of Proximal Development (ZPD) is concerned.  Bruner's ideas on scaffolding are also very useful in teaching and learning.  Also, Lantolf's thoughts on dynamic assessment, which result from these directions of thought, are of great value.  In reality, however, dynamic assessment usually results in a teacher assessing the student, giving comments and re-assessing the student.  Student assessment is accomplished through traditional classroom and or laboratory test methods based on pen and paper, possibly transferred to new technologies. As Lemke points out, theories are only tools and tools become old and have to eventually be repaired or discarded. Our learning theories are old and in need of repair.  While it would be silly to discard the many good aspects in learning theories, we do have to re-consider their use.  When looking at Vygotsky's learning theory, for example, I find the notions of a ZPD or ideas on scaffolding and on dynamic assessment still compelling.  However, the question of how to accomplish these notions in today's world of teaching and learning remains. When thinking in multimodal and real-world terms regarding teaching and learning, I find much value in semiotics and systemic functional linguistics coupled with my own framework of multimodal interaction. Using technology in teaching and learning settings brings about the questions of which tools afford what kind of teaching and learning?  All too often, an online program (like Blackboard, which is widely used in the US education system) is based on linear notions of pen and paper and limits new directions of