Patricia Leitner's List: Rejoiners/Blue Team

• Yet the    growing influence of technology has caused many educators to acknowledge that    they need information on teaching literacy skills in the Digital Age. To serve    that need, this Critical Issue offers research, best practices, and resources    that support integration of new technologies into literacy instruction.
• • Information Literacy: The ability to access and use information,    analyze content, work with ideas, synthesize thought, and communicate results.
      
      
    
  • Digital Literacy: The ability to attain deeper understanding    of content by using data-analysis tools and accelerated learning processes    enabled by technology.
      
      
    
  • New Literacy: The ability to solve genuine problems amidst    a deluge of information and its transfer in the Digital Age.
      
      
    
  • Computer Literacy: The ability to accurately and effectively    use computer tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation    and graphic software.
      
      
    
  • Computer-Technology Literacy: The ability to manipulate    the hardware that is the understructure of technology systems.
      
      
    
  • Critical Literacy: The ability to look at the meaning and    purpose of written texts, visual applications, and spoken words to question    the attitudes, values, and beliefs behind them. The goal is development of    critical thinking to discern meaning from array of multimedia, visual imagery,    and virtual environments, as well as written text.
      
      
    
  • Media Literacy: The ability to communicate competently    in all media forms—print and electronic—as well as access, understand, analyze    and evaluate the images, words, and sounds that comprise contemporary culture.
• most    educators today agree that literacy instruction, at minimum, should include    computing skills.
• Questions raised by educators as they consider integrating technology into    literacy instruction focus on three specific areas: research, practice, and    professional development.
• • Research: What empirical evidence exists to confirm that new technologies    can be effective in support of literacy instruction? What technologies actually    improve literacy programs? What technologies have little or no effect? Are    any technologies, in fact, harmful to development of successful literacy instruction?
  
  
    
  • Practice: Precisely which technologies, to date, are being used successfully    to support literacy instruction? What technologies hold promise for the future?    How are teachers integrating them into literacy instruction?
  
  
    
  • Professional Development: How has professional development in literacy-based    contexts been influenced by the advent of educational technologies? What skills    do teachers need for integrating technology into literacy instruction?
• word-processing tools such as spelling    checkers are useful aids that improve the quality of student writing.

• Educators may confront the following challenges as they try to integrate    technology into literacy instruction.

    

  When using word-processing software, students sometimes get carried away by    the features of the software and forget that their real task is to write. They    may spend much of their time selecting fonts, adding graphics and icons, and    choosing backgrounds. To help students focus on their writing, the teacher may    wish to turn off some of the software's available features.

    

  Students who are unmonitored in their technology use may not reap real benefits    in literacy. They need continued challenges and connections with the teacher    to ensure that they are attaining higher-order thinking skills. Healy (1998),    for example, warns that the activities offered on software programs often require    only shallow processing and do not contribute to children's real learning. She    notes that the act of watching a screen and making selections from limited options    is "a pallid substitute for real mental activity" (p. 48). She adds,"We must    make sure that computer use includes the important step of requiring children    to 'elaborate' their knowledge—thinking aloud, questioning, communicating ideas,    or creating some kind of original representation about what they are learning"    (p. 141).

              Peggy Grant, Ph.D, NCREL program associate/research, Center for Literacy suggests not ALL technology enhances learning.  
    [QuickTime Video and text, information about QuickTime is available].
• Students who are working in small groups on technology-based projects may focus    on some tasks to the exclusion of others. Although cooperative learning with    computers has many benefits, Healy (1998) encourages teachers to promote students'    individual participation in the processes of reading, writing, and reasoning.    She notes, "With much hypermedia experience occurring as group work, those who    choose not to read or write can often avoid these skills entirely by relying    on the good readers and writers to do this part of the job" (p. 151). Teachers    should monitor group processes to ensure that all children are participating    in the reading and writing activities of each project.
• In their zest to complete assignments, students unthinkingly may download,    copy, and paste writing from the Internet directly into their school reports    and projects. To prevent students from presenting someone else's materials as    their own, schools needs to develop firm policies on plagiarism and ensure that    students, teachers, and parents are aware of these policies. Also, teachers    can help students learn to summarize, rephrase, and acknowledge another person's    ideas.
• Overemphasis on electronic texts may reduce children's use and enjoyment of    printed books. A study by Gavriel Salomon indicates the importance of introducing    children to books instead of relying only on electronic media. Salomon's study    suggests that "children who learn in one medium (screen vs. page) will always    be inclined to prefer the one in which they learned" (cited in Healy, 1998,    p. 234).
• Technology is most effective when it is used as an adjunct to traditional reading    instruction. "A consistent finding from investigations of reading curricula    is that brief, but regular, computer-based reading lessons can enhance reading    achievement," note Reinking and Bridwell-Bowles (1996). "The results of these    investigations, however, are based most often on the use of computer-based activities    that supplement rather than replace conventional reading instruction" (p. 316).

• Educators know the value of extending relationships beyond the confines of    the classroom to connect with other students and mentors worldwide. Few educators    dispute that students are better motivated to read for comprehension and write    to be understood when they are engaged in making real-world connections. But    the value of these relationships is only as beneficial as the time and attention    devoted to them. Whether within the confines of the classroom or on a worldwide    basis, the development of connections requires the careful tending of savvy    educators and interested students.

    

  Electronic bulletin boards and e-mail correspondence create communication avenues    for students, but those students require rules of the road. Unlike traditional    communication avenues, such rules are works in progress. Educators need to help    students become aware of the rules of online etiquette and appropriate forms    of expression. Other important considerations include the acceptability of a    fictitious identity, the role of self-regulation in public online forums, and    the application of freedom of speech to all Internet interaction. Such considerations    add a dimension to online communication that is both a challenge and an opportunity.

    

  With thousands of programs and titles from which to choose, educators and library-media    staff may need direction in selecting literacy software for students. Information    on how to evaluate learning    software may be helpful to anyone involved in the selection process.
• Educators know the value of extending relationships beyond the confines of    the classroom to connect with other students and mentors worldwide. Few educators    dispute that students are better motivated to read for comprehension and write    to be understood when they are engaged in making real-world connections. But    the value of these relationships is only as beneficial as the time and attention    devoted to them. Whether within the confines of the classroom or on a worldwide    basis, the development of connections requires the careful tending of savvy    educators and interested students.
• Electronic bulletin boards and e-mail correspondence create communication avenues    for students, but those students require rules of the road. Unlike traditional    communication avenues, such rules are works in progress.
• Educators need to help    students become aware of the rules of online etiquette and appropriate forms    of expression.
• Other important considerations include the acceptability of a    fictitious identity, the role of self-regulation in public online forums, and    the application of freedom of speech to all Internet interaction. Such considerations    add a dimension to online communication that is both a challenge and an opportunity.
• Discussing the possibility that electronic texts eventually will take precedence    over the printed page, Birkets (1994) laments the repercussions for young readers.    He denotes the comfort and connection in physically handling and slowly reading    a printed book, and says that these qualities are lost when text is instantly    transmitted electronically by the click of a mouse. "Electronic books and interactive    videos will leach away our capacities for reflection," he states (p. 144). Birkets    also notes that electronic texts and hypertext may promote "a reduced attention    span and a general impatience with sustained inquiry" among children (p. 27).    Although acknowledging the value of audiobooks (he says they "remind us of the    sound of literature," p. 149), Birkets thinks that children are better served    when adults read aloud to them, thus providing opportunities for spontaneous    questions and verbal interaction.

• Wood (2000) notes that software programs for the teaching of vocabulary may    not be instructionally sound if they focus on having students merely match words    and definitions: "Without presenting words in multiple contexts, students' understanding    of those words is limited to the narrow context suggested by the software—preventing    students from truly 'owning' a word in all its multiple nuances and meanings,    which vocabulary experts say is necessary if students are to actually feel comfortable    using new words" (p. 123).

    

  Comparing reading a book and reading on an electronic screen, Healy (1998)    notes some problems generated from electronic texts. "Reading from a screen    is slower, more fatiguing, less accurate, and more subject to information overload    than standard reading," she states. "In several studies, students tested    for comprehension after reading from a screen demonstrated less understanding    and poorer memory than those getting the same information from a book" (p. 152).   

    

  The Alliance for Childhood (2000) has warned about potential problems resulting    from young children's overuse of computers. Its report, Fool's    Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood, raises concerns that children    using computers may suffer from "repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity,    [and] social isolation." With regard to literacy in particular, the report states,    "Computer use places added strain on a child's eyes and developing visual system,    and may actually make learning to read more of a challenge for young children."    The report also suggests that reading books on the computer may actually discourage    literacy: "Some teachers report that the animation and other multimedia features    of electronic books are so visually diverting that they actually distract children    from the story."

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• BULLYING: Texting and social media have extended bullying from the school grounds to an anyplace, 24-hour scourge.

  "There is concern that because students are always connected, they cannot get away from bullying even after they physically leave school," said John Palfrey, author of the book Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.
• The lack of exposure to digital learning compounds other missed educational opportunities that can stunt poor children's success in school and, later, the workplace.

  • No money for computers=no learning for that student

• How can we make reading part of our family’s lifestyle?
    Parents play a critical role in helping their children develop not only the ability to read, but also an enjoyment of reading.

   
   
  • Turn off the tube.  Start by limiting your family’s television viewing time. 
   
  • Teach by example.  If you have books, newspapers and magazines around your house, and your child sees you reading, then your child will learn that you value reading.  You can’t over-estimate the value of modeling. 
   
  • Read together.  Reading with your child is a great activity.  It not only teaches your child that reading is important to you, but it also offers a chance to talk about the book, and often other issues will come up.  Books can really open the lines of communication between parent and child. 
   
  • Hit the library.  Try finding library books about current issues or interests in your family’s or child’s life, and then reading them together.  For example, read a book about going to the dentist prior to your child’s next dental exam, or get some books about seashore life after a trip to the coast.  If your child is obsessed with dragons, ask your librarian to recommend a good dragon novel for your child.
   
   

  There are many ways to include reading in your child's life, starting in babyhood, and continuing through the teen years.  Focus on literacy activities that your child enjoys, so that reading is a treat, not a chore.
   
    How do you read to a baby?

   
   
  • Use small, chunky board books that your baby can easily hold onto.
   
  • Talk about the pictures with your little one.
   
  • Sing the text to keep baby's attention.
   
  • Play peek-a-boo with lift-the-flap books.
   
  • Help your baby touch and feel in texture books.
   
   

  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends daily reading to children beginning by six months of age.
  

• Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not, Greenfield said.

• As the technology in information literacy progresses, so must the knowledge educators have in order to implement them in K-12 schools. The promises for the future of education brought to us by the evolving technology demand it. “In order to create a learner-centered environment in which students can take full advantage of information infrastructures, it is vital that educators augment the traditional curriculum with collaborative, learning-through-doing activities based on linked, online materials and orchestrated across classrooms, workplaces, homes, and community settings” (Plotnick, 2000) .

   

  Taking students through virtual exhibits, on virtual field trips, developing virtual cooperative communities where each student has a part to play, and involving busy parents through virtual parent/teacher conferences are just some of the promises for communal collaboration. Others are cutting down on the use of paper by using e-textbooks, corresponding with experts and authentic sources to create knowledge webs, teleconferencing, telementoring, teleapprenticeships, and peer tutoring. All of these promising means of using technology depend on K-12 educators being information literate in the new technology. “Our ability to be information literate depends on our willingness to be lifelong learners as we are challenged to master new technologies that will forever alter the landscape of information” (Plotnick, 2000).

  • How can students really learn something in a virtual field trip. They cant physically hold things, play with things, take something apart or put it back together, feel textures, smells, real time/life sounds.

• There are many pitfalls to technology literacy. One major pitfall is the lack of professional development and support from the administration. Many school systems are pushing for the use of technology but the “ongoing faculty development is not available” (Wizer & McPherson, 2005, p. 17). Although the lack of support from administrators is “often unintentional,” teachers do not feel that the support is maintained throughout the school year (Wizer & McPherson, 2005, p. 17). Without support and professional development, teachers are less likely to incorporate technology into their classrooms.

   

  Another major pitfall is “inadequate preparation of other teachers to teach about technology” (Young, Cole, & Denton, 2006). The teachers who teach technology classes are well prepared to teach students technology literacy, but the other teachers are not. Colleges are spending “virtually no time developing technological literacy in students who will eventually stand in front of the classroom” (Young, Cole, & Denton , 2006). If all curriculum teachers would integrate technology into their classroom, students would have a better idea of technology literacy. If preservice educators are not receiving instruction on developing technology literacy skills and they are not seeing these skills modeled by their instructors then this does not bode well for their future students.
• Perhaps the most overlooked obstacle for teaching information literacy come from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB. This is a United States federal law that was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 and signed on January 8, 2002, that reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of U.S. primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools. Additionally, it promoted an increased focus on reading and re-authorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). NCLB is one piece of federal legislation (another was Goals 2000) enacting the theories of standards-based education reform, formerly known as outcome-based education, which is based on the belief that high expectations and setting of goals will result in success for all students.

• Much debate exists as to whether NCLB is effective or not and this particular article is not focused on this debate. But one disadvantage with regard to information literacy is that NCLB has no emphasis on information literacy skills. Thus, the required state standardized tests that are administered in all public schools to test for adequate yearly progress (AYP) are catered to specific skills in reading, math, and science. There are no information literacy questions and that means that schools are not encouraged to teach these skills, while instead focusing on the information that is likely to be tested on the various state versions of the NCLB standardized test. Information literacy is not the only subject that is deemphasized by NCLB as social studies, physical education, the arts, and foreign languages are also not covered by the NCLB standardized testing. This leaves more responsibility to individual teachers to try and integrate information literacy into other subjects. President Obama has shifted focus to a new STEM initiative. This is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Technology is now receiving attention, but this has yet to carry over to standardized testing.

   

2 more annotations...

• • There are 759 million      adults–approximately 16 percent of the world’s population–who have only  basic or below basic literacy levels in their native languages.
   
  • Two-thirds of the world’s lowest literate adults are women.
   
  • In the U.S., 63 million adults — 29      percent of the country’s adult population —over age 16 don’t read well  enough to understand a newspaper story written at the eighth grade level.
   
  • An additional 30 million — 14      percent of the country’s adult population — can only read at a fifth grade level or lower.
   
  • Forty-three percent of adults with the lowest literacy rates      in the United States live in poverty.
   
  • The United States ranks fifth on      adult literacy skills when compared to other industrialized nations.
   
  • Adult low literacy can be connected to      almost every socio-economic issue in the United States: 
     
    • More than 65 percent of all state       and federal corrections inmates can be classified as low literate.
     
    • Low health literacy costs between $106       billion and $236 billion each year in the U.S.
     
    • Seventy-seven million Americans have only a 2-in-3 chance of correctly       reading an over-the-counter drug label or understanding their child’s       vaccination chart.
     
    • Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. $225       billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce,  crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.
• Globally, illiteracy can be linked to: 
   
  • Gender abuse, including female infanticide and female circumcision
   
  • Extreme poverty (earning less than $1/day)
   
  • High infant mortality and the spread of HIV/Aids, malaria, and other preventable infectious diseases.

• In math, reading and problem-solving using technology - all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength - American adults scored below the international average on a global test
• "It's not just the kids who require more and more preparation to get access to the economy, it's more and more the adults don't have the skills to stay in it," said Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.