote, Google Docs/Drive,
TitanPad, Dropbox
• Modeling situation with
simulation software
Scratch, PhET (chemistry
simulation)
• Modeling object with 3D
software
Google Sketchup, CAD

12. Visualising & Presenting with Technologies
• Paint/draw ideas
KidPix, Paint, Skitch and MANY
drawing apps!
• Digital story telling
MovieMaker & iMovie,
Cartoon story maker (PC +
Flash), Google Earth,
Voicethread,
Talking Books using
Powerpoint
Examples:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/
collection/using-technology-supportliteracy
• Presentation software
PowerPoint, Keynote,
Google Docs (now ‘Drive’)
Online: Prezi, Adobe
Presenters, Captivate.
• Sharing material
Slideshare, Storify, Dropbox,
Evernote
• Videoconferencing
Collaborate, Skype, Wimba,
Facetime, Screencast,

13. EXAMPLES:
http://macfieldsdrama.edublogs.org/
http://englishteachinginoz.wordpress.com/tag/identity/
http://poetryroom.pbworks.com/

14. Summary
• The meaning of literacy is evolving to include the abilities to
use, understand, analyse, sythesise and create multimodal
texts and communications in different contexts.
• The impact of technologies on literacy is subject to debate.
Multi-literate teachers understand how to use technologies to
support and develop multi-literate students.
• Digital technologies support the development of multiliteracies by enabling creating, writing, modeling, visualising,
communicating, expressing, presenting and so on.