Looking into the future in reading and literacy skills

Wow! I found this site facinating! As a Teacher Librarian I have seen a subtle shift in the types of skills and materials that our students are using when reading. There is a trend towards a more graphic presentation of story with audio and visual cues enabling a more multi sensory experience. Technology developments are having a great influence over how we experience story...and they will continue to do so. Our traditional perceptions of a child sitting in silent contemplation reading copious pages of text may be becoming outdated. What does this then mean for us as educators? What skills will we need to be focusing on for the future?

This site 'Inanimate Alice' could be a peek into the future. The teacher's notes I downloaded after registering, presented a sophisticated interpretation of reading skills. The description of the project on the site states:

"'Inanimate Alice' is easily assimilated into learning environments; its use of multimodality (images, sounds, text, interaction) enables students to see storytelling in a new, multi-sensory light.

'Inanimate Alice' is a new media fiction that allows students to develop multiple literacies (literary, cinematic, artistic, etc.) in combination with the highly collaborative and participatory nature of the online environment."

I found the info page full of thought provoking statements. I was totally facinated!