Through projects created with the apps Explain Everything (http://expl.ai/TMLCAXE) and Adobe Spark Pages (https://spark.adobe.com/page/ZS9LKpoLqoIsF/), a connection between Literacy and Curriculum in the classroom can be demonstrated. Prior to creating the assignment using the Explain Everything app, a survey was conducted to determine the educational philosophy with which I most align. The project was then to further research that specific educational philosophy and indicate how we can incorporate aspects of those philosophies into my classroom in terms of teaching presence and lesson planning (which supports curriculum).
For the Adobe Sparkpage project, the task was to discuss various aspects of literacy, mostly digital literacy, and how it is vital to be literate in many ways beyond just reading and writing. This includes being able to read equations, graphs, signs, music, plays, images, videos, social cues, and more. Literacy and Curriculum are connected because not only are many aspects of national standards tied to interdisciplinary fluency in various aspects of literacy, but since literacy connects mostly to the way in which an individual, thinks, interprets, and then communicates ideas surrounding the material, it truly shapes an individual’s identity.
Therefore, an individual’s educational philosophy may influence which materials are chosen and presented to students. This relates to the Saint Michael's College Education Department mission statement pillar since one of the performance criteria includes graduates gaining the necessary skills to become creative and integrative teachers who are"adept at both discipline-based and interdisciplinary teaching methods, using emerging technologies, social interaction, and imagination to support students’ achievement of rigorous academic standards.” Literacy is highly disciplinary, whether it be reading a book in English class that contains historical content, or viewing a graph in math class that revolves around velocity. The way in which certain types of literacy are incorporated into one’s curriculum highly influences the outcome of the students not only academically but socially. Literacy is what allows students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and pragmatic global participants.
Therefore, it is imperative that teachers are well rounded with various technologies, and are comfortable using interdisciplinary teaching methods, because the more exposure students have to a variety of literacies (that promote both academic and social growth), the more well-rounded and fluent students will be not only in the classroom, but in their communities and even the world. Literacy is all about creativity since the way in which an individual chooses how to present certain material whether in written,digital, or artistic form, is highly individualized. Therefore, the more students are introduced to a variety of literacies as the teacher sees fit through the curriculum, the easier it will be for them to help find themselves through those mediums and be able to express themselves. Therefore, I hope to challenge myself to become more fluent in and find connections through different types of literacy such as equations or graphs (since those aspects of literacy are stereotypically not used as much in the English classroom) in order to continue my growth as an individual and future education. The more that I can be fluent in areas outside of my subject area which is English, the more I can make connections to other disciplines and fulfill the goal of being an interdisciplinary and creative educator.
