Urban Adolescents’ Stories About New Technologies and Their Applications for Literacy Instruction and Learning

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Advanced Technologies for Learning Roundtable

Abstract

New technologies have been pervasively integrated into the lives of modern teens, and have become an important component of popular teen culture. Educators have pointed out the promise of exploiting technology in enhancing students’ language skills and their academic success. However, there is “a significant lack of consensus” on the effect of technology on teens, and scant literature is available that investigates the feasibility of technology applications in teaching and learning literacy for linguistically diverse urban students. This paper reports the stories of 15 urban adolescents in one U.S. public school about new technologies and their integrations for literacy development. The findings will be discussed with pedagogical suggestions for the innovative literacy interventions.

Authors

• Jia Li, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

• Claire E. White, Harvard University

• Yan Wang, University of South Florida