In my other post, I brought up the fact that the three major textbook companies are making efforts to move towards a digital future.
Reading the article, "Extending the Conversation: New Technologies, New Literacies, and English Education", I noticed another point to my previous post that I overlooked. On page 360, it discusses Affordances and Constraints on this ideal. Not only is cost an obvious factor, but so too is the fact that teachers will also be required to be knowledgeable about these technologies, hopefully to the extent that they can at least teach properly with them, let alone instruct the students on how to use them.
On the other end of the spectrum, two pages down, the articles asks the question: How well will old fashioned text and writing exercises prepare students for the future that is going to be more and more digital and innovative as years pass?
Obviously, some sort of middle ground must be found, but it all hinges on how willing all sides are to compromise.
I really do think compromise and a middle ground are the answer. We shouldn't scare digital innovations away, but not let them completely take over either.
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