READ TEXT III AND ANSWER QUESTION
Text III
English as an Additional Language:
Enhancing Critical Digital Literacy
EAL classrooms are spaces to build communicative
competence in the English language. That language has a unique
role for many people around the world. For those without
financial resources who do not live in English dominant countries,
the digital sphere is perhaps the only space in which authentic
use of the language is likely to take place. For learners situated in
inner circle countries, effective use of the language can make the
difference between social, economic and political exclusion, or
inclusion. This is also true for a lesser extent in outer circle
countries. For those in expanding circle countries, English is
becoming a language of the global elite in political, economic,
and academic life. In all of these circles, it is often used as a lingua
franca. Sociocultural theory states that true competence in
encoding and decoding language can only exist when there is an
understanding of the cultural realities attached to the
communication when it is used. Digital media provide the vector
of communication for a tremendous number of communicative
acts in all of the circles, but communication in the digital medium
carries special attributes that are not necessarily obvious or
transparent. Therefore, it seems imperative to arm language
users with an understanding of communication issues the digital
realm as well as an understanding of the implication of
communication in this space. Furthermore, there is an ethical
responsibility to empower language users from a variety of
background with equal agency and therefore equal voice. Doing
so requires more than just technical skills, but also skills of
critique and critical language awareness, productive ability, and
an understanding of agency and rights claims that stretch from
the linguistic to the economic and political. By reimagining Critical
Language Awareness as a component of a multiliteracy approach
that encompasses the full spectrum of analogue to digital
communication in English, teachers, students, and policy makers
can work toward making language studies as relevant, authentic,
and empowering as possible.
Adapted from: (PDF) English as an Additional Language: Enhancing Critical Digital
Literacy (researchgate.net)