​All teachers are responsible for teaching studies literacies whether they are traditional reading, writing and speaking or the new literacies we encounter. The idea of transliteracy was a new term for me. Transliteracy was defined as “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks” (Thomas, Joseph, Laccetti, Mson, Mills, Perril & Pullinger, 2007).

With these new literacies comes new skills that need to be unpacked and taught to students in order to succeed in this evolving digital age.

1. Critical Thinking & Questioning
As part of digital literacy, students need to think critically in conjunction with their digital tool knowledge (Anyangwe, 2012). Many students feel confident using technology but don’t truly understand the skills they need to be successful. So much of the content online is taken at face value by students and they need to understand who is saying it, why they are saying it and what are the other perspectives (November 2014). Students need to learn how to question the authenticity of content online and using these questions to drive their inquiries further.

2. Creating & Curating
With the rise of Web 2.0, it is no longer okay just to consume digital content. Rather, students need to learn how to create content and curate it. Not only that, they must be able to create content that effectively communicates a message. As a consumer of content, students need to take this content and sift through it, organising what is relevant and pertinent information and what content is not useful (Holland, 2013). These skills take time to develop and should be continually built upon.

3. Collaborating and Connecting
Working with others doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Building the skills and strategies to be effective with others takes time but the outcome of connecting and collaborating is phenomenal. Through collaboration, many ideas can be combined to create something better than any one individual’s ideas. In education, connecting with others allows you to learn from others and better yourself while being exposed to so much more knowledge and experiences that one could ever imagine. It is important to model appropriate ways to connect with others online in a safe and positive manner and how to make these interactions beneficial to everyone (Holland, 2013).

References
Anyangwe, E. (2012, May 15). 20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education. The Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/15/digital-literacy-in-universities

Holland, B. (2013, November 18). Packing for the digital exploration. Tedx Talks [video]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJBwe1HPTtw

November, A. (2014, May 6). Who Owns the learning? Preparing students for success in the digital age. [video] Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAIxIBeT90

Thomas, S., Joseph, C., Laccetti, J., Mason, B., Mills, S., Perril, S., & Pullinger, K. (2007). Transliteracy: crossing divides. First Monday, 12(12).

Mid-Term Impact Trend: Driving Ed Tech adoption in K-12 education for three to five years

Key Points:

• The action of creating content over consuming content a growing trend
• New mobile technology supporting content creation
• Social media apps on the rise → quick informal sharing of stories
• Game development and programming key to creation trend
• Digital tools support creativity and production skills
• Apps streamlining the process of creating, editing, and publishing for tutorial making
• Creating can make a complex concept easier to explain
• Video tutorials allow teachers to share content → teachers need the confidence to create them

Implications:

• With increased content creation, issues around intellectual property more prevalent
• Need to educate schools, students and teachers in copyright and fair use
• Acceptable use policies need to protect student creations

Further Suggested Reading:

• 10 Must Have Resources to Teach about Copyright and Fair Use
• Multichannel Teaching Integrated
• Program Helps Kansas City-Area Students Create Technology, Not Just Use It
• The Benefits of Students Teaching Students Through Online Vide
• ​Students As Creators: How To Drive Your Students To Be More Than Just Consumers
• Student-Created App to Guide Shoppers around Downtown Summerlin

Reference:
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from: http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Learning management systems all have their pros and cons when it comes to using them in the classroom. The hardest part is finding the best one to fit the needs of the learners and the community. Careful consideration should be given to the benefits and downsides of the learning management system before committing to one as a school. Some of these benefits and downsides are included below. 

Advantages:

1. Available anywhere anytime online: With a learning management system, students can access the class content from anywhere, anytime and on any device (ProProfs, 2013). This provides the learner with an immense amount of flexibility in their learning. For students who are travelling, have children, working full time or a range of other things, they are able to ensure they have easy access to engage with content and complete assignments. With a learning management system, students can access information both in class and outside of school.
2. Tracking of Students & Progress: With a learning management system, there are many functions to track student progress easily. This includes things such as instant assessment and feedback (ProProfs, 2013). This helps to increase transparency between the teacher, student and school while also supporting the students in using this feedback to further help them grow. The teacher can use the data gained from assessment or other administrative aspects to help them further plan and support students.

Disadvantages:

1. Ongoing Training & IT Support: Learning Management Systems are not usually set up just by the teacher. The IT department needs to support with training teachers on the functions and tools, helping them get content onto the site, maintaining the LMS and ensuring security for students and staff (Contact North, 2012). This means that the teacher and students are often reliant on other staff to ensure the course is in ‘working condition’. Sufficient IT staffing would need to be in place to be able to support teachers and students and the school would have to have funding to ensure this. This will also need to lead to increased teacher training to become competent with the learning management system that can be expensive but has the potential to build capacity in teachers (Contact North, 2012).
2. Lack of Integration of Other Web 2.0 Tools: Learning Management Systems have limitations often with the functions/ tools available. As teachers become more facilitators and learning becomes more student-driven, a one-size fits all model is not effective. Teachers need to work to use a learning management system in conjunction with other Web 2.0 to personalize the learning for students. While some may be able to integrate other tools, it is often considered ‘clunky’. Therefore, it is important that when integrating Web 2.0 tools for engagement and personalized learning that it is easy for the user (Contact North, 2012)

References
Contact North. (2012). Is there a future for learning management systems? Retrieved from: http://teachonline.ca/sites/default/files/contactNorth/files/pdf/publications/the_future_of_learning_management_systems_eng.pdf

ProProfs. (2013). What is a learning management system? LMS Software [Video Log Post]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsdtwj00Uo