RM Winter 2017 FINAL

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Reading Matters
Technology Matters
Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | |55|
ABSTRACT—Technology use among adolescents has grown rapidly,
thus necessitating different approaches towards literacy practices.
Along with new technology devices, 21st century knowledge and
skills have emerged, which have prompted teachers to adapt
traditional literacy instruction to include digital literacy practices. The
purpose of this article is to provide literacy teaching professionals
at the middle and high school levels with information regarding
two prevalent areas for technology use among adolescents:
media multitasking and social media. This article also describes
innovative instructional considerations for literacy teachers,
such as allowing for personalization, recognizing academic and
nonacademic languages, and adjusting literacy instruction to
focus upon development of students’ digital literacy practices.
There has been an explosive growth in recent years with
the amount of technology use among adolescents, particularly
with mobile digital media devices (Lenhart et al., 2015). Recent
data has revealed that almost 90% of adolescents have or
have access to each of the following digital media devices:
mobile phone, desktop or laptop computer, and game console.
Similarly, over 90% of adolescents use their mobile digital
media devices to go online frequently. The availability, ease of
access to technology, and online connectivity among this age
group carries significant implications for teachers regarding
digital literacy practices (Buckley, 2014; Crowley, 2014).
Adolescents recognize that technology usage is a fundamental
aspect of their daily life experiences (Fitton, Ahmedani, Harold, &
Shifflet, 2013). Increased access to personal digital media devices
holds much promise for literacy teachers, particularly those
in low socioeconomic communities where students’ access to
technology away from school was once limited (Li, Snow, Jiang,
& Edwards, N., 2015). Literacy teachers are now able to capitalize
upon students’ current perspectives regarding technology usage
and encourage literacy development at home by connecting
them with meaningful literacy learning experiences through
their digital media devices. With this in mind, it is equally
important that literacy teachers create technology-enhanced
learning environments that foster their students’ abilities
to use their digital media devices for educational purposes
effectively, appropriately, and safely (Fitton et al., 2013).
Media Multitasking among
Adolescents
Technology and digital media devices have significantly
changed habits of literacy, such as reading and locating
information, and multitasking has become “an expected skill”
(Lin, 2013, p. 47). Moreover, the prevalence of digital media
devices has engendered a new approach to multitasking,
which has been dubbed “media multitasking” (Baumgartner,
Weeda, van der Heijden, & Huizinga, 2014, p. 1121). Media
multitasking involves either simultaneous use of (a) two or more
digital media devices or (b) a digital media device and non-
technological activity. Although the concept of multitasking
is not a new phenomenon, the interactions with digital media
devices during both types of media multitasking require
different approaches with respect to how the user’s attention is
managed and distributed (Cotten, Shank, & Anderson, 2014).
Although digital media devices permit users to interact with
multiple activities synchronously, multitasking between devices
often presents challenges to the attention networks within the
brain (Rothbart & Posner, 2015). Research on this topic among the
adolescent population is limited, but Baumgartner et al. (2014)
posited that constant exposure to media multitasking “may have
consequences for adolescents’ cognitive control processes” (p.
1122). Lower academic performance has also been reported
among adolescents who multitask with digital media devices
(Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010), and Klorer (2009) speculated that
the frequency of media multitasking throughout childhood has
negatively affected the development of adolescents’ interpersonal
skills. In this same manner, Pea et al. (2012) presented findings
that showed negative relationships between media multitasking
and social well-being. Moreover, these findings and assertions
are juxtaposed with a rising number of adolescents who have
recently reported high incidences of media multitasking (Cardoso-
Leite, Green, & Bavelier, 2015; Cotton et al., 2014; Courage,
Bakhtiar, Fitzpatrick, Kenny, & Brandeau, 2015; Lin, 2013; Rideout
et al., 2010; Székely, 2015; Voorveld & van der Goot, 2013).
Media multitasking among adolescents will most likely
continue to flourish, particularly with the number of technology-
related knowledge and skills with which students require “to learn
effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and
digital society” (International Society for Technology in Education,
2015). In order to prepare students to be “active, successful
participants in this 21st century global society” (National Council
of Teachers of English, 2013), literacy teachers are encouraged
to supplant print-rich learning environments with opportunities
to interact with digital media as both producers and consumers,
particularly with adolescent learners (Buckley, 2014; O’Byrne, 2014).
With this in mind, literacy teachers must be mindful of the
unique demands that media multitasking has among all adolescent
learners. For example, media multitasking often presents
Media Multitasking and Social Media:
Considerations for Technology Use Among
Adolescents
By Laurie A. Sharp, West Texas A&M University