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In:Learning to Read in a Digital World
Edited by Mirit Barzillai, Jenny Thomson, Sascha Schroeder and Paul van den Broek
[Studies in Written Language and Literacy 17] 2018
► pp. 165–184

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Chapter 7
Literacy education in the digital age

 | University of Malta
 | Trnava University
Published online: 9 August 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/swll.17.07mif
Abstract
Beginning readers in the early 21st century have unprecedented access to digital books and reading materials that provide them, and the adults supporting them, with many opportunities as well as many challenges. In the present chapter, we consider children’s early literacy experiences in a digital world. We review research on the influence of digital texts on early reading and explore how digital technologies are being integrated into educational literacy practices, both in the preschool and school age years. The success of this integration necessitates attention to multiple parts of the educational ecosystem, from individual learners to educators, and through to local and national educational policy.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The changing literacy landscape and early reading
  • 3.Multimodality in early reading
  • 4.New literacies
  • 5.Digital books in early education settings
  • 6.Finding the right balance
  • 7.Challenges for schools
  • 8.The integration of digital technologies into literacy instruction
  • 9.A case for more cohesion and integration
  • Note
  • References
References (100)
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