Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class interaction. Strong claims are made for their value by manufacturers and policy makers, but there has been little research on how, if at all, they influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals. This study has been designed to examine this issue, using observations in primary (elementary) school classrooms, and builds on the authors' previous research on ICT in educational dialogues and collaborative activities. Keywords: Interactive whiteboards; pedagogy, primary education, multimodality, learning technology BackgroundAs part of the UK government's plans to embed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools, substantial investment has brought Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) into the everyday life of the primary (elementary) school classroom (as described by Higgins, Beauchamp and Miller in this issue). The introduction of IWBs is expressly related by policy makers to the goal of raising attainment through improving pedagogic practice; strong claims that the use of IWBs can 'transform' teachers' practice are made by both policy makers and manufacturers. The underlying assumption is that IWBs will have blanket benefits for learning, as former UK Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke (as quoted by Arnott, 2004) asserted: 'Every school of the future will have an interactive whiteboard in every classroom, technology has already revolutionised learning'.However, as has been the case with earlier ICT initiatives, there is a danger that the introduction of this expensive, potentially valuable piece of equipment is 'technologyled' (i.e. it is introduced because it is available) rather than 'education-led' (i.e. it is introduced because it is known to meet the professional needs of teachers and the educational needs of children better than existing educational tools). There is no doubt that IWBs have some interesting affordances that could be of value for classroom teaching (for a full discussion see Higgins, Beauchamp and Miller, this issue). Our research, which draws on work on teacher-pupil communication and on the introduction and use of ICT in educational settings, stems from the conviction that there is a need for a more detached consideration and evaluation of the IWB as a pedagogic tool. By conceptualising the IWB from a socio-cultural perspective as a tool or 'mediating artefact' (Wertsch et al., 1993) in primary school classroom practices, we aim to take into account the relationship between the affordances of IWBs, the pedagogical practices of teachers and the communicative repertoires of teachers and pupils.In a recent study of whole class teaching in primary education, Burns and Myhill (2004) examined the nature of teacher-pupil interaction. In accord wit...

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This chapter summarises research knowledge on young children's digital literacy practices in homes and proposes future directions. We build upon findings from our earlier review of research published 2005-15 (Kumpulainen & Gillen, 2017), exploring research published 2016-17. Our analyses are informed by Green's (1988) 3D model of literacy. Three themes are identified: parental mediation of children's digital literacy practices in homes; children'smedia engagement and literacy learning in homes; and Home-school knowledge exchange of children's digital literacy practices.

All communication is inherently multimodal, and understandings of science need to be multidimensional. The interactive whiteboard offers a range of potential benefits to the primary science classroom in terms of relative ease of integration of a number of presentational and ICT functions, which, taken together, offers new opportunities for fostering multifaceted pedagogic strategies. In this case study, we examine in detail how a teacher pursues two themes across four science lessons. We examine how the teacher creates continuity in her students' learning experiences through taking up some of the affordances of the IWB in order to represent scientific phenomena and engage children in activities to consolidate their understandings. Support is offered for the notion that while pedagogic goals and strategies must determine the selection of tools, rather than the 'tail wagging the dog' as in technology-focussed hyperbole, planned use of the interactive whiteboard, conceptualized as a 'heterogeneous mediational tool kit' (Wertsch 1991), can be effectively integrated into teaching practice.

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Contemporary research suggests there are many missed opportunities for home and school to work together to define and promote effective practices with digital technologies, especially in early years. This study outlines ways in which one Early Years classroom creatively promoted bidirectional connections between children's learning with technologies at home and in school. Nested in a posthumanist perspective on space and classroomness (Burnett, 2014), the study illuminates the complex spatial entanglement among home, school and technologies in the form of enhanced vignettes. As a space‐based interpretive case study that emerged from a larger project, the data collection methods revolved around a set of two visits by each researcher, one year apart, plus analyses of school documentation and online interactions. We integrate diverse data sources to argue that innovative, multimodal practices of teaching, learning and assessment can be designed and implemented imaginatively, deploying a range of digital technologies to connect with children's and parents' home lives. Use of multimedia affordances of technologies, attention to children's physical and material interactions with resources and strategic school policy made it possible for influences to percolate between home and school, to the enhancement of children's learning in the moment.