Coiro
This article gave great insight in how to incorporate new literacies in to the classroom. It gave specify guidelines to help students so they will be successful using multimodal technology. The use of technology, in the classroom, helps students broaden their views and makes learning more dimensional.
Kamil
This chapter gives specific ways to improve adolescent literacy through technology and computer instruction, social factors, and the role of computerized instruction. Computer practice gives students the opportunities to learn literacy and collaborate with peers. With computers, students have immediate access to other sources. This makes there learning deeper. Encouraging computer usage with adolescents will enhance their learning experience.
Hincham and Sheridan-Thomas
Ch. 4
Ch. 4 discuss discourse and how developing them helps students identify themselves. Discourses are important for students to understand. One must know their discourse. With the populations quickly changing, teachers must understand connections between diversity, identity, and literacies while teaching students about their connections. When students know about their own and other peoples dicourse, they develop a deeper understanding. Discourse help teachers and students bridge the gaps between each other.
CH. 16
Using multimodal approaches help students understand literacy in a more complex manner. The chapter explains how a teacher incorporated different types of text to help students grasp a deeper understanding of an historical event. Multimodal text extends to visual, auditory, gestural, and kinesthetic. When these different approaches are used students make different meanings and interpretations of materials. Using only print text can be one sided, but including multimodal activities helps students really feel and see the ideas.
Text to Text
All the the readings mentioned in some what the definition of technology is being redefined. Each article gave solid answers to why technology is no longer a thing of the future. Children who are in school now haven't even known a life with out computers. The readings all mentioned how using technology deepens a students understanding of the material. Unlike a textbook which is 1 dimensional compared the the internet.
Text to World
Teachers need to be teaching and using technology everyday. By not adapting instruction to support the demands of multiliteracies, we are doing students a disservice. No matter what occupation or course in life a student takes post graduation, they will encounter technology and need to be able to manipulate it.
Text to Self
I have done quite a bit of research on new literacies in the past couple years. None of this information was surprising. I agree with all of it. We can either embrace the demand of teaching effectively with technology or risk losing students engagement. Technology isn't going anywhere, rather it is constantly improving and changing minute to minute. Therefore we as teachers must continue to educate ourselves to know what is happening in the field of technology.
Questions:
What types of technology do you students come to school having mastery in? Do you try to include the use of that technology in your class?
Do you think it's still important to include a well balanced approach to teaching, by this I mean tradition approach along with technology integration? or do you think since our world is rapidly becoming a technology centered world, as a teacher you should try to include as many types of technology?
Hello Kaitlin!
ReplyDeleteThe main technology my students come to school knowing how to use is their cell phones. Smart phones can do so much these days and they are very comfortable with texting, apps, and taking photos. I however do not like to use cell phones in the classroom for obvious reasons...especially in the middle school years it is hard to differentiate between entertainment and learning for cell phone technology.
Some of my students have access to computers, but some do not. Basic typing skills are somewhat lacking, even if they do know how to use internet they have trouble with credibility and usefulness issues when it comes to using them for school-based tasks.
I think that there should be a balance, especially since I teach writing I think that there is a lot to be said about physically writing things out at least part of the time.
I never thought about cell phones! I think you could do a lot with cell phones but again, I agree it definitely depends on the group and age. Kids could get easily off track. Even I can when I'm on my cell phone! I agree the balance is good! I'm kind of old school. I like technology, but also think writing does wonders!
ReplyDeleteI am going to speak from my student teaching perspective. :) Not a lot of my kids had much access to technology, but all of my first graders could use a computer in the Comp Lab no problem. Even if these kiddos don't have computer access at home, they used computers in kindergarten and also many of them use their parents cell phones (mini computer). We used computers in the computer lab for reading and math games and assessments.
ReplyDeleteI think it needs to be well-balanced. Too much screen access in not a good thing. Students still need to know how to write with just a paper and pencil. There has to be some of both. :)