Olukemi Akinde

5 new concepts
New Literacy- a new mindset for approaching reading and writing driven by inquiry
and student choice
Multimodal literacy- is print, non-graphic designs, different ways of engaging with
literacy, technology, books, audio etc.
Literacy- a way of conveying meaning through and recovering meaning from the
form of representation in which it appears
Hypertext: a text that is not as linear as a printed text, includes many graphics and
visual aids. Hyperlinks Allows readers to link to other related documents.
Hypermedia- occurs when graphics, sounds, and images are incorporated into the
hypertext
Summary
In their article Learning with new literacies R. Vacca, J. Vacca, & M. Mraz discuss
ways adolescents and teen youth learn and engage in literacy practices through
the use of technology, through new literacies. New literary includes chat rooms,
creating websites, blogging and etc. Though these concepts have typically been
discouraged as a form of legit literacy, educators have been finding more and more
reasons to include them in their classroom. The authors go through each type of
new literacy and discuss possible ways to implement them into ones classroom and
the benefit of each type of new literacy.
Author evaluation
The text was fun and easy to read. It gave me many many great ideas! I like that
oppose to just theories the article offered practical uses of technology in the
classroom. Technology has not really been integrated in my elementary and high
school education other than videos and research on the computer. It is in graduate
school I began to do collages and do videos on topics that meant a lot to me. To be
honest I learned more than I usually would writing a paper making a video about the
perceived sexuality of black women. The video allowed me to engage with the
research and composition in a different way and to this day the information is stuck
in my head.
Reader alternative approach
If am to honest, I love the idea of new literacy in the classroom. In todays society
being tech savvy is a trait employers look for in their candidates. I see my students
creating filters and editing them ALL the time! If you cannot beat them, join them!
As I also mentioned, I learned more through making a video than writing a paper. I

also put in more work into creating a collage than I do into a paper. I was excited to
engage with the text in a different way! I was excited that I picked the topic! This is
a great idea! AS the use of media expands teachers can expand with it, like creating
Facebook pages and etc.
Critical answer
How can we, as educators, find a balance in our classrooms?
I often think about the same question. One way Ive thought about is doing each
project in two ways, a collage on racism and then an academic paper on racism. A
video on poverty and then an academic paper on poverty, and so on. In this ways
students can engage with text in different ways and still know to meet academic
standards.
New insight/new strategies
A couple of strategies I may want to incorporate from this article are the use of
blogs from other schools in my classroom! I love to have students write and work for
an audience outside of the teacher. I would also incorporate more creating of
videos or websites to help kids engage with text in different ways and encourage
computer literacy, which will be very valuable to them in the future.

5 new concepts
Generation M- Media-saturated generation
Out of school literacy Exposure to literacy through non tradition means including
video games, television, films
Edutainment education received through modes of entertainment including video
games
Generation 1.5- Individuals who are born in a country outside of the United States
but grows up in the Unite Digital Literacies- the knowledge, skills, and behaviors
which are used through digital devices and networks such as blogs, chatrooms, and
text messages d States with English as a new language
Summary
In her article Outside of school multiliteacies Harushimana discusses ways
immigrant adolescents and teen youth can learn Standard English through
outsideliteracies, including videogames, hip hop music and chat rooms. In the
article Harushimana quotes Out-of-school literacy practices play an important role

in an immigrant childs linguistic and cognitive adaptation processes (Haneda,

2008; Lam, 2006; Yi, 2005, 2007). Harushimana argues that with the increasing
rates of videogames, chat rooms and other mulitliteracies used by adolescents, it is
smart for educators to use these mediums to teach their immigrant students
English, to conclude she says Literacy educators need to find ways to reconcile old
and new literacies by using out-of-school literacy opportunities to scaffold their
students development of proficiency in Standard English (Harushimana 41).
Author evaluation
I believe I had told story before but it seems to be relevant in this specific discourse.
While observing an ELL classroom I witnessed a student struggling to read a page
from the textbook, but after school heard him blasting and rapping the newest rap
song with his brother! Similarly a new student in my school, Adama, is from Guinea
and does not speak English but can sing EVERY PART of Rihannas new song work.
It was then I realized how much influence music has on immigrant youth. Using
outliteracaies is a revolutionary and engaging way of teaching Standard English.

Alternative approach
I wonder how to approach students who do not feel comfortable with video games
and hip hop. I also wonder for students like Adama who cannot speak ANY English at
all, how would use music to teach her. For students who have a basic understanding
of language it will be much easier to use video games and references, but for a
student who does not speak any English at all, how would can educators use
outside literacies to teach standard English?
New insight/new strategies
From this article I am now even further encouraged to allow my students to use
mediums that feel as they excel in including videogames and blogging!

Teacher: Ms. Akinde

Grade: 9th
Date: October 1, 2016
Learning target: Today I will learn how images are used to convey messages,
tell a story, and persuade viewers.
Homework: Everyone in this class is more than familiar with memes. For
homework you will be making your own memes! Use at least 3 images each
picture having only a couple of words, or quick short sentences. Use the
images and the words to convey a message or to bring light to an issue that
is important to you (topics may include but are not limited to racism, sexism,
the American standard of beauty, violence in our communities etc.).
Do now: What does this quote mean to you images/ pictures can be used to
maintain and secure power
Mini lesson: Instruction- Draw a picture of anything (you dont have to be
Picasso). The picture can be of a scene, a person, an animal, etc. Keep in
mind others will be looking at your picture, make sure your drawing is as
clear as possible. Once done with your drawing you will pass the picture to
your desk partner. Your partner will have 5 minutes to write a story based
around your picture and you will do the same for your partners image. The
whole activity should take 10 minutes. 5 minutes of drawing, 5 minutes of
writing. Class will share images and stories, this should also take another 5
minutes.
Lesson in class: (Lesson will be taught using images and slides on
PowerPoint) Students will walk around classroom with their notebook and
look at the 5 pictures posted on classroom walls. In their notebooks they will
write the number associated with the picture and then write a couple of
feelings and emotions the images provoke. Class will then discuss the power
of images and discuss how the media uses images to convey hidden and

sometimes not so hidden messages. Images can also be used for

propaganda. Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading
nature, used to promote or publicize a particular point of view.

Reflection: In this artifact I discuss how students use blogs and video games and
other forms of new literacy to compose text. In the articles the authors attempt to
integrate technology into the classroom in order to help students compose texts. I
also added a lesson plan in which I asked students to use a picture to get a
particular message across to their audience. The same thinking skills students use
to understand pictures can be used to comprehend text a well. I will prepare
students to understand particular themes in the next story we will read about social
issues by getting them to uses images. For this lesson I wanted students to understand

how pictures can be used to achieve an array of purposes. For example, when young girls see
images of skinny women on magazine covers, or little black boys see images of their favorite
rapper with chains and a flock of women around them, what looks like just a pretty picture is
actually telling them something about the way the world around them works. These images are
being internalized by youth as what the world needs from them. Students may not be aware of
this. Students are though already familiar and have seen advertising where images are used to
persuade viewers to adopt an abused puppies or give 5 cents a day to a hungry child in Africa.
But to understand that images can also send hidden messages is probably a concept most 14 year

olds have yet to ponder on, in this lesson I hope to shed some light on this darken area of their
mind.
The due now quote is a sentence I generated myself. My mind traveled to the minstrel
shows that began in the early 1830s. I began to think of the posters advertising the shows that
portrayed images of American Americans that were untrue. This type of advertising occurs still
today in various ways. Many of us have been taught that white is power. How did we learn this?
Did our parents sit us and down have this conversation with us? Many of us, no. We learned
through the images that surround us. The media shows images of white men wearing suits and
ties sitting in offices with other white men wearing suits and ties. The binary correlation with
white and power is usually black and inferior. Black children do not see men wearing suits and
tie that look that them, they see athletes and rappers in furs and gold instead. Not to say that they
arent black men wearing suits and ties sitting in offices, but the media will not circulate those
images. Most students will be familiar with Trayvon Martin, we can discuss how images of
Martin wearing hoodies were used by the media as oppose to images with him and his father
sharing a smile. It is the choice in what the media chooses to circulate that helps them maintain
the status quo. Images are more than a pretty picture and with this lesson students will hopefully
begin to look at the images they are being shown more critically. By creating memes not only are
they personally becoming familiar with the powers of images but they are also engaging with
digital environments.
In 2016 every millennial, including myself, has created at least one meme. Though
usually created for comedic purposes students can explore their own power with images and text.
By having students pick an issue that is important to them they are taking social justice into their
own hands. They are now being given a voice on an issue that us dear to them and are using their

normal forms of technology to do so! No fancy software is required, just the phones they already
have and the apps they already use.