M3D2: Blog #3: Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talk in My Teaching Context

 

How can you engage students in meaningful conversations around new literacy practices, helping them to navigate in a purposeful and informed manner?

           Am I the only one that has students that find it embarrassing when asked to incorporate their favourite social media app trends within their work? The very first time I asked my scholars to make a tiktok routine/jingle to help them with memorizing the scientific inquiry process, they looked at me as if I had horns and a big red nose. My students enjoy social media, and various applications with very high social media footprints. As a science educator to increase retention, engagement and understanding, bridging the gap between science inquiry and media usage is important. Engaging students in meaningful conversations around new literacies involves connecting their everyday digital experiences with critical thinking and purposeful reflection. Start by exploring how they interact with media, what they watch, share, or create online, and use those experiences as entry points for discussion (Tang, 2015). Bringing in real-world examples such as viral videos, social media trends, or digital news can make these conversations relevant and show how digital texts influence opinions, behavior, and identity. In science we use the media for research to not only explore, but to solidify understanding. Ensuring that our students have a keen understanding of how to synthesize the information that they are being exposed to. Structured class discussions, such as socratic seminars, offer space to grapple with complex digital dilemmas in a respectful and reflective way. This is done by building a classroom culture that values inquiry, ethical awareness, and diverse perspectives, educators can help students navigate digital spaces in informed and purposeful ways. Media-rich environments should encourage respectful dialogue and protect students from bias, stereotyping, or marginalization, especially when discussing sensitive scientific issues like climate change, genetics, or even public health (Tang, 2015). 

What equity or engagement concerns do you need to keep in mind as you are designing?

      Equity is important in all educational spaces, whether it is the structure of the classroom, the instructional materials, or even how we teach. In my class, participation is very important, it plays a crucial role in my lesson development as it allows me to gauge students’ progress. Not all students have the same level of access to technology, digital skills, or prior experience with media tools. To ensure fairness, educators must provide alternative ways for students to engage with content and demonstrate learning, offer scaffolded support for digital literacy, and avoid assumptions about students’ tech proficiency (International Literacy Association, 2018). It’s also important to be mindful of language barriers, learning differences, and cultural contexts that may influence how students interact with media and scientific concepts. Students’ voice and participation are equally crucial. 

Give an example of an activity or project that you have or could assign in your teaching context/discipline that could leverage analog and digital learning experiences toward a complex learning goal.

           Last summer, I completed a summer internship at Teachers College- Columbia University, and it was about piloting a climate change unit  within the elementary and middle school curriculum. My experiences from the program allowed me to explore and develop an interest in climate change. An investigation I considered was "Citizen Science Climate Change Investigation." The learning goal for this investigation is for students to understand local impacts of climate change, analyze real-world data, and propose evidence-based solutions.

In a middle or high school science classroom, an engaging activity that blends analog and digital learning experiences could be a "Citizen Science Climate Change Investigation." The complex learning goal is for students to understand local impacts of climate change, analyze real-world data, and propose evidence-based solutions. Students begin by conducting local environmental observations and collecting data such as tracking temperature changes, rainfall, or plant blooming patterns recording the data. Interview community members (e.g., farmers, city workers, elders) about observed climate shifts over time and record it digitally. This fosters hands-on learning, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication skills.

         Students will then use online databases like NASA’s Earthdata or NOAA’s Climate.gov to compare their local findings with regional or global climate data. They analyze patterns using spreadsheets or digital visualization tools. Finally, they create digital presentations, infographics, videos, or interactive websites to share their findings and propose local sustainability initiatives. This project promotes scientific inquiry, digital literacy, and civic engagement by integrating real-world science with both traditional and technological approaches to learning.

 

Reference

Tang, K. (2015). Reconceptualising Science Education Practices from New Literacies Research. Science Education International Science Education International, 26, 307–324. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1074880.pdf

International Literacy Association. (2018). Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and justice: more than just tools. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf