Multiliteracies.. a window to critical learning

     The term 'literacy' is no longer restricted to reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. With influx of various kind of  media, both print and non-print, literacy now covers viewing and representing. Well, that's the least effort that our education authority tries to do... and I suppose the maximum effort that 'they' could try is to finance whatever is necessary to make 'their' 'dream' come true. Mmm ... Those six language areas mentioned are depicted rather too generally. But are they enough to prepare our learners to become multiliterate- digitally literate, visually literate and what not? 
    Let's recall the term 'multiliteracies' coined by the London Group as shared in our class. Based on what I have understood, it refers to an approach or 'pedagogy' (the Art/ Science of teaching) to  literacy. Correct me if I am wrong. Students need to be multiliterate in order to prepare for the changing lives ahead. We are no longer situated within a single community.. we belong to different communities. Let's look at the chat column in the net, for instance, people from different communities (diverse cultural background) communicate with one another anonymously. They share a common space but I believe, with a particular selfish interest. Those who are not critical enough may easily fall prey. They become powerless. 
    Dr Towndrow shared.. in the past,  the power to put meaning to something belonged to selected few. Those who have access to print control information and assign meaning to it. It's kind of linear. People are merely receptive. Now this power has dissipated to the lot. More people have access to print and with multimedia, especially, they get more powerful. They use the media to impose meaning onto others. So, it's necessary to be multiliterate now... to be able the understand the linguistic, audio, visual, spatial, gestural and multimodal meaning of a particular 'information' presented. Very challenging indeed! Are we ready?