A topic that has long fascinated me is that of the expansion of the definition of "literacy." As an active member of the technological generation, I am interested and participatory in technological literacy. I connected with Dr. Alvermann's assertion of the importance of including multiple genres and mediums in the modern definition of "literacy." As students develop, they begin to either identify themselves as "readers" or "non-readers." Once students have convinced themselves- or been convinced by outside influences- that they're "non-readers," the negative emotional reaction that they have to everything termed "literature" will stick with them for the rest of their life. Broadening the definition of literacy to encompass all of the technological mediums and genres that are such a huge part of their lives prevents this emotional shutdown to reading as well as giving students more opportunity to tap into and increase their literacy skills.
The applications in the "Learning from our mistakes" article were helpful, concrete, in depth, and backed up by research. They also backed up the assertions made in Dr. Alvermann's interview which reinforced the importance of using technology in the classroom. Nice!
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