Despite schools’ investment in technology, we do not yet fully understand what it means for students to be technologically literate, how technology can help students develop stronger literacy skills, nor the particular combinations of technology, student characteristics, and instructional strategies that are most effective. Earlier research suggests that including technologies in ordinary schools can have powerful motivational effects on students. However, the benefits of electronic text seem most marked in classroom situations where instructional strategies support the special qualities and potential benefits of technology.

Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to study the integration of technology in instruction, CELA researchers have investigated, among other things, the state of technology standards, student-software interactions, and how technology is used in ESL classrooms. They have shared their findings in articles and books, including: