Week Seven Blog - The changing nature of meaning making

  The Changing Nature of Meaning Making

10/09/2025

(My own image taken of my laptop)

The selected image directly links to task one. It demonstrates the shift in device use over the years. In my earlier years of schooling, I primarily used pencils, paper, and only written/paper books when engaging with reading/writing in a school setting. Using electronic devices such as a computer, laptop or iPad was seen as a treat and something that happened very rarely, as they were not readily available to everyone due to cost, and weren't crucial to learning. However, by the end of my schooling experience, I had finished most assignments and exams using this laptop. 

Through the years, I have not only developed suitable literacy skills for understanding/comprehending how to use a device for these tasks, but I have also transferred knowledge to be able to write assessments using a keyboard and touchpad/mouse compared to a pencil at the beginning of my schooling. Therefore, I have not only developed my multimodal literacy skills, but I have also been adaptable to the changing nature of making meaning using all kinds of resources and using them multimodally (pen and paper plus a laptop to complete a task) (Bernett & Merchant, 2018). 

I acknowledge that I use technology/the internet more than not; it is part of my everyday interactions, including my phone, watch, and for my jobs. Merchant (2023) explains that this is the case for himself, too; most of his daily interactions require a device to complete a task. However, through understanding Bernett & Merchant's (2018) table (mapping changes in literacy), it is evident that the experience children have when coming to the classroom is more multimodal than ever, including their daily interactions, also requiring a device in some way. Children come equipped with the ability to complete many textual compositions requiring varying literacy characteristics (from pen/paper to laptop, or writing on paper to typing on a laptop). Therefore, through understanding these findings and this task, I am acknowledging the importance of integrating and developing children's pre-developed knowledge of changing literacies and building my own teaching practices for improving children's literacy repertoire (Burnett & Merchant, 2018; Merchant, 2023).

Reference List:

Burnett, C., & Merchant, G. (2018). Acknowledge the changing nature of meaning-making. New media in the classroom: rethinking literacy (pp. 13-24). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529714906.n2

Merchant, G. (2023). Digital literacy is over. Practical literacy: the early and primary years, 28(2), 5-6. https://search.informit.org/doi/epdf/10.3316/informit.057620426347796