Literacy Today January/February 2016

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his time last year, we were hard at work

preparing a very special edition of this

magazine. Not only was it our popular Digital

Literacies issue, but it was also the issue that

would introduce members to the future of our

organization.

Jan. 26 marked the official switch of

our name from the International Reading

Association to the International Literacy

Association. It was unveiled with the bright

ILA logo splashed on the cover of what was then

Reading Today, followed by a beautiful four-page

spread written by Executive Director Marcie

Craig Post. She detailed the history behind the

transformation and what our vision was moving

forward as an organization that honors a much

broader definition of literacy.

We trust that you have felt the ILA

difference this past year, and I invite you to

share your thoughts with us on social media or

through e-mail as we celebrate in the coming

weeks. You’ll also want to check out our article

marking the anniversary (page 8), which

includes thoughts from ILA leadership and

members alike.

Of course, you also can’t miss the package

of digital literacy articles you’ll find in this

issue. It starts with our Two Takes (page 14) on

whether computer programming should be a

mandatory subject, followed by our cover story

examining the challenges of the digital divide

(page 16). Other articles include the importance

of teaching digital citizenship (page 28),

balancing text and tech (page 32), building your

own multimodal text sets (page 34), and much

more.

Happy reading, and here’s to another year

of moving forward.

Warmly,

A YEAR OF CHANGE

Colleen Patrice Clark

Managing Editor

cclark@reading.org

Closing the

Digital Divide

• What educators can do to help

bridge the technology skills gap

• Teaching students to become

responsible digital citizens

• Top tech tools for the inclusive

classroom

January/February 2016

Volume 33, Issue 4

LITERACY TODAY

“Fiction should be a hot topic”

The [Sept/Oct 2015] issue of Literacy Today contains somewhat contradictory messages: Reading

“informational texts” is considered “a hot topic” that “should be hot,” a view that coincides with

the Common Core’s heavy focus on nonfiction (“What’s Hot in 2016”). Fiction is not mentioned.

But college student Brandon Dixon (“Literacy Is the Answer”) tells us that fiction has made

the difference in his life, contributing not only to his knowledge of the world but also to his

ethical development and understanding of other people’s views.

Mr. Dixon is not alone. In a recent interview in The Guardian, President Obama gives fiction

the credit for his understanding that “the world is complicated and full of greys…(and that) it’s

possible to connect with someone else even though they’re very different from you.”

Studies confirm that fiction readers develop high levels of literacy, a great deal of knowledge

in many different areas, the capacity to empathize with others, and a greater tolerance for

vagueness. In a recent study from the University of London, fiction reading was a very strong

predictor of adult vocabulary knowledge, stronger than reading nonfiction.

With these powerful testimonies, supported by empirical evidence, fiction should be a hot

topic in literacy, maybe the hottest one of all.

—Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California

LETTER TO

THE EDITOR

EDITOR’S

NOTE

2

January/February 2016 | LITERACY TODAY

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