Technology and Literacy- Article 5

Technology and Literacy- Article 5

In the article, Technology and literacy in early childhood educational settings: A review of research, the author, Cathy Burnett looks at the research that has been conducted on the use of technology in early childhood education.  The article categorizes children’s interactions with technology into three categories:

1.     Technology as a delivery of literacy

2.     Technology as a site for interaction around texts

3.     Technology as a medium for meaning making

When looking at technology as a delivery of literacy the article focuses on reading and interacting with computers to get information.  Many of the forms mentioned help students who are trying to develop aspects of phonemic awareness and letter sounds. Some of the electronic books help students by talking, computerized games, designed to help students with these issues. Using these tools was proven to help English Language Learners tremendously.  Most of the studies showed that there was no difference between materials delivered by a teacher vs. material delivered by technology. However the two must work together to successfully further learner’s literacy abilities.

The next section focuses on technology as a site for interaction around texts. The research shows how technology actually supports collaborative learning among students and how it changes the work produced, as well as the “identity” of the person creating the material.  The two forms that were worked with most in this section included the Internet and word processor.  When working on computers the children interactions evolved over time, becoming increasingly exploratory. Another thing that became evident when looking at technology in this way was the experience that some children already had and could share with other children because of their experiences with technology at home. By using this tools students were able to go beyond the teacher’s request and change fonts and easily insert pictures.

The last section looks at technology as a medium for meaning making. The author points out how by using technology children’s writing improves and they are able to do research in a way that to them seems much faster and more accurate than using text material. Using technology to create presentations is one way that children developed very quickly and were able to put information together in a way that furthered their understanding and ability to explain the material to other students in the classroom.

When looking at all of the research presented in this article is it clear that technology works in different ways for different people. I think the most important thing to remember when looking at using technology in the classroom is that not all technology is equal. Many programs and apps will not help children develop literacy in a meaningful way, but some will.