Creating Electronic-Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions

Literacy based behavioral interventions (LBBIs) have been used to teach numerous skills, such as requesting an accommodation, engaging in self-regulation, and remaining on-task, to children and adolescents. Electronic-LBBIs (E-LBBIs) have recently emerged in the literature as an effective strategy, using preferred forms of media (tablet or laptop), to teach students in the classroom new skills. Here we discuss how LBBIs work, what E-LBBIs are, and how teachers can use E-LBBIs in their classroom. Vignettes are provided to demonstrate applications to the reader.

Literacy in Contact and in Context

According to UNESCO, at least 2500 languages are vulnerable. Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, French are “hegemons” - each having at least 100 million native speakers and accounting for over 51 percent of the global population. Half of the hegemons are written with an alphabet. For the non-alphabetic group, native speakers may read and write in logographic (e.g. Chinese) or syllabic writing systems (e.g. Devanagari) or both (e.g. Japanese). In languages that are spoken by less than one million people, Latin, Arabic and Chinese writing systems dominate but they do not always map to local dialects transparently. Multi-literacy is a growing global phenomenon particularly in Asia. In the 21st century, access to electronic literacy will include multi-literate speakers. However, multi-literacy brings questions. Multi-literacy is as old as civilization due to spoken language contact in commerce, ideology and religion. Literacy adapts to new technology via codification of symbols allowing multi-literacy to grow. Documentation of writing has a history but it is not prominent in global policy making. Programmes to develop literacy are reserved for monolingual ‘hegascripts’ (dominant languages) e.g. English. However, neglecting diversity in writing systems in developing countries risks more inequalities if indigenous language speakers are taught literacy in their non-native language only.

Computer Literacy: Sine Qua Non for Digital Age of Language Learning & Teaching

With the widespread and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in our daily lives, technology provides numerous opportunities and challenges for language teachers and learners. The popularity of learning a foreign language and integrating technology for educational purposes showed the demand for computer or electronic literacy for both language teachers and learners. The literate teacher and learner is the one who can use different technologies as educational devices in their teaching and learning processes. This paper reviews the related literature on new literacies, as well as the relationships between computer/electronic literacy and language learning and teaching.

Da alfabetização ao letramento hipertextual: uma breve revisão

Resumo: O letramento, nos dias de hoje, possui sentidos muito amplos e complexos, os quais, muitas vezes, ainda se entrelaçam com o sentido de alfabetização. Pensando no processo de ensino da leitura e da escrita, propomo-nos a investigar quais as relações entre letramento e alfabetização para que possamos compreender duas especificações do letramento: o digital e o hipertetxual. Procuramos, através de revisão bibliográfica, apresentar algumas definições/distinções entre alfabetização, letramento, letramento digital e letramento hipertextual (XAVIER, 2005; ALMEIDA, 2005; BUZATO, 2007; FREITAS, 2010; BOLTER, 1991; LÉVY, 1999; XAVIER, 2005; LOBO-SOUSA; PINHEIRO; ARAÚJO, 2008; PINHEIRO; ARAÚJO, 2012, 2016; STREET, 2003; SHETEZER; WARSCHAUER, 2000). Advogamos pela compreensão do letramento digital como responsável pelas relações entre tecnologias digitais, ferramentas, aparelhos, e seus usos, tornando aqueles que se valem dessas tecnologias não apenas meros operadores, mas indivíduos que interpretam e produzem sentido por meio de leitura e escrita crítica em um suporte diferente. Esse é um conceito amplo que, como argumentamos, pode também abarcar o conceito de letramento hipertextual, sendo entendido, às vezes, como um conceito diferenciado que é responsável pelas relações entre a leitura e a escrita oportunizadas por essas tecnologias e as condições de produção e recepção desses textos.Palavras-chave: Alfabetização; Letramento; Letramento digital; Letramento hipertextual. FROM TRADITIONAL LITERACY TO HYPERTEXTUAL LITERACY: A BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEWAbstract: Literacy as we know it today is complex in meaning and may still have connections with the traditional literacy which had a focus on the language itself, not taking into consideration social issues, for example. Our aim is to understand the relationship between literacy nowadays and traditional literacy in order to comprehend two literacy specifications: electronic and hypertextual literacies. Through a literature review (XAVIER, 2005; ALMEIDA, 2005; BUZATO, 2007; FREITAS, 2010; BOLTER, 1991; LÉVY, 1999; XAVIER, 2005; LOBO-SOUSA; PINHEIRO; ARAÚJO, 2008; PINHEIRO; ARAÚJO, 2012, 2016; STREET, 2003; SHETEZER; WARSCHAUER, 2000) some definitions/distinctions between traditional literacy, literacy, electronic and hypertextual literacies were presented throughout the text. We advocate for the understanding of digital literacy as responsible for the relationships between digital technologies, tools, devices, and their uses, making those who make use of these technologies not only mere operators, but individuals who interpret and produce meaning through reading and writing critically in a different support. This concept of electronic literacy can, at certain point, incorporate the concept of hypertextual literacy, responsible for the relationships between reading and writing in a digital support and the conditions of production and reception of these texts.Keywords: Traditional literacy. Literacy. Electronic literacy. Hypertextual literacy.