PenDragon - the official magazine of Lyford Cay International School PenDragon Vol 1, Spring 2015 | Page 8

BEYOND
TECHNOLOGY
Embracing Opportunities to Build
Essential Skills
By Stacey Bobo, Principal
There is a lot of talk in
the education world
about “new literacies.”
Simply put, new literacies
involve the knowledge and
skills needed to function
well in today’s world
and beyond. Historically,
literacy meant a proficiency
in dealing with words. Could
you read? Could you write?
However, in the last 25 years,
the advent of the internet and
the integration of technology
into every aspect of our lives has
created a need to be literate with
tools that have capabilities that we
couldn’t even imagine just five years
ago. These new literacies require us
to work with or work around blogs,
apps, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, video games, video
chats, online research and online
messaging. And while many of us
are still looking for the book that
we just downloaded on our Kindle,
we must recognize the irrevocable
role of technology in the twenty-first
century and especially in the lives of
youth.
As a communication tool, technology
has long since made its influence
known in schools.
For many
years, we have had computers
in schools, required students to
type essays, conducted research
online and used blogs and websites
to share information.
However,
while many schools and teachers
are happy with these twenty-first
century tools, there are other
literacies required to be fluent in
the digital age. Critical thinking,
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thinking
creatively,
evaluating
sources of information, balancing
skepticism and open-mindedness,
and analyzing information for
usefulness are essential new
literacies. Additionally, with such
ominous threats as hacking, cyber-
bullying and privacy invasion, we will
need att