Multiliteracies

__ Multiliteracies __ Multiliteracies looks at teaching the students the connections between technology and literacies. The world has developed immensely in the past 10 years and sees a lot of day to day activities been conducted through the internet. It is the fastest way to gain knowledge and is predicted that 75 – 85% of the industrial world will have access to the internet (Hill, 2006, p.322). Kids are now amerced with many forms of multimedia such as computer games, DVDs and text messaging. So when expanding our learning views through multimedia forms we are able to conduct teaching of reading, writing, speaking and listening from sites on the internet. Multiliteracies covers other headings such as electronic literacies, technoliteracies, digital literacies, visual literacies and print based literacies (Hill, 2006, p.323). In order to understand multiliteracies we have to understand how symbols can communicate meanings. As teachers we can combine the knowledge students have on technological devices such as computer games, play stations, television and join that with basic literacy skills, for example making a book about a play station game. Students can also make up posters or even power point displays. When teaching students the computer has a variety of programs to help assist you. There are many sites available for you and your students to go on and learn new things (Healthy Habits, 1995-2008). While that is easily available for teachers it can not be as easy to access as some people have trouble with operating the internet. In many schools the teachers are actually learning along side the students and in some cases the students are teaching the teacher (Hill, 2006, p.337). Most classrooms will have 1 or even more computers in the room. This enables the student’s easy access when learning literacy through different multiliteracies. Young children are becoming the main target for multimodal marketing and as teachers we will have to be careful as to what is beneficial to learn and what not to. I have included a link to a fellow teacher’s website which contains videos about encouraging students to explore visual texts and what ideas they have about visual texts. [|Multiliteracies video link]