Blog #10- New Literacies

For our new literacies project, Jess, Sarah and I have opted to explore cultural literacy, where we will be using the Digital Story program that Erik introduced us to last semester. I love this technological program because it gives the kids a chance to add their own pictures, voices and words to the creation through a virtual matter. I believe that this personalization is a wonderful tool to help students become more interested and motivated to complete a project! The three of us have been analyzing and taking individual notes at the libraries in our placements and explored the East Lansing Public Library together as a group. We plan to compare/contrast these libraries and their display of cultural diversity through literacy. At my placement (Winans Elementary in the Waverly District) I noticed a wide range of diverse literature through racial, cultural, and gender means. Because Winans has a diverse amount of students (with the dominant race being white), I noticed many of these diverse types of literature on display. There was a strong emphasis and large section display of the American Girl series of books. The library was very well-organized, clean and is centrally located in the school. I noticed that the lighting and overall theme to the library is colorful, fun and inviting and immediately draws my attention everytime I walk by it. The environment is definitely a warm and caring one that allows kids to feel comfortable and explore different kinds of literature. Aside from the many different types of books that were available, the library has a few computers to allow the kids to explore the internet and search for books. However, one thing that I did not notice was religious literature on display. In the ELPL, there were many types of literature on display regarding religion and races. A lot of this issue more than likely stems from the school setting that the library is located in. Because the ELPL is not a school-based library, they can draw religion to a greater focus because there are so many different ethnic and relgious backgrounds of people that visit. Overall, this project has really opened my eyes and helped me view cultural literacy in a different light and perspective. I had never paid attention before to the different kinds of diverse literature and it has been an interesting experience, thus far, to observe and interact with these literacies.