Digital Literacies in EAL Special Interest Group (SIG)
Wednesday 22 March 4-5pm
Online
Are you interested in digital literacies in EAL settings? Join us for the first SIG event. The event will include an introduction of the SIG, followed by a seminar.
SIG Launch
Digital Literacies in EAL SIG is a new initiative supported by VicTESOL. It is a group for members of TESOL associations in Australia who are interested in digital literacies and their inclusion in EAL learning.
Seminar:
Research presentation: What is digital literacy?
Like traditional, print-based literacies, digital literacy refers to a competency or capability with a particular topic, field or issue. However, as both conceptual and material notions of the ‘digital’ are slippery, so too are conceptions of what constitutes being ‘literate’. In fact, defining what is meant by digital literacy has become more complicated over time. Invasions of privacy, increasing dataveillance, and the erosion of the democratic sphere are just some of the complex issues in modern societies that digital literacy is supposed to address. In this presentation, I will outline what digital literacy is and how it differs from other cognate approaches such as digital rights and digital citizenship. I draw on practical examples and strategies for classroom teachers to incorporate into their practice to develop critical digital literacies. I conclude by outlining what digital literacies cannot achieve, in particular the issues and challenges that are, in many respects, beyond the influence of the teacher and the curriculum.
Presenter: Dr Luci Pangrazio. Luci is a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence of the Digital Child and a senior lecturer in language and literacy at Deakin University. Her research focuses on digital and data literacies, datafication in the home and school, and the politics of digital platforms.
Practice presentation: An online reading program for EAL students: A teacher’s experience
This session will discuss the challenges and opportunities of an online reading program for EAL students. While the reading program encouraged students to engage in reading, there were challenges associated in relation to access to digital technologies.
Presenter: Louise Whittle. Louise has been a primary school teacher for the last 24 years, working in the South Eastern public sector as a classroom teacher and casual relief teacher. She has had overseas experiences teaching in the USA and UAE, where her interest and love of EAL education started. Louise has been providing EAL Language Support/ Intervention in a mainstream school for the last 5 years.
Event facilitators
Dr Katrina Tour (Monash University) and Associate Professor Melissa Barnes (LaTrobe University).
Cost
$10 – VicTESOL members (including members of other state TESOL associations affiliated with ACTA)
$30 – Non-members
