Literacy in the 21 st Century It’s not just about reading and writing anymore. Cool Tools Presentation DASD August 22, 2008

“If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow. ” -John Dewey

“The nature of information has changed---as a result, our definition of literacy must change.” --David Warlick

National Educational Technology Standards for Students 1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. 2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

National Educational Technology Standards for Students 3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

National Educational Technology Standards for Students 5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. 6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

What can we use to integrate digital literacy into the classroom? Blogs Wikis

Blogs Blogs in Plain English A blog or a weblog is a simple website where you can post your thoughts, publish writing, and interact with people. A blog contains a series of dated entries with most recent entries appearing first. This allows students to read, write, reflect on learning and communicate beyond the walls of the classroom. Blogs can include text, photographs, audio, and video.

Uses for blogging in Education Teacher Communication – blogs allow teachers to communicate with students, parents, administrators, and other teachers. Dialogue Generation – By blogging teachers have the opportunity to post questions and engage students in reading and writing. Blogging allows reading and writing to be incorporated into any content area. Teacher Collaboration and Learning– With the use of blogging teachers can share teaching philosophies and methodologies with other teachers.

What blogging does for students… Encourages students to find a voice Creates enthusiasm for writing and communications Engages students in reading, conversation, and learning Provides an online portfolio of learning Provides opportunity for editing and improvement in reading and writing skills Provides an authentic purpose for reading and writing Provides an important area for students to explore, analyze, and synthesize information in the content areas Provides a wider audience

Sites that can be used… 21Classes Blogger Classblogmeister created by David WarlickClassblogmeister Edublogs Easyjournal Gaggle free and blog hostingGaggle LearnerBlogs Tribe.net Wordpress.com Think.com (We have subscription for our district.)Think.com

Educational Blogging Resources Support Blogging

Think.com Each school in the District has an administrator. –High School - Mark Nicholson –Middle School – Dawna Vanderpool –Wasson – Beth Saxman

Wikis A wiki is a website where users can add, remove, and edit every page using a web browser. Different wiki services offer different features. Most include the ability to compare previous versions of a page, discuss issues prior to making changes and track who edited what and when.

Wikis for literacy Create Simple Websites – Wikis make it very easy to create websites. Group Writing – the group takes responsibility for creating their own content collaboratively and learning from each other. Peer editing -- each contributor is able to both author and edit collaboratively. As a constructivist learning activity, wikis allow students to be responsible for their own learning experience in an online collaborative environment.

Wikis ideas across the curriculum.. Study guides made by student groups for themselves and peers Vocabulary lists and examples of the words in use, contributed by students Products of research projects, collaborative group projects An FAQ wiki on your current unit topic. Have students post KWL entries

Wiki Tools Helping Students Education 501(c)(3)Helping Students Education 501(c)(3) Wetpaint JotSpot Atlassian Confluence MediaWiki SocialText JotBox Wiki appliance for large enterprisesJotBox EditMe Trac Project tracking wikiTrac Wikispaces aimed at social groupsWikispaces PBwiki SeedWiki Schtuff Instiki Wetpaint LauLima

Wikis in education… –Michele Haiken’s class, an elective for 7th and 8th graders on the history of rock and roll. The Flat Classroom Project Mrs. Maine’s Class Wiki

Resources tmhttp:// tm fingertipshttp:// fingertips 4http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/ /07/07/what-is-a-wiki.htmlhttp:// 006/07/07/what-is-a-wiki.html