A science methods instructor intentionally encouraged cell phone use for class work to discover how cell phones can be used as research tools to enhance the content and engage the students. The anecdotal evidence suggested that students who used their smartphones as research tools experienced the science content and pedagogical information…

Many schools in China focus on memorization of facts for the purpose of performing on standardized tests, causing a lack of enthusiasm among teachers and students. This essay discusses some of the challenges surrounding education practices in China and identifies participatory environment, book-related pretend play, and the use of technology as…

For any curriculum area that entails writing, digital storytelling could transform students' perceptions of and their actual abilities to express themselves through the written word. The use of two Web sites has helped the students of one school go from staring apprehensively at blank pages to eagerly publishing stories.

This article examines how the use of multimedia sources can deepen student engagement, comprehension, and questioning of a variety of texts. Through an American literature project, "The Art of War", high school juniors work in collaboration to read, analyze, and create original digital texts using Animoto.com. As a result, educators are able to…

This article addresses the following questions: What impact does using the theoretical framework of new literacies have on understanding language, literacy, and learning practices today as technologies are constantly being developed and used? What is the state of research in this area? What are some new directions the field might take in order to…

As teachers negotiate the integration of new literacies in the classroom, one of their greatest resources may, in fact, be their students. In this essay, the use of dialogue between educators and a student is highlighted in order to demonstrate how classrooms are evolving in the area of new literacies. In regard to the integration of new…

This study draws on ethnographic data from a year-long multimodal media production (MMP) course and the experience of an African American female adolescent who used the production of multimodal Hip Hop texts to express her creativity and growing socially conscious view of the world. The study demonstrates how students made meaning multimodally and…

Teacher educators (n=12) completed a scaled assessment of technology use, responded to open-ended questions relating obstacles to their technology use, and participated in structured interviews. Results showed equipment was best used if the right human resources were available for technical assistance. Diverse attitudes about the role of…

Discusses the trend in education that puts increasing emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom and establishes a class of experts to sell, administer, and use that technology. The trend increasingly replaces teaching with technique and teacher with expert. (JOW)