General description on research questions, objectives and theoretical framework

In Western societies, the constellation of book and writing has a long tradition and learning how to write and read has been traditionally formalized through print- based teaching in schools (New London Group, 2000; Merchant, 2007). But written or spoken language is no longer the only way of communication and there is thus a need to understand the complex ways in which speech and writing interact with other modes (Jewitt, 2011). Different modes of expression: visualizing, writing, sound and speech can be integrated in communication in one format and the affordances provided by the digital resources set the rules what is possible to create. Current patterns of communication embedded in the way we socialize with digital media have impacted the ways in which we learn to read and write.

In the present paper, the basic assumption is that meaning is made through many representational and communicational resources. Different modes, such as image, sound, text, speech and gestures, are viewed as organized sets of semiotic resources for meaning making (Kress 2010; Jewitt, 2008).  This means that each mode in a multimodal ensemble is understood as realizing different communicative activities (Jewitt, 2011). A multimodal approach, according to Jewitt (2008; 2011), moves beyond seeing multimodal resources as decorations and the theory has focused on the ways in which modes are combined and designed to make meaning (Jewitt, 2006; 2008; 2011). The choice of mode is thus a central aspect of the epistemological shaping of knowledge. Voice, gesture, sounds and other modes are all resources for meaning making and the orchestration of meaning involves selection and configuration of modes.

A multimodal approach to teaching and learning has been focused upon with the increasing number of computers.  Digital devices include various modes of expression and they are more and more implemented in primary schools. At present, teachers and pupils are interacting with information and communication technologies (ICT) during different types of activities and a range of pedagogical questions have emerged. Digital technologies open up for possibilities for learning but have also the potential to engage, enable and disrupt.

However, the transition from being a teacher in a linguistic school tradition compared to orchestrate visual screen-based activities open up for the exploration of the teachers orchestration of digital resources. The teacher’s design and instruction of the classroom activities has to be understood in relation to the affordances of various modes provided by digital technologies. With the increasing amount of digital technology in schools, teachers do not only use tutorial education software but they also design classroom tasks using the digital resources provided by laptops and other devices such as: digital applications and the Internet.

This paper presents a case study of technology-mediated instruction at primary-school level, exploring teachers and pupils’ orchestration of digital resources based on teacher’s instructions and available digital resources. The following research questions are addressed:

(i)    What critical features could be discerned in the teachers’ orchestration of digital resources during a trajectory of teaching sequences?

(ii)  In what way do these critical features impact on the role of the teacher in the transition from paper-based - to screen based activities?

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