New Literacies Defined
New literacies can be easily defined by educators as a changing way of communication that is
conveyed through new technologies. By using internet communities, gaming, video technologies, and Web
2.0 tools, teachers can incorporate technology into any curricular model. Web 2.0 is an umbrella term that
is used to refer to a new era of Web-enabled applications that are built around user-generated or usermanipulated content, such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, and social networking sites. In order to be able to
incorporate technology in the classroom, one must possess a certain amount of knowledge about what is
available in the cyber world. Listed below is a brief summary that will introduce you to certain terms. Like
anything technology is not learned in a day. It is our hope that you and your students will enjoy this journey
together.
Wikis – A wiki is a website that anyone can edit. Wikis are designed to be collaborative. People can work
together on a wiki project, and build up a lot of content very quickly (Palfrey, 2008, p. 351).
Blogs – Online journals written by individuals. The term derives from “web log.” Blogs are becoming an
increasingly popular source of news. More and more people, young and old, are writing and reading blogs
(p. 37)
Podcasts – A series of digital media files, usually digital, audio, or video, that is made available for download
through a web syndication.
Social Networking Sites (SNS) – Sites like Facebook or MySpace that connect communities of people in
order to enable the flow of information among users. According to a Pew report in early 2007, 55 percent
of youth aged twelve to seventeen use these sites, mostly to reinforce existing relationships (p.350).
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