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__**On the Cusp of Cyberspace: Adolescents’ Online Text Use in Conversation**__

In today’s digital era, the Internet and new technologies are exposing children to reading and writing and shedding a new light on traditional literacy practices. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate more technology into instruction in order to increase motivation and create meaningful experiences for students. However, according to Berg (2011), “Learning to teach on the cusp of old and new literacies might prove to be the greatest challenge to teachers.” A study was conducted in the Young Adult section of a library to observe the reading and writing practices used by teenagers who played on computers and browsed the Internet. It was found that in this social setting, the students used text from the Internet in a variety of ways that enhanced their reading and writing skills.

First, It was observed that the teenagers formed friendships quickly when they communicated with one another by referencing texts on the Internet. The teens also used text to selectively choose particular words, phrases, and images for consideration and evaluation by peers, which was described by Berg as using “text as authority,” (p. 489). Another finding was that the teenagers used on-line text to relate to others. When students played games with different characters and read blogs written by others, they were given opportunities to “walk in someone else’s shoes,” (p. 490), which is also a traditional literacy skill expected of students. The teenagers used “text as expression” to create their own personal WebPages that accurately reflected themselves. They also used “text as instruments” to instruct their peers and help them navigate through WebPages.

Based on these findings, it is evident that teachers need to begin adopting new literacy methods and replacing old traditional practices. This information acts as evidence that students are acquiring essential reading and writing skills, but in different environments and contexts than what we are used to using in school. In order to be more effective, schools need to merge the old and new literacies and “teach on the cusp.” Berg explains, “A change in classroom or lab set-up might be the single most important step an educator can make to develop an environment in which teens create new socially situated literacy practices,” (p. 492). Teachers need to give students opportunities to use technology and encourage more social interactions to take place. We need to provide students with the resources they need to succeed and then give them more responsibility to construct their own knowledge. Berg (2011) suggests that we can promote learning by using technology in ways such as setting up classroom wiki pages, and allowing students to blog to interact with one another. Teachers need to understand that technology is reinforcing the basic elements of reading and writing that students are taught in school and is an excellent means for us to continue providing meaningful instruction

__**New Literacies, Reading Research, and the Challenges of Change: A Deictic Perspective**__ __**Donald J. Leu**__ __**University of Connecticut**__

The author of New Literacies, Reading Research, and the Challenges of Change: A Deictic Perspective, Donald Leu, has written this article to answer two questions. First, “Why do schools not prepare students for the new literacies of the Internet, especially in the U.S. and especially in economically challenged school districts?” And secondly, “Why do literacy researchers not focus their attention on the new literacies of the Internet, helping schools to prepare students for their literacy futures?”

The author suggests that even if a teacher thinks she/he doesn’t teach technology that they should reevaluate it and that you can’t teach reading and writing without it. One-sixth of the world’s population is now reading online. Internet readers read in new and powerful ways. First beginning their reading with a problem or question to answer. We use prior knowledge, look for key words, make inferences about the best sites to visit. Then we critically evaluate what is found, synthesis across texts, communicate what they found and then continue to make meaning and connections as they create IM’s, blogs, posts, etc.

Even though so many of our students and our culture is reading online, Leu states that, the Internet is infrequently integrated into classroom reading, writing, language arts, or English classes. Teachers should become literate in the online literacies and understand how to integrate them into literacy education. Leu suggests that teachers change their perspective of teaching reading and writing as a separate subject from technology. We shouldn’t think of them as separate subjects but as literacy as a part of technology.

The author brings up the concern of lower performing schools not being able to incorporate technology into the everyday classroom because they’re faced with the struggles and pressure to meet AYP. Leu goes on to report that in a way, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Susan Silverman, a teacher that Leu references, teaches her struggling readers first using a technology program called Kid Pix. Teaching this way allows the learner to have background knowledge then on the new literature and is therefore more successful. Leu also brings up the point of using technology as a teaching strategy for exceptional children. Another point brought up was that some of the lower achieving students on the state tests scored higher on the online reading portions.

Reading online is different than reading from a book because we use the Internet to answer questions. You have to locate the information through search engines. Begins with a question and then ends in communication, instead of when reading a book at school, the student often reads first and then answers a question at the end, often a question from the teacher. There are overlaps in the skills that are needed when reading online and in a book. But there are also big difference; the author reports that when you read a book, you often have to read all of the words but on the internet, it’s important that you don’t read all of the words and you know how to discern between what you should read and shouldn’t.

Leu challenges teachers at the end of the article to find an area of expertise, whether it be adult literacy, early childhood, comprehension, etc. Leu calls us to work with others in order to generate and improve integrated technology teaching in the subject areas. .