Digital Literacies for Pre-Service High School English Teachers

Campbell, Eduard

Digital Literacies for Pre-Service High School English Teachers

Open Education Resource

2015-06-01

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Education

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Series

PGCE English Method

Abstract

This series of lectures serves as a course component for the Senior Phase and FET English Method course at the University of Cape Town, which forms part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) professional teacher education qualification. It consists of 5 lectures presented at strategic times throughout the year. The purpose of the course is to provide pre-service English teachers with an opportunity to critically discuss the integration of Digital Literacies into the high school English curriculum. The course component has a dual teaching outcome: 1. Addressing the digital divide within the English Method classroom and providing an opportunity for the pre-service teachers to engage in Digital Literacies practices themselves; 2. Creating awareness of the digital divide within the high school classroom and discussing various methods that enable learners to engage in effective Digital Literacy practices. The course is built on discussions where the class could voice their varying perspectives, anxieties and experiences, especially after their teaching practicals. In this way, knowledge is built collaboratively. Although rudimentary theory is incorporated in the curriculum, the class focuses mostly on the practical aspects of Digital Literacies within the specific context of the high school English Classroom. Numerous methods for Digital Literacies integration, whether for the students’ own use or for their learners’, are scrutinized and critically evaluated.