RM Winter 2017

supporting professional developments (Connors, 2012) and opportunities to use technology as a learning tool. School- level administration can support teachers by prioritizing shared time and space in a structured learning environment. Limitations and Future Research We recognize the limitations of case study for the purpose of generalizability. The findings from this study; however, contribute to scholarly discourse about how to support implementation of multimodal storytelling in classrooms as well as how to support teachers by building a community of learners engaged in ongoing professional developments. Future research may address how best to deliver professional developments and support teachers’ learning communities. By documenting the triumphs of multimodal storytelling implementation, we recognized characteristics of our participant that aided in the success of multimodal storytelling as judged by the researchers and teacher; however, we did not document the impact on student learning. Anecdotal evidence from the teacher interviews suggested that the students enjoyed and valued iPad time. Conversations with the teacher and stories she shared indicated that students enjoyed the activities and looked forward to using the iPad. Fostering a child’s love for learning is fundamental to our jobs as educators and incorporating current technology is a promising way to do that. Abundant data exits documenting the relationship between motivation and learning (e.g., Gambrell, Hughes, Calvert, Malloy, & Igo, 2011), therefore we see the excitement to use the iPad as more than just a novelty, but as a natural way to foster learning. Documenting these relationships and student outcomes were beyond the scope of this research. More research is needed to document how teacher implementation of multimodal storytelling translates to student learning and improved student outcomes. Conclusion The formative research followed one third-grade teacher at an urban elementary school as she implemented multimodal storytelling in her academically diverse classroom. This current research shared a collective picture of how attributes and factors coexist to promote or detract from successful implementation of multimodal storytelling. The combination of TPACK and formative design provided a powerful professional development tool that allowed the teacher to expand her technology, content, and pedagogy knowledge in a supported learning community. This combination allowed for the successful implementation. With the ultimate goal of student achievement, we must first establish classrooms where teachers have drive, resources, and supports, in efforts to build a classroom for 21st century learners. It is necessary that we foster learning communities and professional developments that contribute to transformative learning with technology (ISTE, 2016).

the overlapping components of the theoretical framework. Structural constraints and limited time resources, which both fall outside of the knowledge domain for teachers, acted as roadblocks to success and required the teacher to use additional time and energy to overcome. School-level administrative supports to recognize and prioritize multimodal literacies in curricula may proactively address such barriers alleviating responsibility of teachers to address the barriers. Mrs. T. was child-centered in her actions. She introduced and modeled each application prior to letting students use it in groups or independently. Mrs. T. created directions for how to use each app that included pictures and text. Most of the pictures were screenshots of icons and screens in the app. She purposefully had students practice using the app with content from across the curriculums. For each project, Mrs. T. created a project guide. The guide explicitly communicated the students’ expectations for the project, provided a checklist, and included instructional supports for students to organize content. Mrs. T incorporated evidence-based practices, such as graphic organizers, which allowed her to differentiate supports for students with different learning needs (e.g., students with disabilities, English-learners). Once she created these resources, she had them for future projects and was able to edit and revise according to her students’ needs. She explored the ample use of technology , but concluded that it was best to purposefully use fewer apps that were more versatile, thus allowing students to focus on learning and communicating the content of the digital story- not the app itself. Mrs. T. created a table that documented the strengths and limitations of the apps that she used, allowing her to make informed decisions when selecting which application to use for which project. (something about documenting and sharing with teacher and principal) The formative design of this research allowed the researchers to identified three major challenges, limited resources, structural constraints, and overabundance of choice. We conclude that appropriate resources including material items (e.g., devices and apps) and non-material items (e.g., time, community of learners) are basic needs for success. For example, Ms. T. documented concern about the student/iPad rations and this worried her. However, Ms. T. strongly believed in the importance of multimodal literacies, so she addressed the problematic ratio by incorporating iPad use into her centers. While access to technology is essential to prepare students as competent 21st century learners, mere access is not sufficient. Teachers need knowledge, addressed in the TPACK framework, and support, addressed through the formative design. For teachers attempting to integrate instruction which fosters multimodal literacy, we propose that teachers would benefit from being a part of a multimodal learning community where they can build knowledge and work through the obstacles together. This recommendation supports teachers’ need for opportunities for collaboration and reflective practices (e.g., Dewey, 1998/1933),

Reading Matters Research Matters

Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | scira.org | 27 |

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