Literacy Education Transformed by Digital Media?

Positive Attributes of Using Technology to Support Student Learning

Sep 18, 2008 David R. Wetzel

There are two gaps growing in education affecting mastery of basic skills. The first is the mastery of complex language skills. The second is mastery of digital media skills. These two skill sets are dependent on each other for students to become economically secure in the 21st century [U.S. Department of Education, Helping Your Child Succeed, 2004].

Students who do well in school developed a strong use of complex vocabulary prior to entering school. Immersion in home language skills communicating with parents, siblings, and other relatives is important in language development. Unfortunately most low income families do not have the same literacy opportunities.

These missed literacy opportunities result in most low income students reading well below grade level by the 4th grade. These students are being left behind as they progress through school, because their subject languages become more abstract and specialized [National Assessment of Educational Progress Report, 2008].

Most students who do not learn digital media skills early; do not develop complex language skills, do not develop strong content knowledge, and have weak problem solving skills. These digital media skills do not develop on their own and are inherent in low to lower middle income families ["Let’s Get Over the Slump", James Paul Gee, Education Week, 2008].

Digital Media in Education

When students have the opportunity to use digital media in education, they develop better complex language skills and subject content knowledge. Types of digital media which are useful in this endeavor include: video games, simulations, online data bases, digital storytelling, music, graphic arts, visual arts, modeling programs, hand held devices, and multimedia production tools.

The use of these digital media tools provide many advantages for low and lower middle income students. These include:

• The ability to develop real world problem solving skills
• Development of complex language skills by exposure to more conversational complex language experiences
• Mastery of subject matter content through interaction with applications of language and symbolism used in real world context

Strategies for Digital Media Applications

For digital media to have an impact on education the following strategies are recommended:

Digital Classroom Support Teachers

• Instead of one technology support teacher for a school or shared between schools, a digital classroom teacher is provided for each grade level in elementary schools.
• These digital teachers help teachers integrate digital media in lessons and projects, along with helping students develop their own digital media skills.

Assessments Based on Digital Media

• Instead of only using standard paper and pencil, essay, and multiple choice assessments; integrate the use of digital media work and projects that provide overall summative evaluation of a student’s language skills.

• These alternative assessments provide a more realistic evaluation than traditional methods.

Establish Digital Partnerships

• Similar to tutoring partnerships with businesses, digital partnerships involve the support of local technology businesses, community volunteers, computer clubs from middle and high schools, technology support from local college departments, and similar organizations.

• These volunteers are used to help teachers with technology integration strategies and help students learn how to use digital media.

To overcome the digital gap in low and lower middle income students, especially low income students, schools need to integrate more digital media in lessons and school work. This integration will increase complex language knowledge and a better understanding subject content knowledge.

Current literacy practices over the past decade has made little progress and cost the tax payers billions of dollars [Reading First , "Research Offers No Definitive Answers," June 2004]. This occurs while the gap in language and mastery of basic skills continues to widen.