Reading on the Internet: The Link between Literacy and Technology

Reading on the Internet: The Link between Literacy and Technology
    A girl I’ll call Alicia is a whiz on the Internet. She knows how to effectively use a search engine to locate information. She uses links, headings, graphics, and video and audio clips to help her gather information. When reading on the Internet, Alicia believes that the Web will meet her needs. She can usually find the information she seeks, and if for some reason she cannot find the needed information she blames herself rather than the technology. When asked if she ever looks for something on the Internet and does not find it, Alicia replies, "That’s the thing. Usually you spell it wrong or you are not searching for the right thing." Alicia is growing up reading the Internet as a source of information.
    Jake uses the Internet regularly at school. Unlike Alicia, Jake is a little more skeptical about the truthfulness of information found there, and he often relies upon a book to confirm information found on the Internet. Even though he prefers books, Jake can effectively use the Internet, and he applies the same reading strategies he uses in print reading. When asked to describe his Internet reading strategies, Jake talks of reading the first sentence in a paragraph because that is the topic sentence, which tells about the paragraph. If Jake decides the topic sentence will help him find information he needs then he will continue reading the remainder of the paragraph, much like what he would do in reading print text. Jake is applying what he knows about reading print text to reading Internet text.
    These descriptions of adolescent Internet readers become even more complete when we study how the Internet is used by adolescents. Alicia and Jake have access to the Internet at home, as do 47.9% of all 12-to 17-year-olds in the United States. They also attend school in classrooms that are among the 98% of 12 classrooms that have access to the Internet. Alicia and Jake represent an equal number of boys and girls who use the Internet. For Alicia, the Internet is the tool of choice when searching for information. Using the Internet this way or to complete school research makes up 30.7% of children’s Internet use, with e-mail being the next most common use at 22.2%.Like Alicia and Jake, many of today’s students have instant access to information.
    The union of reading and technology on the Internet is causing educators to take a new look at what it means to be literate in today’s society. New forms of literacy call upon students to know how to read and write not only in the print world but also in the digital world. Today’s definition of literacy is being broadened to include "literacy skills necessary for individuals, groups, and societies to access the best information in the shortest time to identify and solve the most important problems and then communicate this information". The Internet has provided the world of work with global competition and an informational economy. Knowing how to access, evaluate, and apply information is necessary for success in the workplace and at school.
    Being able to successfully use the Internet places special demands on the reader. First, the Internet reader must be able to handle the sheer volume of text, which can be described as massive. The potential for gathering information is virtually unlimited. Through links, or Internet connections, a reader can access innumerable sites related to the original idea or topic of a search. Second, much Internet content has blinking graphics, vivid color, and lots of eye-catching phrases that can guide or distract from the reading. A reader must be able to evaluate all the features of a webpage and quickly decide whichone will likely be the most helpful in accessing information.
    Third, most of the text on the Internet is expository. Being able to read such text requires familiarity with its concepts, vocabulary, and organizational format. In an analysis of 50 websites, 48 contained expository text, while 2 sites contained narrative text. Expository text is usually found on the Internet written as hypertext where highlighted elements within it, such as a word or phrase, are linked to other texts. Each link can lead to a definition, additional information, or a video or audio example related to the original linked word or phrase.
    By selecting links in various orders, a reader creates his or her own path when reading on the Internet. This path can be ever changing because information on the Internet is ever changing, with websites continually being updated, removed, or remodeled. Text on the Internet is not static whereas the text of a book remains the same each time the book is opened. The Internet is "an interactive model of continuously updating information", which requires a rethinking of what it means to be a reader or even a literate person. Because of technology, our definition of reading has changed to include websites, e-books, e-mail, discussion boards, chat rooms, and instant messaging.
    Technology is transforming the nature of literacy. This change is evident when the skills of reading and using technology converge as students search for information or answer questions with the Internet. How can educators help students use their reading strategies to understand the electronic world? Many literacy educators are currently watching the convergence of literacy and technology, and they are seeking answers to this very question.