Keep it as it is... or include everything?

While reading the Jenkins selections, I was reminded of some of the critiques I've encountered about Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Some believed that Gardner had simply renamed various skills/abilities and made them each their own special intelligence--as if before they were simply boring bowls of ice cream and now, after being classified an intelligence, were awesome ice cream sundaes with copious amounts of syrup.

The ever expanding idea of literacy provides a similar example of this phenomenon. Why is it that we labor over classifications? If I know the "ins and outs" of jaywalking, am I considered a literate jaywalker? What about cell phone etiquette; if I use my cell phone in an appropriate manner and never talk loudly in public areas, am I a literate user of cell phones? What defines a new literacy? Does it simply require norms of usage or practice?

I am not against expanding the definition of literacy to include media skills; in fact, I am really just being a reluctant skeptic. In my film studies course, I will depend highly on the "social skills and cultural competencies" that are necessary for people to fully participate in our modern world. Also, because I will be exploring the clash of cultures (modern vs. developing world, civilized vs. uncivilized, rich vs. poor etc), our class will be well positioned to critically analyze the demands of the modern world. What are the implications of these demands? Does everyone have access to the new media literacies? If not, what will the consequences be? What does this tell us about our society?

As we consider these issues, it will be necessary for students to consider the perspectives of other people, examine the differences between conflicting perspectives, and account for these differences. Jenkins seems to agree; while writing about the importance of role-playing, it seems what Jenkins is really after is the incorporation of multiple perspectives into the classroom:

"Role play, in particular, should be seen as a fundamental skill used across multiple academic domains. So far, we have suggested its relevance to history, language arts, and cultural geography. Yet, this only scratches the surface. Whether it be children on a playground acting out and deciphering the complex universe of Pokemon, or Orville Wright pretending to be a buzzard gliding over sand dunes, or Einstein imagining himself to be a photon speeding over the earth, role playing enables us to envision and collaboratively theorize about manipulating entirely new worlds." (Jenkins, 29)

I look forward to incorporating role-playing/multiple perspectives in my classroom, especially with the Fictional Spotlight assignment. This assignment will require students to spotlight a character from a silent film and give them a voice. As a teacher, I will pay close attention to how students use contextual clues from the movie to inform their understanding of the character. Where do they live? What do they eat? What is a normal day like for this person? I'm hoping to use the multigenre format in this assignment because it will allow the students to fully explore these questions.

Source:

New Literacies Dot Com - According to David O'Brien, this website "contains the best explanation to date of just what 'new' means in new literacies." The trouble is, the website design is absolutely terrible. It would be fun to critique this site using the skills/characteristics of new literacies explained by the Jenkins article. It provides a great example of how NOT to provide information on new literacies. :)