Digital Literacy Leadership Dare

Looking to the future of digital literacy (Flickr image from by Schlüsselbein2007)

This morning, on the final day of our digital literacy leadership workshop, we watched Chris Lehmann’s Ignite talk about “School 2.0,” and I borrowed some of his ideas to create our writing prompt: What do you dare to do as a digital literacy leader?

One of the themes that has emerged for me over the week, and especially at our dinner conversation last night, is that I have been doing lots with digital literacy just about everywhere in the education world — through the National Writing Project, in K-12 schools, in partnership with colleagues at other universities — but not much right here, on the campus of CMU. Perhaps a bit too aloof, I have often pushed off my lack of involvement here by saying that “I can’t be a prophet in my own land” or that the bureaucracy of the institution is too much.

Today, I am daring myself to do better, to be better. I am daring myself to be a digital literacy leader here, in my own backyard, on our campus. What might this look like.

  • Well, to begin, I will schedule time to talk with our director of composition and the director of the writing center, perhaps both together, to talk about digital literacy and multimodal composing.
  • Second, as we revise the English education curriculum, I will be more of an advocate for digital literacy in our courses and program as a whole.
  • Third, as I get involved with our department curriculum committee, I will also be thinking about possibilities for professional development as it relates to instruction and integration of technology.

I’m using Letter Me Later to send myself a note for later in the year, asking whether or not I have been proactive on these goals.

I hope you, too, digital literacy leadership dare!


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2 thoughts on “Digital Literacy Leadership Dare”

  1. Troy,

    I hope you don’t mind me using this post as part of my final project for my Learner’s Edge Class. Literacy is also my area of passion. I’m trying to grapple with how to integrate the appropriate amount of tech and digital literacy into my first and second grade classroom without sacrificing critical time for students to be writing (whether on the computer, ipad, or paper). Like you. I’m comfortable taking risks to build community online. But when it comes to being a leader at my elementary school in Holland, I don’t have has many opportunities. I, too, will take up the challenge to be more of an advocate in my building to support emerging digital literacy supported in best practice. Thanks for all your words of encouragement. It is that time of the year, we need to get our energy up for the kids!!!

  2. Thank you, Sarah! By all means, yes, please do use this post. I think that becoming an advocate in our own schools/departments can be a challenge, and I am glad to know that you are taking the “dare” as well. I hope, too, that you keep in touch to let me know how things are going for you.

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