How many of these words have you seen while grading an essay? 4 for for B/c B/c because because 2day 2day today today L8tr L8tr later later Nvr Nvr Never B4 B4 before Wuz Wuz was IDK IDK I don ’ t know

The Internet today  In 1994 – 3% of all K–12 classrooms in the United States had Internet access  In % gained access  Today… (Parsad & Jones, 2005; Wells & Lewis, 2006).

Questions to explore  How does the Internet, and other information and communication technologies (ICTs), alter the nature of literacy?  Is there really anything new to literacy when the tools change, and we simply read and write text on a screen instead of on paper? (Coiro et al. unpublished)

“Official/Unofficial” Definition Part I: “The new literacies of the Internet and other ICTs include the skills, strategies, and dispositions necessary to successfully use and adapt to the rapidly changing information and communication technologies and contexts that continuously emerge in our world and influence all areas of our personal and professional lives.” Part II: “These new literacies allow us to use the Internet and other ICTs to identify important questions, locate information, critically evaluate the usefulness of that information, synthesize information to answer those questions, and then communicate the answers to others.”  (Leu, et al, 2004)

What New Literacies involve…  Location of information  Problem-Solving (always starts with a question) (Also key differences between online and offline reading)

Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry  QUEST model QUEST model QUEST model Questioning Questioning Understanding resources Understanding resources Evaluating information Evaluating information Synthesising Synthesising Transforming Transforming Eagleton, M.B. & Dobler, E. ( 2006) Eagleton, M.B. & Dobler, E. ( 2006)

Comprehension and the Internet Methods skill readers use same comprehension skills in books and Internet. Methods skill readers use same comprehension skills in books and Internet. Previous knowledge helped to navigate through the website to find answers Previous knowledge helped to navigate through the website to find answers Students were observed to self-monitor what they were reading Students were observed to self-monitor what they were reading Exploring the online reading comprehension strategies used by sixth-grade skilled readers to search for and locate information on the internet.  Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007).

Comprehension and the Internet Conclusions/Implications: In general, the researchers found that “ having the skills and strategies to comprehend and respond to the information on the Internet is likely to play a central role in our students ’ success in an informational age ” (p.246). In general, the researchers found that “ having the skills and strategies to comprehend and respond to the information on the Internet is likely to play a central role in our students ’ success in an informational age ” (p.246). Another study using struggling readers or students non-proficient in technology would be needed to determine more rounded results Another study using struggling readers or students non-proficient in technology would be needed to determine more rounded results Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007). Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007).

Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus  47 out of 53 higher performing online readers in 7th grade believed this site was reliable  Despite that most students indicated in an interview that they did not believe everything they read online  Informed it was a hoax…students maintained it provided accurate and reliable information (Leu, et. al, 2007)

The Effect of the Internet on Literacy  Limitations: More overall research needed (especially on adolescents) More overall research needed (especially on adolescents) Not enough quantitative research Not enough quantitative research Not enough students used in the study Not enough students used in the study Many studies used proficient readers and proficient technology users Many studies used proficient readers and proficient technology users  Further research: More overall research on instructional effects What would studies that use students who are not proficient readers find? How do students who have limited access to computers manage in today ’ s new digital literacy? What are schools truly doing to help prepare students for when they go into the world after high school?

How can you prepare your students?

Names to Watch in this Field David Reinking David Reinking Clemson … TICA (Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents) projectClemson … TICA (Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents) projectClemson … TICA (Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents) projectClemson … TICA (Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents) project Donald Leu Donald Leu University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutUniversity of Connecticut Julie Coiro Julie Coiro University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode Island

References  Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007). Exploring the online reading comprehension strategies used by sixth-grade skilled readers to search for and locate information on the internet. Reading Research Quarterly, 42 (2),  Eagleton, M.B. & Dobler, E. ( 2006). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry. New York: Guilford Press.  Leu, D.J., Jr., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., Cammack, D. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies. [Article reprinted from R.B. Ruddell & N. Unrau (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, Fifth Edition ( ). International Reading Association: Newark, DE.]  Leu, D.J., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D.K., Henry, L.A., & D.A. Reinking. (not published) To appear in: Cathy Collins Block, Sherri Parris, & Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices. New York: Guilford Press.