More than tools: Emergence of meaning through technology enriched interactions in classrooms

Abstract

In order to understand the role of digital technology to mediate class interaction, and support English learners’ language and content learning in a content classroom, this qualitative case study investigates class interactions in a grade 5 Science classroom. Data include a 13-week period of classroom observation, field notes, interviews with the teacher and six English learners, as well as other relevant artifacts. Findings show that technology use in teaching plays an important role in semiotic mediation by juxtaposing the representation of scientific phenomenon and concepts proposed by one mode against the representations presented by other modes. Technology also has a potential to fill the gap between teacher and student discourse, helping students to connect academic meanings with their individual understanding.