Technology Improve Literacy

2.4.1 Using Technology to Improve Literacy

Technological literacy means technological skills to improve and enhance learning, productivity and performance. They are as fundamental for students in today’s world as reading, writing and solving arithmetic problems.

Literacy is rapidly and continuously changing as new technologies for information and communication repeatedly appear and new envisionment for exploiting these technologies are continuously created by users. Moreover, these new technologies for information and communication permit the immediate exchange of even newer technologies and envisionments for their use. This speeds up the already rapid pace of change in the forms and functions of literacy, increasing the complexity of the

In addition to facilitating language and literacy development, technology has also had positive effects on mathematics achievement. Boster’s study (2004) of 2,500 sixth and eighth graders in Los Angeles showed a statistically significant increase in math achievement scores when students used digital video. In a study reviewed by the Milken Exchange (Mann et al., 1999), teachers using the West Virginia Basic Skills/Computer Education (BS/CE) program found that all their fifth graders’ test scores rose on standardized tests, with the lower achieving student scores rising the most. Other findings revealed that BS/CE was more cost effective in improving student achievement than class size reduction, increasing instructional time, and cross-age tutoring programs. Sandoltz et al. (1997) reported positive findings from the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) project after nearly eight years of studying the effects of computers on the classroom. Aside from performing better on achievement tests, they found that ACOT students were developing a variety of competencies not usually measured. ACOT students delivered lectures along with their teachers. They became socially aware and more confident, communicating effectively about complex processes. They became independent learners and self-starters, worked well collaboratively, and developed a positive orientation to their future. Children were seen as learners and as expert resources, as they were challenged by complex and open-ended problems. These are the skills that will enable students to live productive lives in the emerging age of communication. Moreover, technology use in the classroom helped to decrease absenteeism, lower dropout rates, and motivate more students to continue on to college (Sandholtz et al., 1997). In 2002, The WestEd Regional Technology in Education Consortium reviewed a number of research studies related to the impact of technology on