New Literacies in Action

What do classroom teachers do on a daily basis to incorporate the study and production of texts in multiple media? What are some of their assignments? How do teachers assign grades in a classroom where the final project may be a sculpture, a film, or a website? This book answers these and many other questions by examining the work of pioneers: teachers who have transformed their classrooms in an effort to broaden the literacy of their students. Describing some of the most innovative examples of teaching and learning, this volume offers practical guidance, including actual lessons, assignments, and assessments that have been used successfully in pioneering classrooms.

William Kist is an assistant professor of Teaching Leadership and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University.

“Adds an important dimension that heretofore has been absent from the field of literacy. This book belongs in the hands of every educator who values the multiple literacies that students bring to learning situations in and out of classrooms.”
—Richard T. Vacca, Professor Emeritus, Kent State University

“Researchers like Kist move us into the NOW and future of multimedia literacies. This is a book that should be widely read, and that promises to move both our understanding and teaching to a new level.”
—Jeffrey Wilhelm, author of “You Gotta Be the Book”

"Educators who are ready to take the next step in leading their students to succeed in the 21st century must read this book."
—Ann Haley, Eighth-Grade Language Arts/Social Studies Teacher, Tallmadge, Ohio

“New Literacies have provided a way for some teachers and students to create new spaces for accomplishing their daily lives: for exploring the worlds in which they live, for constructing caring relationships with each other, for creating meaning, and for voicing their lives.”
—From the Foreword by David Bloome