There is a strong connection between literacy and the methods people have used over time to share messages with others. When technologies that transmit messages change, we must re-define what it means to be literate. Arriving at meaning from interacting with a print book is quite different from interpreting polysymbolic multimedia messages accessed from computers and the Internet.

Some of the important evolving literacy conventions are hypertext, the speed with which people can access electronic messages, and the necessity to react to verbal and non-verbal messages almost simultaneously. It is now possible to deal with materials created in many languages other than English from sources around the world, meaning that the context of literacy today is global and online. Learners today face a world of unfiltered telecommunications that compels them to take a high degree of responsibility for critically listening to, reading, and interpreting verbal and non-verbal messages. Today's literate people must also be able to speak, write, and construct messages for others using both verbal and non-verbal symbols which communicate effectively.

Even with limited numbers of computers and few Internet capabilities, you can help students make literacy-technology connections today. For professional development, you can learn to use metasearch engines efficiently and take advantage of those online glossaries, teaching ideas, and lessons that are available online. Students can engage in learning experiences that appeal to their interests, publish original works online, and engage in telecollaborative projects with students near and far.

You can use thematic units to successfully integrate both literacy and technology capabilities in students. Such units are flexible enough to permit students to pursue topics that they are motivated to deal with. Both constructivist strategies and cooperative learning experiences can be easily built into thematic units.