Multiliteracies


 * Multiliteracies**

As technology today is forever evolving so must the ways in which we educate our students. Teachers will need to help students develop the capacity to produce, read, and interpret spoken language, print, and multimedia texts. Likewise, students will need to acquire the skills, strategies, and practices they need for work and leisure; active citizenship; participation in social, cultural, and community activities; and personal growth (Anstey, M., & Bull, G. 2006). Becoming multiliterate is viewed as being an essential part of successful learning for these new times (Hill, 2006 p.340). Multiliteracies can equip students with the knowledge and understanding they will need to survive in the 21st century. Multiliteracies refers to a range of different multimedia literacies which include electronic literacies, technoliteracies, digital literacies, visual literacies and print based literacies (Hill, 2006 p.323). Some examples of this include talking book CD Roms, power point presentations, multi model web pages, play stations, nintendos and the internet in general. Multiliteracies has expanded our view of reading, writing, speaking and listening (Hill, 2006 p.322). The use of electronic multimedia options opened up an interactive world that can support children's literacy development in a digital world and provide them with stories that may be beyond their reading level (Hill, 2006 p. 324-325). In order to help teachers find out what children know about multiliteracies and plan the next steps for learning a framework has been developed:

__The Multiliteracies Map__ (Hill, 2006 p.325) FUNCTIONAL USER
 * Locating, code breaking, using signs and icons
 * Selecting and operating equipment
 * Moving between mediums; cameras, videos, computers

MEANING MAKER
 * Understanding multimodel meanings
 * Purpose of text and text form
 * Connecting to prior knowledge

CRITICAL ANALYSER
 * Discourse analysis
 * Equity
 * Power and position
 * Appropriate software/hardware

TRANSFORMER
 * Using skills and knowledge in new ways
 * Designing texts
 * Producing new texts

By Ashleigh Smith 700180008