Literacy and technology in a balanced classroom By Alexandra Castillo ECE 536 Summer II 2013

Focus questions * How has the increased use of media in the classroom changed how teachers must think about literacy instruction? * What are some ways that technology can augment a writer’s workshop? * How are visual literacy and multimodal literacy defined and how they can be incorporated in the classroom? * How can the internet be used in the classroom as a potent source for informational reading and writing? * How can online communities enhance written communication and connect readers and writers across the globe?

Introduction Technology and education now go hand and hand, offering exciting possibilities for transforming how children experience literacy. Teaching young children to use technology in addition to traditional print is more important than ever so that they are prepared for further education and for the challenges of our increasingly high tech-world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ySocUyI7I

Visually representing Visual literacy Ability to read and interpret images and icons, video, photographs, charts, maps and any other form of visual representation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO_0CludIl0 Viewing Children can be encouraged to respond to video just as they do to literature, through written response, drama, discussion art and other forms of media. Visually representing Kidpix and similar software allow children to create multimedia works of art by pasting, drawing, altering and animating with easy to use tools. Photography- using a digital camera can be used by young children to enhance written pieces about what they find interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89vGuBKjGDE

Technology applications for learning literacy Writing electronically: word processing and desktop publishing provide positive support to the fundamental literacy skills of writing. Young children should spend some of their computer literacy time learning keyboarding skills and using word-processing programs. The most suitable word-processing programs, desktop publishing programs and graphic packages for increasing writing fluency are; Kid WorksII, Kidwriter Gold and MacWrite Pro. Quickwrites- students’ work is saved electronically in folders. http://www.wsd1.org/LTCActivities/KidWorks/riddles.htm Children can compose more rapidly as they construct knowledge by creating reports and stories using word-processing programs and computer graphics and creating presentations using application such as: Kidpix(Riverdeep), PowerPoint, Photo story and Sound slides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtsZMod6w20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvRWkJP5Ls

Hypermedia projects combine text, graphics, audio and video, but they also include hyperlinks in the presentation. Having children complete hypermedia projects using software such as PowerPoint, sound slides or photo story is highly engaging. Creating multimodal/hypermedia projects: Communicating in the 21st century will require students to be literate in multiple modes of communication, including the ability to read, produce and interpret text, graphics, images, sounds and video. To help students develop multimodal literacy, teachers need to assign students multimodal projects, such as digital storytelling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yi8R5l9e4

Online reading and researching: Online reading involves some reading strategies that readers need to use. 1. Having prior knowledge of website structures and internet search engines. 2. Self-regulating and directing choices about where to go and in what sequence and how long to spend among the various reading pathways. 3. Interacting with new kinds of text, including interactive charts, maps and diagrams, videos, and so forth, as part of the reading experience.

Evaluating websites: teachers must distinguish between good and poor websites and also assist their students in learning how to select appropriate ones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytO4PQbgDN4 Finding information online: A webquest is an activity designed to help students locate information on the internet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV7mrOImUUc Wiki – useful collaborative writing tool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pR5yogCmkA Blogs – It is an online, personal journal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySpKh5GJ3nY Electronic communications : e-mail messages and instant messaging, message board discussions, wikis, blogs and social networking sites. Blogs can be used for autobiographical writing, interactive journals, expressive writing, digital portfolios, multimedia presentations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOfLMOLtEDo

E- books Interactive reading: Electronic books may be instrumental in improving automatic word recognition and providing a “digital language experience approach” that reinforces fluency and the link between written and oral language. Some e-storybooks will read the entire book aloud for children, providing an individualized read-aloud with which the child or children can track along, using the mouse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmbpV3rQATQ

Enhancing instruction through technology Teachers can now use their computers to connect with their students for instruction that allows everyone to participate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88y9qCWo7wE Interactive white boards come with software that allows teachers to create, save or print any lesson idea they might wish to.

Technology and the English learner The beauty of technology is that it can be equally accessible to every learner, much to the surprise of some teachers who may believe that English learners are “too busy learning English and content material to be receptive adding bells and whistles”. A study by Meskill and Mossop (2000) shows encouraging patterns of engagement and investment in learning with the use of technology-supported instruction. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5CWbxyd0Bw

Summary Word-processing programs and multimedia tools can be used to energize writer’s workshop. The internet provides a plethora of ways to research and critically read about almost any topic children can imagine. Online communities such as blogs and wikis, can be used to connect learners to other readers and writers across the globe, both as live audiences and learning resources. Literacy skills, such as fluency and reading rate, can be enhanced through the introduction of e-books and programs that give learners autonomy over the amount of help they need. The best reason to use technology to increase literacy skills is the high level of motivation and investment that children bring to literacy tasks completed on the computer.

References Cecil, Nancy L (2011) Striking a balance: A comprehensive approach to early literacy. Fourth edition, Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers. Resources http://www.techcompanion.com/teachers.asp Kid pix – 101 activities http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/KidPix/kidpixacts.html Wiki http://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis Blogs http://edublogs.org/why-edublogs/ http://kidblog.org Technology and ELLS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T75gGBn82uQ