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IntroductionMethodProcedureResultsConclusionLimitationsEpilogueReferences



Introduction

Background | Research Questions | Theoretical Framework | Section References



Background

Computers and telecommunications technologies are infusing schools in the United States at an exponential rate, and it has become incumbent on educators to gain an understanding of the unique benefits and challenges of integrating hypermedia technology into the curriculum. We are in a remarkable time in the history of education in that we can no longer accurately predict what kinds of literacy skills today's kindergartners will need upon graduation from high school (Leu, in press). Unfortunately, there is a shortage of research in this area. Reinking (1998), citing Kamil and Lane, reports that less than 1 percent of articles published in four leading educational research journals during a recent 3-year period addressed issues related to technology. Educators, therefore, are left facing monumental challenges with little support or guidance.

The pilot project described in this article was undertaken to explore the pedagogical benefits and challenges that exist when students engage in hypermedia design projects and, specifically, to investigate the potential benefits of such projects for the language arts curriculum. By collecting artifacts, surveying, interviewing, and observing a small group of students as they designed their school's website, I explored the language and literacy processes involved in working with hypermedia technology for authentic purposes.

To contextualize the critical issues surrounding this case study, three key areas of concern to educators are explored in this section: policy issues, curricular issues, and literacy issues.

Policy issues. Educational policy makers must grapple with several issues concerning appropriate and effective integration of computers into schools. First and most critical is funding. Never before has the educational community been called upon to finance such an expensive innovation. Seemingly limitless supplies of money are needed to buy or lease hardware and software, to maintain and upgrade equipment, to compensate technology coordinators and technical experts, and to provide release time for planning, training, and staff development. There is unprecedented community pressure on school districts to provide technological resources to their students, but doing so is often at the expense of other valuable programs and resources such as music, physical education, art, or even libraries.

The second key policy issue is equity. Disparities in socioeconomic resources result in discrepancies in the availability of computers and Internet access among school districts, and between children who have access to computers at home and those who do not. This suggests a possible educational and societal advantage for the computer "haves" over the "have nots." However, it has always been the case that more affluent families and districts have educational advantages, and it is not clear how the current disparity in access to technological resources compares in magnitude.

Finally, there is a serious policy issue having to do with assessment. It is critical that assessment practices be reexamined in light of any educational innovation in order to ensure that a match between objectives and outcomes is maintained. At present it is unclear exactly what kinds of educational outcomes can be expected with the advent of multimedia technology, and some educators may fail to see the benefits of spending time and resources on computers. As one school administrator recently lamented to a colleague of mine, "We've spent thousands of dollars on computers, but our test scores still haven't gone up!"

Irrespective of the challenges, educators are responsible for implementing mandates from various levels of government for the dissemination of technology. In the United States, the Clinton Administration has a widely publicized goal of bringing multimedia technology and the Internet into every public school by the year 2000. The "Technology Literacy Challenge" developed by the Office of Educational Technology of the U.S. Department of Education lists four criteria necessary for ensuring that "all children are technologically literate by the dawn of the 21st century":

  1. modern computers and learning devices that are accessible to every student;
  2. classrooms that are connected to one another and to the outside world;
  3. educational software that is an integral part of the curriculum and is "as engaging as the best video game"; and
  4. teachers who are ready to use and teach with the technology.

The International Society for Technology in Education recently released a set of standards by which educators can measure students' technology skills at grades 2, 5, 8, and 12. School districts around the world are frantically developing technology plans despite the lack of complete understanding of how new technologies may affect students' learning.

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Curricular issues. There are several themes that must be highlighted when discussing the potential impact of computers on the K-12 curriculum. First, teachers must understand how and when to use computer technology most effectively; second, they need to know how to select appropriate software; and third, they must be able to frame computer-related activities to maximize the benefits for student learning.

In choosing how and when to use technology, it is essential that teachers have a clear sense of their own instructional objectives. For example, if my primary goal as a reading teacher is to help students learn to encode, recode, and comprehend print, then my instruction would center on printed rather than electronic text. If, on the other hand, my goal is for students to learn how to send and receive e-mail, find resources online, and navigate hypertext environments, then instruction would focus on using hypermedia technology. Perhaps less obvious, if my goals also include motivating and engaging students, encouraging collaboration, and providing students with an authentic sense of audience when they write, then it would most definitely be appropriate for me to incorporate hypermedia design projects and the Internet into my curriculum.

Closely related to the topic of appropriate use of technology is knowing what kinds of software products are available and ensuring a match between those selected and teachers' orientations. There is an important distinction between ready-made software programs designed to present information and those designed for users to construct information. This distinction is analogous to presenting students with a commercially prepared textbook versus handing them a toolkit of writing, art, and photography supplies. Clearly, using these materials involves entirely different processes, serving entirely different objectives.

Language arts-related software designed to present information (such as an interactive storybook, a game, or a comprehensive reading program) can be based on a skills model, a holistic model, or some combination of the two. Sometimes the philosophical orientation of the software publisher is not obvious until the software is previewed; therefore, educators should try to do this whenever possible. Presentation software can be beneficial in the classroom if it is well designed, affordable, and easy to use, and if it matches the teacher's instructional philosophy.

Open-ended software designed to enable the student to construct information (such as the word-processing programs, database programs, and multimedia composers that Jonassen, 1996, has labeled "mindtools") is often more difficult for teachers to implement, but the rewards for students can be worth the effort. The demands of introducing these programs are similar to those placed on teachers who move their curricula away from commercial basal readers to an inquiry-based approach. Often it requires teachers to shift out of their accustomed role of "information givers" to become "learning facilitators" (Lehrer, Erickson, & Connell, 1994), particularly since students may quickly move beyond the expertise of their instructors.

Finally, teachers need to know how to frame computer-related activities for maximum benefits to student learning. Simply placing a computer in a classroom does not guarantee increased learning opportunities. Everything depends on how it is used. If students are permitted to engage in aimless surfing on the Internet or endless hours of arcade-style gaming, then it is doubtful they will learn the kinds of things we want them to learn. Further, if a teacher perceives the computer as an electronic babysitter, a place for students to play when all the "real work" of learning is done, this message will be communicated to students. In 1984, Salomon introduced the notion of "amount of invested mental effort" (AIME) on a task, a notion still very much applicable today. If we don't present computer-related tasks as valuable while also demanding accountability from those who engage in them, then students will relate to computers in the same superficial way that they often relate to television.

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Literacy issues. The discussion surrounding the potential impact of computer technology on literacy centers on the question of whether hypermedia constitutes a "revolution" in the forms and functions of literacy. Notable educators such as Emilia Ferreiro, Margaret Meek, and William Teale encourage us to situate computer-based literacy within a historical context, placing electronic texts alongside such monumental inventions as the ancient papyrus roll, the medieval codex, and the printed book. Teale (1997, p. 81) writes,

Goodman (1996) talks about how new language forms arise in a culture when the needs of the culture demand them. While he refers to the advent of written language in oral cultures, the same model could hold true for hypermedia. In the same way that print should not be considered merely a "simulation" of oral language but a language form in its own right (Goodman, 1996), many educators believe that electronic text represents an entirely new language form governed by its own idiosyncratic semiotic freedoms and constraints (see, for example, Bolter, 1991; Snyder, 1996). If it is true that "media can be defined by [their] technology, symbol systems, and processing capabilities" (Kozma, 1991, p. 180), then hypermedia embodies a substantively new order of human discourse.

According to Bolter (1991), each new technology of writing brings us a fresh physical and conceptual "writing space" that "fosters a particular understanding both of the act of writing and of the product, the written text" (p. 11). Each of these different writing spaces promotes different styles and genres of writing and different theories of literacy. Today, hypermedia writers are still in the process of discovering what these new structures and genres may become; in fact, we are in a time of such rapid technological change that "clearly, the literacy of yesterday is not the literacy of today and it will not be the literacy of tomorrow" (Leu, in press).

Hypertext itself may actually change the fundamental relationship between the reader, the author, and the text by permitting a literal transaction between reader and text (Reinking, 1994). Not only can an electronic text be programmed to adapt and respond to an individual reader's needs and interests during reading, hypertext environments allow the reader to select her or his own path through extensive networks of textual and multimedia information (Reinking, 1992). Readers can even choose to re-author portions of the encountered "text" by altering its content, layout, or appearance.

In my own thinking in this area, it has come as a great surprise to me that hypermedia-based discourse actually seems to share more characteristics with oral than with print-based language (see Table 1). Perhaps we have been missing the point entirely by perpetually comparing electronic text with printed text rather than viewing hypermedia literacy in relation to oral literacy.



Table 1
Characteristics of Language Forms

Print

Oral

Hypermedia

noninteractive

interactive

interactive

permanent

impermanent

impermanent

static

dynamic

dynamic

linear

nonlinear

nonlinear

narrative

narrative/episodic

episodic

single voiced

single/multivoiced

multivoiced

graphic

audio

all symbol systems



Some of the characteristics shown in Table 1 (such as the notion that print is "noninteractive") are certainly open to debate, and it is apparent that scholarly conversation surrounding the relationship between hypermedia and traditional language forms has only just begun. For example, some have suggested that hypertext lends itself to episodic, rather than narrative, story structures (McLellan, 1992) and that this changes the essential rhythm or landscape of reading. Similarly, a poststructuralist might be interested in how hypermedia easily accommodates "multivoiced" text rather than the more traditional single-voiced narrative. In sum, each medium has distinct strengths and weaknesses in terms of how we express ourselves and make sense of the world around us. Language arts instruction is all about helping students construct and communicate meaning to others; therefore, it is imperative that we investigate the potential impact of computer technology as a meaning-making tool in the language arts classroom.

If language arts educators are concerned with facilitating students' use of strategies that are relevant to their daily lives and will be useful 20 or 30 years hence, then we have an obligation to familiarize ourselves with advances in technology. According to Reinking (1994), "the inexorable pace at which electronic forms of written communication are expanding strongly suggests that educators must become familiar with the essential nature of electronic texts. Only then will we be able to lay the foundation for developing an electronic literacy that will prepare us for the future" (p. 16). Furthermore, the traditional definition of literacy itself may need to be expanded to include multimedia and hypermedia texts. As Kinzer and Leu (1997, p. 126) observe,

In the past, computer technology has tended to be associated with math and science curricula; however, with today's telecommunications technologies and multimedia applications, computers are establishing a legitimate role in the humanities and communication arts.

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Research Questions

The study described in this article was focused intentionally on an implementation of hypermedia technology as it related to curricular and literacy issues. This is not to suggest that policy issues are unimportant. For me, however, discussion of whether we should be infusing schools with computers has become almost moot: they are already in schools in great numbers. A more critical issue may now be how we, as language arts educators, will capitalize on using them in our instruction.

The following questions served as focal points for the investigation:

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Theoretical Framework

This study reflects a semiotic-sociocultural-constructivist stance on the nature of learning and literacy. Through this lens interactive multimedia technology can be viewed as a culturally valued mediational tool for facilitating authentic literacy experiences in inquiry-based classrooms.

Educators and researchers who subscribe to a semiotic viewpoint suggest that what makes us human is our capacity to create and interpret signs and symbol systems (see, for example, Eisner, 1991; Gardner, 1983; Harste, 1994; Suhor, 1984). Because we can never know the world directly, we use signs (defined as anything that we use to convey meaning, including pictures, words, gestures, and objects) to mediate it (Suhor, 1992). From this perspective, the goal of literacy instruction is to teach children command of a variety of symbol systems and how to utilize "multiple ways of knowing for purposes of ongoing interpretation and inquiry into the world" (Leland & Harste, 1994, p. 339).

It is important to expose children to multiple forms of symbolic representation because each is uniquely capable of addressing different aspects of the world (Kozma, 1991; Salomon, 1997). Further, "the forms we use to represent what we think -- literal language, visual images, number, poetry -- have an impact on how we think and what we can think about. If different forms of representation performed identical cognitive functions, then there would be no need to dance, compute, or draw" (Eisner, 1997, p. 349). Forms of representation need not be taught as ends in themselves, however, but should be viewed as tools that students can use for thinking and communicating (Eisner, 1994; Greeno & Hall, 1997).

In multimedia technology, multiple symbolic forms are combined, thereby offering the possibility of greater educational equity for children who, for example, may be more visually than linguistically oriented (Kinzer, Gabella & Rieth, 1994; Wilhelm, 1995). This rich multimodal resource combines elements of written language, dynamic images, audio, video, animation, and graphic design in order to enhance its communicative power (Downes & Fatouros, 1995; Glasgow, 1997; Reinking, 1994). With this technology, it is possible "not only to convey words but also to convey their inflections, the accompanying gestures, the surrounding action, the visual context, and other nonverbal communication" (Rose & Meyer, 1994, p. 291). Furthermore, it allows us to make meanings through combinations of symbol systems that we could not make, or make as well, through any of the systems on their own (Lemke, 1992).

Some educators suggest that "constructing meaning from multiple perspectives, using multiple media sources, provides a richer understanding of complex information, especially if one lacks prior knowledge about a topic" (Kinzer & Leu, 1997, p. 130). In a fascinating semiotic analysis of young children at work in a classroom computer center, Labbo (1996, p. 381) discovered that

The computer's unique capacity to transform information instantaneously from one symbol system into another capitalizes on the power of transmediation for children's literacy development (Dickson, 1985; Labbo, 1996; Snow, 1997). Transmediation refers to "taking a content and expression plane of one sign system and recasting it in terms of the content and expression plane of another sign system" (Harste, 1994, p. 1226). Because correspondence between different modes of representation is not one to one, the tension between symbol systems forces learners to create their own links between systems of representation. The opportunity for children to experiment with transmediation within a flexible multimedia environment may lead to a greater understanding of complex information and to multiple ways of knowing (Blackstock & Miller, 1992; Kozma, 1991). However, educators must be cautioned that poorly designed educational software, difficult-to-navigate hypertext environments, and the Internet can also lead children away from their central purpose.

As children become proficient users of multimedia technology, they may invent new forms of meaning that we have not yet imagined. If "representations are constructed for specific purposes during attempts to solve problems and communicate with others about these attempts" (Greeno & Hall, 1997, p. 365), then the problems children face in the future could inspire them to use technology to fashion unusual and innovative symbolic products (Eisner, 1994; Gardner, 1983). This may require language arts educators to extend the four generally recognized language arts processes of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to include literacy events within multimedia environments (Downes & Fatouros, 1995; Lehrer, Erickson, & Connell, 1994). As Teale (1997, p. 81) notes:

From a sociocultural perspective, hypermedia technology is rapidly becoming a valued means of communication and has the potential to evoke authentic uses of language through students' collaboration with others (Dyson, 1993). These meaningful social interactions can boost learners to new levels of independent achievement within their "zone of proximal development" (Vygotsky, 1978). The awareness of a wide audience for their work inspires students to use greater care in producing high-quality products and encourages collaboration regarding content and design (Barkhouse, 1997; Cohen & Riel, 1989; Downes & Fatouros, 1995; Jones, 1994; Owston, 1997).

A constructivist or inquiry-based model of instruction invites both students and teachers to engage in a collaborative negotiation of the curriculum (Harste, 1994; Short & Burke, 1991; Short, Schroeder, Laird, Kauffman, Ferguson, & Crawford, 1996). Dewey (1938, p. 67) describes this collaboration as follows:

In an inquiry-based classroom, multimedia technology and the Internet can be viewed as avenues for learners to use critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to transform information into knowledge (Jonassen, 1996). Furthermore, "teaching in an online setting challenges teachers to shift paradigms and use a constructivist model of learning" (Peterson & Facemyer, 1996, p. 53). Teachers are increasingly redefining traditional notions of instruction, and it is interesting to observe how technological developments are occurring simultaneously with the movement toward constructivist models of teaching and learning (Ayersman, 1996; Brown, 1991).

In the study described in the remainder of this article, I demonstrate how a hypermedia authoring project built on this theoretical framework gave students an authentic, constructivist literacy experience.

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Section References

Ayersman, D.J. (1996). Reviewing the research on hypermedia-based learning. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 28(4), 500-525.
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Barkhouse, N. (1997). Grasping the thread: Web page development in the elementary classroom. Emergency Librarian, 24(3), 24-25.
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Blackstock, J., & Miller, L. (1992). The impact of new information technology on young children's symbol-weaving efforts. Computers & Education , 18(1-3), 209-221.
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Bolter, J.D. (1991). Writing space: The computer, hypertext and the history of writing. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
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Brown, R. (1991). The one-literacy schoolhouse in the age of multiple literacies. Educational Horizons, 69(3), 141-145.
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Cohen, M., & Riel, M. (1989). The effect of distant audiences on students' writing. American Educational Research Journal, 26(2), 143-159.
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Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Macmillan.
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Dickson, W.P. (1985). Thought-provoking software: Juxtaposing symbol systems. Educational Researcher, 14(5), 30-38.
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Downes, T., & Fatouros, C. (1995). Learning in an electronic world: Computers and the language arts classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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Dyson, A.H. (1993). A sociocultural perspective on symbolic development in primary grade classrooms. New Directions for Child Development , 61, 25-39.
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Eisner, E.W. (1991). Rethinking literacy. Educational Horizons, 69(3), 120-128.
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Eisner, E.W. (1994). Cognition and curriculum reconsidered . New York: Teachers College Press.
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Eisner, E.W. (1997). Cognition and representation. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(5), 349-353.
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Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences . New York: Basic.
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Glasgow, J.N. (1997). It's my turn: Motivating young readers using CD-ROM storybooks. Learning and Leading with Technology, 24(4), 18-22.
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Goodman, K.S. (1996). On reading . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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Greeno, J.G., & Hall, R.P. (1997). Practicing representation: Learning with and about representational forms. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(5), 361-367.
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Harste, J.C. (1994). Literacy as curricular conversations about knowledge, inquiry and morality. In R.B. Ruddell, M.R. Ruddell, & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading (4th ed., pp. 1220-1242). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
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Jonassen, D.H. (1996). Computers in the classroom: Mindtools for critical thinking . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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Jones, I. (1994). The effect of the word processor on the written composition of second-grade pupils. Computers in the Schools, 11(2), 43-53.
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Kinzer, C.K, Gabella, M.S., & Rieth, H.J. (1994). An argument for using multimedia and anchored instruction to facilitate mildly disabled students' learning of literacy and social studies. Technology and Disability, 3(2), 117-128.
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Kinzer, C.K., & Leu, D.J. (1997). The challenge of change: Exploring literacy and learning in electronic environments. Language Arts, 74(2), 126-136.
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Kozma, R.B. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational Research, 61(2), 179-211.
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Labbo, L.D. (1996). A semiotic analysis of young children's symbol making in a classroom computer center. Reading Research Quarterly, 31(4), 356-383.
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Lehrer, R., Erickson, J., & Connell, T. (1994). Learning by designing hypermedia documents. Computers in the Schools, 10(1/2), 227-254.
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Leland, C.H., & Harste, J.C. (1994). Multiple ways of knowing: Curriculum in a new key. Language Arts, 71(5), 337-345.
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Lemke, J.L. (1992). Intertextuality and educational research. Linguistics and Education, 4(3/4), 257-267.
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Leu, D.J., Jr. (in press). Literacy and technology: Deictic consequences for literacy education in an information age. In M.L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research: Volume III. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
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McLellan, H. (1992). Narrative and episodic story structure in interactive stories. East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 348 012)
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Owston, R.D. (1997). The World Wide Web: A technology to enhance teaching and learning? Educational Researcher , 26(2), 27-33.
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Peterson, N.S., & Facemyer, K.C. (1996). The impact of the Internet on learners and schools. NASSP Bulletin, 80(582), 53-58.
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Reinking, D. (1992). Differences between electronic and printed texts: An agenda for research. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 1(1), 11-24.
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Reinking, D. (1994). Electronic literacy (Perspectives in Reading Research series). Athens, GA: National Reading Research Center, Universities of Georgia and Maryland. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 371 324)
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Reinking, D. (1998). Introduction: Synthesizing technological transformations of literacy in a post-typographic world. In D. Reinking, M.C. McKenna, L.D. Labbo, & R.D. Keiffer (Eds.), Handbook of literacy and technology: Transformations in a post-typographic world. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
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Rose, D.H., & Meyer, A. (1994). The role of technology in language arts instruction. Language Arts, 71(4), 290-294.
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Salomon, G. (1984). Television is "easy" and print is "tough": The differential investment of mental effort in learning as a function of perceptions and attributions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(4), 647-658.
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Salomon, G. (1997). Of mind and media: How culture's symbolic forms affect learning and thinking. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(5), 375-380.
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Short, K.G., & Burke, C. (1991). Creating curriculum: Teachers and students as a community of learners. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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Short, K.G., Schroeder, J., Laird, J., Kauffman, G., Ferguson, M., & Crawford, K. (1996). Learning together through inquiry: From Columbus to integrated curriculum . York, MN: Stenhouse.
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Snow, R.E. (1997). Aptitudes and symbol systems in adaptive classroom teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(5), 354-360.
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Snyder, I. (1996). Hypertext: The electronic labyrinth. New York: New York University Press.
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Suhor, C. (1984). Towards a semiotics-based curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 16(3), 247-257.
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Suhor, C. (1992). Semiotics and the English language arts. Language Arts, 69, 228-230.
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Teale, W.H. (1997). Dear readers. Language Arts, 74(2), 80-82.
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Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
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Wilhelm, J.D. (1995). Creating the missing links: Student designed learning on hypermedia. English Journal, 84(6), 34-40.
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