Barbara McVeigh: Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms

Thursday 11 July 2013

Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms

Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms by Nancy Frey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This slender book packs a lot of valuable ideas and advice between its covers. A great quick, but powerful, read for over the summer months. Literacy 2.0 is a valuable aid to educators as we move from the consumption of limited knowledge to the production and synthesis of information. We live in an age where the “audience is now the world” (1); a fact to celebrate, rather than fear.

The book is practical in nature. Here are some highlights:

Chapter 1 begins with a reframing of traditional teaching. Items include:
• gradual release of responsibility;
• essential questions;
• the difference between problem- and project-based learning.

Chapter 2, “The Eternal Search”, discusses three-dimensional reading and Boolean searches. What I found interesting was their instruction on:
• how to use Wikipedia effectively;
• and how to implement RSS feeds to gather research.

Chapter 3, “Making Responsible Choices” details ethics:
• digital citizenship;
• plagiarism;
• and good resources on teaching students how to cite.

Chapter 4 involves the creation of information. The writers discuss
• Fair Use;
• The Creative Commons;
• Essential Questions.
The chapter is also peppered with useful Web 2.0 tools for teachers to use with their students.

Chapter 5 shows the power of having the world as your audience. Chapter 6 outlines potential pitfalls.

Each section of Literacy 2.0 is summarized in “chapter tweets” to highlight the material just read.

Don’t forget to go to the publisher’s site for GREAT online resources. The site includes links mentioned in the book, as well as reproducible handouts. I’ve included a few more links because I think they are wonderful resources.

http://go.solution-tree.com/literacy/... (specific to this title)
http://go.solution-tree.com/literacy/ (links to all literacy reproducibles)
http://go.solution-tree.com/instruction/ (links to all instruction reproducibles)
http://go.solution-tree.com/technolog... (technology reproducibles)