An Overview of New Literacy: Some Recommendations for Policy Makers, Researchers, and Teachers

Abstract

The nature of literacy as a sociocultural phenomenon has undergone regular and continuous changes. With the increase in information and communication technologies, the meaning of literacy has been extended to online reading and content creating from traditional printed material based reading and writing. These changes have brought about a rapid increase of information and communication technology usage rates. To be literate today requires new skills, strategies, practices, and dispositions as well as reading and writing skills based on traditional printed materials. In the light of these developments, the lowercase and Uppercase New Literacies Theory has emerged in order to explain and examine today’s literacy, which involves many perspectives. The purpose of the current study is to review the new literacy theoretical framework, give information about recent research trends in new literacy, and make some suggestions to policy-makers, researchers and teachers. In accordance with this purpose, i) the dual-level new literacy theory is examined, ii) online reading and writing research in recent years is looked at, iii) information about technology integration in literacy education is given, iv) the concept of the digital divide is discussed and finally v) various research and practice recommendations are introduced. 

Keywords

• dual-level new literacy theory
• online reading and writing
• technology integration
• digital divide

Yeni Okuryazarlığa Genel Bir Bakış: Karar Alıcılar, Araştırmacılar ve Öğretmenler İçin Bazı Öneriler*

Öz

Sosyo-kültürel bir olgu olarak okuryazarlığın doğası düzenli ve sürekli olarak değişmektedir. Artan bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri ile birlikte okuryazarlık basılı materyallere dayalı okuma ve içerik oluşturmadan çevrim içi okuma ve anlam oluşturmaya doğru kaymaktadır.  Bu dönüşümlerle birlikte bilgi ve iletişim teknoloji kullanım oranları son yıllarda hızlı bir şekilde artmıştır. Günümüzde tam manasıyla okuryazar olabilmek için geleneksel basılı materyallere dayalı okuma yazma becerilerinin yanı sıra, yeni beceri, strateji, uygulama ve eğilimler gerekmektedir. Tüm bu gelişmeler ışığında günümüz okuryazarlığını açıklamak ve incelemek amacıyla son yıllardaki birçok bakış açısını içine alan küçük harflerle ve Büyük Harflerle yeni okuryazarlık kuramı doğmuştur. Bu araştırmanın amacı yeni okuryazarlık kuramsal bakış açısını gözden geçirmek, yeni okuryazarlık üzerine son araştırma eğilimleri hakkında bilgi vermek ve karar alıcılara, araştırmacılara ve öğretmenlere bazı öneriler getirmektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda i) iki düzeyli yeni okuryazarlık kuramı incelenmiş, ii) son yıllardaki çevrim içi okuma ve yazma araştırmaları gözden geçirilmiş, iii) okuma yazma eğitiminde teknoloji entegrasyonu hakkında bilgi verilmiş, iv) dijital bölünme kavramı ele alınmış ve son olarak v) çeşitli araştırma ve uygulama önerileri getirilmiştir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• iki düzeyli yeni okuryazarlık kuramı
• çevrim içi okuma ve yazma
• teknoloji entegrasyonu
• dijital bölünme

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