NEW LITERACIES
Throughout this program, I have learned a great deal about how to incorporate technology into literacy instruction in meaningful ways. I now realize how inefficiently I used technology in the classroom before starting this program, and I am grateful to now have an array of tools that I can utilize in the classroom to keep students engaged and excited about learning. Not only do these tools keep students engaged, but they also help to develop digital citizenship among students.
Navigating the digital world is an important skill that our students must master. In Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0, Denise Johnson states, "the acquisition of new literacies requires traditional as well as new reading, writing, and communicating skills" (p. 3). Students not only have to understand how to access online information, but also how to navigate the information in new media, and how this skill differs from traditional texts. These skills involve the 4Cs: creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.
The wealth of information available to students today can be overwhelming. Students today are digital natives (Johnson, p. 4), but it is important for educators to instruct students on how to find reliable text sources, as well as how to use those sources responsibly. The digital age can provide educators with access to an abundance of texts which they can utilize to keep students engaged in literacy. The following examples are a few ways this program helped me to bring quality texts to life for my students.
Navigating the digital world is an important skill that our students must master. In Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0, Denise Johnson states, "the acquisition of new literacies requires traditional as well as new reading, writing, and communicating skills" (p. 3). Students not only have to understand how to access online information, but also how to navigate the information in new media, and how this skill differs from traditional texts. These skills involve the 4Cs: creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.
The wealth of information available to students today can be overwhelming. Students today are digital natives (Johnson, p. 4), but it is important for educators to instruct students on how to find reliable text sources, as well as how to use those sources responsibly. The digital age can provide educators with access to an abundance of texts which they can utilize to keep students engaged in literacy. The following examples are a few ways this program helped me to bring quality texts to life for my students.
digital learners
In the beginning of this graduate program, I was curious about what students had to say about their experiences with technology in the classroom. What I discovered surprised me, and inspired me to find innovative ways to engage students with digital literacy.
See the graphic below for my fascinating results.
See the graphic below for my fascinating results.
Digital tools
In the New Literacies course I explored how utilizing digital tools could help students gain a deeper understanding of nonfiction text features. Through the use of Mishra and Kohler's TPACK framework (2006), we designed a unit in which students explored the topic and created a digital presentation of what they learned. They started out by viewing a Flocabulary rap video on the topic, and then explored nonfiction texts using the Epic! online library. After multiple opportunities to explore the texts and discuss the features and their purposes with peers, students designed their final presentations using Piktochart.
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PBI Project Video
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The video above explains our project and the students' feedback. This process helped to engage my students in reading high quality digital texts because they were excited about using new tools. Hutchison and Woodward (2014) state that teaching using technology applications makes learning more relevant because most readers love to read digital texts. It was time consuming to introduce the tools, but it was evident that students reaped the rewards by their demonstrated abilities to aptly explain and identify the purposes of nonfiction text features.
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You can find the full report here. |
Throughout the New Literacies course I was able to explore digital resources that could help to keep my readers engaged and excited about literacy. One tool we explored was Storybird. My first graders found this to be an exciting tool to use to publish their writing. After exploring with the tool during literacy centers, students had the opportunity to publish their stories and add illustrations to each page of the story. They loved getting to see their writing on the internet and share it with their peers!
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Here is an overview of how Storybird works. |
Hutchison, A., & Woodward, L. (2014). A planning cycle for integrating digital technology into literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 67(6), 455-464.
Johnson, Denise. (2014). Reading, writing, and literacy 2.0: Teaching with online texts, tools, and resources, K-8.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers college record, 108(6), 1017.
Johnson, Denise. (2014). Reading, writing, and literacy 2.0: Teaching with online texts, tools, and resources, K-8.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers college record, 108(6), 1017.