What do I expect to gain from taking this New Literacies class?

What do I expect to gain from taking this New Literacies class?

Well, I hope to have a better understanding of what is and isn't a New Literacy, how to potentially incorporate a New Literacy into my current classroom, and really, have a better - more educated - view point, opinion, whatever you want to call it, regarding the New Literacies.  A few things that I have found that I DO NOT like so far are:

1. It is an area that is not widely taught in undergraduate, pre-teaching courses.  However, it does sound like that is beginning to change.
2. Our guest speaker last week, Dr. David O'Brien from the University of Minnesota (Literacy Education Professor), stated that there would no longer be printed curriculum (no textbooks). While I feel that a textbook is not necessary to teach a subject, and access to other literacies is beneficial, poor districts, such as the one that I work for, will be that much further behind.
3. THE DEATH OF THE BOOK - Dr. O'Brien also stated that the death of the book - the printed word on paper - was working it's way toward obscurity - extinction!  As a book lover, I find this most disheartening.  While I like to use my Kindle, I still like to hold the real-deal in my hands.

I'm sure there were others, these are just the ones that have 'stuck' the most at this point.

Things that I like so far are:

1. Collaboration and Research - at all levels within the insitutition of education. 
2. Again, while New Literacies are not widely taught, they are beginning to get their own class 'time' in higher learner institutions.