Literature has been changing as technology and Web 2.0 evolve. Students have access to literature online as well as print. The way youth are reading today, is very different than in the past. Youth will do more reading on a screen than paper and ink. Technology affords a different experience over printed materials. Readers have the ability to store and read multiple books, stories and multimodal text quickly and easily on a single device with an internet connection.

Storytelling in itself has evolved from oral stories to written tablets and scrolls, to books printed on the printing press and now the digital literacy and stories including audio and video features. Digital literacy allows the reader to construct meaning from words in a non-linear format. Traditional books have a front and back cover and the content is generally read in order and page number sequence. Online reading allows the reader to search for keywords, click a hyperlink to find a definition or learn more about a specific idea.

It is not only important for educators to teach students how to consume information online but also share and participate in Web 2.0. Students need to have opportunities to be creators of knowledge by sharing. As educators, we need to be life long learners to keep up with changes in technology to best support our students.

Here are some ideas to support digital literacy acquisition in the classroom:

• implement internet research workshop
• research with both online and offline sources
• engage students in shared or guided online reading
• model critical evaluation of sources
• create an electronic portfolio
• opportunities to code
• write using video editing software to create a digital story

Students in classrooms today are accessing both print and digital literacy. How are we as educators supporting students utilizing both print and online content? Do students inherently know and understand the features of print within a textbook that will aid in their study. How do we model to students how to search and find information to support learning on Web 2.0.cDo students know how to critically analyze a website or validate the information being shared? How are we supporting students participation and creation of digital literacy? As educators, we need to be instructing students in these literacy skills to support learning.