Reflection posting

Before this class I had no knowledge of the new literacies of the Internet. Learning about the new literacies gave me a whole new perspective of locating and making sense of information from the Internet. I can now understand how teachers can allow for students to make sense of information using these new literacies. Dr. Warlick identified how much of a challenge it is for us educators to help students prepare for the future when the future is very unpredictable (Laureate, 2009). One challenge is that the future will be even more full of multimedia communication. I have seen how it can be possible to really communicate with other classrooms in different states through the use of electronic pen pals. I know that by keeping aware of how I can incorporate the new literacies in my lessons with my kindergartners, will help in attaining goals that I have set forth to accomplish.

The knowledge that I have gained from this course will help carry me further into my teaching career. I have learned that there are many sites out there that can be untrue and different ways to spot faulty websites. Especially ones that are very much believable. I will be extra cautious when I need to research a subject area and even more cautious when I expose my students to the Internet. I have also learned of many different ways to have students become more knowledgeable about what is out there on the Internet. Since my students are very young, I feel like I can make more of a difference earlier in their school careers.

One professional development goal that I have for myself is to continue to learn about how to search deeper into websites to discover if the information is true or not. Since this class I have become more aware of some professional development seminars that educate just on this topic. I want to learn more since I feel like I got just the basics from this class. Hopefully I can actually go to some these sites that would be appropriate for my grade level and play around with evaluating the websites.

Another goal that I have would be to continue my understanding of resources. I find that sometimes when I’m searching for a topic; it is hard to find. By continuing to further my studies on this topic through the use of web tutorials and reviewing over the course textbook, I will be able to become more confident in searching for information.

Laureate Education Inc. (2009). “Skills For The Future.” Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education Inc.