Final Blog Reflection

      Since the very first day of this class, I have been trying to figure out what the exact purpose of it was. The class description via the CSUN portal was rather vague and the name of the class, “Multi Genre Literacy” implies a multitude of ideas that does not necessarily seem coherent. Now, in retrospect looking back at the semester, I feel as if I understand why this class would be considered a capstone for Seniors in the English Subject Matter. There was a progression from the basics forms of text based literacy, into a world of contemporary literacy where literature comes in a multitude of forms.

      The poetry and mythology portions of the class had me somewhat confused. They were both informative in their own individual way, but learning them back to back did not seem to make sense. Why would we jump from poetry to mythology within a week’s period of time with no explanation? Yet, looking back now, it is starting to make some sense. These were foundations of literacy. Both come from an oral tradition that has been transposed into texts. Therefore, each fulfill the standard medias of oral and textual literacy.

      As we worked our way into the study of media learning, it became evident why we were going in this particular order. We are now coming into a time period when literacy is not just associated with the ability to read and write, but also the ability to work on computers, play video games, surf the web, and send texts on your smart phone. Literacy is a field that is expanding into an overwhelming realm of possibilities, and it is forcing the individual to become much more sophisticated with their literacy skills.

Children no longer just hear stories and read them. They grow up watching, playing, and interacting with them. As a future teacher, I need to be affluent with all forms of media in order to remain contemporary with my students. If teachers choose to remain in a static state of only books and lecture, than we will surely lose our student’s interest. Our teaching style has to reflect the student’s life, and if they are deep in a world of smart phones, Ipads, computers, and video games, the teacher needs to learn how to incorporate the expanding realm of media into the classroom. One cannot inform if they cannot entertain. If a teacher can engage students with popular forms of media, they will be able to convey their message much more effectively. 

      So, ultimately I feel like this class makes sense to me. It showcased the gradual transition from traditional forms of literacy into the contemporary media and show how we are now living in a world of globalization where these new forms of media allow us to interact and effect one another in ways that have never been accomplished before. It’s a scary and fantastical world we are living in, and it has the potential for both good and bad. We need to guide our students in the right direction by not shying away from the new forms of media and literacy, but rather, we should utilize them and teach how they can be used to make the world a better place.