Module+12

1. What does research say about this topic? JULY 15 JM IS HERE JM: New literacies will contiune to be a part of our society. Students need to be exposed to the new technology available, as well as strategies for accessing and using this information. There is no way to teach them everything about new technology because of how quickly it changes. Therefore, we must teach our students how think and problem solve. Lisa: Technology access and use is on the rise, more classrooms have access to computers/internet access/social networkig/ect. I read somewhere else that computer programs could effectively teach children phonemic awareness without the presence of a teacher or aide! I have also read that due to rapidly increasing technology, most of the jobs today's students will be perfoming haven't come into existence yet. As teachers we must prepare them to think critically and use technology effectively. ML: Our students are surrounded by new literacies. They are ever changing, and to keep up with our students use of them, we as teachers need to continue to be informed. Students are learning about technology not invented yet. Things are changing so fast that information learned now will be outdated in three years. RV: New technology is a huge part of our society. Students are learning how to interact with them at a young age and can use them for a variety of applications. Technology allows for great advances in many areas but also makes jobs and tasks obsolete just because it can be done.

2. Evaluate your comfort zone with 5 being really comfortable with the new literacies (technologies) which are available today.

JM: I would say a 4. I use technolgy everyday in our classroom to enhance our lessons. I still hear about new things that I am unfamiliar with, but I love learning about new things and incorporating them into my classsroom. Lisa: I would say I am a 3.5. I am able to use the mimeo in my room and I enjoy enhancing lessons with website or internet activities, but I know I am not aware of a lot of the new technology that is out there. Also, I am in the minority because I don't participate in facebook or myspace and don't plan to. Not participating in the social aspects of new technology limits me. RV: I would have to say I am a 3.5. I use social networking sites for communication and really like the way it is working for me. I have an easy time learning most basic technology componets but am no means completely tech savy. ML: I am probably a 3.5 as well. I have constructed my own website, use online grade book, palm pilots, Smartboard instruction, iphone, facebook etc. I use a ton of educational websites in the classroom. Lynn: The technology that I use on a regular basis I am quite comfortable with. However, I do not have reason to use a lot of the technologies that teachers in the classroom use on a regular basis. For the purposes of my job and entertainment, I feel that I am a 4. However, if you put me in front of a smart board, that drops to a 2.5!

3. Plan ways to incorporate new literacies into your classroom curriculum. What do you need to have to incorporate them? Where are you going for expertise?

JM: After being exposed to Wikispace in this class, I saw many opportunities to use it in my classroom. This will be one of the first things I use with my class in the fall. ​I feel that having the internet and a SmartBoard in my classroom, we have access to many of the things we need for our daily lessons. Students are usally the experts in my class on any kind of new technology. RV: I would love to use a wikispace for my parents to collaborate on. It would be great to use to plan field trips or parties so I would know what everyone was responsible for. I feel very comfortable with this after using it in this class and my advanced technology class. ML: I agree that using wikispace in the classroom would be cool. I wanted to make one for the summer reading challenge that I put together for my class this summer. It would have been a neat way to share what they were reading. I may try that this year. Dr. Swanson, you are the wiki expert, right? Lisa: This year I want to try making a movie with my kids using a flip video camera. I would also like to get a type of electronic voice recorder for each student to record themselves reading. I think this would be a good way to track fluency, kind of like an electronic portfolio. Lynn: The teachers at Miami are very fortunate that all of them have a smart board and our superintendent is very interested in keeping technology in the classrooms as up to date as possible. I really enjoy going into the classrooms and seeing the different ways that they are using technology in the classroom. I think that having a supportive administration is of the utmost importance in having technology-based tools at your disposal.

4. Your questions from your group.

JM: What is an effective way to teach students how to locate accurate information on internet sites for projects or research? * MS: I ALWAYS HAD A LIST OF SITES WHICH THEY COULD GO TO IN THE CLASSROOM. THEY WERE TO ONLY GO TO THESE SITES. THAT WAY I HAD A CONTROL OF THE INFORMATION. I ALSO HAD A FILE OF PICTURES TO USE, FORMATS TO USE, ETC.

AS PART OF MY DOCTORAL THESIS, I TAUGHT A GROUP OF FIFTH GRADERS TO READ URL ADDRESSES AND THEN HAD THEM EVALUATE WHICH SITES WOULD BE BEST TO FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT ANIMALS. THE STUDENTS READILY LEARNED THE ZOOS, ORG. WERE BETTER THAN THE ~SITES.

Lisa: * I have huge concerns about introducing social networking to students. Is is safe for them? Do they really need it to learn? Is anyone concerned about those who spend more time interacting with a computer than with their family or friends? What will happen in the future if we continue to allow faceboo and myspace to dictate our social lives? I WOULD NOT USE THESE FORMS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING. I WOULD USE A BLOG OR WIKI OR A ANOTHER SOURCE OF RESTRICTED WEBBASED NETWORKING. I AM AFRAID OF THE PUBLIC AND THE TROUBLE WHICH CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE SOURCE IS OPEN TO EVERYONE.

Lisa: How do we ensue the achievement gap doesn't widen due to the fact that some students have access to the Internet at home and own many technological devices and some students don't? Lynn: You know, there are always going to be gaps between the haves and the have nots. No matter what we do, there are going to be students with lower vocabulary, fewer readiness skills, and less access to technology. We will never be able to "level the playing field". We can just strive to give the "have nots" as many skills as possible in an effort to lessen the gap.

RV: 1. How can I convince the parents to use technology for education purposes with thier kids when they never learned it for themselves? 2. What are some creative ways that your school uses technology for parents? 3. How can my district find more funding in the area of technology? I need more memory in my class computer!!!! ML: I thought we were all getting memory for our computers! ML: I always feel bad for the students that do not have access to a computer at home. I think that is why I haven't done more with wikis and other computer based activities outside of class. What are some ways I can use wikis in the classroom? I have a computer workstation (2 computers). What are some things your 4th-5th graders like to do that promote literacy? Is there a way to create email accounts for individual students so they can communicate with each other in this way? Lynn: Marlo, what if you had students who were interested in similar topics work together on wiki to prepare research on a given topic? They could use the wiki to report notes, facts, etc., and use that information to start work on a report together.