Current research and professional practices in 21st century literacies

In the article linked below, Alm (2006) discusses the human needs of relatedness, competence and autonomy and their fulfillment through Web 2.0 technologies. It is this fulfillment that leads to greater motivation and, consequently greater learning. It is my experience that language learners outside of their home country experience greater challenges to finding ways to meet these needs. Students are "out of their element." In students' first experience in school in the United States, they experience culture shock. Most come from a sociocultural situation rich in human connections, close family and friends are a regular presence in their home and school environments. Upon arrival here they may have a community of same language speakers, but that community is lacking in the sense of the long time familiarity. As Alm (2006) discusses, the relatedness and social connections that the Web 2.0 world provides serves to aliviate the culture shock newcomers feel. The lack of cultural and linguistic competence also create a destablizing sense within students. While it is not an equal substitution, students feel like they are on more even ground when they are able to participate in a digital environment where they have contact with like language and ethnic groups. Using these tools, as time goes on and we, as teachers, engage ELL students in learning through web 2.0 environments we will see a corresponding increase in learning.
http://jaltcall.org/journal/articles/2_3_Alm.pdf

In addition, research points to the ability of Web 2.0 tools to documenting and assessing writing in language learning. These tools are like permanent files of student work. They have the ability to serve in place of the "hard copy" portfolio to demonstrate progress over time. Godwin-Jones (2008) notes that many online writing tools offer immediate feedback, necessary for improvement. It is often the case that teachers, with increasing class sizes and teaching loads, delay in returning extended writing samples. 21st century is increasingly providing tools to allow students to learn from their own product. The digital tools available for language learning are ever increasing and improving. As was noted throughout the 21st Literacy Institute, it is important to start slow and explore the possibilities and practicalities for our particular teaching situation.
http://llt.msu.edu/vol12num2/emerging.pdf