1. The New Literacies of
Online Reading
Comprehension
North Carolina New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute
July 10, 2012
Donald J. Leu
donald.leu@uconn.edu
Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology
Neag School of Education
University of Connecticut

2. Congratulations North
Carolina!!

3. We Live In Epochal Times
 Rapid, Disruptive Changes To Literacy Are
Happening All Around Us.
 Never before has a generation lived
through such a period of profound change
to literacy, learning, and life

4. Print Newspapers are
Disappearing

5. New Literacies Have Appeared
for Everyone: Taxi Cab Drivers

6. What Are New Literacies?
 Multiple (Multiliteracies)
 Multimodal (Multimodal Literacies)

7. Most Importantly, They Are New
 It is not just that changes are multiple and
multimodal...they are now continuous and
rapid.
 New literacies continually emerge and
change as new technologies emerge.
 The Internet is the most dominant of all
technologies, redefining reading and
writing.

8. How Many People Read and
Write With the Internet?

9. The New Literacies of Online
Reading Comprehension: Data
From Think Aloud Protocols
 A problem-based, meaning construction
process that requires additional reading
comprehension skills beyond those
required for offline reading.
 Define a problem
 Locate
 Evaluate
 Synthesize
 Communicate

10. U.S. Common Core State
Standards
“To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a
technological society, students need the ability to gather,
comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on
information and ideas, to conduct original research in
order to answer questions or solve problems, and to
analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of
print and nonprint texts in media formsCoem Literacies: new.”
old and Online R
N w
prehensi eading
on:
(Introduction, p. 4) 1. Identif
2. L
y a probl
em
ocate inf
3. Evalua ormation
te i
4. Synthe nformation
size infor
5.Comm mation
unicate in
formatio
n

11. These New Literacies Appear at
Every Grade Level in CCSS
Grade 12 (AS 6)
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to
interact and collaborate with others.
Grade 6 (RS 7)
Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic
or issue.
Grade 3 (WS 8)
...gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and
sort evidence into provided categories.
Kindergarten (WS 6)
With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce
and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
11

12. The Australian Curriculum
 “ICT competence is an important
component of the English curriculum.
Students develop the skills and
understanding ... in using information
technology when conducting research, a
range of digital technologies to create,
publish and present their learning, and
communication technologies to collaborate
and communicate with others both within and
beyond the classroom.”

13. II. The Nature of Work Has
Changed
The “General Motors” Model of Economic
Management
CEO
Upper Level Management
Upper Middle Level Management
Middle Level Management
Line Supervisors
Workers

14. II. The Nature of Work Has
Changed
The “General Motors” Model of Economic
Management
CEO
1. Command and control
2. Lower levels of
education required. Upper Level Management
3. Wasted intellectual
capital Upper Middle Level Management
4. Highly inefficient
5. Lower productivity
Middle Level Management
6. Little innovation
7. Little need for higher
level and creative Line Supervisors
thinking.
Workers

15. II. The Nature of Work Has
Changed
The “General Motors” Model of Economic
Management
CEO
1. Command and control
2. Lower levels of
education required. Upper Level Management
3. Wasted intellectual
capital Upper Middle Level Management
4. Highly inefficient
Wasted
5. Lower productivity intellectual
Middle Level Management
6. Little innovation capital
7. Little need for higher
level and creative Line Supervisors
thinking.
Workers

16. In a Flattened World: Opportunities
Expand but Competition Increases
How do economic units increase productivity?
Flatten The Organization into Problem Solving Teams
Team Team Team Team Team

17. In a Flattened World: Opportunities
Expand but Competition Increases
How do economic units increase productivity?
Flatten The Organization into Problem Solving Teams
Team Team Team Team Team
Greater Intellectual Capital Use = Greater Productivity

18. In a Flattened World: Opportunities
Expand but Competition Increases
How do economic units increase productivity?
Flatten The Organization into Problem Solving Teams
Team Team Team Team Team
Greater Intellectual Capital Use = Greater Productivity
1. Define problems
2. Locate information
3. Critically evaluate information
4. Synthesize and solve problems
5. Communicate solutions

19. In a Flattened World: Opportunities
Expand but Competition Increases
How do economic units increase productivity?
Flatten The Organization into Problem Solving Teams
Team Team Team Team Team
Greater Intellectual Capital Use = Greater Productivity
These teams take full advantage 1. Define problems
of their intellectual capital to 2. Locate information
the extent their education 3. Critically evaluate information
system has prepared them for 4. Synthesize and solve problems
this. 5. Communicate solutions

20. Which tool has been used by
economic units to increase productivity
and compete?
The Internet
Team Team Team Team Team
Online Reading Comprehension Recent productivity gains are due to
1. Define problems using the Internet to share
2. Locate information information, communicate, and solve
3. Evaluate information problems (van Ark, Inklaar, &
4. Synthesize and solve problems McGuckin, 2003; Friedman, 2005;
5. Communicate solutions Matteucci, O’Mahony, Robinson, &
Zwick, 2005).

21. What Does Assessment With
CCSS Look Like In a World of
Online Information and
Communication?

27. Reading to Evaluate
Information Online

28. Reading to Synthesize
Information Online

29. Reading and Writing to Communicate
Information Online

30. Helping The Last Become First.

31. Helping The Last Become First.

32. As Challenging As Change
Appears, We Know This…
The Leadership That You
Provide…

33. Determines The Future Our
Students Achieve!
Thank you!

34. The New Literacies of Online
Reading Comprehension
North Carolina New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute
July 10, 2012
Donald J. Leu
donald.leu@uconn.edu
Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology
Neag School of Education
University of Connecticut