More about NCTE's 21st Century Literacies Framework

      Throughout the book, NCTE's 21st century literacies framework is mentioned. Since it was mentioned in more than one chapter, I figured it played a strong role in new literacies. So, I checked out the NCTE's website (www.ncte.org/governance/21stcenturyframework). The NCTE defines 21st century literacies as the evolution of curriculum, assessment and teaching practice. Today, readers should be able to: develop proficiency and fluency with tools in technology, build international cross-culture connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought and so forth. The framework centers on English language arts, the website gives a checklist with questions that pertain to each framework. For example, here are some questions that pertain to development of proficiency and fluency with tools in technology:

•  Do students use technology as a tool for communication, research, and creation of new works?
• Do students evaluate and use digital tools and resources that match the work they are doing?
• Do students find relevant and reliable sources that meet their needs?

         The NCTE also mentions that frameworks should use traditional and elements to enhance the learning experience of the 21st century student. Some of these elements include: 

• extent of students’ access to 21st century tools both in and out of school
• range and depth of information readily accessible to students
• extent to which tools can make artists, musicians, and designers of students not traditionally considered talented in those fields
• extent to which tools can make artists, musicians, and designers of students not traditionally considered talented in those fields

         Also, assessments of 21st century learning need to be flexible and meet technological needs such as:

• students’ greater proficiency with tools or formats than the teacher, which may generate outcomes not anticipated in an assessment rubric
• technology glitches beyond students’ control that negatively impact the quality of the final products
• scope of collaboration, in the classroom and globally, leading to a greater need for processes that assess progress and achievement of individuals and groups 

Find out more on the website!!

Diigo: A website that organizes your learning

       Diigo (www.diigo.com) is a website that serves as an annotation tool. What is annotation exactly? Annotation is a scaffolding skill in which students mark up the text that is being read by highlighting and underlining and making notes in margins. Annotation is especially helpful for close reading, which is a thoughtful and critical analysis of a text that focuses on understanding details and important parts of the text to create meaning. Diigo allows users to highlight, annotate, save and share information on websites and PDF documents. Students and teachers can easily return to any bookmarked page and see their highlights and comments or extract annotations to include in a different document. I like Diigo because it allows you to access tags and online sources anytime and anywhere! This website is very convenient and organizes notes and learning. To use Diigo you have to install an extension. It also comes in four plans: free business, standard and professional. The free plan includes: unlimited image storage, importing Kindle highlights and notes, unlimited PDF storage and so forth. The standard, professional and business plan are not free but have more features such as unlimited cloud bookmarks and unlimited webpage and PDF highlights. Anything free is always good, but if you use Diigo often and use it to do collaborative work choosing another plan such as the business plan ($10 a month per user) might be worth it. Diigo is one of the many websites that is changing the way we synthesize and gather information. 
      I also browsed Diigo's blog. One feature that most people are unaware about is "focused research." This feature allows you to re-use your saving preferences. Once you are in research mode, the tags, outliner and group are automatically applied to every item you annotate or save! This can save you time, especially if you are doing research on a certain topic. Checking out Diigo is worthwhile, it may change the way you work and learn!     

Constructing Blog posts: IRT lessons for young students

              I think that creating a blog post is a great lesson plan because it is very hands-on and allows the student to interact with their learning. It is also great practice that touches upon audience awareness. To begin this lesson, first have the teacher write a response to a book that most students have not read. Then, give the students sticky notes in which they will ask questions pertaining to the teacher's response. Teachers should model thinking aloud, modeling is always helpful for students of all ages. The teacher should read the questions out loud and ask the students why so many questions were asked. It is important to make the point that writing for a particular audience requires writers to think about the information the audience might need or want and to include it in the response. I think that the next phase of this lesson is more beneficial and valuable.
               In the next phase, have the teacher and students should put the questions into categories based on the type of information that it asks about (i.e background information of the book, information about the author, etc.). This requires collaborative work and allows students to evaluate their decisions. Next, the information should be analyzed. This is important because it allows students to understand the significance of the information and also understand why making a response to a universal audience is important. In this phase, students are constantly checking their understanding and interacting with knowledge! After this the teacher can also have students work in small groups. This should help them think of additional information that would contribute to a worldwide audience. In the end, students should be able to come up with their own personal responses. I like this approach because it scaffolds learning independence and involves social collaboration. It is important to have students consider the audience and have them assume that the audience has no prior knowledge of a subject, this results in more detailed and thorough writing.

Where The Wild Things Are Book Review

             Where the Wild Things are is a famous children's book written by Maurice Sendak. The book got made into a movie in October 2009. I chose this book because it does not have a typical message that children's books touch upon. One message of the book is to embrace your imagination while you are young, your imagination can take you to many places. Also, don't judge people by their looks. At first the main character, Max, thought that the wild things were terrible. Max ends up leaving them because he was lonely, the wild things liked him and even made him king of their land. Where the Wild Things are is a one-of-a-kind book and should be read to all young children.   

Chapter 5 Sites and Selection Criteria for Ebooks

              Online ebooks fall into two categories, online read-alouds and interactive storybooks. The book mentions a website called storylineonline.net. Famous actors read children's books out loud. I think this is a great way to engage a student's attention, regardless of whether they know the actor or not. The website is very easy to use, you can listen to stories that have been added recently or earlier. The books on the website are also in alphabetical order. Once you choose the book you want, the page will ask you if you want to view the video with YouTube or Schooltube. From there on, all you have to do is play the video. I especially enjoy this website because some of the actors get really into the reading. Background music also follows the reading. Each video comes with an activity guide for teachers. The guide lists the themes of the book and provides a lesson. It states what a teacher should do before, during and after the video. It also has lessons that touch upon various subjects such as art and social studies. Worksheets/fill-in charts are provided as well. This site is a good resource for teachers. A short summary of the book is provided as well. I think that this website would be helpful, especially in March during reading month.
            Storylineonline.net is easy to navigate and use, it is quite straightforward. I also like how the description of the book tells how long the reading is. Teachers can plan accordingly and choose the duration of the book based on the age group of the children (I don't think that teachers shouldn't choose a reading that is more than 10 minutes for younger children). I think that the website allows a students to form a love for reading. The site is simple to use and students can learn to navigate it easily. The video can be paused, stopped or replayed. This is helpful, especially if students are short on time or if they have a question about the book.

Chapter 4 Vocabulary and Fluency

               An IRT lesson for younger students that involves a read-aloud is provided! I like read-alouds because books that are chosen for this type of reading are developmentally appropriate but are written above the student's reading level. Students are also actively involved in this reading experience. The first step in this lesson is for the teacher to decide what kind of book will be read, highlight vocabulary words, model word learning strategies and decide what video to use to enrich the vocabulary from the read aloud. Videos will be used to support vocabulary instruction. I think this method is helpful and brings word-learning to life. I think this is also beneficial to ELL students. Visuals can be a great way to teach ELL students of words and concepts, it allows them to make connections to what they already know. It is important for the teacher to choose books that are frequently used in the text, these words are probably the most important to the book.
                 Like in every lesson, it is important to activate prior knowledge! This jogs the student's mind and gets them going. 🏃 Explicit instruction is also helpful for younger kids, direct instruction is always best! For instance, when the teacher comes upon an important vocabulary word in the book; he or she should directly state its definition. Making connections when reading is always good and again, activates prior knowledge and creates new knowledge as well. I think that a K-W-L chart would be helpful when teaching a new topic. It allows a student to make connections to what they learned and increase their knowledge.
              Reiterating the importance for students and explain why being able to integrate information from many sources allows students to make connections and synthesize learned information. Using a video as an aid to a book increases a student's multi-tasking skills and allows them to feel comfortable with using more than one source to obtain and learn information. I think that using videos can be helpful in the classroom, but like anything, should be used in moderation and should not be the only source of information. 😄

Chapter 6 Using E-tools to Scaffold comprehension of E-Literature

              Most of the lesson plans, specifically the IRT lesson plans in this book, follow a systematic structure. These IRT lesson plans consist of three phases, the teacher modeling phase, teacher and student demonstrations phase and the independent practice phrase. Lesson plans for younger and older students is provided for comprehension strategies for reading digital texts. In the beginning stages of both lesson plans, modeling is a key step. Modeling allows students to see how they will go about to finish the task. Thinking aloud is also used in the lesson plan for younger students. This strategy is based on listening skills, I think thinking aloud is effective especially with younger children. In the lesson plan geared towards younger children, it mentions to make connections with traditional text and digital text. I like this approach because it makes connections with prior knowledge on print books and compares them to digital text. One difference between digital and traditional print is that digital text has access to search for specific words. In the lesson plan for younger children, children partner up and in the second phase. They have to think aloud with a partner and determine how the illustrations in the e-story extend their understanding of the story. In the last phase, students try to engage in a online storybook independently. I like this approach because it scaffolds a child's learning. The approach gradually leads to independent work. First, the work is modeled, then students work with others and at the end they work by themselves. This approach is similar for older students. 
          Follow-up activities are not necessary, but I think that they serve as an evaluation. Follow-up activities allows the teachers to see if students understood the lesson. Minilessons are great ways to follow-up on student learning. A minilesson could focus on navigation skills. An example of a navigation skill could be selecting search strategies that best accomplish a particular task. This saves time for the student and improves productivity. I think that follow-up activities are beneficial to students because it further commits what they've learned to long-term memory.   
                   

The Good and Bad of VoiceThread

               Digital storytelling puts a twist on traditional storytelling in the classroom. A classic storytelling activity that is used in elementary schools (primarily used in the lower grades) is show and tell. A teacher may have students bring in an object about themselves and their life outside of school. This activity gives students a chance to get to know their peers better and verbally talk about themselves. Digital storytelling has the same purpose, instead students "speak" through a virtual platform. A program called VoiceThread is great tool when it comes to digital storytelling. I enjoy it because it allows students to explore their creative side. Using VoiceThread as an alternative for the traditional "show and tell" activity is unique, but involves strategic planning on the teacher's part. Creating a lesson plan on digital storytelling with the help of VoiceThread involves three stages. In the first stage the teacher focuses on planning the lesson. Teachers will first decide how photos will be collected, create their own VoiceThread as an example and decide what strategies students need to navigate the website. What I like about VoiceThread is that photos can collected in various ways. For example, digital photos can be sent through email, CD or flash drive and so forth. Even if a student does not have access to pictures at home, the teacher can take a picture of him or her in class or the student can even draw pictures for VoiceThread. A student does not need to have access to certain resources to use the program, anyone can use VoiceThread!

               The second stage involves modeling the lesson plan. This is the most crucial stage. When the teacher is moving the cursor over icons on the page, thinking out loud allows students to understand the teacher's thought process. Metacognition is applied and used. The downside of VoiceThread is that not all icons are labeled. For instance, VoiceThread does not provide directions on how to record or type messages. The teacher should let students know that hovering the cursor over certain icons will give them different options and actions. Since each icon is not labeled with words, this may cause confusion among young students. Using VoiceThread involves trial and error, this can either motivate students to find a way to complete their tasks or frustrate them.  

              The last stage is on independent practice. Once the teacher has explained how to use the site, students can work collaboratively and add captions and audio recordings to their pictures.  Collaboration may occur in a day or more. Working together will allow students to think critically about the project. After the project is complete, teachers should evaluate the lesson and make necessary changes. Assuming that the class did not like VoiceThread, the teacher may consider using a different digital program in the future. Other digital storytelling programs include Photo Story, iPhoto and Animoto. Lastly, VoiceThread allows parents to comment and join in on student projects. This is a great feature, since it allows families to participate in their child's education! VoiceThread builds a sense of learning community between students, teacher and families.  

Intergrating Reciprocal Teaching into New Literacies

I believe that reciprocal teaching is one of the most powerful types of teaching strategies. Reciprocal teaching creates a dialogue between the teacher and student and incorporates four strategies: questioning, summarizing, predicting and clarifying. During the beginning stage of reciprocal teaching, the teacher models strategies that help the student complete their work. The teacher serves as a guide and reinforces the importance of strategies and explains its importance in facilitating reading. Gradually, over time the teacher loosens his or her reigns and lets the students take over the strategy without their help. This teaching method is effective because it builds a student's learning confidence and allows them to understand what they've learned on a deeper level. Some students may find reciprocal teaching enjoyable since they get to become the teachers for a change. This strategy can leave students with a feeling of autonomy. 

Internet reciprocal teaching or IRT is quite similar to standard reciprocal teaching. IRT has the same method, it starts off easy and gradually becomes harder. However, unlike reciprocal teaching, IRT incorporates different strategies. These strategies include: questioning, locating, evaluating, synthesizing and communicating. IRT consists of three phases. As the phases progress, the amount of responsibility for students increases. Phase 1 focuses on the technology tools, in this phase teachers model strategies and are in control. In phase 2, students and teachers work together to conduct demonstrations and minilessons. Depth gets added to instruction, it may move from search skills to evaluation skills. Finally in phase 3, students work either independently or in small groups and use skills and strategies that were previously learned. I believe that IRT will contribute to the growth of a student's learning independence. It is systematic and involves the use and application of schema, which is why it is effective. Lastly, IRT will allow students to communicate with others in a different and modern way.

↬ Reciprocal teaching will continue to thrive in the classroom and IRT will become more widely used. Both teaching methods will stick around for a very long time!  ↫

Reading books vs. Internet Reading

Hello Internet! In the digital age, the internet and its widespread resources are impacting people all over the world. Information is easily accessed and questions that people have can be easily answered. How tall is Mount Everest? Why do flamingos stand on one leg? Why are puppies cute? The internet can be used as a source to investigate, no matter how silly the question is. The internet is taking the front stage and being integrated in places like the classroom. In America, there is debate as to whether reading traditional books or digital text is more effective when it comes to learning. More than half of experts, 65%, conclude that "by 2020 it will be clear that the Internet has enhanced and improved reading, writing and the rendering of knowledge" (Anderson & Rainie, 2010, p.3). Since digital text has many features such as hyperlinks and videos, navigating digital texts requires the use of various comprehension strategies. For example, a student must understand that listening to an audio will influence their comprehension. Students generally view digital text as a more enjoyable and fun activity than reading books. Despite this, I think that reading books in print is a more effective way of learning. Reading physical books and interacting with text through print is what students are taught at a young age. I think that traditional print allows students to better memorize text and encode information. Also, when technology fails digital text may not always be readily available. I think that print is more reliable.