Internet English, Electronic Literacy, and the EIL Reading Course

English is undergoing changes due to the fact that it is increasingly being written and read via electronic media. This article explores surface-level changes taking place in English found on the Worldwide Web, as well as developments occurring at deeper levels of organization. The relatively unregulated nature of the Web has democratized electronic publishing and led to less typographical standardization, yet some important trends appear to be emerging. Meanwhile, the widespread practice of juxtaposing text with images and other visual elements on the Web suggests that we need to revise traditional notions of literacy by including a greater emphasis on non-textual features. Techniques for teachers to address these changes in all English reading courses, not only ones held in computer classrooms, are proposed

A study of the effects of digital interactivity on L2 vocabulary acquisition

After presenting an overview of problems involved in the shifting usage of the popular term interactive, this paper reports results from an experiment designed to investigate whether or not digitizing second language vocabulary leaning exercises leads to improvements in acquisition. Specifically, the study looked at whether the type of interactivity inherent in digital exercises created with Hot Potatoes software yielded better results than similar exercises provided in print format. Results indicate that the digital exercises did not facilitate greater acquisition than their print-based counterparts. Possible implications of this finding, as well as a discussion of some of the intriguing issues that emerged from the study, are offered

American Shino : A Case Study of Cultural Borrowing in the World of Traditional Ceramics

Japanese pottery wares, the techniques used in producing them, and the aesthetic sensibility behind them have had a particularly strong influence on Western craft potters and their works over the past century or so. As evidence of this, a large number of Japanese loanwords have found their way into Western pottery jargon.This paper introduces some of the most widely employed of these terms and looks at their connotations and the cultural implications of their use. Particular attention is given to the glaze known as shino, its evolution into what is now commonly referred to as American shino, and the question of whether this contemporary glaze is or is not still recognizably dependent in any way on its Japanese roots

Evolving Media, Shifting Literacy : A Western Historical Perspective

The digital computer screen is rapidly becoming the dominant medium for writing and reading in many societies throughout the worId. Although this particular medium is new, the procss of replacing one dominant medium with another has telling historical prcedents. This artide chronicles the major changes in writing media in the Western worId from ancient scrolls to our now ubiquitous websites. It also explores the connections between writing media, cultural assumptions, and literacy practices in each era. Finally, a comparison of the major features of the dominant media, and suggestions regarding what this comparative historical approach implies for possible educational reforms in our digital era are offered