Elizabeth's Personal Literacy Profile: May 2013

What is Literacy

Literacy is more than just reading and writing it is also being defined cultural, technology, digital, visual, media literacy, critical, mathematical and scientific literacy.

Cultural literacy “is the knowledge of the world and the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of diverse ways of being.” (Winch et al., 2010 pp478-9)

Technology literacy is another way we communicate by using the computer to send emails, making blogs and wiki’s, social network such as Facebook, YouTube and online games.

Digital literacy is defined as using a computer, e-books, sending text messages, using an interactive whiteboard, mobile phones, televisions and Ipads.

According to (Winch etl.,2010pp) visual literacy is a tautology especially in respect to its common definition as the ability to read and write. It is also connected to computer programs, visual arts, drawings, illustrations and the technique of drawing maps.

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyse, evaluate the media messages.

Critical literacy is the ability to analyse texts, understand the function of the text and be aware of where the language of the text is positioning them as reader or listener.

Mathematical literacy is knowing the mathematical process, methods and having mathematical knowledge.

Scientific Literacy is knowing and understanding the different scientific concepts.

Here is link to a youtube video on what is literacy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3zXDwiwhTCM

Here is a video on the twenty first century pedagogy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=l72UFXqa8ZU

What literacy practices do you currently engage with regularly and how? ( insert pic’s of each )

I use facebook to see what my friends and family are doing.

Textbooks and readings as part of my study.

Youtube to watch and listen to music videos

Watch movies when I want to relax.

Read magazines while I wait to see the doctor.

My Ipad to play games, take photos, listen to music, surf the net, check emails, facebook, youtube.

My phone keeps in contact with my family and friends by ringing them up and texting them while I am way at university.

My laptop I use it for doing my assignments listen to music while I am my assignments, read the news the internet, store my photos off my camera, check my facebook, research, watch movies, youtube and copying and pasting images I like off the net.

Emails to keep in contact with the lecturers and receiving receipts from iTunes and online bookstores for books I have purchased Information on great deals from various companies for example QANTAS and Woolworths everyday rewards.

Game Consoles I have a Nintendo WII which I use to play to games, dance and do exercise activities.

Signs- reading street signs, road signs and advertisement boards.

Reflection of your literacy knowledge, skills and needs.

My literacy knowledge and skills have developed from childhood adolescence to my adult years. When I was younger and starting my schooling and learning to read and write it took me a while to take things in and there had an impact on my learning to improve my reading and writing skills I had one on one help with an in class tutor.

By the time got to high school I knew the basic information about how use a computer and typing up a word document. As I went through high school we taught how to type properly, search the web for important information, how to make power points, how to do spread sheets etc. In high school I was also taught the right terminology associated with each of my subjects at high school . By the time I finished high school I had good computer literacy skills and knowledge.

In primary school and high school the teachers used chalkboards, whiteboards and overhead projectors when they taught a lesson. We only had a couple of computers in the classroom at primary and in high school we had computer labs that we used only when we needed to do assessments, researching on the internet and doing power points. In primary school the library was filled with storybooks and in high school the library had range of books form general reading books to reference books, and textbooks.

In schools today the teachers are using interactive boards and computers to aid with their teaching in the classroom and classrooms have computers in them and are able to go the internet as well.

Now that I am a student studying at university I have refresh my memory on how to do specific things on a computer such as the important information on how to do a power point. I am also teaching myself how to make a blog for the first time.

As future teacher I will need to know how to use an interactive whiteboard because they are in classrooms all over Australia and are an important part of a students learning. Youtube, wiki’s and blogs will also be really useful for teaching in years to come.

Task 1: Reflection on what it means being a reader

What knowledge do readers bring to the task of reading?

The knowledge a child brings to reading task is different to that of an adult. A child is just starting to learn to read a text and what it consists of where as an adult brings a vast range of knowledge and personal experiences which helps to understand the text better and know what to expect from a text where a child does not. As we get older our knowledge and understanding of texts broaden. We also need to have an understanding of how texts come together such using the cue systems such as phonics, semantics and syntaxes.

How do readers read successfully?

Successful readers know how to skim read over the texts this allows you to get through the text quicker but still have an understanding what the text is about, rereading over parts of the text that you find important. A reader should also be able to construct meaning from the text whether it is in written or graphic, paper-based or digital.( Winch, G., Ross-Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.) They should also have an interest in what they are reading and being able to interpret texts with a better understanding of what it is about.

What implications do identity, place and culture have in our role as readers?

Our beliefs, family values, personal experiences, our cultural backgrounds and where we come from are important in the way we interpret a reading task even though we all come from different backgrounds the meaning of the text is still same.

References

Text book

Winch, G., Johson, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L. and Holiday, M., (2010). Literacy:

reading, writing and children’s literature(4ed.), Oxford University Press. South

Melbourne.

Video

Christopher Spencer"What Is Literacy?" video essay ( May 10, 2012). Received from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3zXDwiwhTCM

Greg Whitby., 21st century pedagogy (29 Sep 2007). Received from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=l72UFXqa8ZU

Pictures/Images

Google.images. cultural. literacy.