Throughout
these four years I have definitely gained a lot of knowledge that will help me
as a future educator. In first year I learned a lot of educational theories
that I did not know how to apply just yet. However as the years progressed we
learned more practical strategies and methods that we can use in our
classrooms. An important and evolving theme that began circulating in my fourth
year is the idea of 21st century skills. One of the most discussed skills has
been technology skill, but we have not touched much upon 21st century
literacies.
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In
the past, the concept of literacy meant having the skill to interpret squiggles
on a piece of paper as letters which, when put together, formed words that
conveyed meaning. However, in today’s world, being literate requires much, much
more than the traditional literacy of the past. In this day and age there are
many new literacies such as critical literacy, media literacy, financial
literacy, mental health literacy, and much more.
The
shift into our screen-based society is causing a drastic change in our
students, and as our students have changed, teachers need to alter teaching
methods and topics accordingly. That said, I am really glad we are learning
about these literacies, as I have not learned much about them in the past. In
order to help our students thrive in the world of 21st century
literacy, we, as future educators, need to become fluent in the language of
newer technologies and incorporate more modern thinking about literacy.
