RR #7 - Lindsay McGrath
From Print Texts to e-Books: The Changing Nature of Literacy
Quote 1
as technologies change, contemporary literacy acquisition is most effective when learners have the ability to constantly adapt to an evolving society. (p169)
Students will learn best if what they are learning in school is applicable to their everyday life. This kind of instruction creates connections for students to make between learning and their lives outside of school.
Quote 2
Today, educators need to expand their understanding of traditional texts, which are often linear, static, and physically bounded, to include contemporary digital texts characterized as nonlinear, multimodal, and unbounded in time and space. (p169)
Because electronic texts are so different from regular texts, it is important for teachers to have a good amount of knowledge about how and when it is best to use them.
Quote 3
To make education more responsive to today’s learners, teachers must recognize the plethora of technologies used outside the classroom to support literacy instruction. (p169)
Teachers need to realize that a lot of the reading that students do outside of the classroom is done electronically. This should influence how teachers form their literacy instruction.
Quote 4
This accessibility, of course, helps teachers satisfy individual students’ needs and interests, while meeting the Common Core State Standards’ call for integrating both literature and informational texts across the content areas. (p170)
New technologies make it easier for teachers to create more individualized instruction to help students who struggle with literacy. This helps these students excel.
Quote 5
Online ebook reading resources require varying levels of student interaction, reading skills, knowledge of language, and technology prowess. (p172)
It is becoming much easier to find different types of electronic literature. You are able to customize a lot of options when using an ebook. This helps encourage students to read.
Quote 6
Perhaps the greatest advantages of using e-books and digital reading devices is the access to valuable tools that can support students’ literacy development as they work toward becoming successful, independent readers. (p172)
Ebooks provide a lot of tools to help students while they are reading. Many ebooks have a dictionary built in and many allow you to take notes as you read the story.
Quote 7
Simply placing digital reading devices in the hands of students, or accessing online e-books without appropriate and carefully designed instruction, will not magically increase reading scores and student motivation. (p173)
Even though ebooks are extremely helpful in literacy instruction, it is important for teachers to remember that they need to carefully instruct their students on how to use electronic reading resources.
Quote 8
While e-book tools support differentiated reading experiences, it is important to emphasize that using such tools should complement, not replace, students’ existing inventory of traditional reading strategies. (p173)
While it is becoming more important for students to use electronic reading resources, teachers should still instruct students how to use traditional reading resources.
Quote 9
digital reading should not aim to supplant print-based experiences, but rather work in tandem, because avid e-book users are also likely to read more traditional books. (p173)
Electronic and traditional reading material should work together to help improve students' literacy.
Quote 10
technology can help spark a genuine passion and love for reading in all students. (p173)
This new technology allows teachers the opportunity to show students that they can all excel in reading and learn to love it.