How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> As domestic access to the internet reaches the mass market in industrialized countries, this article identifies and evaluates the emerging research agenda, focusing particularly on children and young people. The nature of children's internet use generates public anxieties which both guide and undermine research, complicating the already challenging study of children within the privacy of the home. The body of empirical work reviewed is still small, but already key questions of academic and policy significance are being addressed regarding the opportunities and dangers of internet use. Such opportunities include communication, identity and participation, and education, learning and literacy; dangers arising from exclusion and the digital divide, and from certain kinds of use relating to inappropriate or undesirable contact, content and commercialism. In each of these domains, research strengths and gaps for future research are identified. The article concludes by noting areas of theoretical consensus and u... <s> BIB001 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> The research project, UK Children Go Online (UKCGO), is conducting a rigorous investigation of 9-19 year olds’ use of the internet, comparing girls and boys of different ages, backgrounds etc., in order to ask how the internet may be transforming, or may itself be shaped by family life, peer networks and school. It combines qualitative interviews and observations with a major national survey of 9-19 year olds (N=1511) and their parents (N=906). This paper focuses on two of the key opportunities the internet affords to children and young people: first, education, informal learning and literacy and, second, communication and participation. The survey charts how central the internet has become in young people’s and children’s lives as an information medium to support school work, although it is not seen as a wholly unproblematic learning tool. Children and young people alike encounter difficulties with searching the web, with the critical evaluation of website contents, and with a range of other online skills, and these in turn appear due to the patchy educational support they have received in internet literacy teaching. While education and learning represent the ‘approved’ uses of the internet, which is often the reason for which parents and governments invest in domestic internet access, children and young people themselves are far more excited by the internet as a communication medium. Both internet (instant message, email, chat) and mobile phone (talk, text) are mostly used to contact friends that live locally and, through skilful choices regarding the nature of these technologies in relation to the purposes of the communication, they are employed to manage the intimacy, embarrassment or privacy demands of such communications. Hence for many, mediated communication is by no means seen as less satisfactory than face-to-face communication. Although such communication sustains the peer network, it does not necessarily generate a wider interest in community or civic participation, although over half have shown some interest in such web content. However, not all the opportunities available to children and young people are being taken up equally. Hence the paper concludes by charting the emergence of a new divide, signalling emerging inequalities in the quality of internet use, with children and young people being divided into those for whom the internet is an increasingly rich, diverse, engaging and stimulating resource of growing importance in their lives and those for whom it remains a narrow, unengaging if occasionally useful resource of rather less significance. <s> BIB002 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> The number of children and adolescents accessing the Internet as well as the amount of time online are steadily increasing. The most common online activities include playing video games, accessing web sites, and communicating via chat rooms, email, and instant messaging. A theoretical framework for understanding the effects of Internet use on cognitive development is presented. The proposed framework, based on the cognitive information processing model, the sociocultural perspective, the PASS cognitive processing model, and the neurological orientation, organises previous research in terms of the cognitive consequences of common online activities. From a cognitive-developmental perspective, the Internet is a cultural tool that influences cognitive processes and an environmental stimulus that contributes to the formation of specific cognitive architecture. <s> BIB003 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> Because technology in the home is becoming ever more available, understanding the role of technology in early childhood development is increasingly an opportunity and a concern for educators. This report examines data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99, to provide an overview of the role of technology in the home and its impact on reading and math achievement in the early grades. The results show that access and use of technology influence children's academic achievement. Although the results show that having access to technology can contribute significantly to the achievement of young children, mere access is unlikely to be sufficient for all young children to benefit from technology in the home. Adults will need to mediate the use of these potential learning tools for children. Based on the findings of this report, policymakers should support increasing the availability of computers for low-income families and continue to discourage extensive viewing of TV, and re... <s> BIB004 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> Increasingly, young children are being exposed to computers at home and at school despite disagreement regarding the appropriateness and potential impact of technology on young children’s development. Many views that predominant the debates lack empirical support and are too broad in their scope. This study examines the existing empirical studies from 1985-2004 on the impact of computer use on preschooler’s social, cognitive, language development, and motivation. Findings are discussed within the framework of social and cognitive theories by Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky. <s> BIB005 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s>  <s> Social skill and language are known to relate, not least in the example of those with specific language impairment (SLI). However, most of the research examining this trend has been conducted on young primary school age children and the nature of the relationships is unclear. Furthermore, little is known about which young people in general have social difficulties and whether language, social cognition, and social skills are directly associated at this age. In this study, a large cohort made up of young people with a history of SLI (N = 134) and a typically developing (TD) group (N = 124) of the same age were followed up in their final year of compulsory schooling (aged 16). Language, social cognition, social skills, and functional social outcomes (friendships and levels of social activity) were assessed using tasks and questionnaires. Modest associations were found between social cognition, language, and social behaviours, the strongest being between language and social cognition. Regression analyses showed that as a combined group, the adolescents' functional social outcomes were most associated with expressive language, social skill, and social cognitive ability. However, the patterns differed when the groups were analysed separately, with social cognition playing more of a role for those with SLI. These findings suggest that poor language may play a complex role in adolescents' social development. <s> BIB006
ince the development of the personal computer in the late 1970s and the introduction of the cellular telephone network in 1984, digital computer technology has become a prevalent feature of everyday life and an increasingly popular means of communication. Concerns have arisen for several years that this trend may have an impact on children's language development  . These researchers believe that communication technology may be influencing the types of communication skills children use and how these skills develop through childhood and adolescence. The increasing prevalence of technology in society means that any such effects are likely to have farreaching consequences for a vast number of young people. This review will initially outline children's use of communication technology and introduce the possible benefits and drawbacks of its use. I will then explore the nature of electronic communication with reference to normal language and literacy development. Finally, I will examine the existing research on the proposed effects of communication literacy skills and may even be encouraging the development of new media literacy skills, provided that children are supported in accessing developmentally appropriate language and content. Conclusions: More detailed research is needed to separate the effects of specific aspects of computer use and to elaborate on how differing levels and types of computer usage may influence outcomes. In an age of very rapid and pervasive technological advances, there is a need for timely research to investigate the potential consequences of changing trends. Education professionals need up-to-date and fully informed evidence to support parents and caregivers in ensuring that children make the best use of communication technology to promote their language and literacy development. KEY WORDS: language, development, computer, technology, children, literacy technology on children's language and literacy development and evaluate the extent to which technology may be having a positive or negative impact on these skills. Communication technology is composed of many forms of electronic communication. Those associated with the Internet, now accessible through both computers and mobile phones, include e-mail, instant messaging services, chat rooms, forums, social networking sites, interactive online gaming networks, and Web-logs (blogs). In addition, mobile phones enable their users to make telephone calls and send text messages. Children's access to this technology is higher than ever before and is still increasing. According to a 2007 survey carried out by the U.K. Government Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), more than 4 in 5 children ages 5-15 have access to a home computer, and levels of Internet use are at 46% for 5-to 7-year-olds and 75% for 12-to 15-year-olds. Furthermore, children in the 12-15 age group reported that use of the Internet was "the most important technology in their lives-more important than television" (DCSF, 2007) . The DCSF (2007) report also found that 87% of 12-to 15-year-olds owned a mobile phone, and nearly three quarters of them used it every day. Similar trends have been reported in the most recent audit of U.K. Children's Media Literacy carried out by Ofcom, which is an independent organization that regulates the United Kingdom's broadcasting, telecommunications, and wireless communications sectors.  reported that the "use of some key media, including the television, games consoles, and the internet, are well established by the age of five." Communication was found to be a key driver of Internet use, particularly among older girls  , who are significantly more likely than boys to use the Internet for communication. Specifically, 84% of girls compared to 75% of boys used the Internet at least once a week for instant messaging  . Because of the pervasive and complex nature of this communication technology use, there is a clear need to understand its possible implications for children's language development. A report published by the American Alliance for Childhood  argued that technology is physically, socially, and intellectually detrimental for children BIB005 . The report also argued that computers pose a serious health risk, as the reduction of human interaction can impact children's social, emotional, and language development. Concerns over the implications of technology are reflected by the popularity of books such as Toxic Childhood  .  speculated many ways in which modern technology has contributed to a rise in developmental disorders among young people. If the research evidence supports these claims that technology is this damaging, it would suggest that some children's language skills may become impaired and literacy levels may fall. At a clinical level, the impact of impaired language is widely known: Language difficulties affect social and emotional development and functioning and have important implications for long-term outcomes and general well-being BIB006 ). Many of the widely reported concerns regarding the effects of communication technology are very broad and are based on anecdotal evidence. The introduction and proliferation of new technologies is often accompanied by general skepticism and sometimes panic about the prospective negative consequences, particularly when children are involved BIB003 . The invention of the telephone and later the television were both met with concern regarding the implications for individuals and society as a whole. Early research on the impact and social integration of technology is often heavily affected by general myths and pessimism BIB003 , which are often perpetuated by the media. Research has also shown a "digital generation gap" BIB001 BIB002 . Hence, different views are likely to be expressed by older and younger generations, who in some cases may differ in their perceptions of technology and its relative merit. It is important to consider whether the specific concerns are supported by research findings. If evidence suggests that there are negative developmental implications for children using technology, it is all the more important that these are highlighted and publicized to ensure that guidance is available to support parents in safeguarding and promoting their children's development. The recent Ofcom report (2008) also highlighted that since 2005, there has been a decrease in the proportion of parents who have rules for their children using the Internet, and at the same time, the number of children using the computer unsupervised has increased. As the development of new communication technology progresses at an increasing rate, there is the inevitable effect that children's competency and awareness of such technology begins to overtake that of their parents, resulting in a digital generation gap BIB001 . This suggests that parents have less control over how children use technology, and are perhaps less aware of what their children are able to do on the computer and any implications this may have. In contrast, if the evidence suggests that communication technology has a positive impact on language and literacy development, there may be a need for government policies to ensure equality in providing this educational resource to all. Evidence from both the United States and the United Kingdom has highlighted a "digital divide" BIB004 BIB001 BIB002 whereby families of lower socioeconomic status have greatly reduced access to technology. This research highlighted that in places where access to technology is improved, young people from these households derived the greatest benefit in terms of improved educational achievement BIB004 . Children's increasing use of modern communication technology has implications for educational practice because it is now a prevalent environmental factor in children's lives. There is a need for professionals working with young people and their families to have a fully informed evidence base as to the possible benefits and drawbacks of communication technology. These professionals can then support families in safeguarding their children's language learning and literacy development and help ensure that the equality of educational provision and resources benefits all socioeconomic groups within society and lessens the digital divide. As technology is constantly adapted and upgraded, so the current trends for online communication continually change. It may become very difficult to find published research that remains timely and is able to highlight which aspects of communication technology seem beneficial and which seem harmful. Before considering the available research, it is helpful to first explore how communication technology may be changing the way in which children communicate.