Electronic Reading Workshops

Larson, Lotta C. 2008. Electronic Reading Workshop: Beyond Books with New Literacies and Instructional Technologies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52, no. 2: 121-31.

In this article, Larson focuses on instructors instead of students. Although my focus is on students when it comes to digital readers, obviously it's first imperative to help teachers to incorporate such technology into their curricula in the first place. The purpose of this article is to convince readers that "embedding technology in literacy methods courses is an effective factor in preparing tomorrow's teachers to weave technology into their lesson plans and, consequently, affect K–12 students during field experiences and in future classrooms" (121). Basically, teachers are a critical component to digital readers positively influencing teenage literacy, as they are the ones that can incorporate the technology and encourage the students.

Summary:

The article starts out with the general structure of a reading workshop:

1. Literature selection
2. Literature response journals
3. Literature conversations
4. Project response options

Then Larson incorporates technology into it, creating an electronic reading workshop (ERW). The literature selection in the ERW include ebooks and online materials, the response journals are online journals and blogs, discussions are online threads and chat rooms, and the response options include technology-based projects. Digital readers especially allow highlighting and note-taking in the text. Some teachers used the ERW and identified several ways to use the features of digital readers:

• To highlight or underline key vocabulary or text passages to increase word recognitions and comprehension
• To attach a document with spelling words, definitions, questions, or prompts relating to the text
• To attach students' literature response journals as an electronic document, which provides easy access while reading
• To accommodate struggling readers by changing font size and page format or by attaching an audio file with supportive comments or recorded text (123)

Several of the teachers involved with the ERW had both positive and negative things to say about the experience. The negative comments are especially important to me, as they will be influencing factors in whether or not teenagers will actually use digital readers:

• Inconvenient to have to schedule a block of time around the computer
  
• Distracted by other computer activities
• Uncomfortable – don't get to "curl up" with a book

*Note that the focus was on electronic books on a computer, which isn't as convenient as a handheld device. Despite these issues, the response to electronic books was generally a positive one.

The other sections detailed 2-4 of the ERW workshop, which are interesting, but do not directly inform on my topic. Larson ends by saying that teachers have the responsibility to incorporate technology into their classes for the good of their students, and that the ERW provides a framework to integrate that technology.

My Reflections:

This article expands upon my supposition that electronic books and digital readers might enhance teenage literacy, by adding more elements of technology. I like the idea of the ERW, which brings a traditional reading workshop into modern technology. Certainly it is all becoming inextricably connected together.

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