Basic literacy or new literacies? : examining the contradictions of Australia's education revolution

In 2007 the Labor Government came to power with the promise to bring to Australia an 'Education Revolution'. More than four years later we are still waiting for the full impact of this series of policy initiatives. Among the various facets of the Education Revolution was the assurance that the Education Revolution would focus on the most fundamental skills - literacy and numeracy, and that it would offer world-class teaching and learning through a 'Digital Education Revolution'. The digital education revolution aims to foster the development of 21st century learning skills in students, skills which seem at odds with the government's concomitant emphasis on basic literacy and numeracy and standardised testing. We seek to explore the paradoxical goals of the Education Revolution and to examine the impact of these tensions upon educators.