New Strategies for New Literacies – Digital Strategy Backpack Samplers

The skills and strategies of effective communication are at the heart of literacy teaching and learning; engaging with digital technologies to communicate puts new demands on teachers and students. The communication tools of the 21^st century require a rethinking of our 19th century educational approach to fully integrate digital tools into the classroom.  We must help pre-service teachers learn how to leverage technology to build students’ communication skills across the curriculum. The authors describe two different Digital Strategy Backpacks that were integrated into a pre-service teacher education instructional technology class.  The backpacks illustrate how learners apply communication skills and strategies with a range of technologies.  The authors acknowledge that the Digital Strategy Backpacks are just a taste of this technique, however, we contend that they demonstrate how teachers and teacher educators can put communication goals at the front and center of teaching with technology.

Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology