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This is the direct link the National Digital Literacy Corps as proposed by the FCC in their 2010 "National Broadband Plan." If Congress decides to adopt and fund the recommendations, the corps will be modeled after Americorps. The program would target non-adopters, users who are new to ICT and the internet. "The Corps should target segments of the population that are less likely to have broadband at home, including low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, senior citizens, people with disabilities, those with lower education levels, people in rural communities, those on Tribal lands and people whose primary or only language is not English." It is recommended that the corps recruit people with language skills so the classes and instruction would be provided in user's primary language.

LOL Cats are a huge phenomena, and even offer a comedic insight into our language. The SpeakLolSpeak Wiki is a project to provide a dictionary for those people a little out of the loop or who need a quick reference. How is the Internet affecting us? ez shokkin.

Zimmer discusses how language will become more technologically mediated.

I think this is an exciting new direction for the column!

Article looks at the ebooks business in Europe, where it is still in its infancy. Not many readers available, and very little content in other languages besides English. There are legal and economic issues for pricing and licensing of ebooks.

I was just going to add this here. I debated whether to cite it on one of my pages. They also mention the example of the music industry.

I read this article detailing why e-books are better for the environment, cheaper, easier for eyes to read, convenient... My question is if anyone has an e-book reader and how they like it. I'm considering one of my own.

I have a Kindle and I LOVE it. I will admit that I hate that I cannot share my books with my friends as this is something that I used to do all the time. The Nook has that capability and there are rumors that Amazon will push through software that will allow this capability and I really hope they do. The Kindle has done amazing things for my book shelves and I think my husband is thrilled that we no longer have to keep adding. It is a dedicated ereader so it is limited to what I can do compared to an iPad but when I just want to read something the Kindle (or ereader) cannot be beat. While you are reading the iPad you are looking a computer monitor and that really strains my eyes. The Kindle is exactly like reading a book and there is no eye strain. Plus, the Kindle is a lot lighter than a book so it is much more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. It is great when I travel because I have a ton of books loaded onto my Kindle and I am set to go and I do not have to worry about their weight or carrying them around. Dessi mentioned that she liked having the old-fashioned paper in her hands and I thought I was going to be that way as well but I got over it real quick! I will admit that I do not like it for my school text books because I like to be able to visually see my books and I place notes all over the place with post-its and an old-fashioned book is just better for me in that respect.

They all seem to have advantages and disadvantges... I agree one problem with the ipad is the screen - it's better than a typical computer screen, but not as easy on the eyes as a dedicated e-reader. I am still attached to the physical experience of reading and writing, but that's cool that has really worked for Heather. One of the reasons why it might have not worked for scholarly reading is that the tools still seem limited for engaged reading, marking up texts, highlighting, etc. I am hoping there will be good apps for this with the ipad (i just got it and haven't had a chance to look). Beestel, you have to read through the details of each device to find out what is best for you and your reading needs.

I kind of think that a movement can be a form of a community. In that it is still a group of people with common interests, knowledge, language and established rules. The prime difference I think is that movements are more action oriented to complete specific goals.

So far, it's mostly being used for students who fail courses, and retake it as "online credit recovery."

The Idaho example is crazy (in my opinion), and private corporations are increasingly trying to get K-12 education money. However, online classes can be appropriate at this level in some situations (e.g., languages).