The CEA Forum - Special Section: Teaching and Technology - So You Want to Be an English Teacher? - Technology, Literacy, and Language Arts

Oct 15, 2026

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“So You Want to Be an English Teacher? Technology, Literacy, and Language Arts” examines how 21st-century English teaching must go beyond traditional reading and writing to include digital literacy. It highlights gaps in teacher preparation, citing research showing insufficient training in technological pedagogies and limited confidence among preservice teachers. The discussion connects technology integration to standards and describes concrete partnerships and models that support language arts students’ technology use, skills, and writing instruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Towards a Technology/Language Arts Partnership

The CEA Forum Summer/Fall 2006: 35.2 SPECIAL SECTION: TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ENGLISH TEACHER? TECHNOLOGY, LITERACY, AND LANGUAGE ARTS Christine Denecker Introduction So you want to be an English teacher? At one time, that question suggested a career filled with instruction in reading and writing as well as grammar and vocabulary—in other words, traditional literacy. However, the integration of technology into education, in particular, secondary English education, challenges that notion. Today, it is not enough to be a “teacher of English”; instead, 21st-century English teachers must utilize and impart a number of literacies in their classrooms. Cindy Selfe explains this new definition of literacy(ies) as one that goes beyond reading and writing to include meaningful comprehension and utilization of technology; in other words,“digital literacy”([qtd. in](qtd. in) Pianfetti 256) . A problem is evident, though, in that studies by M. L. McNabb and others suggest that English teachers lack proper training in technological pedagogies (117) and, as a result, are often not as digitally literate as they should be. Furthermore, Evangeline Pianfetti writes that although “preservice teachers are the key to technology integration in the classroom, they lack the confidence and feel illprepared in their abilities to engage students with technology in a meaningful way”(256) . Bob Reising and Carol Pope, in their article,“Technology in Language Arts Teacher Education,” note this problem as well and state that technology has added to “the existing conundrum that teacher educators face—the duality of teaching the content of courses as well as the implicit pedagogy or application of that content.” To put it simply, the demands of content acquisition coupled with traditional as well as emerging technological pedagogies can create a cumbersome “to do list” for pre-service teachers. The challenge, then, lies in adequately preparing pre-service language arts teachers to work in technologyenriched classrooms. In particular, teacher preparation programs must provide strategies that enable pre-service language arts teachers to develop and increase both traditional and digital literacies among their future students. Unfortunately, research over the past decade indicates that many teacher preparation programs are not sufficiently answering this challenge. Studies conducted by both the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Task Force on Technology and Teacher Education (1997) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE) (1999) indicate that many pre-service teachers are receiving inadequate instruction in the use of technological pedagogies (Pianfetti 257) . Furthermore, Pianfetti cites Mousand from“Will New Teachers be Prepared to Teach in the Digital Age?” as arguing that “student teachers need more opportunities to apply instructional technology during field experiences under qualified supervision, and faculty should be encouraged to model and integrate technology” in their own classrooms (257) . A step in the right direction can be seen in that recent standards issued by ITSE (2000) delineate specific competencies pre-service teachers should master before graduation in order to obtain digital literacy (Pianfetti 257) . Likewise, educators such as Reising and Pope and SUNY's Nancy Deal are taking it upon themselves to rectify the situation by implementing and modeling technological pedagogies in their own classrooms. As a former high school English teacher and current educator of pre-service teachers, I, too, am re-evaluating my own use of technological pedagogies and examining the possibilities of how technological instruction can enhance both my teaching as well as that of my students. This article is a result of such introspection and strives to meet that challenge of improving the technological aspects of language arts teacher preparation. Towards a Technology/Lang

FAQs

Why has the definition of literacy for English teachers changed?

The integration of technology into education challenges the traditional view of literacy and expands it beyond reading and writing toward meaningful comprehension and the use of technology, described as “digital literacy.”

What problem do studies identify about English teachers’ technology preparation?

Research suggests English teachers lack proper training in technological pedagogies, leaving preservice teachers inadequately prepared and often not as digitally literate as they should be.

How do Cyber-Quests support technology use in language arts instruction?

Cyber-Quests provide a structured web framework for students to explore books, authors, and time periods through secure links, often including study questions, streaming video, and interactive chats.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by SANS