8. Walrond, H. - Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education A Book Review.docx Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE), Volume 25, Issue 1, Winter 2023 Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education: A Book Review Honey Walrond Teachers College, Columbia University Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education: A Book Review The use of technology in teaching has many skeptics about its advantages and positive  impact  on  teaching.  In  Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education (2020),  Donna  L.  Pasternak  speaks  to  the  skepticism by  examining  the  challenges  and  benefits  of  technology  integration  in  English/English  Language Arts  classrooms. The  study  of  teaching  ELA  has  changed  from  an  area  that defined  itself  as  a  subject  that  teaches composition, literature, and rhetoric to one that teaches abilities needed to learn  content such as interpretation, writing, speaking, critical analysis, Etc. (Coiro et al., 2004;  National  Council  of  Teachers  of  English,  2018).  Pasternak's  central  argument  is  that  technology integration and multimodal literacy are vital components of ELA curriculum  development  and  provide  clear  and  practical  guidance  on  technology  integration  for  prospective teachers of English in U.S. teacher education programs. The  book  is  organized  into  five  chapters,  each  providing  a  framework  for  ELA  instructors  and  teachers  in  other  content  areas  to  integrate  technology  and  improve  digital  literacy  skills.  Chapter  one  discusses  national  learning  and  the  challenges  encountered  while  integrating  technology. Chapter  two  covers  the  tension  in  the field  and  reflects  on  the  potential  for  technology  to  replace  traditional  teaching  methods.  Chapter three explores technology integration into methods courses and examines how  teacher  educators guide  their  trainees  in  the use of technology. Chapter four describes  the  technologies  pre-service  teachers  need  to  know  to  acquire  the  content  of  ELA  methods.  Furthermore, finally,  chapter five describes how  technology has transformed  ELA students and the impact of technology in the classroom. One of the book's significant concerns is that despite technology's role in instruction, it is  still referred to as a "tool" (p. 77) in the narratives and assignment rubrics, replicating the  traditional pen-and-paper  approach. The book  speaks  to  these  concerns, which  is  also  one  of  its  strengths,  by  providing  straightforward  and  practical  case  studies  on  technology  integration  in  the ELA classroom. Pasternak provides  clear  and actionable  examples  from  the  case  studies  on  how  ELA  teachers  integrate  technology  into  their  classrooms.  In  one  case  study,  a  teacher used digital storytelling tools to help students  create  their  own narratives using  a  combination of  text,  images,  and  sound  (p.  64). A  second case study highlighted how a teacher used online discussion forums to facilitate  deeper  analysis  and  reflection on  texts  (p.  85). The  teacher  in  the  case study provided  examples  of  strong discussion posts  and helped ELA  students  learn how to engage in  meaningful online conversations. © 2023, Walrond. CC BY 4.0. Current Issues in Comparative Education 25(1), 127-129. https://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en Walrond Another strength of the book is the focus on best practices for using technology in the ELA classroom, such as emphasizing the importance of using technology in a purposeful way rather than just for the sake of using technology. This helps ensure that technology is being used effectively to support student learning. For example, Pasternak discusses how some teachers fall into the trap of using technology for its own sake, such as having students create digital presentations just because they can (p. 30). Instead, Pasternak emphasizes examples that show the importance of choosing technology tools that support specific learning objectives and helps students achieve a deeper understanding of ELA concepts (pp. 61-72), which promotes active learning and student engagement. Finally, Pasternak cites research showing that technology can be especially effective in fostering student collaboration and communication and encourages teachers to incorporate these strategies into their teaching (p. 46; p. 92). While Integrating Technology in the English Language Arts Classroom is a valuable resource for ELA teachers and teacher educators, one area where the book could be improved is its treatment of the latest discussions around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on teaching English. As AI continues to advance, it is becoming increasingly important for teachers and teacher educators to understand how it can be used to enhance their teaching practices and support student learning. For example, AI can analyze student writing and provide feedback on grammar, spelling, and sentence structure (Dong et al., 2022) and develop students' AI Literacy through the power of digital story writing (Ng et al., 2022). Unfortunately, Pasternak does not provide much discussion or guidance on how to incorporate AI into the classroom. As AI continues to advance and become more prevalent in education, it is essential for ELA teachers to be aware of its potential applications and to learn how to integrate it effectively into their teaching practices. Therefore, the book could be updated to include more discussion and practical guidance on the use of AI in the ELA classroom. Overall, Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education provides different levels of understanding about technology and how ELA teachers can incorporate it into their classrooms. The book aims to show how tensions/ideas are presented in the English education field and provides clear and practical guidance on technology integration for prospective teachers of English. Pasternak emphasizes the importance of using technology purposefully rather than just for the sake of using technology and provides actionable examples from case studies on how ELA teachers can integrate technology into their classrooms. Despite its limitations, this book is a valuable resource for ELA teachers and teacher educators who seek to incorporate technology into their curriculum development. Honey Walrond is an Instructor and Doctoral Ph.D. Fellow in the English Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a second concentration in Education Policy. She teaches courses on culturally relevant literature and literacy practices and her research centers on literacy and literacy education policies. Honey can be reached at honey.walrond@tc.columbia.edu. 128 Current Issues in Comparative Education Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education: A Book Review References Coiro, J., Knobel, M., Lankshear, C., & Leu, D. J. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of research on new literacies. Routledge. Dong, Y., Yu, X., Alharbi, A., S. Ahmad. AI-based production and application of English multimode online reading using multi-criteria decision support system, Soft Computing, 26(20), 10927–10937 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-022-07209-2 National Council of Teachers of English. (2018). Beliefs about Technology and Preparation of English Teachers. NCTE. https://ncte.org/statement/beliefs-technology-preparation-english-teachers/ Ng, T. K., Chan, H., & Chu, S. (2022). An examination on primary students’ development in AI literacy through digital story writing. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. Pasternak, D. L. (2020). Integrating Technology in English Language Arts Teacher Education. Routledge. Current Issues in Comparative Education 129 https://ncte.org/statement/beliefs-technology-preparation-english-teachers/