Sociolinguistics and Language Education.pdf

Multimodal Literacy in Language Classrooms 335
identity as many of the older teachers were themselves not comfortable
with technology.
Russell and Abrams’ (2004) large-scale quantitative study was an exploration
of how teachers modify their use of computers for writing instruction
in response to state testing programs. This study was based on a few
items from an 80-item survey in which 5000 teachers from numerous states
in the United States with various types of testing programs participated.
The authors found that as the stakes associated with testing increase, the
percentage of teachers who opt not to use computers for literacy also
increases. Similarly teachers who worked in states where there were high
stakes testing programs are more likely not to use computers than teachers
who work in states where there are moderate stakes testing programs.
The rationale of the teachers, as McGrail (2006) also reports, is that since
the state mandated tests do not use computers, teachers prefer to prepare
students for exams without using computers.
Luke (2002) reviewed literacy education in the state of Queensland,
Australia, via a large-scale research project, which included interviews with
a sample of teachers out of a total of 30,000. Luke found that the teachers in
Queensland viewed students’ engagement with new technologies as a sign
of print defi cit and lacked the training and vocabulary to build bridges
between old and new literacies. King and O’Brien (2002: 41) agree with this
view stating that ‘In schools, print dominates’. At the same time, multimedia
is considered ‘play’ and teachers tell students that they can play on the
computers when they have fi nished their real work. Most importantly, an
engagement with multimedia means that teachers need to surrender some
control of their classrooms and accept their students as experts. The paradigm
shift in the roles of expert and novice is the hardest for teachers.
In a one of a kind large-scale intervention study, Becker and Ravitz
(1999) found that the use of technology over a period of about three years
changes the pedagogy of teachers from transmissionist to constructivist.
Within constructivist pedagogy the teachers:
• Designed activities around teacher/student interests rather than
around the curriculum.
• Engaged the students in collaborative group projects.
• Focused on complex ideas rather than defi nitions and facts.
• Taught students to assess themselves.
• Finally, engaged in learning in front of students rather than presenting
themselves as experts.
From among the eight subject teachers that Becker and Ravitz focused
on, the teachers of secondary English reported one of the largest number
of changes in their pedagogy due to the use of technology.
So far, we have focused on K–12 school systems and teachers therein.
There is also some literature, which explores issues of language learning