immersion in networked digital cultures

Do we need to be immersed in networked digital cultures in order to be effective literacy teachers?

I think so. As a long time lurker on many channels (a number of professional lists, twitter, reader rather than writer of blogs) I've come to face the truth that it isn't enough to read and observe; you have to do it, too.

Alex Reid's recent post prompted me to take this up now.  He writes:

Clearly all faculty have internet access at least through their workplaces. But to what extent have we collectively embraced networked culture? Certainly not to the extent that we have embraced the modern culture that we continue to celebrate through our curriculum.
Why is this an issue? Let's say, for example, that I didn't really care for reading books. I would assign books for my courses because that was expected, but I didn't live a life where books were personally valued. How successful do you think I would be teaching print literacy? Teaching with digital networks requires a kind of literacy derived from a significant level of immersion. This is, I think, a real stumbling block for our profession in facing up to this challenge. 

I'd go further than Alex; teaching literacy now requires engagement in multiple kinds of literacies, but especially networked literacies.  You can't gain fluency in a literacy just by observing; you have to practice.