A New Literacies Reader
Culled from five years of the New Literacies book series and coinciding with the 20th anniversary of a symposium titled “Towards new literacies, information technology, English and media education” (1993) and the 10th anniversary of the New Literacies book series launched by Peter Lang Publishing (USA), A New Literacies Reader: Educational Perspectives (2013) offers a panoramic view of current practices and directions in literacy education.
The editors Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel answer many questions that teachers, administrators, and curricular specialist struggle with when deciding on the what, the where, the when and the how to react to new approaches to literacy. Questions like: What is “new” literacy? Is all new literacy technology based and interactive? How much access to cyberspace should students be allowed from a classroom? What are some of the ways teachers and instructors use technology for projects? Are new literacies only applicable to classroom settings? Do students learn valuable skills using new literacies outside of a formal classroom? What influences does pop culture have on new literacies? What types of collaborative experiences enhance student proficiencies both inside and outside of the classroom? What is the value of new literacies for non-educators? How do traditional reading an writing fit into the new literacies? Many of the sample articles are thought provoking and idea inspiring; some provide a DIY (do it yourself) map to infuse new literacies into the lives of students. Each selected article provides an overview of the topic, plus, a literature review of scholarly sources. The editors picks answer the myriad of questions perplexing many educators.