How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s> DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <s> Part I Theoretical frameworks: literacy - in search of paradigm. Part II Literacy and development issues: literacy and the nation-state literacy and social development mass literacy campaign - some lessons from the past. Part III Globalization - the implications of technological development, social and cultural change on concepts and definitions of literacy: technological change and cultural transformations changing definitions of "text" within the information society conceptualizing literacy, knowledge and power in the information society towards "communicative competence" for democratic participation in the information society. <s> BIB001 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s> DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <s> In recent years, electronic games, home computers, and the Internet have assumed an important place in our lives. This paper presents a review of the research on the impact of home computer use on the development of children and adolescents. Time use data are presented along with a discussion of factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity, which impact the time spent on computers as well as the activities engaged in. Research on the impact of computer use on cognitive skill and academic development, social development and relationships, and perceptions of reality and violent behavior is reviewed. The special role of the Internet in the lives of adolescents is brought out using data from the HomeNet study. The paper concludes with recommendations for future study in order to better understand the growing impact of computers on our youth. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. <s> BIB002 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s> DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <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> BIB003 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s> DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <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> BIB004 </s> How Does the Use of Modern Communication Technology Influence Language and Literacy Development? A Review <s> DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <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> BIB005
A common theme running through much of the research on communication technology is that computer use is redefining what we mean by literacy and its associated skills BIB005  BIB003 BIB004 BIB001   BIB002 . Knowledge is now represented in a very different manner compared to the traditional book format BIB003 . Information content on the computer is displayed and accessed in an interactive and dynamic manner; decoding text information for comprehension involves decoding the uses of color, visual cues, and static and moving images and media, as well as following "hyperlinks" to other content  . These processes require additional cognitive skills to access, comprehend, and process the visual input of text and images, and to then manipulate peripheral devices such as the computer mouse and keyboard accordingly BIB005 . Evaluating the impact of communication technology on language and literacy skills in the traditional sense is perhaps not the best approach. If computer use has redefined and expanded what we understand as literacy skills, then this is a positive effect of that technology. It is important, however, for the research field to reassess the skills that are being considered when assessing the impact of technology, and to move away from using the traditional definition of literacy to encompass this wider skill set. It would seem from the published research literature that modern communication technology may have an impact on a person's language and literacy skills. However, the extent to which these effects are detrimental, beneficial, or even specific is still relatively unclear. "Heavy" usage has been associated with negative outcomes such as attention problems that may impact literacy development; however, it remains unclear at which point usage is regarded as heavy, and these negative outcomes outweigh the more general benefits to cognitive skills and literacy. There is a great deal of speculation in the popular media containing anecdotal evidence of the negative impact that modern communication technology has on the communication skills of children and young people. Relatively little research evidence, however, appears to support these concerns, and on the contrary, there is evidence to support many positive effects of technology. Perhaps the most valid concern is with regard to children's ability to access such a wide range of language content that may not be developmentally appropriate. The media has speculated about the implications of inappropriate and unregulated content available to children and young people through communication technology ("Children Work," 2009) , and the rising incidents of phenomena such as cyber-bullying that have been linked to cases of teenage suicide, depression, and self-harming behavior. There is mounting concern among the popular media regarding the impact of communication technology on children's social and emotional health and well-being-an area that has been beyond the remit of this review but is a priority for future research. The research field focusing specifically on language and communication technology is surprisingly sparse. What research there is also comes from a wide range of disciplines, encompassing sociological, technological, educational, and psychological perspectives. When trying to focus primarily on the psychology of language development associated with technology, it has been very difficult to find an in-depth research base. Much research has investigated computer use in very general terms, and only more recent studies have begun to investigate the different uses of computers and the relative benefits and problems associated with different computer activities. With early research into the impact of television viewing, it was found that the content of the activity (e.g., the television program itself) was the most important factor, not simply the technology itself   . A similar approach needs to be taken with reference to computer use and the merits of different activities, such as e-mail and the content of Internet sites, through the comparison of games with social networks, educational reference Web sites, and so forth. In addition, it appears that future research should be more focused toward specific age groups, as it seems that the activities children engage in on the computer vary greatly depending on their age and developmental level   . There is also a need for more research into the effects of communication technology with specific reference to children's language and literacy development and skills as well as their social and emotional development as there may be contrasting findings in these areas that require separate consideration. With regard to language development, perhaps there is also a new question to consider: To what extent can we evaluate the effects of technology on language and literacy development when we are still using traditional concepts of "communication," "language," and "literacy"? The traditional concepts of communication and language may no longer be applicable in this new era of written speech and spoken writing, where people are able to communicate instantly using written language, yet not be face to face. Similarly, the traditional concept of literacy may no longer be appropriate in this new age of "media literacy," when information is now presented in a dynamic network of links between written content, pictures, and video. Future research needs to take these considerations into account when assessing the impact of this technology on specific language skill areas. The current rate of technological developments is exceptionally rapid, and trends in children's use of technology are constantly changing. It is therefore extremely difficult for the research field to remain up to date, and there is almost a need to anticipate potential developments before they occur. The fact remains, however, that this type of technology is becoming an integral part of everyday life and it is therefore hugely important to keep track of its potential implications for developing children.