Paying attention to texts : literacy, culture and curriculum

In his paper in English in Australia in 2002, Bill Green called for a literacy project of our own, and for the need to think again, and think newly about the place of literary literacy within contemporary curriculum. But what does literary literacy mean in curriculum that recognises a wide diversity of texts and literacies? If literature and close attention to the aesthetic and imaginative dimensions remain important, what kinds of texts should we value, and how should we attend to them? This article considers how such matters might be taken up with multimodal texts of different kinds.<br /

Research methodologies in creative practice: literacy in the digital age of the twenty first century - learning from computer games

Literacy remains one of the central goals of schooling, but the ways in which it is understood are changing. The growth of the networked society, and the spread of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), has brought about significant changes to traditional forms of literacy. Older, print based forms now take their place alongside a mix of newer multi-modal forms, where a wide range of elements such as image, sound, movement, light, colour and interactivity often supplant the printed word and contribute to the ways in which meaning is made. For young people to be fully literate in the twenty-first century, they need to have clear understandings about the ways in which these forms of literacy combine to persuade, present a point of view, argue a case or win the viewers’ sympathies. They need to know how to use them themselves, and to be aware of the ways in which others use them. They need to understand how digital texts organise and prioritise knowledge and information, and to recognise and be critically informed about the global context in which this occurs. That is, to be effective members of society, students need to become critical and capable users of both print and multimodal literacy, and be able to bring informed and analytic perspectives to bear on all texts, both print and digital, that they encounter in everyday life. This is part of schools’ larger challenge to build robust connections between school and the world beyond, to meet the needs of all students, and to counter problems of alienation and marginalisation, particularly amongst students in the middle years. This means finding ways to be relevant and useful for all students, and to provide them with the skills and knowledge they will need in the ICT-based world of the Twentyfirst century. With respect to literacy education, engagement and technology, we urgently need more information as to how this might be best achieved

Shifting practices and frames: literacy, learning and computer games

Digital culture and the online world have profound implications for contemporary notions of literacy, learning, and curriculum. The increasing integration of digital culture and technologies into young people’s lives reflects the energy and excitement offered by online worlds. Online forms of text and communication are shaping students’ experience of the world, including expectations and experiences about learning and literacy. While print literacies remain important, for schools to prepare students to participate in critical and agential ways in the contemporary and future world, they need also to teach them to be fully literate in digital and multimodal literacies, and at ease and in control in the online world. Computer games and other forms of digital games teach and exemplify multimodal forms of literacy. Schools can capitalise on their potential and work with them productively. Doing so, however, entails recognising the messy complexity of schooling and the practicalities of classroom lives. This chapter reports on a 3-year project in five schools concerned with literacy and computer games, and discusses the important role of teachers as on-the-ground leaders in pioneering new conceptions of literacy and curriculum change, and the importance of school structures and support to enable such change to happen.Arts, Education & Law Group, School of Education and Professional StudiesNo Full Tex

Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Volume 33, No. 1 (editorial)

Opening paragraph: Literacy remains one of the central goals of schooling, but the ways in which it is understood are changing due to the growth of the network society and the ubiquity of information and communications technology (ICT). Much can be learnt about students and their literacy practices from the exploration of their engagement with digital culture - particularly computer games - from their out-of-school lifeworlds. Youth's engagement with computer games and virtual worlds signals significant changes to traditional forms of literacy. Older, print-based forms now take their place alongside a mix of newer multimodal forms, where a wide range of elements such as image, sound, movement, light, colour..

Museums, games, and historical imagination: student responses to a games-based experience at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Digital games feature prominently in discussions concerning the ways museums might reimagine themselves&mdash;and best serve their audiences&mdash;in an increasingly digital age. Questions are increasingly asked about the opportunities various games might provide to foster historical imagination, and, in this process, contribute to the curation, construction and dissemination of knowledge: goals central to the work of modern museums. This paper reports on the experiences and perceptions of three groups of year 9 students (aged 14-15) as they engaged with one purpose built digital game&mdash;called The Voyage&mdash; at the Australian National Maritime Museum in 2015. The researchers sought students&rsquo; feedback on the strengths, weakness and possibilities associated with using games in museum contexts (rather than at home, or at school). In presenting students&rsquo; perspectives and their associated recommendations, the paper provides vital end-user input into considerations about how museums might maximize the potential of digital games, to enhance historical awareness and understanding, build links to formal curriculum, and strengthen partnerships between schools and museums

\u27Turning around\u27 to the affordances of digital games: English curriculum and students\u27 lifeworlds

The need for English and literacy curriculum to connect with young people\u27s lifeworlds to build bridges and frames of reference that connect traditional English curriculum with digital texts and literacies, are increasing priorities in curriculum frameworks in Australia and elsewhere. This paper reports on a project in which the authors worked with teachers and students in five secondary schools to research the ways in which digital games might be incorporated into the English curriculum. Central to this endeavour was \u27turning around\u27 to the affordances of digital games and their paratexts to understand how they can be understood as text and action. Drawing on classroom observations and literature in Games Studies and English curriculum we present a timely model and innovative heuristic that we argue facilitates teachers incorporating digital games into their English classrooms. We illustrate how each assists teachers in \u27turning around\u27 to digital games to make their English classrooms more relevant to students\u27 lifeworlds