Online and offline reading ability

As an extension of traditional literacy, online research and comprehension needs to be addressed. This study examined possible differences in the levels of online and offline reading, focusing on socio-economic situations of the students. Significant gaps occur in both cases.
Leu Donald J., Forzani Elena, Rhoads Chris, Maykel Cheryl, Kennedy Clint & Timbrell Nicole (2015). The New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(1), 37–59.

Graphic Novels and Literacy

This report examines a teenage acquirer of English as a second language living in Arizona, Ramon, whose interest in the Naruto manga series appeared to be the cause of a dramatic improvement in his school performance and English language development.

Henkin, V. and Krashen, S. 2015. The Naruto breakthrough: The home run book experience and English language development. Language Magazine 15(1): 32-25, published as "The Home Run book experience."
 http://www.languagemagazine.com/online/Sept15/

And http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles.php?cat=2

Media literacy education

Several good research articles on media literacy education are included in the two recent issues of the Journal of Media Literacy Education. Global aspects are also addressed.
http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/
Critical Media Literacy and Gender: Teaching Middle School Students about Gender Stereotypes and Occupations
Laurel Puchner, Linda Markowitz, and Mark Hedley

A Theory-Grounded Measure of Adolescents' Response to Media Literacy Interventions
Kathryn Greene, Itzhak Yanovitzky, Amanda Carpenter, Smita C. Banerjee, Kate Magsamen-Conrad, Michael L. Hecht, and Elvira Elek
The Role of Collaboration and Feedback in Advancing Student Learning in Media Literacy and Video Production
Carl M. Casinghino
Building a Global Community for Media Education Research
Paul Mihailidis, Renee Hobbs, Julian McDougall, and Richard Berger
Media Literacy, Education & (Civic) Capability: A Transferable Methodology
Julian McDougall, Richard Berger, Pete Fraser, and Marketa Zezulkova
Digital Competence Assessment. A Proposal for Operationalizing the Critical Dimension
Ida Cortoni, Veronica Lo Presti, and Pierluigi Cervelli
The New Curricula: Propelling the Growth of Media Literacy Education
Tessa Jolls

International rep[orts about education

A new OECD report on youth, skills and employabilty comments on the struggle young people have in gaining entry to the workforce. In some OECD countries, one in four 16-29 year olds is neither employed nor in education or training. Find the report, OECD Skills Outlook 2015, at http://www.oecd.org/education/oecd-skills-outlook-2015-9789264234178-en.htm

A United Nations global survey, MyWorld2015 Analytics, aims to capture people's voices, priorities and views, so world leaders can be informed as endeavor to define global goals. The highest priority, globally, is that everyone has access to a good education. Check the survey results at http://data.myworld2015.org/ You can filter the results by country, gender, education levels and age groups.

Teens' favorite social media

According to a recent report, among UK and US teens, YouTube is seen as the coolest social network (followed by Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and Snapchat). The report was based on data from a survey of 7,890 Internet users in the United States and 8,010 Internet users in the United Kingdom, age 16-64.
GlobalWebIndex. (2015). GWI Social. London: Author.
 http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2015/27790/the-coolest-social-network-with-teens#ixzz3cIXsAvNK

Smartphone use survey

This survey analyzed teen smartphone usage by site (e.g., Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular social media sites) and demographics. 92% of teens go online daily, and a quarter state that they go online, mainly by phone, “constantly.” African Americans were most likely to have a smartphone; of teens who did not have such a phone, only two-thirds went online daily.

Pew Research Center. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015: Smartphones Facilitate Shifts in Communication Landscape for Teens. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/04/PI_TeensandTech_Update2015_0409151.pdf

Digital learning by teens survey

Based upon a nationwide survey, this annual analysis examines K-12 students’ learning environments: using tablets, learning in blended or online learning environments, and STEM experiences. The researches found that student access to technology tools and resources results in: deeper and more sophisticated learning; higher estimation of technology, greater college-career readiness, and builds self-directed independent learning ethos.

Project Tomorrow. (2015). Digital learning 24/7: Understanding technology-enhanced learning in the lives of today’s students. Irvine, CA: Project Tomorrow. 
http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU14StudentReport.pdf