New Literacy Implementation: The Impact of Professional Development on Middle School Student Science Learning

Introduction

Literacy skills are critical to build knowledge in science. Advancing technology has redefined “literacy” to include new forms of literacy made possible by digital technologies. “New literacy” refers to using technology to research, locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information. The definition of literacy has evolved to include a set of skills broader than reading, writing, and comprehending (Leu et al., 2004). These new forms of literacy are required to succeed in the 21^st-century college and workforce. It is imperative to investigate how teachers are prepared to strengthen students’ new literacy skills to facilitate their learning in science. The purpose of the paper is to report our effort to provide professional development to middle-school science teachers and prepare them to integrate technology into their classroom through the new literacy framework.