Technology Within the Classroom

References:

Moyer, Jessica E. (November 2011). What Does it Really Mean to “Read” a Text? Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55, 253-256.

O'Brien, D., & Scharber, C. (2008). Digital literacies go to school: Potholes and possibilities. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 66-68.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part ii: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-9.

Digital literacy. Honestly, it seems like some people who are “digital immigrants” seem to be trying to find any and every argument against using computers, blogs, and other forms of digital literacy within the classroom. I got a little frustrated when reading “Digital Literacies Go to School: Potholes and Possibilities” at the very end of the article when it mentioned how the “divide” has been used against using technology within the classroom. If students who live in rural and urban areas do not have access to computers or other means of acquiring digital literacy at home, then how on earth would it be a wise decision to not introduce them to it at all? Whether you want to believe it or not, digital literacy is around for the long haul; and those who think it using technology in a classroom environment is a disservice to students who do not have access at home to a computer, have got to be kidding themselves.

Interestingly enough, I had an experience this week with a fourth grader who has been fighting the idea of reading for as long as his parents can remember. It isn’t that he is bad at it, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to like it. But, for Christmas, his parents got him a Kindle Fire hoping to spark some more desire to read. It worked. Now, he can’t get enough of reading. I think this is an example of a digital native at its finest. He’ll choose to read on his own now without his parents having to bother him into reading only what he has to for school. I was interested that some people didn’t think of e-readers as “reading” according to Moyer. I think it is crucial that schools start keeping “up to date” with the newest types of technology, especially if they can increase students’ desires to read. With the introduction of technology, I think that teachers are only given more opportunities. New ways of presenting information are readily at your fingertips, along with ample opportunities for your students to choose for themselves what they want to learn about. I think that professional development in the areas of technology is absolutely worth the time, money and effort.

I found it intriguing that in the Prensky article part 2, it discusses that students who are digital natives have brains that are programmed to crave interactivity. Thankfully, I was a student who craved the same thing, and I have wanted to organize my own classroom in this manner for years. I want my students to have an active role within the classroom, so they can not only feel responsible for something, but also so that they can keep their brains (and bodies) moving. Who says that they can’t be learning while being actively moving? I can’t say that I think that video games are the best way for Digital natives to learn, but I don’t see a problem in using this as a tool within the classroom. I do think that students need to have a sense of awareness that there will be time to sit still and do your work, but I think it would be counterproductive to try and make middle school students sit still for 30 hours a week.

classroom pop culture & music

Its been said that music makes the world go round. Music is universal. It wasn’t until my eighth grade year that I began to understand music as poetry. And as a sophomore in high school, I studied Spanish in the form of music lyrics. We listened to a song, and tried to fill in a worksheet with the missing lyrics. So, we had to listen intently to understand what they were trying to sing, as well as try and understand what they were singing, to see if what we heard would grammatically work in the lyrics. I will unashamedly admit that it was because of the exercise that my high school Spanish teacher introduced to us that I decided to major in Spanish in college. I knew that I wanted to use music within my classroom, because I realized how “cool” it was that I understood another language’s music. Culture was mentioned in classrooms all the time, but I had been immersed into another culture, and language and I couldn’t get enough. Who knew that it was content literacy!? I went home that day and bought 2 Spanish CD’s and looked up the lyrics, so that I could sing along. And I really do believe that it greatly improved my Spanish skills. I absolutely loved the article, “Watch and Learn” that we read for class because it made me remember why I fell in love with that teaching strategy in high school. At the time, I would not have recognized it as a literacy technique, but after reading the article, I definitely see it because of the effects that it has had on India as a whole.

I was amazed at how many people used the music videos as a resource for learning how to read, or simply improving literacy skills. But, I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of making it a requirement for television shows. I do agree with the feelings represented in the article, that if it became mandatory, then people would shy away from using television as the valuable resource that it could be, and has become in India. As teachers, I think that music can become a big part of classroom instruction time and we could captivate students with what we place before them. From a literacy standpoint, I totally see the draw to using music to entice students into learning more about their reading skills. From my experience in the classroom last semester, many students hated the idea of reading a textbook, or reading for homework, but I think that if students showed up to class and I had music lyrics on their desks, they would volunteer to read those, and probably spark great conversations about the topic at hand.

Clearly, students have to have academic texts included in the curriculum because pop culture may be everywhere, but it cannot be the sole source of literacy for students. So, I think that using music, and pop culture are vital to middle school students (because connecting with them on their level is crucial if you’re going to make any sort of impact on them—be that academic or otherwise). As teachers, we can’t ignore that they are living in a pop culture world, with information and technology at their fingertips, but we also can’t ignore that they have to be introduced to academic life and literacy. So, keeping discussion open to pop culture is going to be important, as long as we are aware that literacy cannot be confined to that. The article “How Popular Culture Texts Inform and Shape Students Discussions of Social Studies Texts” was dead on in my opinion. We have to be aware of pop culture, and use that often in a classroom environment, while at the same time managing a classroom environment that is academic and our students leave with knowledge of something other than Lady Gaga, and the latest movies. It was interesting to me that students used pop culture as an additional point in debates with each other. Without a doubt though, pop culture can be a useful tool in aiding literacy and showing our students how important literacy is in the world. And it is just that, a tool for guiding literacy opportunities within a middle school classroom.

References:

Hall, Leigh A. (2011). How Popular Culture Texts Inform and Shape Students’ Discussions of Social Studies Texts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,55(4), 296-305.

Shah, R. (2010, September 19). Watch and learn: How music videos are triggering a literacy boom. The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/09/19/watch_and_learn/?page=full.

back to the basics

Reading is one of the most basic, and most important skills that we can teach our students. In many ways, I would agree with the article "Middle School Students Need More Opportunities to Read Across the Curriculum," that schools and teachers have begun to move toward teaching to the high-stakes tests, but reading and literacy is so much more valuable. If I could, I would love to allow my students an entire class period to read about what they would like to within my subject area, but to be honest, I don't think it is practical. As a middle schooler, I would hate the idea that I had to sit and read for an entire class period. I understand that these skills are necessary, but can't we instill the love of reading in another way that is not quietly reading to yourself for forty minutes at a time? And not to mention, I love to read, but I know that for studying, I learn best by writing things down and taking notes. So, is the practice/idea of quietly reading and "working the room" really the best idea? I definitely see the need for reading across the curriculum, and introducing students to new types of materials that they could use in the future, but I think that this could be accomplished without a set aside time for doing nothing but reading silently.

Within this same article was the discussion on word mapping and vocabulary building. I love the idea of concept mapping for words, especially in a science classroom (which is where I would like to be one day). Before beginning a new unit, or lesson, I like the idea of having students do a "chalk-talk" to guess what they think a word means, or what we will be studying about the topic at hand. I want my students to be open to new ideas, but also be able to ask questions if they don't understand something. And, vocabulary/ understanding terms is vital in a science classroom, so clearly, this exercise lends itself well to a science room. Just like the teacher in the article "One Teacher's Journey" came to believe, I think that all students are capable of learning, and for many students, it is a matter of finding what works for them. Her "basic" class was looking for a new opportunity to be challenged, even if they couldn't ask for that by name. I was frustrated with the author's outlook at the beginning of the article, as a teacher, how can you not help but question your methods if students aren't wanting to apply themselves in any of your "activities" or in her case, taking notes, and cookie-cutter labs. As a middle schooler, I had teachers who did this, and I can honestly say that I don't remember much from their class. And I want to be a teacher who demonstrates not only a love of my content, but a passion for learning.

The "HEART" method was a particularly interesting part of the article "The Challenge of Content Area Literacy: A Middle School Case Study" because, once again, this study hint would be perfect for a science classroom. After reading a part of the textbook, or a supplemental text, students could complete this activity and have prepared a study guide without even knowing it. I think that this would be perfect for additional readings more specifically because the students could use their previous knowledge of what we had covered in class to have a full-picture of a large unit. For example, if we were studying biomes and I found a great article about a specific plant in the rainforest, it would be a perfect time to include information like the climate of the rainforest, or how this plant would relate to its environment. Overall, the entire RCA idea seemed to be a good one. I would be interested to know how students felt about this new curriculum, and if this was fruitful for the teachers, students and administrators involved. The idea of incorporating reading into the classroom and within our content areas is exciting to me. I love reading, and I think that is partially because I had parents and teachers who passed their passion on to me. So, I'm all for any ideas which can be helpful to students--whether they are avid readers or students who see no need to pick up a book.