Background
Teachers and researchers of English language arts have been grappling with the effects of computers on reading since the 1960s and on writing since the late 1970s (see, e.g., Selfe & Hilligoss, 1994). Reinking and Bridwell-Bowles (1996), who studied the influence of technology and its impact on the nature of written communication since the invention of the printing press, conclude, “Technology has frequently played a dominant role in defining what reading and writing skills have been considered important, as well as how and to whom they were taught” (p. 310). New terms such as Web-based literacy, electronic literacy, digital literacy, and digital learning are beginning to show up in our everyday vocabulary. These terms represent a trend toward new dimensions of literacy and curricular goals. As Riel (2000, online document) notes,
Educational goals are tied to learning environments, as one changes so must the other. Literacy goals 100 years ago for many students were to be able to read and write names, copy and read texts, and generate lists of merchandise. Literacy goals of today require mastery over many different genres of writing, persuasive, expressive, expository, procedural, and expect students to be able to interpret, compare, contrast, and analyze complex texts.
Access to the Internet is now widely available in schools. Indeed, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2001, online document), 98 percent of U.S. public schools and 77 percent of classrooms in those schools were connected to the Internet by Fall 2000. In recent years, a few literacy researchers have focused much attention on the Internet. According to Blanchard (1996), telecommunications -- defined as telephone, radio, television, videotapes, compact and laser discs, computers, and satellite technologies brought together through a networked, multimedia information infrastructure called the Internet -- change how teachers and students share information and ideas across all disciplines.
Leu and Kinzer (2000, online document) describe the impact of information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, on the context for literacy and learning in the 21st century. Their analysis is based on what research indicates to be the major cultural forces affecting changes in literacy education, not on efficacy research that demonstrates the effects of information and communication technologies (ICT) on student learning, as some researchers and policymakers have called for in recent years. Rather, in referring to the report of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (1997, online document) they note, “a preeminent group of scientists and educational researchers in the Unites States recently argued that ICT and other digital technologies were so central to the nation’s future that additional data on their efficacy were unnecessary before systemically integrating these technologies into schools” (p. 111). In other words, cultural forces are compelling enough to validate the use of the Internet for educational purposes.
Cultural forces are important to literacy education, with its traditional focus on preparing children for life’s opportunities. Leu and Kinzer (2000) examine the powerful influence cultural forces have had on literacy throughout history: “Ultimately, the forms and functions of literacy as well as literacy instruction itself are largely determined by the cultural forces at work within any society” (p. 111). They review three prominent cultural forces currently at play:
Leu and Kinzer’s (2000) work implies that those who wish to remain literate in today’s society need to know how to use Internet browsers, operating systems, word-processing programs, e-mail, and chat and conferencing software for information and communication tasks. This far-from-exhaustive list will grow and change still further as technology innovations continue to arise. However, it is clearly timely and important for literacy educators to understand how the Internet’s information and communication capabilities can enhance and change the nature of curricular activities and instructional practices for literacy learning.
These trends raise important questions. New technologies present vast opportunities for literacy learning, but also significant challenges for teachers who have to seize these opportunities. We conducted the study described in this article to capture the thinking of researchers and innovative teachers who were early adopters of the Internet for use in English language arts instruction. Our findings provide a glimpse into the curricular activities and instructional strategies study participants have found effective and the areas for professional development they believe are needed for teachers to realize the potential of the Internet as a tool for improving literacy learning for today’s youth.
From “Literacy Learning on the Net: An Exploratory Study,” by M.L. McNabb, B. Hassel, & L. Steiner
Reading Online, June 2002
© 2002 North Central Regional Educational Laboratory