Module 1 Reflection

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RUNNING HEAD: Module 1 Reflection
Module 1 Reflection
Audrey Ingersoll
Arizona State University

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Module 1 Reflection
The definition of literacy has changed drastically in the last decade. With that being the
case what does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? There really is no simple one sentence
answer to define literacy. Literacy is a combination of being able to consume information,
question that information and curate ideas, then utilize those ideas to formulate opinions which
will represent you in your everyday lives. A person who is literate can “Build and sustain
intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so as to pose and
solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought” (Definition of Literacy in a
Digital Age, 2019). In other words a literate person is able to look at different viewpoints
whether it be from a different culture than their own or not and respect them. A person who is
literate is not afraid to have their opinions challenged by others and embrace it as it will help to
increase their knowledge and may even change their own mindsets.
Another huge piece of being literate in the 21st century is the ability to appropriately
consume information and communicate through technology. “Our students will exponentially
view more selfies and cat videos, but they will also view more opinions and perspectives from
around the world” (Nicol, 2014). With students being more exposed to opinions from those all
around the world they must understand how to appropriately react to those opinions. Students
need to understand that a person’s opinion is made up of that individuals life experiences
including their culture which can be very different then the consumer. With this being the case, a
literate consumer will be able to respect others opinions even though it is different than their own
and may even want to learn more about the other person to better understand their opinions. Also
with being accepting to others people’s ideas, it’s important that students understand that there is
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Module 1 Reflection
a lot of fake news online. Unfortunately, with so much fake news out there it can be extremely
difficult for a person to dissect the factual information from the fake. What a literate person can
do is be able to look for information in more reliable places such as databases and government
websites. By looking through a college database you are going to be more likely to find factual
information then through a google search.
It is also important to note that literacy can look different depending on a particular
discipline. “Experts have specialized ways of thinking, talking, and writing” (Beerer,2019). For
example, to be literate in science looks a lot different than being literate in art. A person who is
literate in science will question things that they see in the everyday world, once they have
developed a question, they will create a way to learn more about what they are trying to answer.
A person who is literate in science also is capable of researching a topic through databases and
publishing their work. Being literate in art would look a lot different. A person literate in art
would be able to see beauty in a lot of pieces that someone who doesn’t have an art background
wouldn’t. Teaching students to be literate in multiple disciplines will help prepare them for
citizenship, encourage personal growth and life-satisfaction on many levels, and open up
opportunities for future education and employment”( Lee and Spratley, 2010).
I’d lastly like to touch on the many issues we see present in schools regarding our diverse
learners as well as schools not being equitable. As far as schools not being equitable we see this
a ton in our urban schools. In my other education class we are reading the book For White Folks
Who Teach in The Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too. This book discuses how in urban schools
students needs aren’t being met by their teachers. This book discusses how white teachers are
often the one’s who teach at the predominantly black schools in urban communities and there are
cases of the teachers acting as the students culture shouldn’t be represented when they’re in the
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Module 1 Reflection
classroom. “The identities that youth bring to and enact in school are central to their reading and
writing practices” (Maje & Luke, 2009). If we don’t allow our students to express their
identity’s we will see a drop in respect from these students and a loss of interest in learning.
Obviously this isn’t always the case but this definitely happens in our urban schools. We also
recently discussed a term called “hokey hope”. This is the idea that if urban youth work hard and
listen to rules then they will go to college and live the American dream. I think it is extremely
important to acknowledge the inequity that is going on in the world and that we would gain more
of a respect from our diverse students if we acknowledged it rather than acting like it doesn’t
happen. There is defiantly a fine line between encouraging our diverse students to have high
goals for themselves while also expressing that the world isn’t fair and it will be more difficult
for them.
As you can see module one covered a ton of crucial information for us future teachers to
be aware of so that we can implement it into our teaching in the future. I think with teachers
becoming aware of mistakes we have made in the past and are currently making, we can see a lot
of improvement in the next ten years.

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Module 1 Reflection
References
Beerer. “Disciplinary Literacy: Helping Students Develop Insider Knowledge.” Discovery
Education, 30 Sept. 2019, www.discoveryeducation.com/details/disciplinary-literacy-
helping-students-develop-insider-knowledge/.
“Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age.” NCTE, 7 Nov. 2019, ncte.org/statement/nctes-
definition-literacy-digital-age/.
Lee, C.D., Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy.
New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Moje, E., & Luke, A. (2009). Literacy and identity: Examining the metaphors in history and
contemporary research. Reading Research Quarterly, 44, 415-437.
Nicol, Zachary, director. What Is Literacy in the 21st Century? Youtube , 2014,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0poR8zfAls&feature=emb_title.

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RUNNING HEAD: Module 1 Reflection

Arizona State University

answer to define literacy. Literacy is a combination of being able to consume information,

solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought” (Definition of Literacy in a

information then through a google search.

of improvement in the next ten years.

Beerer. “Disciplinary Literacy: Helping Students Develop Insider Knowledge.” Discovery

Education, 30 Sept. 2019, www.discoveryeducation.com/details/disciplinary-literacy-

“Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age.” NCTE, 7 Nov. 2019, ncte.org/statement/nctes-

New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

contemporary research. Reading Research Quarterly, 44, 415-437.

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