Amy White
                                                                                            MGE/SEC 444
                                                                                           Electronic Research

           Technology and Literacy

Through recent readings and research I have found that there is a vast amount of rapid growth in the instructional applications of computer technology. This growth can be partly contributed to the use of computer technology for providing the learning needs of middle and high school students. Our text advocates the belief that, “teachers should use computers in meaningful ways to encourage active learning, to provide students with opportunities for unique learning experiences, to help them organize and synthesize information across the content areas.” There is a fear of the unknown among the public regarding technology and educators must build the bridge to bring them into the future. This will not only prepare them for the job market it will be easier to function in society.

There is a wealth of educational experiences waiting future generations of students and teachers that will greatly enhance all content areas.  Proof of this lies in reading found in Chapter Ten of  Brozo, W.G., & Simpson, M.L. (1999).

Readers, teachers, learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas (3^rd Edition). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century:

Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge

Available at http://www.ed.gov/Technology/Plan/.

1.  This is a site base on a report provided to the nation based upon research guided by the President Bill Clinton staff. It was published in 1996 at the brink of the onset of the technology explosion. President Clinton expressed a strong desire to fulfill an obligation to the children of the United States to pursue the highest level of technology and literacy possible for them in public schools. The report gives a nation wide view of how school are doing on tests and academic growth after the implementation of new technology. It also breaks down the effects state by state for comparison. This provides useful information for educators to assess how helpful the application of technology is when striving for excellence in literacy.

Bridge the gap between literacy and technology media for LEP students.

Available at http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol14/bermudez.htm

2.   This site discussed the importance of students to have adequate training in technology prior to entering the work force. The main focus is on minority students and inequality where they are concerned and their educations. Concurrently, labor market projections indicate a strong demand for literacy, science, mathematics, and technology to satisfy the needs of the information-intensive society of the 90s. Because fewer students are pursuing careers in mathematics, science, and technology, a labor supply and demand crisis is projected. The site goes into detail to discuss hypermedia and its place in the classroom. The following topics are elaborated on:

• Towards a Definition of Hypermedia
• Hypermedia as a Presentation System
• Hypermedia as Knowledge Representation
• Hypermedia as Knowledge Construction
• Creating Hypermedia-Based Individualized Learning Environments
• Hypermedia and Learning Styles
• Hypermedia as a Flexible Instructional Environment
• Novice/Expert Users of Hypermedia
• Hypermedia and the LEP Student
• Hypermedia as a Tool for Language Development

  NETFUTURE:Technolgy and Human Responsibility

 Available  http://www.oreilly.com/people/staff/stevet/netfuture/1999/Dec0999_99.html

3.          Netfuture is a reader supported publication with a website that offers up and coming technology issues. 

This page discusses the responsibilities of educators and parents and the public as a whole to ensure advancement 
in literary technology of future generations. It offers numerous real examples of stories about teachers and students 
and their experiences with technology. It encourages creative, imaginative play in the classroom allowing children 
to discover their own level of academics.

Developing New Literacies:
Using the Internet in Content Area Instruction
 
Donald J. Leu, Jr.
Syracuse University

Available at http://web.syr.edu/~djleu/content.html.

  4. This site discusses issues regarding preparing students for the future. What does a teacher need to teach her students in order for them to be up to date?  Some argue that the new technologies for information and communication are either harmful, too expensive, or lead to surface level, not deeper and more complex, thinking. However the majority of public opinion is that it is a necessity for survival in society.  Preparing children for their futures in an information age will profoundly change content area instruction because it will require that we combine the new technologies of information and communication into our instructional programs. Site is useful in that it answers many of the questions that educators share such as:

•  How can I use the Internet to quickly find useful information for my class?
• How can I integrate the Internet into classroom teaching?
• How can I protect children as they begin to explore the wider world of the Internet?
• How can I keep up with the many changes taking place on the Internet?

Also it shows a preview to the future, showing you the work a number of teachers that are integrating these new technologies into their classrooms. 

Sarah's secret: Social aspects of literacy and learning in a digital, information age.

Available at www.readingonline.org

5.Site discus at length the changes that technology has placed on classroom instruction. It confirms that the only thing certain is that more change is imminent. The definition of what it means to be literal is also ever hanging as new advances are made. The site is a journal type article that gives the account of teaching a student that is inexperienced in computers. The story is very familiar to most and gives a refreshing approach to this obstacle that many educators face.  Next the site explains how the role of the educator has changed due to the use of computers in the classroom. It states that, “teachers will be challenged to thoughtfully guide students' learning within information environments that are richer and more complex than traditional print media, presenting richer and more complex learning opportunities for both teachers and students.” Provides the following list of resources and links for educators and students.

http://www.indirect.com/www/dhixson/

http://edweb.cnidr.org/

http://www.gsn.org/

http://web66.coled.umn.edu/

http://ericir.syr.edu/

Bibliography of Readings for Middle School and Secondary Educators

Brunner, Cornelia. (May 1999). The New Media Handbook: An educators guide to bringing media to the classroom.  Doubleday & Co. Inc.

Disessa, Andrea. (May 2000).Changing Minds: Computer and Learning. MIT Press.

Glasbergen, Randy. (2001). Your computer thinks you’re an idiot. CCC Publications.

Hofstetter, Fred. (Oct. 2000). Multimedia Literacy, 3^rd edition. McGraw-Hill Publication.

Hofstetter, Fred (Jan. 1998). Internet Literacy , McGraw Hill Higher Education.

Jukes, Ian. (Aug. 2000). Netsavvy: Building Information Literacy in the classroom. Corwin Press Incorporated.

Manzo,Anthony. (July 2000). Content Area Literacy:Interactive teaching for interactive learning.  Wiley, John & Sons Inc.

Selfe, Cynthia A. (Oct. 1999). Technology and Literacy in the Twenty First Century. Southern Illinois University Press.