Literacy in the Humanities Classroom
The third day of our Summer Teacher Institute focused on Literacy in the Humanities Classroom. Using the framework of the TPCK Model (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), we explored how traditional skills such as reading, writing, and research could be merged with emerging literacies and addressed by new tools to create a contemporary classroom:
Once the structure/definition of literacy had been established, the participants worked their way through topics including RSS, social bookmarks, collaborative notebooks, wikis, blogs, student creation and presentation tools, photo essays, Flickr groups, Google Earth, and more. From comic books based on The Odyssey to a Google Lit Trip of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, we explored and discussed how English/Language Arts classrooms are fertile ground for engaging students with technology and expanding their understanding of and appreciation for the humanities.
As the day drew to an end one teacher pondered the question, “I wonder what Homer would have done with resources like these?” We can’t possibly imagine, but we can empower our students to unlock their potential as they learn to read, write, research, and become the next generation of literate citizens.
