Language and Literacy Development in Computer-Mediated Contexts and Communities

Abstract

This article describes second language uses of Internet communication tools, Web environments, and online gaming, and critically reviews existing research and emerging technologies representing diverse pedagogical conditions in three distinct computer-mediated configurations: (1) instructed and institutional intraclass discussion and interclass partnerships, (2) transcultural partnerships and structured participation in "open" Internet environments, and (3) interaction in ongoing Internet-mediated environments that include popular culture blogs and Web sites, fanfiction communities, language and/or culture communities, and online games. We propose that a critical-and-constructive appraisal of existing and emerging digital media, communicative genres, literacy practices, and the communities made possible through them, can help to forge more responsive, and more ecologically responsible, language-learning opportunities for students who are expected to navigate increasingly mediated social and professional worlds. All arenas of human interaction, from institutional contexts such as government, commerce, and education, to interpersonal communication among intimates, are mediated by tools and technologies, from gesture and speech to image and textual literacies. In dialectic tension with the explosive growth in digital information and communication media, Internet information and communication technologies have amplified conventional communicative practices in the areas of audience, impact, and speed and also have enabled the emergence of distinctive communicative, cultural, and cognitive practices. These practices emerge within distinctive cultures-of-use-that is, contextual aspects as well as "the historically sedimented characteristics that accrue to a [computer-mediated-communication] tool from its everyday use" (Thorne, 2003, p. 40)-and, as much of the research reviewed in this article suggests, these unofficial or assumed cultures-of-use often shape participation and forms of language development and literate engagement taking place in computer-mediated contexts, at times in ways that are at odds with formal and/or structured design elements of learning contexts. Thus, the argument developed in this article is that qualitative shifts in communicative contexts, purposes, and genres of language use associated with new media necessitate a responsive and LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT 135 greater opportunity for expression of ideas than in face-to-face discussions, more linguistic production overall (Chun, 1994; Beauvois, 1992), the expansion of occasions for authentic and meaningful discourse (Kelm, 1996; Kern, 2000; Warschauer, 1997), and increased engagement by students who do not participate as frequently in face-to-face classroom discussion (Sullivan & Pratt, 1996; Warschauer, 1996). The conventional subject positions of teachers and students were also argued to have shifted dramatically through the ongoing intervention of technology. To take one example, Kelm (1996, p. 27) stated that "technology allows lan...

A model of online reading engagement: Linking engagement, navigation, and performance in digital reading

“…Social interaction oriented online reading activities (social engagement), such as participating in social networks, E-mailing, or playing collaborative games that involve reading online (e.g. Rama, Black, van Es, & Warschauer, 2012; Thorne & Black, 2007), have been reported to relate negatively to academic achievement and reading skill. Jacobsen and Forste (2011) found that use of social networking sites, use of cell phones for texting, and online gaming had all negative associations with GPA, and both Kirschner and Karpinski (2010), and Junco (2012a) found use of Facebook to be negatively related to students' GPA.…”

Researching Innovations in English Language Writing Instruction: A State-of-the-art Review

“…English language competence in the digital age requires the ability to use the language for internet-mediated communication (Thorne & Black, 2007), which involves new genres, alternative modes of expression, as well as the challenges brought by a more diverse online audience. As a result, the goal of teaching and learning of writing should constitute the development of students' ability to assemble multiple modes in achieving successful communication in response for their target online audience.…”

A Pedagogical Framework for Web-Based Autonomous English Learning in Chinese Context from the Perspective of Eco-Constructivism

“…WAEL, exchangeable terms are computer assisted language learning (CALL), blended learning, etc. CALL is rather complicated in that it can be opportunities for language practice, for comprehensible input and interaction, or for the expansion of learners' experience with community where target language is spoken and to connect them with others who engage in such practices as code switching (Thorne & Black, 2007). As Larsen-Freeman and Gameron (2008) stated "Complexity theory aims to account for how the interacting parts of a complex sys-tem give rise to the system's collective behavior and how such a system simultaneously interacts with its environment".…”