It is well known that policy documents (for example OECD 2006; UNESCO 2018; Utbildningsdepartementet 2017) and the massive rollout of digital technologies in education puts pressure on adapting teaching methods, materials as well as subject specific contents for digitalized teaching (Blikstad-Balas & Klette 2020; Erixon 2012; Kress 2010). The aim of this paper is to make visible teaching qualities in activities where students work with digital text production with a specific focus on use of different digital tools and multimodal (text) resources. 

The empirical material comes from the larger study Rooms for learning and teaching in a digitalized school. Teachers', students' and researchers' perspectives on interacting resources in the digitalization of teaching, which also constitutes the Swedish part of the Connected Classroom Nordic study. Theoretically the analysis draws on a media ecology perspective, which implies the idea that different media are in constant relation to each other and that each new medium both relates to previous technologies and affects the form and content of teaching (Erixon 2012). Another theoretical frame is the notion of literacy practices from the research field of New Literacies that is combined with a social semiotic perspective and a multimodal understanding of texts (Jewitt 2008; Kress 2010). 

Data consists of video recorded lessons where we have followed students in Swedish year seven and eight, capturing both spoken interactions and screen-mediated text use. In addition to the video material, we have conducted focus group interviews with teachers and students based on selected video sequences. Early observations in our ongoing analyses show that even though digital text production is frequently observed in the lessons, teachers’ uptake and adaption of digital resources, in the organization of teaching, the instruction as well as in representing conceptual aspects, are often limited. This implicates the need for a deeper understanding of what constitutes teaching quality regarding digital text production.

Extended summary 

Introduction

It is well known that policy documents (for example OECD 2006; UNESCO 2018; Utbildningsdepartementet 2017) and the massive rollout of digital technologies in education puts pressure on adapting teaching methods, materials as well as subject-specific contents for digitalized teaching (Blikstad-Balas & Klette 2020; Erixon 2012; Jewitt 2008; Kress 2010). Since digital development also changes the meaning of being literate and the competencies needed in a digitalized school as well as a digital society, there is a need for more knowledge about what constitutes teaching qualities related to digital text production. 

The study described in this paper is part of the PhD project: Teaching in relation to Digital Text Production in Connected Classrooms. The PhD project is at the planning stage but it aims is to investigate what constitutes teaching qualities of digital text production. This study aims to make visible teaching qualities in activities where students work with digital text production with a specific focus on use of different digital tools and multimodal (text) resources. The guiding research questions are:

·       How do teachers utilize digital and multimodal resources in teaching activities involving digital text production?

·       What constitutes good teaching qualities regarding digital text production?

The PhD project is part of the larger ongoing project: Rooms for learning and teaching in a digitalized school. Teachers', students' and researchers' perspectives on interacting resources in the digitalization of teaching. The purpose of this project is to deepen the knowledge about teaching and learning in digitalized classrooms. It is linked to the Nordic excellent center QUINT, and the sub-project Connected Classroom Nordic, where parallel studies are carried out in the other Nordic countries, as well as to the Center for Language and Learning (CSL) at Karlstad University.

Theoretical background

The theoretical basis of this study is a media ecology perspective, which implies the idea that different media are in constant relation to each other, and that each new medium both relates to previous technologies and affects the form and content of teaching (Erixon 2012). Specifically, we study literacy practices in a connected classroom based on the field of New Literacies, with a special interest in how digital tools contribute to new literacy practices by offering many different opportunities for interaction and communication (Jewitt 2006; Kress 2010). The study draws on social semiotic theory and the main idea that language can be seen as the result of people's meaning-making and learning. The resource of language can be broadened to enable many different resources, of which language is one, that is, semiotic resources that are used to meet different needs. Access to digital technology facilitates and opens up for multimodality in teaching, giving teachers and students access to a variety and the possibilities to combine semiotic resources (Jewitt 2008; Kress 2010). 

In order to determine qualities of teaching, we go beyond merely looking at successful teaching in terms of student learning outcomes (Blikstad-Balas & Klette 2020; Fenstermacher & Richardson 2005). Also, we take into account subject-specific perspectives and teaching methods in a normative view, related to what we see as good teaching processes of digital and multimodal resources in text production. 

Methods

Data consists of video recorded lessons where we have followed students in Swedish year seven and eight, capturing both spoken interactions and screen-mediated text use. We are currently in the process of video recording lessons to capture the complex literacy practices that take place in the teaching environment. The teachers, as well as the students, have 1:1 access to a personal laptop provided by the school and the classrooms are connected to the internet and equipped with projectors. When recording, we use three cameras, one that records the actions of the teacher, one that records the focus student´s screen, and finally, one camera that records the actions of the focus student. The three different data sources are then edited together into a mixed film that shows all three different perspectives of an event at the same time. In addition to the video material, we have conducted focus group interviews with teachers and students based on selected video sequences. The next step in this planned study is to select sequences from the video material and interviews that highlight teaching qualities related to the utilization of digital and multimodal resources in text production. In this planning stage, there is a need for developing a framework for analyzing the digital resources and multimodal semiotic aspects related to text production and good teaching. 

Preliminary findings

Early observations in our ongoing analyses show that even though digital text production is frequently observed in the lessons, teachers’ uptake and adaption of digital resources, in the organization of teaching, the instruction as well as in representing conceptual aspects, are often limited. This implicates the need for a deeper understanding of what constitutes teaching quality regarding digital text production.

References

Blikstad-Balas, M. & Klette, K. (2020). ”Still a long way to go. Narrow and transmissive use of technology in the classroom”. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy. 15(1), s 55–68. 

Erixon, P-O. (2012). ”Skola och skrivundervisning i ett medieekologiskt perspektiv”. I: Edlund, A-C (red), Att läsa och skriva – två vågor av vardagligt skriftbruk i norden 1800 – 2000 (s. 179 – 195). Umeå: Umeå Universitet.

Fenstermacher, G. D., & Richardson, V. (2005). “On Making Determinations of Quality Teaching”. In: Teacher College Record, 107, 186-213. 

Jewitt, Carey. (2008). Technology, Literacy, Learning. A Multimodal Approach. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Kress. G. (2010). Multimodality A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

OECD. (2006). Europaparlamentets och rådets rekommendation av den 18 december 2006 om nyckelkompetenser för livslångt lärande, OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 10–18. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/SV/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006H0962 .

Utbildningsdepartementet. (2017). Nationell digitaliseringsstrategi för skolväsendet. Bilaga till regeringsbeslut. I:1, 2017-10-19, s. 3. nationell-digitaliseringsstrategi-for-skolvasendet.pdf (regeringen.se) (hämtat 20/1 2021).

UNESCO (2018). ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265721 (hämtat 20/1 2021).