Week 6

Week of 9/27 Readings:

Well, if this is a place for confessions, I must say the “nerd” in me came out this week. I don’t mean this offensively!  I just found what we read to be very interesting and applicable to the areas of my focus this semester.   There were many tools offered that would prove invaluable to the classroom.  The articles and chapters covered were digital stories, e-books, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.  I know I probably overlooked some of the smaller facets of these articles.  Feel free to offer them if you would like to talk about them!  As I begin this blog, I am thinking about the variety of things covered and am a bit overwhelmed by what to mention first.  So, I’ll give the highlights about what stood out to me.

E-books and digital stories were mentioned throughout our reading.  I often wondered about the various definitions of the types of stories. Johnson did a great job explaining the various types of digital texts we might want to use in our classrooms.  Johnson mentioned online read-alouds, interactive storybooks, e-narratives, and hybrid books.  She also mentioned criteria for selecting digital texts.  What do you think are the most important factors in considering what e-books to choose to use in the classroom?

There are so many resources with e-books available to teachers.  I have used storylineonline.net.  As a matter of fact, I used it today in my class.  We were talking about the reasons we read.  We listened to the story Library Lion.  The kids love the story and the fact that they get to watch it online.  There are so many ways to build lessons off of these stories.  Do you all have any resources that have proved beneficial to you in the digital text arenas?

Fluency and vocabulary have a huge impact on comprehension.  When thinking about digital texts, Javorsky relayed the importance of primary teachers teaching kids how to navigate digital texts.  I think this is so important.  When I think of my own learning I can see this is needful.  As I began working on my masters, more and more articles were digital. I didn’t want to print all of these articles out, because it takes so much ink.  I had to come up with strategies to navigate on the page.  Also, I had to come up with way to monitor my comprehension.  For me, this is highlighting the text digitally and putting digital sticky notes where I might want to put more thought or further action.  How does (or how should) our strategy instruction look in our class keeping this in mind?

In regards to vocabulary instruction, I utilized Prezi to help introduce my class to the new vocabulary words for this week.  Using Prezi I accessed prior knowledge about the story being read.  Then I used it to show the word and definition.   Following each word a connection question was presented to connect it back to real life.  Vocabulary instruction aids comprehension. What do you think we can do as teachers to help our students who live in poverty “catch up” in the area of vocabulary?

Week 5

This week we are entering into module 2 of our studies and I feel like we are moving away from learning the appropriate vocabulary and more into the applications and practices that are connected to using technology in the classroom. I was surprised by the amount of “regular” face-to -face classroom management skills that are needed in education through technology. Much of this week’s readings also led to the discussions of promoting and fostering what I would describe as multiple perspectives in the learning environment. By establishing an environment that accepts multiple perspectives you begin to create a community.

Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0

Chapter 3: Creating Classroom Community and Connecting with Families

I really enjoyed this chapter because it related to what is often referred to as the “feel goods” of my early childhood background and was by far my favorite this week. The author states that, “All students who enter a classroom come as members of families, neighborhoods, religious groups, sports teams, clubs, and organizations, each of which is a community of practice, or a place “where human beings develop competence through their interactions with each other.”” I strongly support practices that consider students on a wholistic level and understand that making a student feel comfortable on a social and emotional level will led to better cognitive advances. I really enjoyed the table 3.1 on page 31 that listed productive teacher talk that can help promote community and could see how this could be a transferrable skill in online learning, or even when working with other adults.

There was an entire section that discussed blogging as being one of the great ways to promote community through technology. I couldn’t help but to reflect back on my four semesters I have had in Dr. Beach’s various classes where she has always required some sort of blog. I tried to think of how they have affected my own learning, and to be honest there are times I have just done them to get them done, however, sometimes I’ve learned some of the most important things about a concept from another person on the blog. They often help me learn multiple perspectives on a subject, even when they are a little off topic. I think it is safe to say they do create a sense of community or belonging. I know this to be true because anytime we have seen each other outside of class we automatically start discussing our blog because it is what is linking us to each other. The question I was left with is: How could we use blogging in a way in the classroom for younger students to promote the same type of community feeling we get from our blog? What would the topics be like? How do you think it would differ since they see each other face-to-face more often?

 

Understanding and Creating Digital Texts

Chapter 6: Engaging in Online Discussions

The reading defined online or digital discussion environments as, “environments designed for conversation and collaboration.” I haven’t always been the biggest fan of the use of technology in the classroom, hence why I’m not that great at using it, but I can respect the theories and research that support it. The use of digital discussion environments goes hand in hand with the constructivist approach that learning is active and requires communication and collaboration. It should be constructed by the students and led by their educational needs.

This reading focused on the two main types of digital discussions, synchronous (instant) and asynchronous (delayed or reflective). What we are doing now is synchronous. I prefer this one myself because I can think over my thoughts before sharing them. While I was reading about hem I just kept thinking, “Oh we do that!” I also noticed how Dr. Beach has really modeled how to set them up in a classroom to us by going through the processes that Uzuner and Mehta offer.

One of the notions that really stuck out to me was the idea of “textspeak”. I didn’t know there was a name for it but it’s a pet peeve of mine when people use it in oral or written communications. Especially in professional documents! I want to know: Do you find the use of “textspeak” acceptable in your classroom? Whether in digital texts, or any other writing activities?

Critical Literacy with New Communication Technologies

When I read the article about critical literacy I automatically made a connection to it and critical research. I always remember critical research as having a call-to-action in the take away. Again I feel like if you are being an effective teacher and promoting the idea of multiple perspectives being accepted in the classroom by also promoting critical thinking and problem skills than these things will easily transfer into critical literacy. What kind of critical literacy lessons have you had in your classrooms? If you did them again how could you have incorporated technology?

Character Journaling Through Social Networks

Loved this idea of using social media as almost a more mature variance of readers’ theatre! That being said, I teach up to age eight and cannot in any way find it appropriate to initiate social media t students that young. I can say it is something I would have loved to take part of in middle school or high school. I’m hoping maybe one of you have more of an opinion on it because you have more experience with the age range it would be intended for? Angela, don’t you work with older students or is that just in your ministries?

Week 4 - Planning for New Literacies/new literacies

As you read the BABR chapter and the articles, think about how the ideas they put forth are part of planning for instruction.  How are they related to last week's readings? Compare and contrast the different frameworks? How are the readings all connected to this week's overarching topic? What is new to you about this process and what is just an expansion of what you already do?

As I read this week’s articles and chapter from BARB I was really impressed with the plethora of ideas that were shared with regards to technology, for example the different websites, programs, apps, links, and tools that can be used both in and outside of the classroom for students and teachers alike. I really appreciated Lewis-Spector’s article Precautions with Educational Technology The benefits abound, but there are implementation considerations that must be taken, as I found that she shared a lot of good information about how we should be precarious about technology. She gave great insight into what we know is happening, like the divide among students with internet access at home, and the fact that some children are simply not as tech-savvy or interested as others. Moreover, I liked when she said, “Technology itself doesn’t improve teaching. Teachers need classroom support and effective professional development to maximize the technologies....” I think this is so true, even though technology provides different modes of learning it does not improve learning unless support is there and it can be used to its full potential.

What part(s) of the readings sparked your interest this week and why?

Last week’s readings gave a great look into frameworks, which included TPACK where teachers integrate technologies once they have their curriculum goal in mind, the TPACK+, which is a framework that involves “artistic technology integration” (Steckel et al. 2015) . As well as 21^st Century Literacy learning, open learning, activity based curriculum, IRT, where students are gradually given responsibility, and Literacy 2.0. These frameworks allow teachers to successfully provide instruction for students of all learning levels, and too for the integration of different technologies. With this week’s reading I can see how important frameworks are, because if there isn’t a framework in which one uses then there will be difficulty with the implementation of new literacies/technologies and accommodations for students who need them. I guess what I am trying to say is that, frameworks act as the base/foundation for technology integration. All these frameworks have the student’s best interest at heart and help us to plan for New Literacies and new literacies. New literacies (nl) help to provide support for teachers and students, they help students make connections, become more engaged and overall exposed to the use of multimodal texts. As a result students are exposed to many alternative perspectives. BARB indicates that “Awareness of alternate perspectives leads students to perceive the limitations of their own perspectives, or their “myself bias.”

What kind of activities do you incorporate into your lessons in order that students are exposed to alternative perspectives that challenge their existing perspectives? How do you know these activities have worked?

Planning for New Literacies and new literacies encompasses the use of both text in print and on screen. Also, different forms of learning are implemented as students are exposed to a variety of new tools, apps, and websites. The readings are connected in that we not only learn about what we can use with regards to technology to help our students, but we learned about how they can work as it pertains to collaboration, differentiation and creating an overall balanced environment for all students. All of the readings go hand in hand to show us as teachers that the implementation of technologies can be an easy task, but too can sometimes be a daunting and a challenging one. Also, we are reminded that not all new literacies are appropriate or easily   adapted by students, and that when dealing with new literacies we must be careful, especially with the assumptions we make pertaining to students and their connections to technology, as we read in Spector’s article. Moreover, like one of the headings in Boyle’s article, Edutainment or Effective Technology Integration? How to make differentiation drive your technology-integrated instruction, we should “Teach that reaches diverse learners,” and I do think all of what we have read will help us to reach all learners as we ensure their safety and attend to their needs.

What do you consider to be the most difficult part of planning when teaching for diverse learners, and how do you work around it in order that instruction is carried out without delay or mishap?

Last, even though I knew there where many sites and apps out there to help me in the classroom I never imagined it could be this much. This too can be said for the frameworks that have been presented thus far. I have gained much information with regards to New Literacies and new literacies and it has all broaden my horizon. I will no longer see instruction like I did before, and will make it a priority to also remember that there are affordances and constraints to consider when implementing different technology. Moreover, I know technology in the classroom is here to stay but I see now once the teacher is equipped with the knowledge of how to use it, when to use it and why to use it, lessons will become more engaging and fun for all.   

Before I end I wanted to point out the “recap of Jennifer Boyle’s recommended digital tools for differentiating instruction” on the right side of the last page of her article. We know that differentiated instruction is important because everyone learns in their own special way.

What activities do you implement in your classroom to help ELL, students with learning disabilities and or struggling readers and writers? 

Week 3 "What do they look like in classrooms?"

In the first part of our text by Denise Johnson, Reading Writing and Literacy 2.0, the point was made about a “paralysis of choice” when it comes to the sheer volume of education technology. I have felt this panic! When I am addressing the needs of my students technologically or visit the numerous booths at education conferences, the number of options are endless. Plus, all of the options that there are in integrating technology seems to be innumerable. I end up overwhelmed at too many choices for students. I ask myself which program or process will

·       Will this benefit my students and make the expense worthwhile within the confines of a limited budget?

·       Will this  meet the needs of the individual student through differentiation?

·       Will this teach needed skills or have too much “fluff”?

·       Is this more of a game or will it assist the students with necessary skills?

The TPACK framework discussed in our text stated that rather than beginning with technology in mind, we should begin with our curriculum goals and content in mind followed by instructional strategies.  

What is the process you have used in the past to choose appropriate technology for your students and how will this process change in light of the information in the chapter?

A quote from our text regarding TPACK framework that stood out to me was the following:

“Simply providing teachers with access to technology does not give them the preparation they may need to integrate the Internet and electronic equipment into their instruction.”

This is so true! I am ashamed to say it, but when I first had a SMART board in my classroom, I used it more as an electronic whiteboard! It was so under-utilized! After some training, my eyes were opened to the potential of that “electronic whiteboard”!  What a tool!

Is there any technology that you have had access to in your classroom that you feel you did not have adequate preparation to use it to its fullest potential?

 The assigned article by O’Byrne, also talked about a young man (Michael) who was having to repeat his sophomore year but was an expert in a certain online game which Japanese symbols had to be interpreted. In the context of new literacies, Michael was more than accomplished on this online forum. The question I ask myself is that with the consideration of new literacies, could Michael have been motivated to meet greater success if technology (his apparent strength) was incorporated adequately in his coursework. He had the new literacy skill of persistence, flexibility and critical stance. Were new literacies addressed within his tenth grade curriculum? He surely had new literacies skills.

Could he have reached greater heights if multimodal texts were utilized, if the constraints were removed as part of the tenth grade curriculum? At the very least, do you think he would have had increased motivation for success?

When I first began this class, I thought that literacy was a  was necessary to access technology, but did not understand technology requires its own literacies. It is not just about the ability to read and write--its "functional affordances" but it encompasses its own "technological affordances". In our BABR text, affordances are tools, compared to a hammer. A hammer can be used to do multiple things. "Affordances "are these multiple things that a tool can do. An affordances is only as good as the skill of the user of the affordance. If one can only reply on Facebook and not post, their affordance is insufficient for full utilization of Facebook.
There is new knowledge that one must have about teaching literacy.  In everything from how we may communicate and collaborate differently in social contexts versus more formal writings. In our text, there was a statement referring to new literacies skills that students utilize, "The skills involve creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and comprehension."
Have your eyes been opened up regarding new literacies?