| Many teachers continue to teach as they always have despite greater access than ever to information and communication technology (ICT) and the fact that social forces, globalization, and the proliferation of ICTs necessitate literacies that expand and transcend functional literacy. The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate the efficacy of a professional development program on the ways in which teachers conceptualized and taught new literacies and incorporated ICT. The theory of new literacies, postmodernism, and symbolic interactionism formed the conceptual framework and the maximum variation strategy was used to select 8 teachers from public and private schools from primary through high school. Qualitative data were collected via interviews, classroom observations, and artifact examinations and used to answer 5 research questions related to teachers' perceptions of literacy, definitions of literacy, related instructional practices, and the ways ICTs are used to teach new literacies. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze individual cases, and within and cross case analysis was conducted. Findings suggest teachers' views of literacy pedagogy can be changed through professional development and the summer institute of the National Writing Project can be an effective venue. Insights from the study have important implications for social change in schools facilitated through teacher education and professional development, for inservice and preservice teachers. It is increasingly imperative to reach a critical mass of teachers who are capable of using ICTs and teaching multiliteracies in order to equip 21st century citizens with the necessary skills for functioning fully in a global society. |
