1. Issues of Educational Design in Virtual Environments...............................17

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Designing Internet-based Inquiry lessons : an analysis of students' Internet search practices

In recent years increasing emphasis has been placed on the appropriate use of the Internet in schools. However pervasive use of Internet technology alone does not guarantee positive gains in pedagogical strategies, nor does it automatically translate into meaningful learning. Inefficient, haphazard, and disorganized searching for information results in students either becoming disorientated or retrieving information from unreliable sources. Often this problem has become further compounded due to most Internet-based student activities being poorly guided and students are left on their own to locate and sift relevant information. This paper discusses the findings of a major study conducted in Singapore to assess student Internet literacy skills and practices. The findings provided the basis for developing a framework of heuristics on which to design and teach Internet-based multidisciplinary, inquiry lessons. This framework enables teachers to build a rich repertoire of cognitive reasoning, research and problem solving skills amongst students.11 page(s

Portraits of new literacies in two Singapore classrooms

The need to broaden the notion of literacy has been continually emphasized within the field of New Literacy Studies in recent years. This is necessary because of the advent of information and communication technology (ICT) in our everyday, school and workplace literacy practices. A broader notion of literacy is needed to pay attention to the rearrangement in the constellation of modes of representation from print to screen which has profound consequences for meaning making and communication in the classroom (Kress, 2003). In this paper, we present our exploratory study in a Singapore high school whereby a multiliteracies curriculum was designed and implemented. We document our collaborating teacher’s changing perceptions towards meaning making and how her shifting perceptions change her pedagogical practices in her two English Language classrooms of 14-year-old students. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of developing new literacies for language teaching in Singapore

Knowledge sharing : a needed agenda for innovation in curriculum development and classroom practice

1 page(s

Portraits of New Literacies in Two Singapore Classrooms

The need to broaden the notion of literacy has been continually emphasized within the field of New Literacy Studies in recent years. This is necessary because of the advent of information and communication technology (ICT) in our everyday, school and workplace literacy practices. A broader notion of literacy is needed to pay attention to the rearrangement in the constellation of modes of representation from print to screen which has profound consequences for meaning making and communication in the classroom (Kress, 2003). In this paper, we present our exploratory study in a Singapore high school whereby a multiliteracies curriculum was designed and implemented. We document our collaborating teacher’s changing perceptions towards meaning making and how her shifting perceptions change her pedagogical practices in her two English Language classrooms of 14-year-old students. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of developing new literacies for language teaching in Singapore