Language and Literacy

Summary of Web 2.0 Tools: 
So far, we have covered three common web 2.0 tools. Here is a summary of what I've learned and which context each tool is best suited for in education:

• Blogs are ideal for individual tasks which require self reflection such as journals/diaries.
• Wikis and discussion boards are intended for collaborative work.
• Wikis are created to be informative and provide documents open to editing and modifying by all. Wikis are useful for communicating and organising information between groups of people. Good for: brainstorming and projects.
• Discussion boards are created to provide group support, where users can share ideas and offer a variety of answers. 

Digital literacy:
Kress (2010) states that the traditional concept of literacy (reading and writing) has radically evolved to suit new forms of media. For instance, texts are increasingly multimodal (appear with images) and ipads, are replacing paper books. Atchison (2010) argues that, "dramatic changes in educational technology demand reassessment of related pedagogy."

E-books and Hypertext:
To be specific a 'hypertext' is a text displayed on an electronic device with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Hypertext is non-linear meaning that users navigate through layers of related text from one section to the next move from one section of text quickly and easily. Hypertext provides students with a level of control over their learning by offering multiple paths on inquiry. Moreover, instead of flicking through chapters in a book, hypertext is a great way for students to make connections and create deeper meaning quickly because of the visual associative nature of hypertext. However, some worry that a digital textbooks with interactive elements may actually inhibit a student's ability to concentrate on the reading material.

So, are electronic textbooks set to take over? Just as ipods have replaced walkmans and discmans, I believe that traditional textbooks will eventually be replaced by electronic textbooks with hyperlinks and highlighting vocabulary that links to Wikipedia and other informative sites.

There are a wide number of advantages to adopting the use of e-books in schools:

• Generally cheaper. Beneficial for financially disadvantaged students.
• Easily updated online. 
• Greener- helps save the planet!
• No worry of running out of copies and delays in delivery. 
• Multiple textbooks can be transported in one device.
• Easy to use.
• Its second nature. Most students are more used to staring at a screen and navigating a web page than reading a book.
• Caters to different types of learners.
• Benefits visually impaired students. For instance, screens can be enlarged.

 As well as plenty of disadvantages of e-books in schools:

• What if the battery on reading device runs out?
• Tactile loss. It's not the same as flicking through the pages of a paper book.
• Can be harder to navigate.
• Ebooks can have expiration dates and might not be able to update because technology is outdated. 
• Danger of screen glare and eye strain.
• Reading devices are more expensive than paper books and need to be updated.
• Kindergarden/early primary children using e-books?

Overall, the prospect of paper books, particularly wonderful picture books, becoming obsolete saddens me.  However, we cannot expect young children to learn the same way we did growing up and we cannot halt the advancement of technology. Therefore, as with all new technologies, I feel that as teachers we should embrace new technology and integrate them into our teaching in order to enhance student learning.