Download or read book Examining how Social Digital Tools Foster Reading Engagement written by Cindy Kim-Ngan Lam and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading is a fundamental skill that is critical for later academic success. Despite extensive research on its development, reading remains a challenging skill for students in the U.S. to master: recent data from the National Assessment of Education Progress showed that 65% of fourth-grade students score below the level of "proficient" in reading (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2019). Of that percentage, students from minority or less affluent socioeconomic backgrounds obtained even lower scores. Given this need, research has predominantly focused on supporting reading development as a skill (National Reading Council, 1998). However, once a child develops competence in decoding, building expertise as a reader requires sustained engagement in the activity of reading, both for pleasure and as a resource for learning (Gambrell, Mazzoni, & Almasi, 2000; Taboada, Tonks, Wigfield, & Guthrie, 2009). National data affirms that supporting reading engagement is an important area to work on, as recent reports have found the amount of time that children read for fun has been dropping (Common Sense Media, 2014; National Assessment of Educational Progress & National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Collectively, past research and national data points to a need for more research on how to nurture motivation and engagement to sustain a child's reading development into eventual expertise, both as an individual capacity and as a shared activity within a wider community. In this field of research on reading motivation and engagement, a key but under-explored area is the role of social motivation (Rueda, MacGillivray, Monzó, & Arzubiaga, 2000; Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997). Although the social context is underlined as central in learning theory (Rogoff, 1995; Vygotsky & Luria, 1978), the social aspects of motivation for reading engagement are not well elaborated in canonical reading motivation theories (Schiefele et al., 2012; Wentzel, 1996; Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997). More research is needed to understand the multidimensionality of social motivation and how it can be leveraged to nurture successful reading engagement, especially when it is situated in a social context. A parallel topic of interest to social motivation in reading is the recent development of educational technologies with social affordances. Past research has highlighted the capacities of social educational technologies for creating new, interest-driven opportunities for learning (Ito et al., 2012). However, the performance of these technologies to meet learning goals in classroom contexts varies widely. In particular, the ways that the social aspects of these technologies might best be leveraged to foster reading engagement require further study (Cheung & Slavin, 2012; Mangen & van der Weel, 2016; Weston, 2004). Investigating this topic would also contribute novel insights to reading motivation theory, particularly how the social dimension of motivation interacts with social affordances from digital tools. In the following dissertation, I address this gap in reading research with a multipronged approach to the broad questions of: how do learners socially engage around reading, given a social digital reading tool? My research leverages multiple methods to examine this question in the case of students from four elementary classrooms using one online reading exploration platform, Bookopolis. Bookopolis is aimed at elementary and middle schoolers, offering social affordances for reading engagement such as sending and receiving reading recommendations and sharing digital reader profiles. In the sections to follow, I present three studies that each take a different methodological approach, revealing unique but complementary insights to understand the phenomenon of social reading engagement around Bookopolis. In Chapter 1, I use social network analysis to examine reading engagement in the form of social reading recommendations on Bookopolis. Specifically, the ties in the network are defined as reading recommendations that are sent and taken up between peers. A stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM) is implemented to examine what drives the evolution of the social network arising from reading recommendation uptake, as well as reading behavior within the network, for one classroom of 28 students. SAOM allows for the creation of models that simultaneously account for the evolution of reading behavior and the evolution of the ties within the social network over time (Snijders, van de Bunt, & Steglich, 2010). The study results indicate that students tended to send fewer reading recommendations over time, as well as read more books and a wider breadth of books over time. The analysis also found that neither peer influence nor selection effects significantly drove these changes in reading behavior or network ties. Rather, network ties were driven by one degree-related effect as well as structural tendencies of a social network, specifically reciprocity (the tendency to reciprocate received ties) and transitivity (the tendency to have ties with friends of friends). The findings suggest that students tend to have recommendation uptake ties that are reciprocal and within friend groups, as well as ties that are more selective rather than broadcast. The overall study offers novel insights as the first application of SAOM to a social reading recommendation network created by young learners in an online context. In Chapter 2, I use mixed methods to characterize a user typology of the unique ways that students socially engage on Bookopolis, across the sample of 122 students from four classrooms. Guided by questions of what are the unique types of engagement exhibited by students and how/why they used their preferred features on Bookopolis, I leveraged the combined strengths of cluster, descriptive, and qualitative analysis to identify and characterize four types of users: Reviewing Receivers, Collecting Senders, Minimal Users, and All-Rounders. While students of each user type overlapped in some aspects, interviews revealed that each group described distinct preferences for engaging in specific features, which was correspondingly reflected in distinct quantitative activity on the platform. The methodological approach in Chapter 2 demonstrates an example of how mixed methods can be used to characterize user typologies while centering participant voice in the data. Further, the findings of this research showcase how students can meaningfully engage in a range of ways using digital reading tools such as Bookopolis. These insights have implications how social digital tools can be better designed or implemented to encourage different styles of social reading engagement. Finally, in Chapter 3, I take a qualitative approach to investigate students' motivations for socially engaging with their peers around reading, given Bookopolis as a tool. Based on artifact-based, semi-structured interviews with 43 students across four classrooms, the qualitative analysis surfaced new facets of social reading motivation around the themes of helping others, sharing interests, competing, and using social virtual affordances for engagement. These findings built upon past conceptualizations of social motivation for reading engagement, beyond the idea that students engaged to help peers with schoolwork or discuss reading materials (Schiefele et al., 2012; Wentzel, 1996; Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997). The analysis found that students were motivated to engage in prosocial behaviors of sharing and curating reading recommendations with their peers. Students were also motivated to socially engage around common interests, particularly in the context of reading, in addition to engaging to manifest new common interests. The analysis further presents unique insights on what social virtual affordances students valued and why, such as maintaining digital profiles as readers or sharing online recommendations to engage with their peers around reading. Overall, this study contributes new dimensions to the theory of social motivation for reading, specifically how motivation can be augmented by the affordances of social digital reading technology. Together, the three studies of my dissertation contribute unique and complementary insights to the question of how young learners socially engage around reading given a social digital reading tool such as Bookopolis. From a methodological standpoint, the mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches helps address the tradeoffs of each selected method, while also providing depth to the findings that surfaced from each study. I elaborate the ways that each study builds upon the other in Introduction, in addition to the Discussion section of each presented study. Furthermore, the three studies together offer both practical and theoretical contributions to the questions of social engagement around reading. Practical contributions from Chapter 2 offer insights as to how and why an educational digital tool such as Bookopolis can be designed or used to support classroom-based social reading engagement. The theoretical contributions of Chapters 1 and 3 elucidate how socially engaged reading behavior manifests as a social network and as a form of reading motivation. Collectively, the range of approaches presented in my dissertation identifies novel, multifaceted insights on the phenomenon of social engagement around reading as it interfaces with technology. These findings inform how the design and implementation of social educational technologies can be leveraged to nurture sustained reading motivation and engagement.

Download or read book Digital and Social Media Marketing written by Nripendra P. Rana and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-11 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines issues and implications of digital and social media marketing for emerging markets. These markets necessitate substantial adaptations of developed theories and approaches employed in the Western world. The book investigates problems specific to emerging markets, while identifying new theoretical constructs and practical applications of digital marketing. It addresses topics such as electronic word of mouth (eWOM), demographic differences in digital marketing, mobile marketing, search engine advertising, among others. A radical increase in both temporal and geographical reach is empowering consumers to exert influence on brands, products, and services. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and digital media are having a significant impact on the way people communicate and fulfil their socio-economic, emotional and material needs. These technologies are also being harnessed by businesses for various purposes including distribution and selling of goods, retailing of consumer services, customer relationship management, and influencing consumer behaviour by employing digital marketing practices. This book considers this, as it examines the practice and research related to digital and social media marketing.

Download or read book Engaging Young Readers written by Linda Baker and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2000-03-07 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume demonstrates how promoting children's engagement with reading can greatly enhance reading achievement. From leading literacy researchers and educators, the book illuminates what a child needs to become an engaged reader and presents a set of instructional principles designed to facilitate this goal. Helping teachers offer a coordinated emphasis on competence and motivation in reading instruction, chapters blend research evidence with practical recommendations. Topics covered include ways to provide children with a good foundation at the word level, help if they are in trouble, ample time and materials for reading, opportunities to share in a community of learners, instruction that is coherent, motivating, and responsive to each child's strengths and weaknesses, school-wide coordination of instruction, and continuities between home and school.

Download or read book Children Reading for Pleasure in the Digital Age written by Natalia Kucirkova and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to become a reader? What are the challenges and opportunities of engaging children in reading for pleasure in the 21st century? This book explores the ways in which reading for pleasure is changing in the era of globalisation, multiculturalism and datafication. Raising the next generation of engaged readers requires knowledge of the enduring characteristics of engagement and markers of quality in books and e-books. In addition, in order to develop new insights into children’s experience of reading on and off screen, nuanced understandings of psychological and socio-cultural research are offered. The cross-disciplinary examination integrates key research from educational psychology, new literacies, multimodality and socio-cultural perspectives and explores consequences for practice. An authoritative guide - it invites graduates, researchers and teachers to participate in the authors’ interdisciplinary dialogue about reading for pleasure.

Download or read book E Learning and Social Media written by Elinor L. Brown and published by IAP. This book was released on 2016-05-01 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice is an international research monograph series of scholarly works that focuses primarily on empowering children, adolescents, and young adults from diverse educational, socio-cultural, linguistic, religious, racial, ethnic, and socio-economic settings to become non-exploited/non-exploitive contributing members of the global community. The series draws on the international community of investigators, academics, and community organizers that have contributed to the evidence base for developing sound educational policies, practices, and innovative programs to optimize the potential of all students. Each themed volume includes multi-disciplinary theory, research, and practice that provides an enriched understanding of the drivers of human potential via education to assist readers in exploring, adapting, and replicating innovative strategies that enable ALL students to realize their full potential. Among these strategies are the integration of digital technologies (DT) and information and communication technologies (ICT) into contemporary education platforms. However, technology must be more than just a tool to deliver content and stimulate engagement; it must become a means to broaden access to learning, advance equity, promote social justice, and encourage social inclusion. Especially reaching out to address the academic and social needs of rural, impoverished, marginalized, and displaced populations. Though the digital divide continues to hinder educational attainment for underprivileged populations, ICTs are providing significant opportunities to deliver literacy and basic skills instruction to disadvantaged segments of the global population as well as engage, motivate, and customize learning to address local needs. Nonetheless, the availability of ICT is not a deterministic process. Other societal, cultural, political and contextual factors are of fundamental importance to acceptance and integration that enables people to benefit from technology. The relationship between educational access, instructional delivery, and ICT should be considered in more complex terms. In particular, digital technologies should be viewed as instructional tools that improve access to educational opportunities, strengthen cultural resources, promote social and economic equity, and provide students with the knowledge and competencies to prepare them for a future that cannot be predicted. Therefore, developing ICT and media capabilities that instill citizenship and stewardship in today’s students is crucial to gleaning the social and cultural advantages of a contemporary global society that encourages full and equal citizenship. Citizenship education refers to two understandings of citizenship: as belonging and as engagement. The first is focused on national identity and valorizes the values of justice and democracy, as well as language and culture as the roots bridging the personality of children to the community of solidarity and shared norms. The second understanding of citizenship complements the ‘roots’ with ‘roads’, with the choices made by the individual, with the capacity to form and develop the child’s personality into the actor and author of his/her educational, professional, and life projects. The adolescent prepares to become an active, committed, and engaged citizen with the intellectual capacity for critical thinking that leads to responsible actions. Digital citizenship expresses the transformations of both belonging to and engaging in the information society and contributes to the development of generation “Y” with the aspiration to innovate and experiment, to explore the possibilities of the new digital world, to question authorities and instances of knowledge and power. Education addresses digital citizenship by opening more avenues for the intersection of Internet, imagination, and exploration. Volume 10, E-learning & Social Media: Education and Citizenship for the Digital 21st Century, addresses the use of technology in: developing and expanding educational delivery systems to reach rural populations, providing access to equitable education opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized populations, and encouraging student civic engagement. The volume evaluates e-learning programs (distributed through the Internet, via satellite and hosted on social media) that promote equitable education for disadvantaged populations; examines the challenges and benefits of social media on student self-identity, collaboration, and academic engagement; shares promising practices associated with technology in education and e-citizenship in the 21st century, and advances the discussion on blending global citizenship education and social media that raises student awareness, accountability and social justice involvement.

Download or read book Reading Engagement written by John T. Guthrie and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on the professional literature of many fields, this book provides an interpretation of the available research on motivation and describes instructional approaches in classroom contexts. The book aims to help teacher educators, researchers, and graduate students understand the research literature in motivation and use in their efforts to enhance children's literacy development. After an introduction, "Reading Engagement: A Rationale for Theory and Teaching" (John T. Guthrie and Allan Wigfield), chapters in the book are: (1) "Children's Motivations for Reading and Reading Engagement" (Allan Wigfield); (2) Developing Self-Efficacious Readers and Writers: The Role of Social and Self-Regulatory Processes" (Dale H. Schunk and Barry J. Zimmerman); (3) "Motivation, Volition, and Collaborative Innovation in Classroom Literacy" (Lyn Corno and Judi Randi); (4) "The Pull of the Text and the Process of Involvement in Reading" (Diane Lemonnier Schallert and JoyLynn Hailey Reed); (5) "Teacher Perceptions of Student Motivation and Their Relation to Literacy Learning" (Anne P. Sweet); (6) "The Role of Responsive Teaching in Focusing Reader Intention and Developing Reader Motivation" (Robert B. Ruddell and Norman J. Unrau); (7) "Characteristics of Classrooms That Promote Motivations and Strategies for Learning" (John T. Guthrie and Ann Dacey McCann); (8) "Integrating Science and Literacy Experiences to Motivate Student Learning" (Roger Bruning and Barbara M. Schweiger); (9) "Ownership, Literacy Achievement, and Students of Diverse Cultural Backgrounds" (Kathryn H. Au); (10) "Starting Right: Strategies for Engaging Young Literacy Learners" (Julianne C. Turner); (11) "Incentives and Intrinsic Motivation to Read" (Linda B. Gambrell and Barbara Ann Marinak); and (12) "School Change and Literacy Engagement: Preparing Teaching and Learning Environments" (Carol Minnick Santa). (RS)

Download or read book Handbook of Research on Fostering Student Engagement With Instructional Technology in Higher Education written by Alqurashi, Emtinan and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-10-11 with total page 567 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Student engagement relies on the students and their willingness to participate in the learning process and can be enhanced through the application of various technologies within learning environments. However, strategies for implementing these technologies need research and development to be implemented effectively. The Handbook of Research on Fostering Student Engagement With Instructional Technology in Higher Education is a comprehensive academic publication that focuses on the engagement of learners with academics in higher education and especially how this engagement can be fostered with the integration of new technologies. Featuring an array of topics such as gamification, digital literacy, and social networking, this book is ideal for instructors, educators, administrators, curriculum developers, instructional designers, IT consultants, educational software developers, researchers, academicians, and students.

Download or read book Handbook of Research on Integrating Digital Technology With Literacy Pedagogies written by Sullivan, Pamela M. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-11-22 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The allure and marketplace power of digital technologies continues to hold sway over the field of education with billions spent annually on technology in the United States alone. Literacy instruction at all levels is influenced by these evolving and ever-changing tools. While this opens the door to innovations in literacy curricula, it also adds a pedagogical responsibility to operate within a well-developed conceptual framework to ensure instruction is complemented or augmented by technology and does not become secondary to it. The Handbook of Research on Integrating Digital Technology With Literacy Pedagogies is a comprehensive research publication that considers the integration of digital technologies in all levels of literacy instruction and prepares the reader for inevitable technological advancements and changes. Covering a wide range of topics such as augmented reality, literacy, and online games, this book is essential for educators, administrators, IT specialists, curriculum developers, instructional designers, teaching professionals, academicians, researchers, education stakeholders, and students.

Download or read book Balance and Boundaries in Creating Meaningful Relationships in Online Higher Education written by Jarvie, Sarah H. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2023-12-21 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions worldwide were compelled to embrace online learning, leading to a significant shift in the dynamics of education. As schools, colleges, and universities adapted to virtual learning environments, teachers and learners alike found themselves navigating unfamiliar terrain. Balance and Boundaries in Creating Meaningful Relationships in Online Higher Education explores the art of forging connections in virtual classrooms. This book provides educators with valuable guidance and strategies for cultivating relationships in virtual learning environments. It covers synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid learning, offering a comprehensive understanding of relationship-building techniques for higher education and beyond. Addressing the unique challenges of online instruction, it empowers faculty members to create classrooms based on trust, connection, and support. With practical ideas and resources, it serves as a critical reference for transitioning to online teaching. Essential for cross-departmental higher education faculty and graduate-level students, it revolutionizes the field by empowering educators to thrive in the evolving landscape of online instruction.

Download or read book Improving Adult Literacy Instruction written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A high level of literacy in both print and digital media is required for negotiating most aspects of 21st-century life, including supporting a family, education, health, civic participation, and competitiveness in the global economy. Yet, more than 90 million U.S. adults lack adequate literacy. Furthermore, only 38 percent of U.S. 12th graders are at or above proficient in reading. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction synthesizes the research on literacy and learning to improve literacy instruction in the United States and to recommend a more systemic approach to research, practice, and policy. The book focuses on individuals ages 16 and older who are not in K-12 education. It identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general, and examines their implications for strengthening literacy instruction for this population. It also discusses technologies for learning that can assist with multiple aspects of teaching, assessment,and accommodations for learning. There is inadequate knowledge about effective instructional practices and a need for better assessment and ongoing monitoring of adult students' proficiencies, weaknesses, instructional environments, and progress, which might guide instructional planning. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction recommends a program of research and innovation to validate, identify the boundaries of, and extend current knowledge to improve instruction for adults and adolescents outside school. The book is a valuable resource for curriculum developers, federal agencies such as the Department of Education, administrators, educators, and funding agencies.

Download or read book Exploring Technology for Writing and Writing Instruction written by Pytash, Kristine E. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2013-07-31 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As digital technologies continue to develop and evolve, an understanding of what it means to be technologically literate must also be redefined. Students regularly make use of digital technologies to construct written text both in and out of the classroom, and for modern writing instruction to be successful, educators must adapt to meet this new dichotomy. Exploring Technology for Writing and Writing Instruction examines the use of writing technologies in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms, as well as in professional development contexts. This book provides researchers, scholars, students, educators, and professionals around the world with access to the latest knowledge on writing technology and methods for its use in the classroom.

Download or read book Reading to Learn written by Richard L. Allington and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2002-04-29 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fourth-graders around the country face new, high-stakes standardized tests, drawing increased attention to the need for effective literacy instruction in the upper-elementary grades. This essential book goes beyond political catch-phrases to examine what actually works in the fourth-grade classroom. After reviewing current research on upper-elementary reading instruction, the book takes readers directly into the classrooms of six highly successful teachers. Like the previously published Learning to Read, which focused on the first grade, Reading to Learn offers a rare view of the techniques and strategies good teachers use to engage students, help them develop as thoughtful readers and writers, and bolster self-directed learning and literate conversation. Bringing to life the complexities of day-to-day work with diverse students, the book provides inspiration and practical ideas for any teacher in the upper-elementary grades.

Download or read book Analyzing Analytics written by Edson C. Tandoc Jr. and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-05-24 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzing Analytics: Disrupting Journalism One Click at a Time critically examines how journalists use web analytics in their work and the implications of that use. Now that web analytics has become deeply embedded in newsrooms, its impact on journalism is even more potent. Documenting the different ways web analytics has disrupted traditional journalism, the book provides a timely review of what we know so far about the place of web analytics in reporting, and maps a future research agenda. It conceptualizes web analytics as an object of journalism where audiences, businesses, technologists, and journalists confront one another, negotiating the contours of digital journalism in the process. Including newly developed theoretical frameworks as well as case studies and empirical projects, the book is ideal for journalism students, researchers, and professional journalists.

Download or read book Customer Engagement written by Roderick J. Brodie and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-14 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How customers and consumer behavior have been changing due to technology and other forces is of prime interest. This book addresses the central questions regarding new emerging consumer behavior; how does social media affect this behavior; how and at what points do emotions affect consumer decisions; and what triggers this is: How should engagement be conceptualized, defined and measured? How do social media and other marketing activities create engagement? The book draws on the rich, extensive knowledge of the authors who are pioneers in the field. The book's editors have identified the weakness in the current knowledge and aim to address this gap by touching on significant conceptual and empirical contributions to this emerging literature stream, providing readers with a comprehensive contemporary perspective of customer engagement. The book also endeavors to develop a richer narrative around the notion of social media and customer engagement, and the non-monetary notion of social media within new media-based social networks.

Download or read book Improving Reading and Reading Engagement in the 21st Century written by Clarence Ng and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-31 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents cutting-edge research findings in areas critical to advancing reading research in the 21st century context, including new literacies, reading motivation, strategy instruction, and reading intervention studies. While students’ reading performance is currently receiving unprecedented attention, there is a lack of research that adopts an international perspective and draws on research expertise from different parts of the world to present a concerted effort, discussing key research models and findings on how to improve reading education. Addressing this gap in the literature, the book also responds to the challenge of promoting higher levels of literacy, and supporting and developing readers who can enjoy and critique texts of every genre.

Download or read book Exploring the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism written by Santosh Kumar Biswal and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-02-02 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism. It traces the origin, growth and development of the media and communication industry in the globalized world and discusses the implications of technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Extended Reality which have helped foster a communication revolution across the globe. The volume discusses technology-centric media theories in the context of AI and examines if AI has been a boon or bane for data journalism. It also looks at artificial intelligence in beat reporting, and citizen journalism, and analyses the social-cultural implications of artificial intelligence driven journalism and the ethical concerns arising from it. An important contribution, this book will be indispensable for students and researchers of media studies, communication studies, journalism, social media, technology studies, and digital humanities. It will also be useful for media professionals.

Download or read book Novel Readings Exploring the Effects of Technology Enhanced Activities on Literature Engagement and Social Learning in a Middle School Setting written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this case study was to examine the effects of adding technology-based reading activities on adolescent learners' cognitive engagement with text and social learning. The informant group included an 8th grade reading/language arts teacher and five students selected purposively to represent diversity in the areas of gender, race, and reading interest/ability. Technology-based activities used in the study included an Internet research activity, a discussion forum, and a web site for literacy activities called Literacy Junction (www.ncsu.edu/literacyjunction). The study parameters for assessing cognitive engagement with text were based on Corno and Mandinach's reading framework of planning, connecting, and selecting as the operative dynamics during engagement. Similarly, analysis of the findings was based on this model. In brief, findings suggest technology-based literacy activities can enhance: 1) pre-reading engagement with multiple perspectives on text-related social issues; 2) critical evaluation of information resources; 3) personal connections to text-related social issues that include written articulation of personal positions followed by dissemination of these positions to global (Web) audiences. The constructs underlying the study's inquiry into technology and social learning were chiefly Vygotsky's interpersonal and intrapersonal learning modes. Findings suggest technology-based reading activities can abet interpersonal and intrapersonal learning largely through the dynamics of computer-mediated anonymity, virtual counterparts, and perceived audience. Regarding interpersonal learning, it was observed technology-based activities facilitated collaborative or shared meaning-making, group-based critical evaluation of resources, and distributed expertise, all of which synergistically supported the processes of socially constructed knowledge. Regarding intrapersonal learning, technology-based activities permitted and fostered a unique means of safely e.