The exponential rise of computer-mediated communication (CMC) over the last two or three decades has had a tremendous impact on the literacy practices of school going children. In the developed world, for instance in Singapore, children prefer to communicate with their peers through MSN (messenger service network),‘texting’(meaning using short messaging systems or SMS on mobile phones), blogging, Facebook, fanfiction or other such virtual platforms on the computer where like-minded adolescents meet and create communities of practice. In developing countries such as India computer penetration is very low. However, even in this part of the world disadvantaged youth increasingly have access to inexpensive internet cafés and mobile phones through which they ‘message’each other. A comparison of computer penetration in Singapore and India shows a glaring contrast. According to the World Bank, Singapore has one of the highest levels of connectivity in the world: in 2006 for every 100 persons there were 68.2 personal computers and 38.3 internet users (http://siteresources. worldbank. org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/T5_11_2008pdf). On the other hand, according to data from the United Nations Development Program, for every 100 persons in India, there are only 1.65 internet users and 0.33 subscribers and computer ownership is 0.6 for every 100 persons (http://www. apdip. net/projects/dig-rev/info/in). The implication of this fact is that in Singapore most school going children have access to computers with an internet connection whereas in India most children go through their education without ever having seen a computer. Equitable access to computers and multimodal literacy is important for the language classroom because the skills involved therein are directly linked with the workplace of the 21st century. According to Jenkins (2006), a key skill in this regard is engaging in ‘participatory culture’, a term we will explore later in the chapter. Thus, though the national school system in Singapore has the potential for training its students in 21st century