Critical Literacy
in a Digital World
• Teaching media literacy in
the age of fake news
• Reexamining plagiarism and
ownership in a digital age
• Using digital tools to support
early literacy development
November/December 2017
Volume 35, Issue 3
LITERACY TODAY
Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 35, Issue 3
November/December 2017
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye
2017–2018 BOARD MEMBERS
Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University,
President; Bernadette Dwyer, Dublin City
University, Vice President; William Teale,
University of Illinois at Chicago, Immediate Past
President; Gwynne Ash, Texas State University;
Catherine Collier, Chesapeake Public Schools;
Beverley E. Harris, Mico University College,
University of the West Indies; Rachel Karchmer-
Klein, University of Delaware; Stephanie Laird,
Southeast Polk Community School District;
Susan Paasch, Sauk Rapids Public School
District; Stephen Peters, Laurens County
School District 55; Julia Reynolds, Allendale
Public Schools; Jennifer Williams, Calliope
Global Education Initiatives
ADVERTISING
For information, contact Megan Ferguson at
800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading
.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply
endorsement.
ABOUT US
Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership
magazine of the International Literacy
Association, a nonprofi t that strives to
empower educators, inspire students, and
encourage teachers with the resources they
need to make literacy accessible for all.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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© International Literacy Association
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
Knowing When to Let Your Students
Drive the Lesson
10
Incoming Reading Research Quarterly
Editors’ Vision for the Journal
DIGITAL LITERACIES
12
Digital Literacies On, Behind, and Beyond the Screen
14
Plagiarism in the Digital Age
16
Embracing Film Theory in the ELA Curriculum
18
Assessing News Literacy in the 21st Century
24
Nondigital Skills: Losing Sight (and Sound) of Our Analog World
26
Educator-Designed App Helps Improve Vocabulary Instruction
28
Using Audioblogs With English Learners
30
Digital Literacies and Young Learners
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
32
Teaching Visualizing to Improve Comprehension
34
Family Friday: Inviting Families Into Classrooms to Share Their Stories
36
Rooting on Adolescents: Improving Morphological Knowledge
THE ILA NETWORK
38
Reaching for Excellence: How Reading for Fun Improves Test Scores
GLOBAL IMPACT
40
The Importance of Read-Alouds Between Detained Parents and Their
Children
42
EVENTS
42
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Critical Literacy in
a Digital World
18
ccording to Common Sense Media, only
44% of U.S. children and young adults ages
10–18 believe they can tell the difference
between fake stories and real ones.
The study also showed that 66% of
participants are most trusting of the
information they received from family,
with teachers being the second most-
trusted source, at 48%. This may mean
that children’s news experiences often
are filtered through adults, who pass on
their own interpretations and biases. It’s
something educators cannot ignore: What
can be done to teach the critical literacy
skills needed to evaluate the online media
the average student encounters?
Fortunately, particularly in the past
year, we’ve seen numerous media and
digital literacy initiatives popping up in
schools across the globe. But then another
important question arises: How do we
evaluate if these lessons are working,
particularly when most students’
experiences with questionable sources
occur outside the classroom? That’s the
focus in this year’s Digital Literacies issue
cover story—“Assessing News Literacy in
the 21st Century”—on page 18. In a digital
world where one can so carefully curate
the information they’re exposed to, how
do we ensure students get a full—and
accurate—picture?
This issue’s digital literacies package
also includes articles examining the
digital world’s impact on plagiarism
(“Plagiarism in the Digital Age,” page 14),
supporting early literacy development
with emerging technology and, returning
to the need for critical literacy, the
importance of nondigital skills in the
digital age.
We’d love to hear what you’re doing
in terms of critical and media literacy.
Let us know by emailing literacytoday
@reading.org.
Warmly,
A CRITICAL ISSUE
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
Use any ILA renewal notice to take advantage of this offer, or
log in and renew right now at literacyworldwide.org/renew.
RENEW NOW AND SAVE!
GET 3 YEARS OF RESOURCES
AND SUPPORT
As an educator and ILA member, you are passionate
about literacy and helping your students learn
and achieve. At ILA, we acknowledge, appreciate,
and applaud your dedication. We want to help you
continue on this positive path in the most cost-
effective way possible by providing the high-quality
teaching resources you trust—for less money.
In honor of your commitment to your students, and
to help you save on ILA membership, we are pleased
to offer a 10% discount on membership and journal
subscriptions when you renew for three years.
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Nominate up-and-coming literacy leaders—people who transform
the classroom, the community, or the world—for ILA’s next 30
Under 30 list, and help us share their dynamic stories.
TO FIND OUT HOW, VISIT:
literacyworldwide.org/30under30
30
30
UNDER
WHO IS THE FUTURE OF
LITERACY?
ILA WANTS TO KNOW:
Who are the INNOVATORS and
DISRUPTORS, the VISIONARIES
and MOTIVATORS who are
changing the face of literacy?
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LIT BITS
Recent natural disasters have
aff ected millions in the U.S., the
Caribbean, Mexico, and beyond.
We’ve heard of relief eff orts
spearheaded by ILA councils
and affi liates. Do you know of
others in the ILA network helping
to help rebuild schools and
libraries in aff ected areas? Email
literacytoday@reading.org with
information on the initiative—and
how others can provide support.
ILA Nominates Iran Literacy Project
for Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Last year, ILA was one of six U.S. organizations to be accepted as a nominating body for the 2018 Astrid
Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest prize for children’s and young adult literature. Selected by
the award’s jury, nominating bodies must demonstrate an extensive and in-depth knowledge of children’s
and young adult literature. ILA’s committee chose to nominate Read With Me, a literacy project that
makes high-quality books accessible to children living in remote and underresourced areas of Iran. The
recipient will be announced in spring 2018.
ILA awards recognize excellence and
showcase best practices in literacy research,
instruction, and advocacy. Recipients include
district and school administrators, graduate
students, authors, teachers, technology
specialists, and more—celebrating achievements
across a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines,
and areas of expertise. Applications must be submitted
by January 15, 2018. See the full list of awards and
grants at literacyworldwide.org/about-us/
awards-grants.
Deadline for 2018
ILA Awards
Help Us Help You
Help Others
LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2017 | literacyworldwide.org
Join us on March 16–17, 2018, in San Diego, CA, for a two-day
event: “Literacy: A Pathway to Equity.” You’ll explore how literacy
can transform lives, level the playing field, and drive positive school
developments. Through hands-on workshops and cutting-edge
research, attendees will leave with “use-this-tomorrow” teaching
strategies; action steps to address curriculum, assessment, and
instruction; an expanded professional network; and more. Visit
literacyworldwide.org/ilawest for more information.
Registration for ILA West 2018
Is Now Open
LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2017 | literacyworldwide.org
research, attendees will leave with “use-this-tomorrow” teaching
strategies; action steps to address curriculum, assessment, and
instruction; an expanded professional network; and more. Visit
literacyworldwide.org/ilawest for more information.
Do you know someone who is dedicated to literacy
and has a passion for service? Maybe even you? The ILA
Board of Directors plays a critical role in ensuring ILA’s
fi nancial health and well-being. Submit a nomination
for yourself or a colleague at literacyworldwide.org/get-
involved/leaders-wanted. The deadline for the current
election cycle is December 20, 2017.
Board Nominations to Close in
December
#Giving
Tuesday
November 28 marks the
sixth Giving Tuesday,
a “global day of giving
fueled by the power
of social media and
collaboration.” Help
ILA achieve its mission
of literacy for all by
keeping us in mind as
you plan for year-end
giving. Your donations
help fund vital reading
programs, offset the
cost of professional
development for
teachers in need,
and more. Visit
literacyworldwide.org/
donate.
This is a very good question that ILA members
should be asking of their Board of Directors. As ILA
Immediate Past President, I’m here to answer.
First, it is a pleasure to report that with the
merger of the internal business processes on
July 1, 2017, our multiyear transition from IRA to
ILA is now officially complete in the eyes of the
governments of the United States and the state of
Delaware.
As we recently shared in Literacy Today,
one of the Board’s major initiatives for the past
year plus has been a review of ILA awards. Our
goal has been to assess and prioritize existing
awards, propose needed awards, and increase
the visibility and prestige of the program itself. We
have sought to articulate criteria for each award,
recommend communication strategies related to
each, and establish expectations for duties of the
recipient.
The work has gone through two
stages. First, a task force of ILA members
completed a comprehensive review and made
recommendations for Board action. Then,
additional ILA members, ILA staff, and Board
representatives took the next steps.
The Board has approved the creation of
three new awards. In July, ILA presented the
inaugural Corwin Literacy Leader Award, which
goes to a district or school administrator who has
worked to increase student literacy achievement.
Scheduled to be awarded in 2018, the Leaders
Inspiring Readers Award will recognize impactful
literacy research in the area of struggling readers
and the Erwin Zolt Digital Literacy Game Changer
Award will recognize an outstanding and
innovative contribution to the use of technology
in literacy education.
On the international front, the Board has been
supporting the Global Task Force as it moves
forward with reimagining and restructuring ILA
initiatives and activities. Next steps in these efforts
What Did You Do in 2017?
ILA UPDATE
will be a 2018 meeting designed to solidify tasks
and structures for the international federation
described in the Frankfurt Declaration and an
enhanced international strand at the ILA 2018
Conference in Austin, TX.
The Board approved the recommendation
brought forth in June by the insightful and
extremely hardworking search committee tasked
with identifying a new editorial team for Reading
Research Quarterly (RRQ), the field’s most
significant literacy research journal. RRQ is now
transitioning into the very capable hands of its new
editors, Robert Jiménez and Amanda Goodwin of
Vanderbilt University (read our interview with the
incoming editors on page 10).
This past year was a very productive year
for the ILA Literacy Research Panel, under
the leadership of its chair, professor Diane
Lapp. You can find several new literacy
leadership briefs on significant topics such as
overcoming the digital divide, vocabulary and
oral language development, and early literacy
learning for immigrant and refugee children at
literacyworldwide.org/statements.
As you can see, ILA’s community and the Board
have been busy. But all of this work relies on you,
the members. ILA offers many opportunities for
you to volunteer in our network—from joining a
special interest group to writing for Literacy Today
or the Literacy Daily blog. We need you. See how
you can “Get Involved” at www.literacyworldwide
.org/get-involved.
William Teale
Immediate Past President
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Put ILA E-ssentials into practice in your classroom TODAY!
literacyworldwide.org/ilae-ssentials
ILA E-SSENTIALS are quick-read articles by
top literacy experts that help strengthen your
teaching. They deliver original, evidence-
based strategies you can download easily and
use immediately.
With a wide range of topics and relevant
themes for grades K–12, ILA E-ssentials are
your one-stop source for new techniques to
help your students succeed.
“ I really like that the articles are focused
on a particular topic and that they
aren’t too ‘researchy.’ They provide
tips and suggestions that teachers
can immediately implement into their
classroom.”
—Jacqueline Wynkoop, Literacy Coach
Bellefonte, PA
BUILD UP YOUR PRACTICE
WITH ILA E-SSENTIALS
ILA MEMBER BENEFIT
How do
ILA E-ssentials
make you a
more effective
educator?
ive high school students spent six weeks teaching me how to be a better teacher.
It started in the usual way. I thought I was teaching them.
As a reading intervention specialist for a large school district, I spend much of
my time in a cubicle, in a space that used to be a classroom but is now repurposed as
our district office. In my cubicle, I fill out forms, answer emails, plan professional
development, write SMART goals, and perform “other duties as assigned.”
Good leadership sometimes means knowing when to let
your students teach you
THE UNPLANNED
LESSON PLAN
By Julie Scullen
Julie Scullen
(julie.scullen@ahschools
.us), an ILA member since
2005, is a teaching and
learning specialist for
secondary reading in Anoka-
Hennepin School District in
Minnesota.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
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