This piece summarizes one teacher's experiences during the abrupt move to digital learning due to COVID 19. This is not a full research study.

This article describes how the author's skepticism about online education turns into belief when he teaches his own online course. Throughout the process of designing and facilitating his online course, he found himself slowly evolving from critic to champion of online education. Here, he shares the benefits of online learning.

As new times become hard times, there may be little time for multimodality in school unless educators confront the accountability culture. This commentary reviews the arguments for multimodal transformations of school literacy curricula and explores the potential of reflective talk about multimodal meaning-making as an assessment practice. Talking…

This article presents the authors' critique of lessons proposed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). The authors initiate a discussion about content that they hope will play out in schoolhouses and statehouses across the country. They take on a different task: they present a handful of lesson ideas from P21 that could enhance studies…

Because the modern an age demands technological and visual literacies alongside strong skills in reading and writing, students must be effective communicators in order to succeed. In this article, the author argues that in order to prepare students for success outside of the classroom, a twelfth grader needs to do more than read at a twelfth grade…

Over the past three decades, environmental issues have been on the global forefront and continue to affect people's daily lives. Although the need for environmental attention is at an all-time high, outdoor and environmental education (OEE) plays an insufficient role in school systems. As technology continues to contribute to advancements in every…

The authors contend that new technologies have developed new literacies and new ways of thinking that are reshaping our lives. In the rapidly changing world, they argue, these new literacies and their practices must become central to effective English education programs. To frame their argument, they introduce the notion of…

This paper proposes a set of cumulative standards for assessing the uses of nonprint media and electronic technologies in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. The proposed standards, culled from existing standards created for educational technologies, information literacy, and the English language arts, are offered as a guide and…

In this article, the author discusses a five-month interdisciplinary bird study that she designed for her seventh-grade students that combines life science, technology, writing, art, mathematics, social studies and literature. The driving force behind this yearly unit is the BirdSleuth eBird program (formerly the Cornell University Classroom…

Teachers are increasingly expected to employ integrated technology practices in their classrooms to help their students, but they rarely have training on how to use such practices. The article discusses the need to get integrated technology practice into preservice and inservice teacher education, especially reading and language arts. (Author/SM)

Argues that, as educators embrace new technology, it is important to look at the tradeoffs. Proposes and discusses five "common denominators" that cut across media and communications technologies, past and future. Offers generalizations about common elements in all language that permit analysis and critique of the new media and help students…

Presents an interview with Roger Fransecky, who has worked in the field of children's mass visual media, especially television, and who advocates inclusion of visual, electronic media in school language programs. (HTH)

Discusses innovative recent uses of CD ROM "multimedia books" and their implications for the "reading" experience. (SR)

Presents a synthesis of the responses of 13 researchers in the field of language and literacy to the theme of this issue. Discusses the varying perspectives on literature-based instruction, the effect of language empowerment, language knowledge and reading/writing achievement, social context and cognition, and technology and education. Notes the…

Discusses ways in which technology in the classroom is bound to affect both what and how language arts is taught, as well as the very culture of schooling. Places technological innovations within a historical context and provides a hopeful picture for the future. (RS)