Student IML Learning Capacities

In developing the IML student learning capacities, we stayed very focused on learning.  When sharing this with another teacher, they commented that, “I knew you would do something with technology.”  I quickly corrected them because it has so little to do with technology.  
 
IML is all about students learning.  The term capacity was carefully chosen so that we don’t get stuck with a set of skills to learn.  As our digital society changes, so will the skills required.  At present, I don’t see the need for new learning capacities though.
 
I really like an article, “Literacy by Design” written by Jeff Wilhelm where he quotes J. David Bolter who argued in 1991 that, “if our students are not reading and composing with various electronic technologies, then they are illiterate. They are not just unprepared for the future, they are illiterate right now, in our current time and context.” http://www.teachnet-lab.org/fklane/wilhelm.htm
 
Not only is this a powerful statement for today, I see it as more powerful that it was recognized 16 years ago.  We really haven’t made the change to embrace a new understanding of literacy.  I hope that working with our district, our teachers, our administrators, our parents, our community and our students, we work towards building everyone’s Information and Media Literacy as learning capacities.
 
The attached document summarizes the 6 capacities.  I will look into each in more detail in following entries.
 
3 Key Concepts.pdf