Many researchers and educators believe that reading and writing instruction needs to change in order to reflect the multimodal, technological, interactive nature of communication today. To date, few studies have examined how touchscreen devices may influence primary school students' reading and writing practices. Guided by Vygotsky's notion of co-construction and aspects of the New London Group's multiliteracies framework, we built an original multimodal tablet tool and examined how 51 third graders in Costa Rica used it to co-construct and design meaning in a reading-to-writing activity. The first aim of this study, therefore, is to understand how multimodality and technology can work together to support young people's reading and writing. Secondly, we asked how a specific interactive, touchscreen feature might positively contribute to third graders' writing samples. The key findings were that the tool used in this study encouraged a broad range of writing practices, that the touch feature supported co-construction, and that the careful integration of touchscreen features can engage and motivate students in reading and writing activities.
Climate change threatens species with temperature-dependent sex determination as further warming could result in extremely biased sex ratios or offspring of only one sex. Among the possible adaptations of sea turtles to climate change, are behavioral responses toward nesting in cooler areas. We analyzed nesting patterns of East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Costa Rica to determine the occurrence of nest-site selection and how this could influence primary sex ratios (PSR). Green turtles exhibited nest-site repeatability. Nests placed by the same individual were generally closer (mean distance: 237.4 m) than other nests on the beach (mean distance: 411.0 m) and this repeatability was maintained in different nesting seasons. Additionally, turtles tended to place late nests closer to each other than their early nests, suggesting an adjusting nesting behavior throughout the nesting season. A great majority of nests were placed in the vegetation (80.9%) and within this zone, turtles preferred nesting under trees (78%) than in grass areas (28%), where temperatures were cooler and PSR were less female biased. Mean nest temperature (°C) during the thermosensitive period and mean PSR were 30.7 ± 1.2 °C and 79 ± 4%, respectively. Most years were female-biased or extremely female-biased but there was approximately one male-biased year in the decade. Although many nests produced 100% females, some male hatchlings were produced every year, even during the extreme 2015–2016 El Niño event. The preference of green turtles for nesting in shaded areas could help to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change unless temperatures in shaded areas rose above the male producing temperatures.
Libraries have been rethinking their collections and services in order to remain relevant for new generations. In Chile, adults between 20 and 36 are one-third of the population, yet they are underrepresented in the research on reading preferences and practices. Through a survey of 346 library users, librarian interviews and focus groups, this study sought to learn about library habits and preferences as well as literacy and cultural practices among 18 to 29 yearold library users in Santiago, Chile. Findings reveal a diversity of reading preferences, with an accent on genre fiction and nonfiction; an appreciation of the librarian as mediator and authority, a view of the library as a symbolic and material space; and a migration to the Internet for recommendations, access to books and spaces for new literacy practices. These initial findings underscore the importance of adapting libraries' collections and services as literacy practices evolve among young users in the 21 st century.
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