Literacy 2.0: New Literacies in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse K-12 Classrooms

Abstract

This paper is a review of the literature on the impact of demographic and technological changes on research and practice of literacy education of English Language Learners (ELLs) in American K-12 school settings. It is predicated on the question “Why technology?” and draws theoretical support from Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and Krashen's (1992) Monitor Model. It highlights the tension and challenges associated with classroom diversity and investigates research that addresses the complexity of diversity-related issues with different aspects of technology across learning contexts. It then examines the findings of the research surveyed against the aforementioned theoretical framework to advocate the effectiveness of technology. With the niche of technology underlined, the study continues to argue for the integration of technology into print-based curriculum and discuss the implications of such integration for ELLs. It also reveals the lack of assessments for new literacy skills and states why these assessments are necessary for the move towards non-print-based curriculum. Finally, based on its findings, this study will identify gaps in literature and suggest directions for future research.