Author Description

Technology texts are becoming an important new item on reading lists, and the focus for more professional development workshops. Senior English teachers need to be able to teach students how to critique websites, and the new, non-linear multimedia and hyperlinks English. Teaching in this new area is a real challenge for English teachers, and Net Texts: Exploring Electronic English provides a students' resource to address the critical issues on the web. The text: links to syllabuses, particularly the new NSW Stage 6 syllabus, focuses on Australian websites, evaluates websites, analyses the creator's purpose, the intended audience and the structure and design of websites, shows how to locate credits, examines the medium's language forms and functions-for example, the multiplicity of voices and non-linear material, describes historical and social contexts-for example, globalisation, bias and access issues, lists websites representing critical issues, both within the book and hotlinked at hi.com.au/nettexts. Key features: use of web-browser terminology, summary of chapter contents and intended outcomes, Forward-pre-reading activities, Ideas into Practice-questions to encourage students to think critically, Go To-ideas about where to find additional information and links to websites, plenty of practical activities, Back-end-of-chapter activities, Chat-activities to facilitate class discussion of Internet texts and Internet issues, key word definitions, close studies of a number of Australian websites, such as ATSIC and the Australian War Memorial.