Assignment Blues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! I've never experienced so much stress on an assignment before. Those lesson plans were a task to complete. I'm glad it's over. Enjoy the rest of the holidays colleagues.

Re-Thinking Technology in the Classroom (3). A Video.

Hi colleagues, in keeping with my recurring theme I found this video " Responsible Use Policy- 21st. Century Literacies for 21st. Century Learners: SAU 16" on YouTube that again shows why we as educators must change our methods of teaching. The digital natives in the video of course tell us why. Enjoy!

Thank You for sharing, MEd. Reading Techies.

Colleagues, this blog is dedicated to my more techno -savvy colleagues in class who have always come to my assistance when I needed help. I won’t print their names of course ( this is on the Internet) but they know who they are. It has made me realize that with technology there is the need for support and sharing of information even among professionals, as the saying goes “No man is an island”.

Technology is constantly evolving, today’s invention could be yesterday’s news. If you are a digital native, coping with such changes would be second nature but if you are a digital immigrant like me, you must practice to keep up or get lost in the world of technology. More techno- savvy educators ought to scaffold their weaker colleagues. Why? We are all working towards a common goal which is to equip our learners with all the literacies they need to function effectively in the future.
By sharing information, we will form a community of well- informed reading educators and this would go a long way in helping struggling readers and writers. One more point to those who are not versed in the use of technology do not be afraid to ask for help. There are many out there willing to assist.
Colleagues, let’s learn from each other.

New Literacies for the Reading Specialist.

In this fast paced technological society in which we live, it is no surprise that the focus of reading specialists has now extended way beyond that of reading and writing. These skills are now referred to as traditional literacies.
New literacies also called 21st. century literacies have emerged as a result of our learners becoming more and more digitally inclined. Some of these literacies are:
· Computer literacy: the ability to use a computer.
· Digital literacy: the ability to communicate with a constantly expanding society.
· Information literacy: the ability to obtain, evaluate and judge information that is found (Lewis, 2009).
· Media literacy: the ability to obtain, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms (Sylvester and Greenidge, 2009).
· Technological literacy: the ability to use a wide range of technology in learning (Sylvester and Greenidge, 2009)

As reading educators, we cannot ignore them. We must be informed about the skills our learners need to master, in order for us to prepare them for life and work in the future. Knowing these literacies would help us to properly plan for our learners in terms of the content, teaching strategies, resources as well as the assessment procedures.
In classrooms where these skills are being developed the children are actively involved in learning via Web 2.0 tools, e-books, digital storytelling, instant messaging and so on. They are using computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras and iPods. They are being trained to think critically, analyze and create. These are the kind of learning environment we ought to strive for where our learners are concerned.
Let’s put these literacies onto our schema and make a conscious effort to include them in our planning in the future.

References
Lewis, G. (2009). Bringing technology into the classroom. Oxford:Oxford University Press.
Sylvester, R. & Greenidge, W.( 2009). Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers. The Reading Teacher, 63(4), p.284-295

Digital Stories- Transforming Struggling Writers

After an informative session about digital storytelling in class, I came across an interesting article by Sylvester and Greenidge (2009). Their article dealt with digital storytelling and its ability to help struggling writers. It immediately caught my attention as I learnt in class that the main focus of the digital story was the images rather than print. I was about to revise my thoughts on that.

Sylvester and Greenidge (2009) showed that the writing process was an integral part in the making of a digital story. Students are required to write the scripts which will serve as the voice- over narration to complement the images. In so doing, they have to pay attention to content and details, sequencing, sentence and paragraph construction and mechanics. According to the authors, these are the same areas struggling writers have problems in.

Digital stories motivates struggling writers to willingly participate in the writing process (Sylvester and Greenidge, 2009). Throughout the entire process of making the digital story they are actively engaged and so stay on task till the story is completed. Struggling writers have to write and edit their scripts; read their scripts with expression during the recording; incorporate multimedia such as digital photos, images, music and videos into the story and finally publish their work. Best of all they are creating their digital story on a topic that they are interested in.

Struggling writers through digital storytelling are given a voice, it boosts their confidence and so enables them to become better writers. I can now certainly understand why.

References
Sylvester, R. & Greenidge, W. (2009). Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers. The Reading Teacher, 63(4), p 284-295.

Websites- Legitimate or not?

The website evaluation activity was of great value to me. I must confess that previous to this I have acquired information from the Web in a very irresponsible manner (regardless of the fact that I knew that some of the information could not be trusted).
I was unsure of all the important features to look at when evaluating websites so I used the Yahoo search engine to assist me. I found this website to be quite helpful
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html
I was directed to look at:
· Accuracy: the author and contact information.
· Authority: the publisher/author’s qualifications and domain in the URL.
· Objectivity: the goals of the document are clear, accurate information, details included, limited advertisements.
· Currency: is the information current and updated as well as the links.
· Coverage: equal proportion of images and text, correct citations, links are related to the themes.
I was able to use the above information to correctly differentiate between the legitimate sites and the illegitimate ones. I am certainly going to be a more alert researcher on the Internet from now on.


Our learners today must be taught to examine and carefully judge the information on the Internet also. They are constantly required to do research and so must seek to access information that is true and from genuine sources. In order for them to do so they must be taught to be information literate ( Lewis, 2009). This has been identified as one of the new literacies which they need to function effectively in an ever increasing technological society.

Colleagues, let's pass this information on to others and our pupils for the new term. Oh by the way, I also evaluated the website which I used to assist me. It's LEGITIMATE!!!!


Reference
Lewis, G. (2009). Bringing technology into the classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

E-books- Transforming struggling readers.

E-books or electronic books are exciting, engaging and encouraging! As we discussed the characteristics and uses of e- books in our 7th. session, my immediate thought was that this is the tool for struggling readers. As a reading specialist in training I was very glad to learn about this.
In the primary system, much emphasis is placed on the use of the basal readers. Many struggling readers are forced to read them of course without much success. As a result they become disengaged and de-motivated.
The e-book has the capacity to help weak readers improve in their literacy skills due to its interactive features and infusion of multimedia effects. Struggling readers do not need much assistance when they are using e-books. They are able to navigate their way through the book via the use of visual images on the pages. They can turn the pages, play the sounds or start over the story. Due to this interactivity, struggling readers can become engaged in developing their literacy skills such as fluency, vocabulary, phonics or comprehension without being forced. They can play over words, repeat sentences how they were read or play over sections of the story to get the details.

The multimedia effects of the e-book also motivate such children to read as they listen to sounds, view images and animation. Their self confidence is also increased when they are allowed to write their own e-books. Because they came up with the story themselves they are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning.

E-books can be accessed free online on many different topics and at many different reading levels. Let’s make use of this resource and help our struggling readers to become engaged readers. So long basal readers!

Be Safe on the Internet!

The Internet has revolutionized the way we acquire information. At the touch of an icon we can have information on any topic in seconds. It is every user’s dream. The researching of a project, finding out football scores, looking up a favourite recipe and reading a book are all possible via the Internet. But as terrific as it is, the Internet can be a nightmare! There can be serious consequences if one does not pay attention to security while using it. It is a haven for criminal activity. Unsuspecting users can fall victim to bank account fraud, stolen identities, harassment or even kidnappings to name a few.


To be safe on the Internet one needs to be “web smart” it does not require any sophisticated skill just a few "golden rules" as outlined in Lewis (2009) will do. These are:

1. Do not give personal information online. This includes your name, address, telephone number and picture to name a few.
2. Protect your system with anti-virus software to guard against viruses of all types.
3. Create a firewall for your computer. This will prevent users you do not know from accessing your computer.
4. Never open e-mail attachments from unknown addresses. Again, this is to guard against viruses and online criminals.
5. Disconnect from the Internet when you are not using it. Another anti- virus practice.

6. Always back up your data on a CD or USB stick. This is important in case your computer crashes. All of your data will be saved.

So colleagues let’s remember to practice the “six golden rules” and be safe on the Internet!


Reference
Lewis, G. (2009). Bringing technology into the classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rethinking technology in the classroom (2)

If you are still harboring any doubts concerning the use of technology in the classroom, the article “ Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” by Marc Prensky is one that you must read.

In the article, Prensky gives a description of digital natives ( today’s learners) and digital immigrants ( today’s educators) and seeks to give a true picture of the teaching/ learning situation that now exists in today’s schools. The author relates the situation to the existence of a “language barrier” between educators and today’s learners. As a result the digital natives find themselves being bored in today’s classroom with many complaints from their digital immigrant educators.

Prensky’s answer to the problem is that today’s educators must acknowledge that the students of today learn differently and that they should adopt methodology and content that are pedagogically effective in teaching them “ digital native methodologies” as he so rightly coined it.

It is truly an interesting article, easy to read with a few laughs guaranteed. Enjoy!

References
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital immigrants, digital natives. On the Horizon, 9(5) p1-6. Retrieved from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Webspiration- concept mapping.

Of all the Web 2.0 tools we have explored thus far, concept mapping is the only one about which I had previous knowledge. (Permit me to clarify i.e. paper and pencil based concept mapping.) I first became aware of computer based concept mapping in our first semester. I thought my lecturer then was quite techno savvy when he presented the map to us. Now having been exposed to Webspiration I can do just what he did!

Jonassen (1996) in Plotnick (1997) stated that “ concept mapping tools belong to the rare category of computer tools that were designed specifically for learning.” (p. 3) And what great learning tools they are! I have come to realize that concept maps can be used to support learning in a variety of literacy activities. Imagine using concept maps in Vocabulary, Literature and Comprehension I had never thought of those before. Students can use such tools to take notes, review or even as a study guide for tests. Teachers can use it to assess students’ learning.

It is great to know that there are websites such as http://www.mywebspiration/ @ yahoo.com which allow Internet users to use Internet based concept mapping tools. It is like a “ one stop shop” where users can create, modify, collaborate, publish, link resources on the Internet, search websites on the Internet, and store concept maps quite easily (Plotnick, 1997) and it is all free. One of the main features of the concept mapping tool is its visual symbols. These can be easily identified and make the understanding of concepts a lot better than with words. A plus for visually and spatially inclined students.

Concept mapping is really an exciting and fun way to learn! Think about how engaged our learners can become once taught to use this tool. This is a practice we must use in the new term.


Reference
Plotnick, E. (1997). Concept mapping: a graphical system for understanding the
relationship between concepts. NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and
Technology.

Web 2.0 tools. Spread the word!

When I started this course I immediately sought the help of my more technologically savvy colleagues at work. Of course, to my surprise they have been unable to help me. Why? They are not aware of Web 2.0 tools. One of them knew about blogging but never blogged or knew how to start blogging. This prompted me to start asking other teachers ( especially at the School of Education Library) about their knowledge of Web 2.o tools, again few knew about blogs but most had never heard of wikis, podcasts, webspiration, e-books and so on.

Web 2.0 tools are such valuable resources in and out of the classroom for teachers as well as pupils, I think that every teacher should know about them. Colleagues, let's start spreading the word to others in education, let this be a secret no more! I have already started showing one of my colleagues how to blog and set up the wiki.

You too can do your own survey and let me know what the response was like.

Web 2.0 tools. Blogs and wikis.

As I slowly work towards becoming an innovative user of technology in the classroom, I must say that I was glad to learn about Web 2.0 tools notably blogs and wikis. These two tools have opened up a wide range of possibilities for teaching and learning. As Web 2.0 tools, both are highly collaborative, require very little technological expertise to use and are easily accessible and free once there is Internet. Blogs allow users to share their ideas and opinions on topics of interests whereas wikis allow users to share and edit information on webpages.


In classrooms where these tools are embraced children are no longer seen in front of a textbook or photocopied material passively retrieving information, instead pupils are involved in working on web pages, sharing ideas in groups, editing each other’s work, commenting on topics of interests, reading each other’s work and writing for different reasons. The class becomes a community of learners! Blogs and wikis also cater to the different learning styles of students ( N.B. multiple intelligences). They also motivate pupils to read and write more as graphics, audio, and connection to other websites can be used. Students develop their own voice as they are given many opportunities to publish. They become confident and independent readers and writers.


Teachers too, because of the collaborative nature of blogs and wikis move away from the boring traditional ways of teaching such as with the use of rote, drills and the lecture method. Teachers now act as facilitators guiding and monitoring students’ learning. They can use blogs and wikis to help pupils to revise their work as well as improve in their work.


As I get more involved in the technology I am realizing more and more that this is truly the way to go! Let’s embrace it colleagues!

Enjoy the Holidays with ICT

Is it a coincidence that we are doing this course during the holidays and our colleagues are also pursuing an ICT mandatory course at selected sites all over the country? It seems like a technology drive of some sort!!!!!

A step in the right direction of course!

Re-thinking technology in the classroom (1)

• Until recently, I have been pretty unconcerned, indifferent towards the use of technology in the classroom. I basically taught in the traditional way. The more recent EDRL 6004 classes have caused me to really start thinking about actually trying to infuse technology into my future teaching. Much of the literature stress that it is a necessity to use technology to enhance teaching and learning. Tileston (2004) went so far as to say that children are placed at a disadvantage in today's world if they are not exposed to the use of technology in schools. Through my own training in the use of Web 2.0 tools I have realised that technology does indeed support learning that is active, collaborative, reflective and constructive (Norton & Sprague, 2001). Furthermore I can see that pupils would be motivated, engaged and develop higher order thinking skills.
  
  
  Of course, now that I have rethought the use of technology in the classrooms and as I am undergoing training to infuse technology into my teaching I do have a few concerns:
  
  *Why are some schools still without internet access?
  *Why are computer hardware resources at the schools so few, old and slow?
  *Where are the technological experts on staff to assist teachers and pupils at the schools?
  *Why haven't we placed more emphasis on making pupils computer literate? We cannot assume that all pupils at our schools are.
  *Why are we still in the computer lab phase when research has shown that it is more productive to have the computers in the classroom?
  *Are pre-service teachers being trained to infuse technology into teaching at the training colleges?
  
  
  As a country, if we are truly serious about preparing pupils to function effectively in a fast- paced technological society then we ought to really put the resources and personnel in place so that this goal can be realised.
  
  
  References
  Norton, P. & Sprague, S. (2001). Bringing technology into the classroom. Oxford:
  Oxford University Press.
  Tileston, D.W. (2004). What every teacher should know about media and technology. California:
  Corwin Press.

Becoming a Reading Specialist

Hi, I am Bernice Jacobs. I am a mother of one and I live at Plaisance Park, Pointe-A-Pierre. I teach at the Eckel Village Anglican Primary School. At present, I am a Second Year teacher.I have been teaching for the last twenty years.

I have always been interested in the Language Arts area more specifically in the area of Reading. It is no surprise that I am now pursuing this course. I have always been concerned about children who struggle at reading. When I come across such students I really try my best to help them to become better readers. It is my belief that no child should leave the Primary School system unable to read. I would really like teachers in the Primary System to stop promoting struggling readers to the next class and to do something meaningful to help these children learn to read.

I am really glad to have been chosen to do this course.I hope to pass on what I am learning to my colleagues so that they too can hep make a difference in the life of a child.