Teaching Literacy Using Information Technology: A Collection of Articles from the Australian Literacy Educators' Association - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0872071987 ISBN 13: 9780872071988

Publisher: Intl Literacy Assn, 1999

Synopsis

This book provides valuable insight into the pros and cons of instituting and using information technology (IT) in the classroom. Learn how to establish acceptable-use policies for principals and administrators, select and purchase appropriate software and CD-ROM products, coordinate computer access among students, train teachers, and maintain parents cooperation and involvement. An excellent source of background information about technology use and practical advice for teachers.

About this title

About the Author

Joelie Hancock is senior lecturer in the School of Education at Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, and publications manager for the Australian Literacy Educators' Association.

From the Back Cover

Rapid changes and advancements in technology seem to occur daily, raising questions for teachers, librarians, and administrators about how to integrate these changes into the curriculum and the classroom. "Teaching Literacy Using Information Technology" attempts to answer questions concerning information technology (IT), how it affects how we read and write, how we teach literacy, and how we define literacy practices and integrate these practices into the classroom. This compilation features authors from Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom and covers a wide range of topics concerning literacy and technology including: a history and overview of the research in the field of literacy and technology studies; findings from a study of classroom computer use for literacy purposes along with teachers' reactions and experiences; an in-depth explanation of the Internet and how to use it as a productive resource for the practice of critical literacy in the classroom; concerns about the safe use of the Internet, responsibility for student access, acceptable use policies, and the role of teacher-librarians in a networked school; and practical advice about how to coordinate, evaluate, and select CD-ROMs for the classroom, school library, and technology center.

With the introduction of new technology, computers, and the Internet into schools and classrooms, information technology and teaching literacy have become a unique and distinct subject of research, laying the groundwork for its practical application in schools.

"Teaching Literacy Using Information Technology" builds on this groundwork by offering a wealth of practical information for classroom teachers and teacher educators on effectively incorporating technology in the classroom.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter 1

We live in times marked by increasingly rapid and profound change. Cultural theorists such as Stuart Hall (1996) use the term "New Times" to refer to the social, economic, political, and cultural changes which characterize the present. There is no escape from the impact of these changes because they shape the material and cultural conditions in which we live. Our responsibility as educators is to understand the distinctive features of these new times and to respond to them ethically and effectively in the ways in which we engage in our professional work.

This book focuses on the change associated with these new times, which has, perhaps, the most significance for language and literacy educators -- the growing presence in educational institutions of the new communication and information processing technologies. Whether the technology is word processing, electronic mail, or CD-ROMs, the use of these technologies alters how language, both verbal and visual, is produced, distributed, accessed, and understood. The application of these technologies influences the generation, manipulation, revision, storage, and retrieval of texts as well as the end products. These products may be anything from a printed paper document to a hypertext web that exists only in electronic form.

Closely associated with the use of electronic communication and information technologies in educational settings is the emergence of new literacy practices (Snyder, 1997). We know that the use of new technologies affects how we read and write, how we teach reading and writing and how we define literacy practices. We also know that, increasingly, language and literacy teachers at all levels of education are using these technologies for teaching, research, and professional development. Accompanying this growing use is the recognition that we are faced by new questions and challenges provide the central focus of this book.

Examinations of the complex issues associated with the use of the new technologies, however, is not without difficulty. Discussions about their social, cultural, and educational influences have often been clouded by hype: technology is presented as a panacea; enhanced communication is guaranteed if technology is used; connections are drawn between technology, freedom, empowerment of the oppressed, and democratization (Snyder, 1996). But cynicism about the technologies' so-called powers also abounds: the technologies are dismissed as simply new instructional and communication tools; they are rejected as yet another form of social control, promoting the interests of state and corporate sectors (Birkerts, 1994).

Clearly, polarized responses, whether they exult or condemn the technologies' powers, are limited and limiting, and the need to move beyond them is becoming increasingly urgent. Instead of either celebrating or demonising the technologies, it is more productive to further understand them to exploit their educational possibilities. Above all, it is important to look critically at assertions that the technologies in and of themselves will either radically transform or diminish the social interactions that are intrinsic to effective teaching and learning.

Edition details

• Publisher: Intl Literacy Assn
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0872071987
• ISBN 13: 9780872071988
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 136
• Editor: Hancock Joelie