NEW YORK, NY. AUGUST 15, 2006 -While it is often touted that we live in The Information Age, we need to also remember that the Internet makes it possible for misinformation to proliferate and masquerade as fact.

The Internet has given rise to so many points of view and is a valuable vehicle for expression. As an advocacy tool, it has been fantastic. But that doesn't necessarily mean the information being conveyed is accurate, complete or objective, says Dr. Donald Leu, professor at the University of Connecticut and a program author for Pearson Scott Foresman's elementary reading program, Reading Street.

"We don't want children working independently on the Internet and navigating to places they shouldn't. But under supervision, and in the right context, I don't think it's ever too early to start helping a student understand this powerful and useful information tool," Dr. Leu says.

The Internet has changed the way we read, write and gather information. These transformations are what we refer to as the new literacies. The new literacies are skills involved with identifying problems, searching for information, critically evaluating information, synthesizing it, and communicating it.

To start, knowing where to go on the Internet requires new comprehension skills. Once you've navigated, searched, and found a useful resource, you need to carefully evaluate the information.

We have to prepare students to learn not only new skills and strategies, but also how to learn. Students need to be able to learn from new technologies when they occur.

Whether young children should be supported in learning these skills with the Internet is debatable.

"My belief is that if we share books with very young children, there's no difference with sharing Internet technologies. We should expose children to these new forms of information communication, but in developmentally appropriate ways-just like we do with books," said Dr. Leu, who is the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy & Technology.

At the end of this process, a new skill is needed: synthesizing disparate sources of information, integrating it, and drawing logical conclusions.

These critical evaluations-for example, locating and synthesizing information-are higher-level reading comprehension skills. The Internet prepares students for these more challenging reading comprehension demands that transfer back and support them when they're reading books. Students will become more critical readers of books when they have been prepared by thoughtfully reading information on the Internet. They'll be better skilled at locating and organizing information, because that's what they had to do on the Internet.

Teachers must likewise learn new skills. For the first time in the history of education, we have students coming to school who are more familiar with these areas than their teachers. This is a really important issue because not only do students have to acquire new literacies and new forms of reading comprehension, but also teachers need to acquire them as well. We need to support teachers in becoming literate with navigation, searching, and critical evaluation skills.

Reading within interactive environments often provides important support for students who are challenged as readers and writers. The new technology can make learning a more engaging process and open up opportunities for reluctant readers or marginalized students.

The Internet and related technology continues to explode. The potential is astounding, and will grow exponentially in value-provided we become literate in new and exciting ways

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