Technology as an Aspect of Emergent Literacy

Transcription

1 1 Technology as an Aspect of Emergent Literacy Anthony Bliss LIS125 Dr. Lee

2 2 Introduction In recent years technology has played a prominent and important role in our everyday lives. A look into almost any home will reveal a widespread use of computers, televisions, and other digital devices. Although these technologies are seen as very helpful to young adults and adults it is important to study their effect on young children and emergent literacy. At a very early age young children begin to lay the foundations for what will one day be developed reading and writing skills. Assistive technology may be the new trend which allows for those skills to be developed more efficiently and effectively. In creating such technology however, we may be creating more literacy skills that children must master to be effective in today s teaching environment and in the future, the workplace. The new literacy s being created could even be considered new aspects of emergent literacy in today s society whose needs must be analyzed and met. In any case the focus of this research to inform the reader of the following: How technology is being used in regards to emergent literacy, how it is being evaluated, and in what ways is it changing the way we look at emergent literacy?

3 3 Background In order to understand how technology affects emergent literacy it is necessary to first understand exactly what emergent literacy is. Emergent literacy is the process of learning to read and write that begins very early in a child s life. Children have contact with many forms of communication right from the start and begin to experiment with them even before their literary skills are developed. Reading and writing develop at the same time in children and are known to be interrelated, however children do not learn to read and write in any particular order (Dostal, Hanley, 2011).

4 4 Problem Statement New mobile and digital technologies have changed and shaped the world we live in today. Cell phones, computers, and other forms of technology are commonplace and permeate into all aspects of society. Although these new technologies are hailed and seen as tools to make our lives easier we must be aware of how they affect our youth. It is necessary to study the ways in which young children make use of mobile media, cell phones, television, handheld devices, video games, and computers. This study aims to understand to what degree technology is being used in fostering emergent literacy and to what extent technological literacy itself is becoming an aspect of emergent literacy.

5 5 Literature Review New technologies are being invented and put on the market every day. It is both an intended and unintended consequence that children are constantly coming into contact with these new technologies. It is important to note however that in the past new technology was affordable only by higher income families limiting its affect on the population. This however has changed in recent years. In a study funded by the United States Department of education it is revealed that regardless of income families own and use technology. This is important because it means that we are closing the digital divide. It is no longer true that only high income families have access to technology that can be used to foster the emergent reader (Michael Cohen Group, 2007). Now that technology is owned and used by a majority of the population it is become a possible viable method in fostering emergent literacy. In an informative article by Katy Hisrich and Jay Blanchard the authors highlight the different medias and methods by which children come into contact with technology. Among the list of media are DVD s, computer software, the internet, electronic learning aids, and video games. Included with the discussions of each type of media are examples of products and materials marketed towards promoting emergent literacy in children. In this article the authors highlight a method of media interaction that is seldom discussed. This method involves studying the interaction of technology and people around young children. Through watching and hearing parents, siblings, and teachers use digital devices

6 6 children are unintentionally learning through what is referred to in the article as role model digital mediated learning (Hisrich, Blanchard, 2009). Jack Hourcade, Howard Parette, Nichole Boeckmann, and Craig Blum also discuss what forms of technology can be used with children. In their article they have presented their idea for a technology toolkit for use with emergent readers. Just like each tool in a handy man s toolbox has unique purpose so do specific technologies with early readers. This emergent reader toolkit uses both hardware and software as valuable and important tools. Some of the hardware used included large LCDs, audio equipment, and digital cameras. It is also important to mention the recommended software for such a toolkit. This software included Microsoft Powerpoint, Clicker 5, and Communicate (Hourcade, Parette, Boeckmann, & Blum, 2010). In order to comfortably use technology as an aid in the learning of children it is necessary to have ways in which we can evaluate the merit of said technology. In their article Margy Hillman and James Marshal state that while learning is a possible outcome regardless of technology, it is far from guaranteed. They assert that content is what most significantly influences learning and not the specific technological method used. The authors go on to state that parents, caregivers, and teachers are gatekeepers to technology and it is their responsibility to evaluate possible use of technology and the content it provides. Hillman and Marshal then go on to present six categories of assessing early childhood media-based literacy applications. These six categories include interactivity, digital literacy, global citizenry, appropriateness, judging results, and participation (Hillman, Marshal, 2009).

7 7 Richard Thurlow in his article offers a common sense method of evaluating web sites for use by emergent readers and writers. His method includes studying the safety aspects of individual websites, the navigability of them, as well as any advertisements they may contain. The author also brings up the concern that while using websites is an independent exercise for children, caregivers should always be wary as to what websites they use (Thurlow, 2009). Now that we have discussed the current literature of the field regarding the use and evaluation of technology in promoting emergent literacy it would be beneficial to evaluate its efficacy on literacy skill building. Jay Blanchard and Terry Moore, in a paper for the Pearson Foundation, find that developmental milestones are changing and new ways of teaching literacy skills are becoming more and more prominent. Through the use of mobile devices digital media has become increasingly prominent and young people s access to this technology continues to grow. According to Blanchard and Moore this digital media positively impacts children s opinions of learning and provides engagement opportunities not always seen with print materials. In their research they also found that it is of the upmost importance to continue to train educators and caregivers in the use of current technologies (Terry, Blanchard, 2010) According to Poh-Hwa Liang and James Johnson technology can and does mix well with play and emergent literacy. Technology offers an easy way of practicing early literacy behaviors through typing, the use of appropriate software, , and internet websites. They also state that the use of technology allows for formative assessment and evaluation of emergent readers and writers in the classroom. The work of a student can be saved and reviewed by the

8 8 teachers and caregivers later. Although Liang and Johnson hail technology in some aspects they also are aware of some of the problems it may cause. One such problem stated is the habit of some teachers to see technology as the only method of teaching emergent literacy. In order to be truly productive multiple avenues of learning should be used in addition to the use of technology (Liang, Johnson, 1999).

9 9 Discussion Technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Through its use we can perform tasks quicker, communicate faster, and provide entertainment for people of all ages. Through reading current literature it has come to my attention that the use of technology in regards to assisting emergent literature is being actively studied. When discussing technology geared towards the emergent reader it is important to mention the variety of medias and formats used to disperse said technology. One such method is the use of television and DVD s to allow children to watch edutainment programming. Some examples of edutainment programming are Sesame Street, Between the Lions, and WordWorld. These programs stimulate the child while also teaching and introducing them to the skills they need when learning to read and write. Another way in which media is dispersed is through the use of a computer. Computers allow for access to the internet as well as running software specifically designed for kids. The use of the internet for emergent readers and writers is a hot topic in today s literature. Some hold the opinion that the internet is not for children while others promote the use of websites designed to foster emergent literacy such as and In the argument for the use of the internet it is important to note that those who promote its use are also of the opinion that parents, teachers, and caregivers should closely monitor its use. The use of computer software tailored for emergent children has also become very popular in recent years. Software like Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to create easily viewable point and click presentations and software like Clicker V is a proven reading and writing tool that helps pupils of all abilities achieve literary success (Cricksoft.com).

10 10 Now that we have discussed how technology is used to foster emergent literacy we must discuss how individual technologies can be evaluated for their merit. In all cases it necessary for teachers, parents, and caregivers to approach software with a common sense method of evaluation (Thurlow, 2009). What is meant by a common sense method is a basic evaluation of the technology s appropriateness as well as an evaluation into what specific aspect of emergent literacy the technology is designed to promote. In some cases a more rigid form of evaluation is necessary. Such a form of evaluation is laid out by Hillman and Marshal in their article. These methods of evaluation are useful tools but they are by no means complete due to the nature of technology itself. Technology improves and changes daily and it is necessary for any evaluation method to attempt to keep up with changing methods and formats. As I have mentioned technology designed to assist the emergent reader is being actively studied. Not only are new technologies being produced in that regard, many researchers are focusing on evaluative methods that caregivers, parents, and teachers can use to select technology appropriate to the particular needs of their children and students. It however has come to my attention that there is a gap in the literature that discusses the relationship between technological literacy and emergent literacy. Although it is touched upon in the article by Blanchard and Moore the idea is not fully explored. It is the opinion of this study that technological literacy is both a precursor to and an aspect of emergent literacy. In other words it is necessary to have some degree of comfort with technology in order for it to assist in emergent literacy. Technology has become so pervasive that in order to be literate and function in today s world you must have some technological literacy. In essence it may no longer be enough to be literate in the areas of reading and writing. Young children must now learn to be web

11 11 literate and computer literate as well as develop many other new literacy s. The article by Liang and Johnson states that typing and the use of appropriate software can foster emergent literacy (Liang and Johnson, 1999). It is important to note that in order to perform such activities the young child must be technologically literate enough to successfully use a keyboard and mouse. This tells us that reading and writing are not the only aspects of emergent literacy today. In order to be effectively literate in today s world a child must develop reading, writing, and technological skills and be able to apply a skill learned in any one area to the others. It is great that hardware and software is being designed for children, but these new technologies may call for new methods of teaching for parents, caregivers, and teachers so that children will be able to use them effectively.

12 12 Conclusion As technology comes to play an ever-larger role in emergent literacy for young learners, scholars, practitioners alike must attend to issues in identifying the most efficacious approach to emergent literacy instruction (Hourcade, Parette, Boeckmann, & Blum, 2010). The increasing effect of technology on emergent literacy has caused the creation of new literacy s needed by children to function in today s world. These new literacy s are becoming increasingly intertwined with those of standard ones such as reading and writing. It is the opinion of this research that this relationship will continue to exist and it is necessary to reevaluate what we consider literacy as a whole. This calls for teachers, parents, and caregivers to educate themselves in ways to integrate new technologies as well as evaluate them for their merit. This is in no way a simple task but in order for children to be effective in today s world they must have reading, writing, and technological skills. There exists a circular relationship between emergent literacy and technology. In order to assist emergent literacy today we must be technologically literate to adapt assistive media to the needs of children. Meanwhile in order to continue to use technologies to their benefit while they grow there is a need to have a strong grasp on standard emergent literacy skills. In the future I hope to see more of a focus on the relatively new technological literacy s and a study on how these literacy s relate and have become an aspect of emergent literacy.

13 13 References Hillman, M., & Marshall, J. (2009). Evaluation of Digital Media for Emergent Literacy. Computers in the Schools, 26(4), doi: / Hisrich, K., & Blanchard, J. (2009). Digital Media and Emergent Literacy. Computers in the Schools, 26(4), doi: / Hourcade, J., Parette, H., Boeckmann, N., & Blum, C. (2010). Handy Manny and the Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(6), doi: /s Liang, P., & Johnson, J. (1999). Using Technology to Enhance Early Literacy Through Play. Computers in the Schools, 15(1), 55. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Marsh, J. (2003). Emergent techno-literacy. Literacy Today, (35), Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Michael Cohen Group (2007)New Study Funded by U.S. Department of Education Shows Digital Divide Is Narrowing. Wireless News,1. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from ProQuest Computing. (Document ID: ). Moore, T., & Blanchard, J. (2010). The Digital World of Young Children: Emergent Literacy Pearson Foundation. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from Thurlow, R. (2009). Improving Emergent Literacy Skills: Web Destinations for Young Children. Computers in the Schools, 26(4), doi: / Dostal, J & Hanley, S. What is Emergent Literacy. (n.d.).. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from Zieman, Gail A. (2005). The role of technology in the homes of emergent readers. Ph.D. dissertation, Marquette University, United States -- Wisconsin. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from Dissertations & Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT ).