Digital Literacies in Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Being literate today means being able to navigate between a multiplicity of voices, perspectives, cultures, and textualities in mostly technology-mediated contexts. Since learners’ digital literacy skills do not necessarily align with academic literacy required in formal contexts, teachers and educators need to become key players in shaping their students’ attitudes and practices through purposeful selection and use of technology-based tools, tasks, and environments. Therefore, it is paramount for teachers to, first, be digitally literate themselves and, second, be professionally prepared to assist learners in developing the multiple literacies needed to engage with others online in an informed and meaningful way. Considering the rapid pace of technological change, both endeavors involve a lifelong learning process. In this chapter, we describe the challenges for teacher training and professional development programs and propose tested methods for moving forward.