Giving Our Children a Fighting Chance by Susan B. Neuman

Author:Susan B. Neuman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

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CHAPTER 6

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The New Literacies

Into the equation enters the Internet, the ultimate platform for accelerating the flow of information. As the fastest-growing form of media, the Internet has no competitor, pushing many other forms of media into obsolescence. Today, the sheer quantity of mediated information that comes across the web has increased by an order of magnitude from about 100 mediated words per minute in 1960 to about 1,000 words per minute in 2007 (Neuman, 2010) available at any time in any place. Information is there for the taking; the question is, however, for whom.

Although the prospect of having facts available at your fingertips may appear to be an astonishing advance for solving the knowledge gap, there are some complications in the process. First, there are some technical aspects of the Internet you need to learn. Reading on the Internet represents the confluence of language and technology—or new literacies—and requires specialized skills for accessing, producing, and making rapid-fire responses (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Cammack, 2000). Using a complex intertwined set of symbols, icons, audio, and virtual reality environments, this style of reading tends to put efficiency and immediacy above all else. Second, the sheer breadth of information flow from any Internet search requires students to develop a discerning eye. In other words, you have to be your own personal reference librarian to filter the reliable information from digital flotsam. Students, therefore, are likely to be challenged by this virtual fire hose of online content, and will need to develop critical reading skills. They will have to learn when to stop clicking and when to start thinking.

The Internet becoming ubiquitous in the libraries raised important implications for our theory of action. On the positive side, the Internet clearly provides tremendous opportunities for learning. Two key theories support this potential. One is that multiple media (e.g., video and print) can enhance word learning and concept development through a synergistic relationship (Neuman, 2009). Combining verbal and visual content (words and pictures) gives learners multiple pathways to retention and comprehension. For example, Richard Mayer and his colleagues (2001) have demonstrated in a series of studies that the addition of moving images, diagrams, and pictures allow for better retention than information held in only one memory system. The second is Allan Paivio’s dual coding theory (2008), which posits that visual and verbal information are processed differently, creating separate representations for information processed in each channel. In this respect, two channels of information are better than one.

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