EDF4016

Using digital technologies in literacy education ( 6 points, SCA Band 0, 0.125 EFTSL)

Leader: Associate Professor I Snyder

Offered:
Not offered in 2006.

Synopsis: This elective is designed for students interested in the use of digital media and telecommunication technologies in literacy settings. It has both a theoretical and practical base. Relevant theory and research is introduced and its implications for teaching and learning with the new technologies discussed. Students also have the opportunity to use the technologies for a range of literacy purposes. Applications including word processing, e-mail, the Web, and hyperfiction are provided for students' exploration in a lab setting. The unit considers ways in which the new technologies may be effectively integrated into the literacy curriculum and classroom practices. There is a prescribed text.

Objectives: The broad aims of this unit are to develop understanding of the integration of digital technologies and telecommunications into the literacy curriculum; to introduce the connections between research in this area and classroom practice. As a result of studying students are expected to have developed a broad understanding of teaching and learning literacy with digital technologies; be familiar with literacy and technology policies for schools; be familiar with the benefits and limitations of using the new technologies for literacy education; be able to use the technologies for a range of literacy purposes; develop understanding of how the new technologies fit into the conceptual framework of a literacy curriculum; develop understanding of the potential the new technologies offer to initiate change in traditional literacy classrooms; develop understanding of the issues of public and professional debate in relation to the use of the new technologies.

Assessment: Research report + presentation (1,500 words): 40% + Research paper + presentation (2,500 words): 60%.

Contact Hours: 2 hours per week