Technology In Literacy

The current crisis in literacy levels of adolescents in Alabama and across the nation is well documented through the multitudes of assessments given to measure proficiency. Initiatives in education, such as the Common Core and College and Career Readiness Standards, provide for higher expectations for teaching and learning, as well as raise the bar for performance on standardized testing. These standards often do not take into account the remediation required for the students who lack the literacy skills required to meet the rigorous requirements for reading across the curriculum. Research reports from the national level, state level report cards, and local indicator results for both districts and schools prove a significant discrepancy between

Often times, these learners will participate more freely in instruction because there is less fear of failure or judgement when independently working with technology. Helt (2003) states without the “face-to-face contact,” students often feel less inhibited and are more willing to participate in the learning activity. However, the process of including technology in literacy instruction in all content areas is faced with many barriers such as support, training, and teacher attitudes, beliefs and skills. Once again, throughout the research a recurring theme for increasing content and technology literacy involves ongoing and supportive professional development for teachers (Zoch

While the literature supports that there are a multitude of strategies and methods to increase adolescent literacy rates, the research supports that low achieving readers in the middle grades are difficult to remediate and often require intensive support in order to make noticeable gains in a reasonable amount of time. Research also indicates that most schools do not have the resources allotted in order to provide for these gains at the pace needed to ensure that students will graduate college and career ready. Clearly, the literature and data present there is a need to improve methods and professional development for increasing adolescent literacy rates at both Edge Middle School and across the nation. The literature reviewed also provides a solid set of indications of instructional methods, professional development and teacher reflective activities which need to be committed to daily practice and embedded within lesson planning, data analysis and student