Responsive literacy practices in digitalized classrooms

Responsive literacy practices in digitalised classrooms (RESPONSE) RESPONSE is the shorthand title of a research project within the broadly conceived topic of digital literacy. The chosen term is deeply associated with dialogical engagement and involvement and with the experience of relevance. At the same time it points directly to communicative action; in this case to observable literacy events in classrooms. The project is initiated by the national Reading Centre at the University of Stavanger, and aims at mutual competence development in close cooperation with a municipality that has decided to provide tablet computers for all pupils in its three secondary schools, starting with new 8th-graders in August 2014. Teachers and pupils in these schools will have continuous access to new technology and digital resources. When made good use of, this may contribute to the development of innovative teaching practices that enhance pedagogical core values such as active involvement, participation, and collaboration. The primary objective of the project is to develop new knowledge about digitalised literacy practices that may promote knowledge-based professional practices and facilitate high-quality learning processes. For this purpose it is designed as a series of comparative case studies of schools and classes, teachers and students, all embedded in the more comprising case of one municipality followed over an implementation period of three years. Studies will in the first place focus on the integration of digital technology and response in classroom activities such as text based conversations, and in writing processes where computer tablets will be used to give and share peer and teacher response to pupils? texts. In the second place studies will over time look into the involved teachers? response to challenges caused by an innovation that will change their everyday work situation.

"Response" is an interdisciplinary project focusing on professional practice and competence-development concerning responsive literacy practices in digitalized classrooms. The project starts in an established cooperation between the University of Stavanger and Randaberg Municipality. The focus will be on the municipality´s implementation of new digital technology in three secondary schools. The prime objective is to develop new knowledge concerning responsive literacy practices that promote knowledge-based professional practice and facilitate high quality learning processes in digitalized classrooms. In order to produce such knowledge three areas of investigation is defined: a) Knowledge-based teacher and peer response in digitally shared processes of writing, b) New literacies in digitalized classrooms, and c) The teachers' professional life-world in a time of changing learning contexts. The areas are structured into three work packages, where different kinds of data is produced and analyzed; a) digital student texts and teachers responses, b) classroom observation and c) interviews. Digitalizing of school is happening fast and right now, and research based knowledge about the specific features of the Norwegian educational context is important as a basis for relating to international research leading the way towards the school of tomorrow. The joint effort of building competence between Randaberg and the research group anchored at UiS will have a large potential for transfer to the Norwegian and international school context, and it will have the potential of becoming a point of reference for Norwegian and international educational policy making. Randaberg as a partner will receive research based support, guidance and quality feedback in their process of innovative change.