Michael C. McKenna – författare

This Handbook provides a comprehensive and international representation of state-of-the art research, theory, and practice related to principal areas in which significant developments are occurring in the study of literacy and technology. It offers a glimpse of the commonalities faced by literacy educators around the world, together with specific challenges raised by unique circumstances.Volume I of this Handbook endeavored to lay essential groundwork for the study of literacy and technology; it retains an explanatory value that will not weaken over time. Volume II differs considerably in conception. It assumes for the most part a higher level of expertise on the part of readers, and the projects and applications described by the contributors are characterized by greater sophistication. The scope of technology use is broader, and the challenges that have emerged are in sharper focus. A powerful feature of this volume is the addition of commentaries from experts across the field on the potential of technology in key dimensions of literacy. The title of Volume II has changed slightly to reflect the inclusion of contributions on a broad geographic basis. It is now a truly international Handbook, with chapter authors from six countries and five continents.The International Handbook of Literacy and Technology: Volume II is organized in five sections:*The Role of Technology in the New Literacies;*Technology Applications with Specific Populations;*Literacy Software and the Internet;*Teacher Education and Professional Development; and*The Potential of Technology in Key Dimensions of Literacy.The effects of technology on literate activity have been both sweeping and subtle, marked by an increasing variety of changes that are difficult to evaluate and project. Perhaps the only prediction that can be offered with certainty is that the impact of technology is irreversible. Specific changes may come and go, but literacy and technology seem inextricably linked. This Handbook is dedicated to that linkage and to examining the intricacies that define it.International Handbook of Literacy and Technology: Volume II is an essential reference for researchers, professionals, and students in reading/literacy education, literacy and technology, educational technology, and related areas, and will serve well as a text for upper-level and graduate courses on these topics.

This Handbook provides a comprehensive and international representation of state-of-the art research, theory, and practice related to principal areas in which significant developments are occurring in the study of literacy and technology. It offers a glimpse of the commonalities faced by literacy educators around the world, together with specific challenges raised by unique circumstances.Volume I of this Handbook endeavored to lay essential groundwork for the study of literacy and technology; it retains an explanatory value that will not weaken over time. Volume II differs considerably in conception. It assumes for the most part a higher level of expertise on the part of readers, and the projects and applications described by the contributors are characterized by greater sophistication. The scope of technology use is broader, and the challenges that have emerged are in sharper focus. A powerful feature of this volume is the addition of commentaries from experts across the field on the potential of technology in key dimensions of literacy. The title of Volume II has changed slightly to reflect the inclusion of contributions on a broad geographic basis. It is now a truly international Handbook, with chapter authors from six countries and five continents.The International Handbook of Literacy and Technology: Volume II is organized in five sections:*The Role of Technology in the New Literacies;*Technology Applications with Specific Populations;*Literacy Software and the Internet;*Teacher Education and Professional Development; and*The Potential of Technology in Key Dimensions of Literacy.The effects of technology on literate activity have been both sweeping and subtle, marked by an increasing variety of changes that are difficult to evaluate and project. Perhaps the only prediction that can be offered with certainty is that the impact of technology is irreversible. Specific changes may come and go, but literacy and technology seem inextricably linked. This Handbook is dedicated to that linkage and to examining the intricacies that define it.International Handbook of Literacy and Technology: Volume II is an essential reference for researchers, professionals, and students in reading/literacy education, literacy and technology, educational technology, and related areas, and will serve well as a text for upper-level and graduate courses on these topics.

The major shift going on today in the technologies of reading and writing raises important questions about conventional conceptions of literacy and its role in education, society, and culture. What are the important characteristics of electronic forms of reading and writing distinguishing them from printed forms? To what extent and in what ways is literacy being transformed by new technologies? This central question is addressed in this volume from diverse, multidisciplinary perspectives. The contributing authors focus on a guiding question in one of the following areas, which correspond to the major sections of the book: *Transforming Texts. What are the new differences between printed and electronic texts, and what are the implications of new textual forms for defining literacy, especially in regard to teaching and learning in schools? *Transforming Readers and Writers. How do electronic reading and writing change conceptualizations of literacy development from childhood through adulthood? *Transforming Classrooms and Schools. What are the effects of introducing new reading and writing technologies into schools and classrooms? *Transforming Instruction. How can instruction be adapted in response to the changing literacy landscape, and how can teachers and students exploit forms of reading and writing to enhance teaching and learning? *Transforming Society. What are the broad societal implications of the increasing prevalence of electronic forms of reading and writing? *Transforming Literacy Research. What are the questions that must be addressed as digital reading and writing become more common, and what approaches to research will be most useful in addressing those questions? This volume is the result of an interactive process. The contributors met as a group to discuss drafts of their chapters at a one-day meeting convened and sponsored by the National Reading Research Center, and had read each others'' chapters prior to this gathering. That meeting was followed by a two-day conference attended by approximately 180 researchers, educators, and policymakers who responded to an open invitation to present papers and to attend sessions focusing on the six major themes of the book. Contributors then revised their chapters based on interactions with fellow contributors, conference participants, and volume editors. Thus, this work is more than just a compilation of the individual authors'' views. Rather, it represents a synthesis of a broad range of current thinking about how literacy is being and may be transformed by technology.

The major shift going on today in the technologies of reading and writing raises important questions about conventional conceptions of literacy and its role in education, society, and culture. What are the important characteristics of electronic forms of reading and writing distinguishing them from printed forms? To what extent and in what ways is literacy being transformed by new technologies? This central question is addressed in this volume from diverse, multidisciplinary perspectives. The contributing authors focus on a guiding question in one of the following areas, which correspond to the major sections of the book: *Transforming Texts. What are the new differences between printed and electronic texts, and what are the implications of new textual forms for defining literacy, especially in regard to teaching and learning in schools? *Transforming Readers and Writers. How do electronic reading and writing change conceptualizations of literacy development from childhood through adulthood? *Transforming Classrooms and Schools. What are the effects of introducing new reading and writing technologies into schools and classrooms? *Transforming Instruction. How can instruction be adapted in response to the changing literacy landscape, and how can teachers and students exploit forms of reading and writing to enhance teaching and learning? *Transforming Society. What are the broad societal implications of the increasing prevalence of electronic forms of reading and writing? *Transforming Literacy Research. What are the questions that must be addressed as digital reading and writing become more common, and what approaches to research will be most useful in addressing those questions? This volume is the result of an interactive process. The contributors met as a group to discuss drafts of their chapters at a one-day meeting convened and sponsored by the National Reading Research Center, and had read each others'' chapters prior to this gathering. That meeting was followed by a two-day conference attended by approximately 180 researchers, educators, and policymakers who responded to an open invitation to present papers and to attend sessions focusing on the six major themes of the book. Contributors then revised their chapters based on interactions with fellow contributors, conference participants, and volume editors. Thus, this work is more than just a compilation of the individual authors'' views. Rather, it represents a synthesis of a broad range of current thinking about how literacy is being and may be transformed by technology.

International literacy assessments have provided ample data for ranking nations, charting growth, and casting blame. Summarizing the findings of these assessments, which afford a useful vantage from which to view world literacy as it evolves, this book examines literate behavior worldwide, in terms of both the ability of populations from a wide variety of nations to read and the practice of literate behavior in those nations. Drawing on The World’s Most Literate Nations, author Jack Miller’s internationally released study, emerging trends in world literacy and their relationships to political, economic, and social factors are explored. Literacy, and in particular the practice of literate behaviors, is used as a lens through which to view countries’ economic development, gender equality, resource utilization, and ethnic discrimination. Above all, this book is about trajectories. It begins with historical contexts, described in terms of support for literate cultures. Based on a variety of data sources, these trends are traced to the present and then projected ahead. The literate futures of nations are discussed and how these relate to their economic and sociocultural development. This book is unique in providing a broader perspective on an intractable problem, a vantage point that offers useful insights to inform policy, and in bringing together an array of relevant data sources not typically associated with literacy status.

International literacy assessments have provided ample data for ranking nations, charting growth, and casting blame. Summarizing the findings of these assessments, which afford a useful vantage from which to view world literacy as it evolves, this book examines literate behavior worldwide, in terms of both the ability of populations from a wide variety of nations to read and the practice of literate behavior in those nations. Drawing on The World’s Most Literate Nations, author Jack Miller’s internationally released study, emerging trends in world literacy and their relationships to political, economic, and social factors are explored. Literacy, and in particular the practice of literate behaviors, is used as a lens through which to view countries’ economic development, gender equality, resource utilization, and ethnic discrimination. Above all, this book is about trajectories. It begins with historical contexts, described in terms of support for literate cultures. Based on a variety of data sources, these trends are traced to the present and then projected ahead. The literate futures of nations are discussed and how these relate to their economic and sociocultural development. This book is unique in providing a broader perspective on an intractable problem, a vantage point that offers useful insights to inform policy, and in bringing together an array of relevant data sources not typically associated with literacy status.

The goal of this book is to answer the question What is differentiated instruction? It offers pre-service and in-service teachers the background and foundational skills they will need to understand, plan for, and achieve effective differentiated literacy instruction in their classrooms, based on individual student needs. Chapters provide essential information about how to analyze and synthesize data from assessments, use the information for grouping students, and then plan and implement differentiated instruction. Many specific, hands-on descriptions and exhibits are provided. Case studies of real classrooms demonstrate effective differentiated instructional techniques. End-of-chapter Practical Application questions allow readers to apply chapter concepts as they learn to motivate and teach diverse learners.

The goal of this book is to answer the question What is differentiated instruction? It offers pre-service and in-service teachers the background and foundational skills they will need to understand, plan for, and achieve effective differentiated literacy instruction in their classrooms, based on individual student needs. Chapters provide essential information about how to analyze and synthesize data from assessments, use the information for grouping students, and then plan and implement differentiated instruction. Many specific, hands-on descriptions and exhibits are provided. Case studies of real classrooms demonstrate effective differentiated instructional techniques. End-of-chapter Practical Application questions allow readers to apply chapter concepts as they learn to motivate and teach diverse learners.

See also Assessment for Reading Instruction, Third Edition, which explains the fundamentals of assessment and provides essential hands-on tools.