Literacies in the Age of AI

Gabriela C. Zapata is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. She specializes in AI literacy, multiliteracies-based instruction, and inclusive pedagogical design. Zapata is the author of five books and multiple peer-reviewed articles and co-edits Diversity & Inclusion Research. Bill Cope is Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on learning design, multimodal meaning, educational technology, and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous influential works, including New Learning and the two volumes multimodal grammar, Making Sense and Adding Sense. Mary Kalantzis is Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. An internationally recognized leader in literacy and education studies, she has co-authored foundational texts including New Learning and A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies.

• List of Figures xiiList of Tables xivList of Appendices xviPreface xviiAI Disclosure xxiChapter 1: What Is Literacy? 1Introduction 1Before Writing: First Languages 2The Coming of Writing and Print Literacy 6Writing in the Digital Era 9The Rise of Multimodality 11GenAI as a Multimodal Literacy Technology 13Conclusion 19Glossary of Terms 20Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 23Task 1: What Is Literacy? Personal Connections 24Task 2: Literacy Throughout History 24Task 3: Multimodality in Today’s Indigenous Languages 24Task 4: First Languages Today 25Task 5: Literacy Throughout History: Comparison 26Task 6: Personal Literacy Timeline 26References 26Chapter 2: Literacy and the Combination of Different Meaning Forms 31Introduction 31Meaning Forms 32Text 34Writing 34Reading 37Image 40Space 44Object and Body 46Sound 49Speech 52Connecting Speech to Text: Phonics Controversies 54Conclusion 58Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 58Task 1: Multimodal Portfolio Creation 59Task 2: Forms of Meaning Explained 59Task 3: Interactive Multimodal Museum Exhibit 60Task 4: Mapping Spatial Communication 60Task 5: Lesson Plan on Meaning Forms and Multimodality 61Task 6: Gesture and Movement Case Study 61Task 7: Redesign of Educational Material 62Task 8: Analysis of a Multimodal Artifact 63References 64Chapter 3: What Literacy Does: Mapping the Functions of Meaning 68Introduction 68Traditional School Grammar 69Overview 69The Pedagogy of Traditional Grammars 73Transformational- Generative Grammar 75Overview 75The Chomskian View of Culture and Learning 77Systemic- Functional Grammar 81Overview 81Comparing Halliday’s Grammar with Other Approaches 84Transpositional Grammar 88Overview 88Transposition 1: Between and Across Meaning Forms 91Transposition 2: Between and Across Meaning Functions 94Reference 95Agency 96Structure 97Context 97Interest 98Transpositions of Functions (and Forms) 99The Differences Between Human Meaning and Generative AI 100Human Meaning: Theoretical, Embodied, and Contextualized 101GenAI Meaning: Empirical and Statistical 102Implications for Meaning and Literacy 103Conclusion 103Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 105Task 1: Deconstructing Grammar Through Meaning- Making 105Task 2: Exploring Transformational Grammar and Its Impact on Second Language Teaching and Learning 105Task 3: Investigating SFG in Context 106Task 4: Analyzing Different Meaning Forms 107Task 5: The Five Functions of Meaning in Everyday Communication 108Task 6: Multimodal Transposition Challenge 109Task 7: Ethics and Power in Meaning- Making 109References 110Chapter 4: Literacy Pedagogies 112Introduction 112Understanding Pedagogical Approaches 113Didactic Literacy Pedagogy 115Authentic Literacy Pedagogy 117Functional Literacy Pedagogy 121Critical Literacy Pedagogy 124The Pedagogy of Multiliteracies 129Learning by Design 134Overview 134Reflexive Literacy Pedagogy 139Conclusion 140Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 142Task 1: Tracing Pedagogical Shifts in Literacy 142Task 2: Designing a Learning Task Using the LbyD Framework 143Task 3: Literacy in Everyday Life 145Task 4: Analyzing Syncretic Approaches in Action 145Task 5: Exploring Literacy Pedagogies in the Classroom 146Task 6: Exploring Literacy in the Age of Generative AI 149References 151Chapter 5: Digital Literacy and Artificial Intelligence 155Introduction 155Digital Media, Participation, and Multimodal Meaning- Making 156The Internet and Mass Connectivity 158Reflexive Pedagogy and E- Learning Ecologies: Digital Affordances for Literacy Learning 160Ubiquitous Learning 162Multimodal Meaning 164Active Knowledge- Making 165Recursive Feedback 168Collaborative Intelligence 172Metacognition 174Differentiated Learning 176E- Learning Ecologies, GenAI, and Cyber- Social Learning 178Cyber- Social Learning: Opportunities 178Mapping E- Learning Affordances onto Cyber- Social Learning 180Challenges of GenAI in Education: Bias, Fakes, and Policy Concerns 183AI Bias 183AI Fakes 185Policy and Security 185GenAI in Education: New Roles for Teachers 187Orchestrating Content Creation and Differentiation 187Curating Assessments and Providing Formative Feedback 188Sustaining Higher- Order Literacies in an Automated World 189Facilitating Collaborative Knowledge Work and Community Connections 190Developing AI Literacy 192Toward Digital Citizenship 194Conclusion 198Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 199Task 1: Picture Books and Multimodal Literacy 199Task 2: Investigating AI Bias 202Task 3: GenAI as a Creative Partner— Testing GenAI in Content Creation 203Option 1 203Option 2 204References 206Chapter 6: Literacies Development Across Levels of Learning 212Introduction 212Literacy and Cognition 213Icon 214Indicator 214Symbol 215Designing Meaning 218Cognitive Development in Children 219Literacies for Learning 224Learning in the Zone of Proximal Development 224The Role of Literacies in Learning 227Developing “Metarepresentations” 229The Strangeness of School 230Toward the “Reflective Consciousness” of Adult Cognition 231Literacies as Extensions of Mind 232Conceptualizing and Developing AI Literacy in Educational Contexts 234Early Childhood Education 237Elementary/Primary School Education 239Middle and High School/Secondary Education 242Academic Literacies for College and University 245AI Literacy in Educational Contexts: Summary 247Conclusion 250Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 251Task 1: Aligning UNESCO’s (2024) AI Competency Framework with LbyD 251Task 2: UNESCO’s (2024) AI Competency Levels and Instructional Practices 252Task 3: Designing a Multimodal and AI Literacy Activity 254References 255Chapter 7: Learner Differences in Teaching and Assessment 260Introduction 260Dimensions of Learner Difference 261Learners’ Lifeworld 264Translanguaging 266Inclusive Classroom Practices 267GenAI and Inclusive Classroom Practices 271Literacies Assessment 273The Types and Purposes of Assessment 273Big Data and Assessment 277A More Inclusive Path to Assessment Practices 278GenAI- Supported Assessment 281Conclusion 288Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 288Task 1: Reflecting on Our Lifeworld 289Task 2: Translanguaging in Action 289Task 3: Inclusive GenAI- Supported Assessment 290Task 4: Creating Inclusive Curricula 291References 292Chapter 8: Futures for the Discipline of Education and Literacies Research 298Introduction 298The Expanded Role of Education and Its Epistemological Imperative 299The Semiotic Turn: Reframing Research as a Process of Meaning- Making 300The Social Turn: Emphasizing Learning as a Socially Embedded Process 303The Ontological Turn: Shifting Focus to Material and Digital Realities 304GenAI in Educational Research 305Human- AI Collaboration: Educators’ and Researchers’ Roles 309Towards Education Justice in the GenAI Era: A Pathway Forward 310Conclusion 313Consolidate, Explore, Reflect, Do 314Task 1: GenAI and Your Teaching Philosophy 314Task 2: Designing a GenAI- Supported Research Project 315Task 3: Reflecting Across Chapters 315Task 4: Future- Oriented Literacies Education 316References 317Appendix 1: Pedagogical Intervention Planning Tool 321Appendix 2: Sample Materials for Secondary School Students in a Spanish Language Arts Classroom 323Index 331