New Media & New Literacies

In my current literacy unit, my small-group students—who receive support in a resource-room setting—are reading a modified version of White Fang . Much of our work centers on understanding survival, character decision-making, and how individuals respond to hostile or unpredictable environments. To extend these ideas beyond the text, I incorporated Gimkit , an open-source game platform that blends quizzing with strategy, and paired it with a hands-on culminating task: students designing their own survival-themed board games using a blank game board kit purchased from Amazon. Together, these two experiences give my students multiple entry points into the same conceptual learning, while honoring their diverse processing, reading, and engagement needs.    Gimkit , originally developed by high-school students, is an interactive digital game environment where players answer questions to earn “currency,” power-ups, and advantages. Unlike traditional quiz platforms, Gimkit emphasizes...

Digital Tools in K–12 Education: Pear Deck and Google Classroom Digital platforms have become essential in how teachers and students communicate, collaborate, and construct knowledge. In K–12 classrooms, two tools that have become particularly transformative are Pear Deck and Google Classroom. These platforms not only support instruction and assessment but also foster deeper engagement and connection between schools and families. When used intentionally, they can bridge gaps in access and communication while promoting digital literacy skills that students need to thrive in a connected world. As Ledgerwood (2022) explains, Web 2.0 tools encourage creativity, collaboration, and communication by giving students active roles in constructing meaning rather than simply consuming information. Pear Deck Pear Deck is an interactive tool that integrates with Google Slides or PowerPoint to create presentations that students can respond to in real time. Instead of passively viewing a lesson, stu...