In this column, the author considers critiques of multiliteracies in light of the impact of the seminal article, A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures. The author argues that the concept of multiliteracies has been reified and the original meaning of multi has been lost over the years. Particular attention is paid to Leander and…

In this column, the authors discuss emerging research in the field of adult digital literacy acquisition. The authors argue that the field of adult digital literacy acquisition has been under-researched, especially in relation to multiliteracies and multimodal literacy practices. Data emerging from a large scale mixed methods study of adults…

The terms multiliteracies, multimodal literacy, digital literacies, and technology integration are often confused with one another. In this column, the author argues that understanding the differences between the concepts can help build clarity when designing instruction. Position statements by the National Council of Teachers of English and the…

Research on youth use of multiliteracies and multimodal texts often imply that youth are inherently motivated by digital technologies. In this column, I consider the nature of research into motivation and multiliteracies. I suggest that the concepts of competence, autonomy, and relatedness should be integrated with a multilayered contextual…

Assessment, as defined by policy mandates such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, is a well--established concept within education. However, assessing multiliteracies presents new challenges because multiliteracies is about ways of knowing and being in the world rather than mastery of a particular set of cognitive skills. In this article,…

This column revisits the concept of multiliteracies as originally proposed by the New London Group. Particular attention is given to the saliency of multiliteracies in light of the technological and educational policy changes and pressures that have occurred since the mid 1990s. The relationship of multiliteracies to participatory culture and the…

A case study of an adolescent girl provides a framework to understand what factors contribute to the development of a strong writer within an instant messaging world. The study shows instant messaging is one of a larger repertoire of practices. Facility in school-based writing was developed through a school culture that supported writing in the…