Digital Talk in Classrooms: Teachers' Reported Perceptions and Implementation

• In Event: 63.084 - MTCC Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 63.084-14 - Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Tools

Abstract

With the popularity of collaborative digital technologies in K-12 spaces, many teachers are adopting digital talk—defined as written communication via signs and symbols in online spaces that is characterized by interactivity—as a potentially generative form of classroom discourse. Less clear, however, is how teachers understand and actually use digital talk as a teaching and learning tool. This mixed methods study examined classroom uses of a popular e-reader that supports embedded discussions as a case to study digital talk-related issues. Findings from a national teacher survey and a design-based research experiment with a high school teacher suggest tensions between intended learning opportunities associated with digital talk and the reality of implementing digital talk with students.

Author

• Jennifer Higgs, University of California - Davis