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September 20, 1999: This message was distributed by Papyrus News, a free e-mail distribution list on the global impact of information technology on language, literacy, and education. Feel free to forward this message to others, but please include this introductory paragraph. For information on subscribing or unsubscribing to Papyrus News see http://www.lll.hawaii.edu/web/faculty/markw/papyrus-news.html.
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A thoughtful and well-written hypertext review of my 1999 book, _Electronic Literacies: Language, Culture, and Power in Online Education_, has been composed by Kate Coffield (kate@aucegypt.edu). The book review will appear soon in the online journal Kairos (for teachers of writing in Webbed environments, http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/ ), but those of you who want to have an advanced look can find it at <http://huss.aucegypt.edu/kate/warschauer/ElectLit.html>.
The introductory chapter of _Electronic Literacies_ is available online (http://www.lll.hawaii.edu/web/faculty/markw/elec-intro.html). Below is some general information about the book and how to order it, taken from the book's Web page (http://www.lll.hawaii.edu/web/faculty/markw/elec_lit.html).
Mark
Electronic Literacies: Language, Culture, and Power in Online Education
by Mark Warschauer
Ordering information: This 220-page book (ISBN 0-8058-3118-5) published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (1999) is one of the first ethnographic studies of students' use of new online technologies in the classroom. List price is $22.50 for soft cover, $45.00 for hard cover. To order, contact Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Toll-free telephone (in North America): 1-800-9-BOOKS-9 E-mail: orders@erlbaum.com Also available from http://www.amazon.com or from http://www.barnesandnoble.com
From the back cover: "Warschauer studies groups of students that have traditionally been excluded from computer-mediated education. This is vital if we are to truly understand the effects of new technologies....I believe this work will have a significant impact on the introduction and use of computer-mediated learning." Denise Murray, San Jose State University
"Warschauer's analysis is clear, informative, and insightful....A very useful and important book." Jim Cummins, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Electronic Literacies is an insightful study of the challenges and contradictions that arise as culturally and linguistically diverse learners engage in new language and literacy practices in online environments.
The role of the Internet in changing literacy and education has been a topic of much speculation, but very little concrete research has been done in the area. This book is one of the first attempts to document the role of the Internet and other new digital technologies in the development of language and literacy. Warschauer looks at how the nature of reading and writing is changing, and how these changes are being addressed in the classroom. His focus is on the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse learners who are at special risk of being marginalized from the information society.
Based on a 2-year ethnographic study of the uses of the Internet in four language and writing classrooms in Hawai'i -- a Hawaiian language class of Native Hawaiian students seeking to revitalize their language and culture; an ESL class of students from Pacific Island and Latin American countries, an ESL class of students from Asian countries; and an English composition class of working-class students from diverse ethnic backgrounds -- the book includes data from interviews with students and teachers, classroom observations, and analysis of students' texts. This rich ethnographic data is combined with theories from a broad range of disciplines to develop conclusions about the relationship of technology to language, literacy, education, and culture. Central to Warschauer's discussion and conclusions is how contradictions of language, culture, and class affect the impact of Internet-based education. Although Hawai'i is a special place, the issues confronted here are similar in many ways to those that exist throughout the United States and in many other countries. All these places struggle with how to provide culturally and linguistically diverse students who are traditionally on the educational and technological margins with the literacies they need to fully participate in public, community, and economic life in the 21st century.
Clear, informative, and up to date, Electronic Literacies is highly relevant for those interested or involved in ESL, bilingual, and multicultural education; composition and literacy education; technology-based school reform; the social context of schooling, critical pedagogy, and cultural studies.
Table of Contents:
Preface
1. Introduction: Surveying the Terrain of Literacy
2. Computers, Composition, & Christianity
3. Networking into Academic Discourse
4. Computer-Assisted Language Revitalization
5. Cyber Service Learning
6. Conclusion: Striving Toward Multiliteracies
Epilogue
Appendix: Researching the Online Classroom
References
Author Index
Subject Index
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