Flattening classrooms = learning opportunities

These links are really worth it.

While reading about integrating technology into reading, I consistently came across references to Thomas Friedman and his book The World is Flat. While I’ve not had occasion to read the book myself, I found an interview in which he spoke about his book. He reiterates in the interview his claims that “… the playing field is being leveled… [there is] a global web-engaged playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration without regard to geography and distance- or soon, even language”. Surely we acknowledge that with the onset of globalization that the playing field is indeed being leveled.
He highlights the ten great levelers and it’s very interesting, but not surprising, to note that technology is among them.
To see the list of levelers, visit: http://http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html?pg=3

For the entire interview see:
http://http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html?pg=3&topic=friedman&topic_set=

Teachers should attempt to break physical walls within their classrooms and among schools in an attempt to create one learning community. One such teacher is Julie Lindsay who teamed with one Vicky Davis. They have a ‘Flat classroom Project’ which can be found at
http://http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/

Their philosophy is to share “cultural understanding, skills with Web 2.0 and other software, experience in global collaboration and online learning, awareness of what it means to live and work in a flat world, while researching and discussing the ideas developed in Friedman's book, The World is Flat”. The project is international so teachers consider applying to be a part.
Their wiki page can be viewed at
http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/ - and is one idea which I intend to emulate since I find it to be an excellent conglomeration of the use of different web 2.0 technology.
I do hope that you all have been given an incentive. Let me kow what you think.

The Reading Specialist's challenge!

My school is among the fortunate to have at least 33 computers at my school in the computer lab. This does not include the odd ten-twelve others which lie idle in other parts of the school. Yes I did say computer room (with internet access) - ours is one of the most modern structures of any primary school on the island; having been completed, outfitted and occupied early in 2005.
There are ramps for the physically disabled, a diagnostic testing room, fully outfitted library, whiteboards in classrooms, multimedia projector and e-beam. All of the physical resources are in place to ensure that the school becomes a moving one (Stoll, 1999).

Despite the apparent predisposition of today’s students toward a different approach to teaching/ learning, there are several other factors which hinder improvement in student outcome. These are:
• The resistance to change (by teachers and administrators)
• Administrative decision making without consultation
• Lack of planning and foresight
• Non- involvement of parents and other stake holders
• Lack of professional development

Unless teachers and the administrator of the school are prepared to embrace technology and to receive the relevant training, many of our schools and the students within their walls will continue to be labeled as “failing”. These are some of the challenges reading specialists must attend to at the end of our training. How do we break the barrier and encourage the use of technology and New Literacies in the teaching of Reading?

Please feel free to share your ideas.

Is digital media affecting reading behaviours?

Effective readers engage in several strategies which result in comprehension of text. Typical behaviour in print media includes:

• Activating background knowledge-
• Setting a purpose
• Visualizing – seeing images in the mind’s eye
• Summarizing
• Questioning , predicting and adjusting thinkng
• Monitoring – thinking aloud, using ‘fix up’ strategies
• Connecting – personal connections (text to self), text to text and text to world
• Determining importance – capturing big ideas
• Drawing inferences- predicting and confirming
• Evaluating- making judgments about the significance and authenticity of information
• Synthesizing-generating ideas from their knowledge

These strategies work in tandem in order for comprehension to occur. Used continuously, they become second nature. Today’s readers are so bombarded and practically overwhelmed by information that one wonders if they actually spend time engaging in the aforementioned activities when reading digital text.

The literature suggests that students activate prior knowledge, plan, predict, evaluate, monitor and repair whenever a navigational choice is made.

May I conjecture that readers in their formative years of reading may not fully develop the aforementioned skills in a world that is technologically and digitally driven if they are so immersed without specific early instruction in developing these requisite skills?

Students must be taught how print and online texts are different in order to be able to apply the strategies they know and to adapt new ones for online learning.

Reference:

Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21^st century: A Balanced Approach. (5th ed). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Using photos to tell our story- authentic and active learning

Over the past five years I’ve partnered with a teacher in one primary school in Trinidad and with one in England. All three of us were teaching at the first year infant level. We had students write to each other about themselves, compose poems and also write about our respective islands, Trinidad, Tobago and England. Our packages to the Arima school were collected in a matter of days but we waited for weeks to receive any from the School in England and our package to them also took a while in getting there. However, the teachers and I contacted each other regularly via e- mail while waiting on our respective packages. The moral? Why use the internet of course!

While pondering on how to implement some of the exciting strategies and skills in my class this upcoming term, it only just dawned on me that I can up the ante, make the project a lot more exciting and interactive for the students. Microsoft Photostory is an excellent medium for a project such as this. The tedium of waiting for a package and sending one off, then waiting for a response can surely be avoided.

Our project usually incorporates a lot of artwork and drawings to help tell the stories. Our drawings this year will definitely be replaced by photos brought together to tell a story! How is this connected to reading? Reading and writing are inextricably linked and involve the same processes-particularly at stage three- responding, deepening meaning, clarifying misunderstandings and expanding ideas.

Some ideas already coming to mind for the project are:

· All about me

· A day in the life of Ms. ( teacher’s name ) class

· Places of interest in my country

· Our national festival

· Poems

· Favourite story (re) telling

I know there are additional themes which can be used in this project. Feel free to offer if you have any suggestions. I think too that it can be used as a wonderful form of assessment. Imagine the excitement which would be generated this year for this project!

On board with E-books

Many teachers and parents bemoan the fact that young persons are reading less and less. They seem to be caught up in computer games, television, e-mailing, texting, listening to music on the mp3 and the like. One must always consider how children learn whenever there is an attempt to plan or implement programmes for them.

I was recently exposed to the i-pad and was immediately enamoured with it so I thought I just have to get me one. Excitedly, I pulled it up on the net to tell my son about it and guess what? - He already knows about it! Like I’ve mentioned before, the teens are in the know and are always one step ahead of us.

So, let’s consider this- How about using e- books and audio books in reading time? Here are some advantages:

• They often cost less than the actual text
• Some are free
• They can be used just about anywhere
• The virtual library is lightweight
• Multiple persons can read the same book simultaneously
• They can be teacher or student- made
• Books can be personalised (teacher or parent’s voice)
• They’re eco-friendly (less pages= less trees!)
• It’s a new dimension to reading!

On a final note, since new SEA graduates will be receiving laptops come September, maybe this is one of the positive uses to which teachers can ensure that they are put.

The Students are teaching us!

I’ve viewed over and over again the video clip entitled “The machine is using us”. Why? I’m not sure myself but it brings to mind the old adage of the tail wagging the dog.
I got to reading a few journal articles when I came across an interesting one about a girl who is never excited about writing activities and assignments at school. Her parents nonetheless expressed that she’s ALWAYS writing on her computer at home. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Aren’t our pupils ALWAYS reading successfully for parents at home? (but never for us at school?)

The student in the above scenario asserted “That’s online writing, not boring school writing!’ to the utter dismay of her teacher. True to form, her teacher took it personally. Something must be wrong with- you guessed it- the student! How can she and every other child who owns a computer be passionate about writing? (Blogs, texts, wikis, nings, videos- maybe?)
Which brings me to the topic of this post- aren’t the students teaching us? A reflective teacher would also learn from students along with teaching them. They are after all digital natives, we must learn their language and culture or become obsolete!

If teachers quit teaching the curriculum and look carefully at the students whom we are supposed to be teaching, we’ll realise that they want to learn through different modalities. Remember the theory of Multiple Intelligences? Nowhere is it more explicit today than in online learning activities.

References:

Wesch, M.(2007). Anthropology videoblog.(video file) Retrieved from
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g&feature=player_embedded

Witte, S. (2007). “That’s online writing, not boring school writing” Writing with blogs and the Talkback Project. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51:2, 92-96.

So text is 'hyper'- now what?

Text as we know it is read differently on the internet. Text in books is read in a linear and sequential manner while online there are special characteristics: non-linearity, multiple modalities, intertextuality and interactivity.

• Non- linearity – readers impose their own needs on the text and may read in any direction; in effect reconfiguring the physical organisation of the page.
• Multiple modalities- words, images and sound are incorporated to create meaning. Readers need to know how to interpret each mode and its contribution to the overall comprehension of the text.
• Intertextuality- related text influence each other on the net. Readers prioritize, assess and combine information being read.
• Interactivity- readers are engaged by interactive features which allow them to adapt their search, listen to video clips, play games etc.

These features require that today’s students acquire skills in:

• Navigating- searching for and locating information on the net
• Co- authoring- editing and imposing structure on texts they are reading
• Evaluating the accuracy, relevance and quality of what they are reading and
• Synthesizing information from multiple texts.

Today’s pupils are already engaged in many online activities such as playing interactive games, e-mailing and collaborating on social networks such as Facebook and U –Tube. It is therefore imperative that teachers in general and teachers of reading in particular teach their students to use the internet and other information communication technologies successfully in order to prepare for life in the 21^st century.

Reference:

Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21^st Century: A balanced Approach.

Boston: Allyn and Bacon