This study used the commognitive framework (Sfard, 2009) to study the learning of preservice teachers in a collaborative digital environment, examining a case of commognitive conflict around using informal and multimodal representations to discuss poetry as opposed to formal academic English. The analysis shows the complexity of power relationships around language use in collectively owned online spaces and the difficulty of shifting the leading discourse when teachers step back and allow students to drive digital discussions.
English/Language Arts Education
CITE (English) is sponsored by the English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Because ELATE members are engaged in the preparation, support and continuing education of teachers of the English language arts and literacy, they understand the need to explore English education with and through technology. CITE (English) offers a space to explore those issues through well-grounded, timely, and informative research manuscripts directly relevant to the field of English education.
Manuscripts for CITE (English) should focus on the interconnectedness of the English language arts content area, technology, and English teacher education; they should also explore some area or perspective not already covered at length in the literature. While manuscripts that present original research are encouraged, other formats or approaches that explore the theory, research and practice of practical and innovative technology applications in the English language arts and English teacher education are certainly considered. Manuscripts that take advantage of an online format are particularly encouraged, as articles in CITE (English) can include web links, streaming video, sound files, and other interactive technologies.
Most Recent
Call for Proposals: Innovations in Hybrid/Virtual English Language Arts Teacher Education
Planning for Literacy Instruction: An Evaluation of Online Resources Used by Preservice Teachers
This study examined the types of online resources preservice teachers used when planning for their literacy instruction and whether the identified resources are research based. An online survey was distributed to preservice teachers enrolled in a literacy education course. Results reveal that participants (N = 77) use a mix of research-based professional resources, popular search engines, and content-sharing networks. Reasons for use included accessibility and convenience, content variety, visual aesthetics, literacy content, and source credibility. This research has implications for teacher educators and associate teachers, who are often the first to disseminate information to preservice teachers about effective literacy practices.
“I Love This Insight, Mary Kate!”: Social Annotation Across Two ELA Methods Classes
This paper foregrounds sociocultural learning theory and dialogic pedagogy to describe how instructors at two universities, one in the Midwest and one in the mid-South, used a web-based social annotation tool to spark conversations among English language arts methods students who crossed geographic boundaries and invited all students to share their voices and respond thoughtfully and respectfully to others’ ideas. Outcomes of this exploratory exercise include the following: methods students’ inquiries into the potential for social annotation to expand learning beyond traditional classroom walls, instructors’ reflections on student interactions with peers in virtual spaces, and a call for educators to be intentional with the digital tools they choose to employ.