ABSTRACT
The chapter argues that the notion of interaction is central to the study of textbook use in the classroom. Drawing on an ethnographically-inspired study that investigates how textbooks and laptops are used in the classroom, it analyzes two interrelated phenomena: how the teacher frames artifact use in particular ways depending on the situated affordances of each artifact, and how, throughout the school year artifact–student interaction constructs an interactive history to build students’ expertise. Findings show that interaction with artifacts—such as the textbook and the laptop—help to achieve curricular cohesion throughout the school year by, for instance, linking classroom events and tasks together, regardless of how distant in time they might appear to be. The chapter also discusses implications for the classroom.
