New literacies can be defined as a set of skills which broaden traditional literacy skills of reading and writing to be literate in the online world. These skills include digitial literacy skills to navigate and use digital tools eg using search engines to locate information. This information needs to be evaluated for its reliability and validity thus requiring critical literacy skills. Leu (2010) shows an example of a website with information on Martin Luther King. When you scroll down and see who hosts this site (a white nationalist organisation) only then do you understand what are the underlying values of the site and who owns and benefits from having this content online. In addition trans literacy skills are important allowing users to transition between different modes to synthesise this information. Finally multiliteracy skills are necessary skills to communicate information in multiple modes.
With the advent of web2.0 tools where the focus of using the internet has gone from showing to sharing information and collaboration (Callow, 2008, p.13) the need for new literacy skills has never been more important. Knobel & Lankshear, (2006, p.81) see new literacies in practices like blogging, podcasting and social networking which involve “distributed participation and collaboration”.
Callow, J. (2008). New literacies, New York & Web 2.0: a little knowledge is a helpful thing! SCAN, 27(4), 13-16
Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2006). Discussing New Literacies. Language Arts, 84(1), 78
Leu, D. L. (2010) New literacies, inquiry, equity: teachers leaders for a new educational era. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/davygamm/leu-keynotenli2010
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