Cross-Literate Digital Connections: Contemporary Frames for Meaning Making

Within the last 25 years, the concept of literacy has changed. Ethnographic studies of 1980, followed by the theory of New Literacies in 1990, have helped people to understand that literacies extend beyond print text and have socioculturally embedded meanings. Likewise, people have come to learn that "texts are always multimodal", thereby underscoring the multifaceted nature of learning; all modes (including, but certainly not limited to, sound, gesture, tone, image, video, physical design) are part of the meaning-making experience. In other words, when people talk about literacy and being literate in today's world, they are discussing a rather complex topic, and they need to consider all the texts-from traditional print to social media posts to videogames -- that are part of students' lives. Such a "broad brushstrokes" view of literacy may seem daunting to some, especially English language arts teachers who work in a linguistically privileged field.