Week 3: Task #2 Minds-on "New Literacies Definition and Components"


1. Which ideas from the video reflect what the ELA teachers you interviewed are currently doing to integrate technology with their literacy instruction?
              The ELA teacher I interviewed last week integrates technology to her literacy instruction on a daily basis but not always on an individual student level. She will use the SmartBoard every day but that doesn’t really involve students exploring technology on their own. They will get to interact with the board occasionally but I don’t think that truly adds to their literacy understanding.  When they are able to get the Chromebook cart for the classroom then the students are more involved.

2. How can you help change their instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in their literacy and content-area curriculum?
              I think that this teacher could add more basic research to their curriculum to increase the use of technology. They can also use more word processing programs. Though I know she is hesitant to do that because many of the students don’t know how to operate their computers. Sadly, Kindergarten used to visit the computer lab on a weekly basis but for whatever reason they took them off the schedule.

3. What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?
              Putting the Kindergarten students back into a weekly computer lab would help the teacher make these changes. Without the lab, the teacher is left with the job of showing students how to operate the computer. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing it just leaves less time for the actual activity. The teacher could also increase technology use in the classroom if they had constant access to the Chromebooks rather than sharing them with three other classrooms.

4. What ideas do you have for grouping students so they will have equal access to technology in the classroom?
              When the classroom is able to get the Chromebook cart there is no problem with making sure each student has their own laptop. When the cart is unavailable then zero students have access to personal computers. If other teachers would agree, one classroom could take out four or five computers and then they can work in small groups. This could work occasionally but the ideal situation would be for each student to have their own computer.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2018 at 6:16 AM

    I think that students K-12 should have to take some sort of computer course. I know that their schedules are already jammed packed with classes but their understanding of technology is a crucial part of their future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ncummings17.blogspot.comSeptember 27, 2018 at 10:15 AM

    I completely agree! Many of the teachers are frustrated because a lot is falling back on them, especially in the younger grades. The older kids definitely have computer lab but I'm sure they can still use more than what they have in place.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UDL Book Builder Project

             The contents of this book were inspired by one of my students, Mia, from a couple of years ago. She was in preschool at the time and we were writing and illustrating our own books. This was something I did all of the time with the kids. All I did was take some scrap paper, fold it, and staple the spine. When I looked at her book I had realized that she described the water cycle without knowing it. It was pretty amazing!               For this project I used Mia’s idea as inspiration and modified it. Depending on a student’s reading level, this book is appropriate for first or second grade. Though, it can be read to Pre-K or Kindergarten as well. When I showed my rough draft to the ELA teachers I have been observing, they offered me some helpful tips. At first, the sentences I had created were a little too complicated and wordy. So I worked on making them more simple and u...
Read more

Week 7: Assignment #2 Second Life Reflection

Image
         Second Life is a 3D virtual environment that can be used in the classroom. I showed this program to the ELA teacher that I am working with and we spoke about some ways it could be incorporated into the classroom. First, teachers can use Second Life to “bring” students to a realistic place that they wouldn’t ordinarily have access to (like the moon or the deep ocean). Organizations like NASA and NOAA have created virtual environments that allow learners to explore those environments. Second, this program allows users to instant message other avatars. This feature can help students develop their reading and writing skills. There are also voice option that lets you speak directly into the microphone/to another person. Lastly, teachers can use Second Life to engage more students and to give them a way of being creative. A teacher can assign students a project that involves them researching a place and then recreating it in Second Life. This type of projec...
Read more