8.1 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

When and Where Did I Find It: I found this term on page 644 of Ikpeze and Boyd's (2007) artlcle.  They write:  "The Internet and other information and communication technologies (CTs) have the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning through purposeful integration of technology for thoughtful and critical literacy" (p. 644).  
Full citation:
Ikepze, C.H. & Boyd, F.B. (2007).  Web-based inquiry learning:  Facilitating thoughtful literacy with WebQuests.  The Reading Teacher, 60(7), 644-654.  doi:10.1598/RT.60.7.5


What It Means: This term is used to identify the specific types of computer and digital technologies used most recently used to construct and compose informational texts.  The authors note that "ICTs are ever-changing (Leu, et.al.) at the same, the best to identify these technologies is to look for the qualities of the new literacies of the Internet [which] enable learners to search for, retrieve, and critically evaluate Internet resources; collaborate; and construct new knowledge" (Ikpeze & Boyd, p. 645). I also found a great secondary source which provides a definition for ICTs on tutor2u

Level of Familiarity: I had not seen this particular term used before when identifying multimedia literacy tools.   

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why? Yes. I think there is some advance to knowing and being able to use this term -- especially since I think it helps me to be able to better answer students" (and colleagues') questions regarding the "newness" of technology.  When I use the term New Literacy or New Literacy Technologies, sometimes people ask -- what's so new about these tools?  I think the definition that the authors (and Leu et. al) provide help to distinguish this type of literacy practice from traditional information literacy practices. 

Donald Leu (photo taken
from UConn webpage
http://www.education.uconn.edu/
directory/details.cfm?id=46)

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word Well...if so WHO and WHY?: I certainly think Literacy Specialist, particularly my LTED 625 students would find this term useful.   Even this semester some students have asked...what makes literacy "new"?  What makes technology "new"?  I think knowing this term might help to clarify some of their confusion.