There is no doubt that different technological devices have a positive impact on the learning skills of children today. In order to substantiate this view, a source I would like to use for my research paper would be the journal article, Video Reading and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils’ Interpretation of Cinderella by Lasisi Ajayi (2012) that shows how Hispanic ESL/literacy learners use social, cultural, historical and political experiences and multimodal resources to interpret and represent Cinderella. However, I will need to evaluate the source in order to establish that it is a relevant and credible source that can be used in my research paper.
Dr. Lasisi Ajayi is a professional educator with over thirty years of teaching experience in universities in the U.S and Nigeria. A working faculty of Diego State University, U.S.A, Dr. Ajayi has a Ph. D. degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. Some of his research interests include language/literacy education and teacher education, to name a few. He has published a number of papers, in addition to presenting papers at more than forty conferences locally and internationally. He serves as a Peer Reviewer and Editorial Consultant, apart from being the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Linguistics & Communication. He is also a member of ten professional associations (American Research Institute, 2014).
The number of children leaving school education is growing alarmingly because students face of a number of challenges. Either education is boring, or it’s too difficult for them to understand because of which, students stop going to school. Sometimes, it could be for personal reasons. Whatever the case, the alarming rate at which students drop out of schools can be attributed to their lack of interest in studying. It is because of this, that I took a special interest in this field, and understood that technological devices can be extremely effective in making learning, an interesting proposition. Similarly, Dr. Ajayi believes that multimedia-based graphic novels, which use animated stories that are visually appealing to the eyes, can be developed to make listening, reading, and writing effective. His research on ESL/Literacy Pupils’ Interpretation of Cinderella From Their Socio-Historical Perspective looks at English learning in non-English speaking countries, he found that multimedia-based graphic novels not only enhanced learning skills, but also attracted students to seek more.
Dr. Ajayi’s Video Reading and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils’ Interpretation of Cinderella From Their Socio-historical Perspective is an elaborate, and extensive scholarly article, which provides enough quality information to be useful to answer the question of whether different technological devices have a positive impact on the learning skills of children today. Dr. Ajayi’s research is of 30 pages, and includes over 60 references. For example, on page 64 of the article, Street (1995, 2003a); Barton and Hamilton (1998); and Heath (1983) state “Ethnographic studies of ESL students suggest that social and cultural contexts provide crucial factors for success.” Similarly, on page 61, Giroux (1999:9), says “from a cultural perspective, Disney videos are an important literacy text because of the potential they have for pleasure and in the multiple readings they provide for diverse audiences.’’
Springer Science + Business Media, is a 170 year-old publishing company that believes in publishing articles that are knowledgeable, informative, and qualitative. The company “develops, manages and disseminates knowledge through books, journals and the Internet.” The company works with some of the finest academicians and authors in a business relationship of mutual trust. To their credit, over 150 Nobel prize-winners have published their works with Springer, and many of their publications are considered authoritative in their respective fields. Their publications are read by academics and students, universities, academic professionals and practitioners (Springer, 2014).
Ajayi’s (2012), Video Reading and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils' Interpretation of Cinderella from Their Socio-historical Perspective was published in 2011, and while the source reflects the importance of technology in developing positive learning patterns, it can be construed to be recent enough to be considered useful. .
While then author has not provided details of what is the supplementary materials to evaluate this thesis statement, the author does state that further studies are required to raise and answer questions on how pupils interpret, resist, or accept popular cultural texts such as Cinderella with their ideological, political and cultural beliefs. While a list of supplementary materials would have helped, it does not take away the credit of the article, as it allows the research to continue without conditions.
A 30-page article can be exhaustive, but the author has included pictorial representations of student’s drawings in color to add some interest. The words are simple, and the article is written in a very systematic manner. A lot of examples are provided to substantiate points, and experiments are recorded for the benefit of the readers. The article is very informative, and does not use highly technical language or complex vocabulary.
Conclusion
In using Ajayi’s Video Reading and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils’ Interpretation of Cinderella from Their Socio-historical Perspective, there is enough evidence to show that different technological devices have a positive impact on the learning skills of children today. The article carries a number of references from other sources that seek to answer the question of technology and education. The article provides a number of experiments, and closes on the note that further studies can be included to understand how students interpret, resist, or accept popular cultural texts based on their social, cultural and political beliefs.
Works Cited
Ajayi, L, (2012), Video Reading and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils' Interpretation of Cinderella from Their Socio-historical Perspective, The Urban Review, 44(1), 60-89
American Research Institute for Policy Development, (2014), Lasisi Ajayi, Web Online, Accessed June 15, 2014, from http://aripd.org/journal/index/ijlc/dr-lasisi-ajayi
Springer Science + Business Media, (2014), Springer: About Us, Web Online, Accessed June 15, 2014, from http://www.springer.com/about+springer/company+information?SGWID=0-174704- 0-0-0
