Yelland, Nicola (2007) Making Meaning and Becoming Multiliterate with ICT. International Journal of the Humanities, 5 (4). pp. 123-133. ISSN 1447-9508

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings from two empirical studies that examined the ways in which students use information and communication technologies (ICT) to become multiliterate in the information age. In the first study teachers were taken on a ‘techno tour’ of their students’ homes in order to have access to the funds of knowledge (Moll et al., 1992) that they could incorporate into school activities. The students were then able to use ICT to extend their knowledge building in school-based activities so that they experienced a variety of modes of learning in tasks that were multidisciplinary in nature. In the second study the students worked individually and in teams to represent ideas in different modes as well as to embark on investigations that they designed and coordinated with students in other locations. The importance of creating authentic tasks that had a value to the community of learners as well as the local communities was highlighted as well as the need for audience and the communication of findings in innovative ways. A framework for teaching and learning was created so that teachers could incorporate ICT in a range of ways. This as well as other artifacts of learning enabled both teachers and learners to understand the nature of their learning and view it as a specific outcome of their experiences in and out of school.

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