Response to Melanie’s and Carrie’s Reflection

I’m not sure if it is because many of us are going through the same things right now as seniors, or because we grew up in the same time era, but it appears we all have a lot in common. We all seem to have gone through the same process as we developed our New Literacies Project. From the start the three of us discovered quickly that we did not have much technology background, and we would need to explore before attempting to do this project. Once the exploration had taken place we all embarked on different technologies, yet they all resulted in similar projects.

Each project allowed us to show the new information that we have learned in a creative, almost artistic way. What I think we all appreciated about this project was that it helped with two vital teaching aspects: literacy and technology. We had little information on both features and through this project we were forced to learn them. And as hesitant as we all were (and we all were) I think we all benefited from the project. From reading both of your blogs I see that once again we were in the same boat, when I say that literacy was the same to us. Literacy was reading and writing and although that seems like a vague definition I never gave it much more than that. Through this I learned that there are different literacies and different aspects to each of these. I was amazed.

On an ending note it seems that we all look at this project in a positive light and we all see how this will one day benefit our classroom. Yes, I did a digital story, but looking at Melanie’s and Carrie’s entries I was like, dang these are really cool. I secretly got excited when I read Carrie’s website because I kept thinking of all these ideas that I would want on my website to have. I can’t think of a better way to keep my student’s family in the loop and up to date on what is going on with my classroom. After reading Melanie’s blog I also kept thinking of the benefits of keeping a blog. I could keep a blog between students, faculty, or even parents. There are just so many things that could stem from setting up a blog in the beginning of the year.

As frustrating as it all seemed in the beginning, it definitely was well worth it.

Technology Response to Carrie and Olivia

After reading both Carrie's and Olivia's responses, I realized that I had many similar feelings while creating the project. For me, technology is definitely not my strong point and when I have to do anything on the computer (besides a power point), I become anxious and frustrated. I can definitely relate to Olivia, when she said she became frustrated at first, while trying to upload the pictures. I can't even count the number of times I've tried to do something online or other than typing a paper, where I just couldn't figure it out. That goes the same for blogs. When I was first introduced to blogs, I was so aggravated and then I couldn't remember my password or how to post something... But like Olivia, after much practice and playing around with the materials, I finally understood it. Just like I'm learning in my classes, I feel that hands-on activities (and through mistakes) is the best way to learn. After using the blogs myself, and through several unsuccessful attempts, I eventually became used to the technology. This definitely ties into our literacy project, because I'm becoming more literate with technology.

Reading Olivia's response made me smile in many places, just because I felt many of those same things. For instance, she said, "In a way the final product was frustrating to watch because it ran so smoothly that it seemed effortless," and "Through this project I was allowed to get out the information I would have written, but through a creative way." For me, I look at many webpages and sites and think, "Oh, well that doesn't look hard to do," yet if you're unfamiliar with how to do, it can be very dificult. I sometimes feel people forget how difficult a task really can be for people, and they may take it for granted. I also agree that this was a nice way to not write another 11 page paper. A project like this is a way for each student to explore their own interests and became familiar with something in order to express their work in their own creative way. I know that not all people like to be creative, but allowing students to do something like this, it lets us to see a little bit about who that person is.

Like Carrie, I also found my writing to be more informal when I used a blog. I feel that blogs are more casual and friendly for readers, rather than just having a long paper. Pictures can also make it more pleasing and inviting for readers to read about the blog. I also agree that "blogs can be anchors for many technology related experiences." Through this project, it has opened my eyes to new ideas and ways to present topics to my future students. I noticed that Carrie and I had the similar feelings about blogs being used in the classroom -that it allows enough time for students to response to other's, which could then lead to more meaningful discussions. Although there is still a lot of technology I should become familiar with, I feel that blogs are just such an easy way to continue building a classroom community and enriching discussions. I realize some students may not do the work, but I think at least introducing the idea to blogs in the classroom may reach the interests of more students.

Response to New Literacies Project

When reflecting on my own learning, I noticed one dramatic change that I had while using the new technology I chose (blogs). I am typically a formal writer: careful not to use pronouns, using the thesaurus to look up words, making sure to not say “said” too many times, etc. However, when writing on my blog for the project, my writing became much more informal and expressive. In addition, I enjoyed that the blog project showed growth in my learning and was a continuum of my thoughts. Instead of having to have everything together at once, I could look at small pieces of information and move between topics. It was refreshing and more enjoyable to have the freedom with this technology as I felt that I was less inhibited and more eager to share my ideas because I knew they didn’t have to be perfect or I could change my mind.

While creating my blog, I noticed that (as I mentioned in my reflection on Melanie’s blog) that blogs can be anchors for many technology related experiences. It would be interesting to have a classroom blog and be able to access classroom projects from the blog. Furthermore, I found the blog easy to navigate; I was able to include a video bar and “link” list to enhance my blogs. As a teacher, I might use this resource to link the blog to student work or sites that students may use for projects or personal exploration.

After reviewing the GLCEs for fourth grade (my current placement), it is clear that many of the goals correlate with the learning done through technology. For example, I feel that using technology to read and write would enhance student attitudes of both. Students could use digital story telling to share a story; this would be much different than writing a story on paper and would allow students to develop skills with technology as well as writing. In addition, using a blog would encourage student’s growth in terms of discourse in both speaking and listening/viewing. Students have to read their peers responses in order to provide an appropriate and connected response. Furthermore, students have time to formulate their ideas and responses; which may lead to more authentic and meaningful discussions.

Overall, I thought this project allowed me to explore technology in a new way. I am excited to browse through my peer’s projects and learn from their experiences. I feel like I am more prepared to use blogs in classroom and am excited to make it a reality in the future.

Literacy Reflection

When I first started this project, as well as this class, I didn't know a whole lot about the different types of literacies. I always understood it as just reading and writing, but I have been introduced to a whole new language of literacy. Not only is it reading and writing, but it's also speaking, communicating and comprehension. To add to that, there are so many different types of literacy, like social literacy, environmental literacy, cultural literacy...etc. I didn't realize those could all fall under the category of literacy.

To start my literacy project, I needed to become aware of what social literacy was and how I felt about it, as well as figure out what type of technology I was going to use. Although I have had some experience with blogs, I've never really formatted my blog page to fit the needs of information I wanted to present. I spent a lot of time just playing around with the blog and rearranging things to go in new places, so that it would be more aesthetically pleasing for the reading. The more I practiced and played with the blog, the more knowledgeable I became aware of what I could add to it. I found that's the same with any type of literacy -by practicing and becoming more aware of it, you naturally become more confident and knowledgeable about that type of literacy. I'm obviously no expert on blogs, but I'm definitely more knowledgeable about the different types of technology out there that I can use at my convenience. Not only did I learn more about technology literacy, I learned a lot more about social literacy, too.

I now have a much more opened mind about what literacy is and how I can incorporate it into my classroom, especially after doing this project. I will now include technology literacy as a valuable literacy to teach my future students. Creating the blog helped me to also better understand social literacy, and how technology can be used in several ways to incorporate several aspects of literacy. The blog let me see that it's a great way to not only introduce technology, but also social literacy because the students will be able to make new social networks by responding to each other's blogs. It can bring up important issues and topics for discussion through the blogs, which can also talk about cultural and environmental literacy (as well as others). I feel by tying in several concepts and aspects, it's easier for the students to make connections between the things.

This also ties into diverse learners benefiting from the technology I used (a blog). This is because when children are in a classroom, sometimes students may feel overwhelmed, anxious, or unprepared when having discussions about topics in the class. I know that I have definitely felt all three of those things before, as well as sometimes feeling like I would share the "wrong" answer -especially when I didn't know what others would say. For students like this, the blogs are a great way to build classroom communities and discussions. By responding to the blogs, the students can feel more at ease in their natural setting to give response about their opinions. It can also help prepare them to talk about the topic for the next day, as well as see other classmates opinions and thoughts. That can help them to build their confidence to participate in a large group discussion. This type of social literacy and technology can help several different learners. I'm in a 1st-3rd grade classroom, but I probably wouldn't use blogs for that age group. I would probably wait until fourth or the higher grades (like middle), so that they can really think critically about their responses and reflections. This also helps them to gain responsibility, as well as becoming respectful of other's views.

According to the GLCEs, third graders are to respond to other texts by reflecting, making connections, taking a position, and/or showing understanding for the speaking portion. Using the blogs can definitely help them improve in not only this area, but across all the areas. That's because using the blogs helps the students think critically about the other classmates thoughts and posts. It then helps them thinking about their own writing, and helps them improve typing skills and their thought processes. It can also encourage students to read more, type more, and get more practice with technology. And as mentioned earlier, the more practice one gets in something, the more knowledgeable and comfortable they become in that area.

Reflection to New Literacies

In my new literacies project I definitely realized I was technology immigrant. I started this project designing a website but, boy did I have a difficult time with uploading pictures and connecting separate websites to my own. I became extremely frustrated and I’m sad to say I decided to take a different route to my New Literacies Project. I came about a digital story last semester in our TE401. If you can remember Alison gave us a quick overview of all that you can do on Windows Movie Maker. Now, at that time I thought the idea was very cool, yet I did not have the time to explore the idea of all that it could do…until now. After several hours of just playing around to get the feel for it I attempted to put my depiction of Emotional Literacy into a digital story.

What I like about this technology is that it allowed me to be creative without being exhaustedly frustrated. One of my favorite things to read are inspirational quotes. I know that that’s really cheesey , but ever since 6^th grade I have loved them. I thought through this literacy and through this technology I could accomplish both while learning a lot on the way. Although there were many frustrating points, by the end of the project I became quite familiar with this technology. I can see how this technique could be used in various ways for years to come within my classroom.

The most challenging part for me was just learning the ins and the outs. I really found it beneficial to just explore the technology before actually putting literacy into it. By doing this it allowed me to see some of the special gadgets Movie Maker had to offer. Once the project elements were all uploaded the difficulty then became editing and matching up the times. In a way the final product was frustrating to watch because it ran so smoothly that it seemed effortless. However looking back I wish I could have talked a little slower and paused more with the pictures to give a reader a chance to both read and hear each slide appropriately.

By doing a technology project we were asked to step out of the box from the everyday paper norm. And at first I must admit I was extremely frustrated, but the project became to grow on me. I began to appreciate the purpose of the assignment and became thankful I wasn’t writing another 11 page paper. Through this project I was allowed to get out the information I would have written, but through a creative way. I was able to bring in pictures and quotes, both things that I love and are what helps make me, me.

I would definitely suggest exploring first. I would also make sure I set up the outlined story and pictures. A lot of my information and pictures came from the web, and my second grade students are not prepared to go on the web unsupervised. I might also show them the steps that I went through to get my final product. After my example, I may help them with the start off, the first 1 or 2 pages. Now that I think about it I think this project would work best if the children were to work in smaller groups. I see this as being very stressful and unmanageable if all the students were to attempt this project at once. However, I do imagine the students really enjoying setting up a story to share with their peers and their parents. I think with a lot of time and patience this would be a huge success in the language arts department.

My own Reading Processes

After reading the second chapter in Tomkins, it really made me think about a lot of things. First off, I liked how it was split up into five different stages and I thought each stage had some valuable points that I would like to use in my classroom one day. I definitely agree that when students, or people in general, can relate something back to their own prior experiences or they make predictions about something, they are much more engaged and attentive in what they are learning. Many times in school when I was younger, I don't remember predicting what would happen in a story or relating things to my own life. Yet now when I read, I make some many conections, and the more meaningful connections are when I can relate it to my own life. And I'm not just talking about literacy, I think it's beneficial to be making these connections through all subject areas.

Another thing that struck out to me in the reading was that many schools no longer do a "Round Robin" approach. I've heard that term before, but I heard it being used as more of a discussion technique than a reading technique. Anyways, how Tompkins explained it was that it's basically students reading the book by paragraph. I still see that type of reading done in several schools, and I remember doing that type of reading all the time; I absolutely hated that. I never liked to read out loud because I was always worried about messing up a word or stuttering. The whole time I would be concerned about reading, rather than focusing on the content. I can imagine that several others have felt and still do feel the way I had felt. I think Tompkins had a good idea about having individual reading, as well as pairing up with a buddy to feel more comfortable. I also think that individual is so important to have; it helps children read at their own pace (which is what I always liked) and they can go back and look over a section they may have not understood. After reading this chapter, it really helped me to reflect about my own learning about reading and what techniques I can use in my classroom one day.

Literacy in the 21st Century; chapter 2

When reading Chapter 2 in “Literacy of the 21^st Century” it talks a lot about the stages and process one goes through when reading and writing. The five stages include pre-reading, reading, responding, exploring and applying.

When a student is in the pre- reading stage they are looking at the words and trying to draw connections to the text with out actually reading it. When a student is in the second stage, reading, he/she is not only reading for comprehension but starting to make connections; like we did in class last Wednesday. In the responding stage the student reacts to the reading by either talking about it in a discussion or writing a reflection about the text. The Exploration stage is the connecting stage. Here the students are drawing their own conclusions and rereading the material for a further look. The last stage, application, the students apply the new knowledge for the text. This may include writing a report, doing an art project, any culminating activity that reflects what he/she has just read.

I feel like I am in a definite advantage when reading this chapter, because of my placements. On Tuesday I am a part of a second grade classroom where I can see all of these levels. There are students who struggle with each word and there are also students who can read a chapter book with comprehension. Right now it is exciting for me to see all of these levels; however, I would feel very apprehensive if it was my own class. Since there are so many levels I know it is a constant struggle to meet the needs of all of the students, but I believe Mrs. Walker is doing a great job with the task at hand. Some literacy groups seem to work the best when trying to meet all the goals she has for her students.

Thinking about Comprehension

I agree with a lot of the points brought up in the Tompkins chapter. For example, on page 236 she highlights factors that affect student motivation; she lists factors that are student driven as well as teacher driven. In my experience, I think that teachers play an important role in modeling positive reading behavior through their lessons as well as behavior. For example, if the children are having a quiet reading time, I think the teacher should be having one too, as it would show to students that the teacher values reading as well (and also that she is not “above them” and engages in the same activities that they do). A student driven factor that I have personal experience with is choice; I loved being able to pick the book I wanted to do my report or project on. Teachers can scaffold this by only providing books that they feel are appropriate, but students are still allowed a fair amount of choice.

Tompkins also discusses comprehension strategies on page 229. I enjoy reading a lot when I have free time and I use many of these strategies when reading for pleasure. For example, I typically make predictions about the book I am reading, connect it to other things I have read, and will sometimes create pictures or visuals while I am reading. On the other hand, when reading for informational purposes I typically have a lower comprehension level (unless I am looking something up on my own accord). Typically this is because the text I am reading are not things I can connect to my own experiences or the content and vocabulary is out of my reach. However, my experiences with these kinds of texts have decreased over the past few years because I am taking courses more related to my interests and I have more experiences to draw from.

I found the Carlisle article interesting because of some experiences I have had at my placement. On Tuesdays I work with the children who are in the lower reading group. I have serious questions about one student who seems unable to read anything independently. I noticed in the Tompkins book (page 239) when discussing capable versus less capable readers, the child I was thinking of was overwhelming in the less capable category (in my “softy” personality I don’t like that description). But it is true, because he is in fourth grade and has trouble decoding words like “wanting” and “decided” – he will often insert letters and say the word in a jumbled way that makes no sense. In the Carlisle article, the author mentions the importance of recognizing children with Learning Disabilities and identifying them. I know that this child goes to a reading resource room, but I am wondering what good it is doing him and if he needs extra intervention. One question I have is how does a person in our position help students like the one I was working with? What are some simple strategies to use to promote his reading development? Or, is it something that is out of our reach.

Respnse to Digital Technology and Literacy

Well, it's good to see that we all are on the same page. It's funny (funny maybe the wrong word) to see everyone on the same page. We all have a foundation of technology, but not much more. We each know what a blog is or how to IM a friend, yet it does not go much farther than that. What I find most fascinating is that despite not knowing a whole lot we each see its importance in our future. In middle school I hardly remember ever using a computer to fulfill a homework assignment. And the only time in high school was to occasionally do some research, and to IM. However, it is essential for every class and for easy communication.

The grey area then becomes how do we close this gap. We know it's importance in a classroom, yet we still remain immigrants. To be totally honest, I am scarred of taking a class and yes I know that's ironic. I want to be better yet I am unwilling to take a class. I am full of excuses, whether it is money, lack of time, or embarrassment, but when I get right down to it I am just being stubborn. Is anyone else like this? Why are you not closing the gap of misunderstanding, if you know it will be important to our future?

In Carrie's blog she talked about the relation between literacy and technology, and I can definitely see her hesitations; I too wonder. However, I feel that by "forcing" students to do blogs or wikis you are asking them to reach out of their comfortability level and sometimes that is okay. I hated the idea of it, yet now as time goes on the appreciation of using technology such as a blog is shining through.

Response on Technology

Just like Olivia, I would probably order my family the same way. My parents definitely have trouble when it comes to using the computer. My mom still doesn't know how to download or save phone numbers into her phone; she carries around about two sheets of paper crammed with numbers. It doesn't matter how many times I show her, she wants to do it herself. Looking at my dad, he never uses his cell phone. He usually turns it off while driving, which kinda defeats the whole purpose if there's an emergency or something. Yet, when looking at my sisters, my younger sister definitely knows a lot about computers (she's into photography), but my oldest sister probably knows a little bit more than me and I think that has to do with her being in New York. I think it also depends on where you are and how much you use technology because the more you use it, usually the more comfortable you become with it. Like Carrie mentioned, I'm beginning to become more knowledgeable about technology with the more classes I take here at State. Just last week after class, I went to a meeting that discussed how to use del.ic.ious, which I had never seen before.

With Carrie's comment, I think there will be a point where the gap between digital natives and digital immigrants will lessen, but I don't think it will ever become completely filled. I believe this because not every school district we are going to teach in is going to be as fortunate as the next. Although I do think using technology is beneficial and as future teachers we should be aware of how to use technology in the classroom, but I think it's also realistic to think that not every school will be able to use those tools, so it's helpful to also think of another way to teach the students that would benefit their learning, as well.

Reflection on Digital Literacy

After reading both Melanie’s and Olivia’s blog, I thought it was interesting that they both mentioned how younger generations are increasingly more computer savvy. I have noticed this myself. My Dad will often get extremely frustrated with the computer because he can’t figure out how to open something and just give up on what he was doing. I also get frustrated but have more “tools” to use when trying to figure things out on the computer and give up after a longer period of time.

Melanie’s blog made me smile because I do the same thing; I always use dictionary.com and look up pictures online rather than in books. The other day my internet and cable was out for 3 hours and I felt lost because I typically look up information or ideas when lesson planning. I thought that Olivia brought up an interesting point when she mentioned how those in the digital emergent stage are typically older while as those who are literacy emergent are typically younger; I wonder if the two will level out at some point.

After having class this week, I am becoming more conscious of the types of technology out there to make me more of a digital native. However, as I mentioned, I have to push myself to use the digital tools at it is not something in my nature or that I would know how to find easily. I think that our project will be beneficial because we will learn a new literacy as well as a new technology.

Digital Immigrant..to say the least.

I am such a digital immigrant. To say that I struggle with technology is to put it nicely. I am naturally an even go person, but technology can frustrate me probably more than anything else in the world. I will admit I am to blame, I am not patient with it…I am so one of those people who presses the cursor like 4 times really fast if it is connecting right away; only to freeze the computer. I am that girl.

My little brother, 13, is on the computer probably 3 times more than he is on his homework. I am embarrassed to ask him question, yet he is probably the most computer savy in the house. If I were to make a timeline from Digital Immigrant to Digital Natives I could place my entire family in chronological order starting with Dad working towards my youngest brother. While I wish I were more Technology native, I have such a longggg way to go, especially with my score of a 2 and half…yes I gave myself half credit for one. Anyways, I do appreciate what technology has to offer, and what it will offer to my classroom in the future. And now that I feel totally incompetent I think it would be in my best interest to take a class and/or get tutored by my little brother. I feel like my students would be missing out some things that could really benefit from.

On an end note in being a Hearing Consultant (dream job) their whole lives on computers now. The IEPS, the paperwork, Calendars, etc. So ya,, Digital “immigrantcy” here I come.

Digital Natives Quiz

After taking the quiz, I think I would conclude that I'm a digital immigrant, yet I'm becoming more familiar and used to technology these days. I knew what IM's are and blogs, but before this year, I had never known how to make a blog or a web page. It's amazing to me how reliant we have become on the internet and technology these days. Even if I want to get information for a paper, I can research on the internet, rather than strictly reading from a book. Technology, especially the internet has become so accessible, and I'm suprised how many two and three year olds already know how to work a computer (sometimes more than myself ahah).



The term "emergent" does apply to my own digital literacy, just how I mentioned before that it's becoming more accesable and people rely on it so much nowadays. Instead of cutting pictures out from magazines, I could find pictures online. What if I don't know a word? I can now go to dictionary.com, rather than use a real dictionary. With more experience I have with technology, the more comfortable, as well as knowledgable I become about it. As far as teaching it in the classroom, I don't feel that comfortable yet. However, I feel that it is beneficial for students and that using technology can benefit students, such as in literacy. With emergent digital literacy, students can become better readers. This is this the same with Tomplkins emergent literacy, becoming familiar with the things around you. But digital literacy can help children in several ways. I've already listed a few, such as researching a topic, and even as silly as it sounds, talking on AIM can help; it helps with typing skills and conversational skills, as well as reading skills. Also using programs, such as Critical Web Reader, it helps children become aware of what a valid website/author would be like, and they become more critical in their readings. I think if a child emerges with their digital literacy, they will also emerge in the regular literacy.

Digital Native or Digital Immigrant?

After taking the digital natives quiz, I will concede that I am a digital immigrant – but I do know what blogs and IM’s are. I feel like a lot of the terms and new ideas in the digital age are dependent on exposure and what a person enjoys. For example, the first time I used a blog was this past semester in another class; I would not have chosen to use one otherwise. On the other hand, I have a few friends with personal blogs, but that is what interests them.

In terms of emergent digital literacy, I feel like the more comfortable I become in one area (blogs), the more comfortable I will be in other areas. For example, in my mind blogs and wiki’s go together, but I have only used blogs; perhaps in the future I will be able to expand into wiki’s because I have a foreground of blogging to base that experience on. Also, although I personally feel unsure about some of the new technology, I know that it is beneficial for my future students to know and be familiar with technology, as our everyday lives are more and more integrated within a technological world.

In some ways, I can see the parallels between emergent digital literacy and emergent literacy in children. For instance, reading and writing is often something that children are familiar with but do not know the rules to; the same is true for myself as an emergent technology learner. In addition, my learning of technology will best be helped by scaffolding and modeling, which are also appropriate ways to teach literacy to young children.

One area where I do not see the two ideas merge is the fact that literacy is something that all children learn and develop in. However, as I mentioned above, I probably would not have taken the incentive to start a blog had it not been for a course. Thus, I wonder if I will ever truly emerge in the digital world without taking the initiative myself.

Hope that makes sense...Happy Tuesday

Response to Choral Reading Posts

An interesting thing happened to me this week: in terms of choral reading. I was teaching my preschool class about vehicles and picked a poem to use. I choose one that I thought was engaging; however, when I read it to the class they seemed uninterested. Afterwards, my teacher told me that I should always use poems that are lyrical or put them to a tune/rhythm – especially when working young children (I have 3-5 year olds in my class). This reminded me of choral reading. The children would have been much more successful in repeating and understanding the poem if it was read in a sing-song way.

I had a similar thought as Olivia: how it would be important to make sure meaning and comprehension is achieved co-currently with choral reading. And I appreciated that Becky addressed the question J

Lastly, I thought Melanie brought up a good point and something I haven’t thought about before. I often hear the students read aloud in my class and they read the punctuation incorrectly (probably because many of them are focused on reading the words correctly.) Personally, I am still rocky with punctuation skills; I took an English class in high school that taught me a lot about punctuation but I am always learning new grammar rules. I think that choral reading may be a good way for children to learn about punctuation, as the book or poem is read aloud. Also, when it comes to poetry, the punctuation often sets the tone or mood and is integral to the poem. Thus, perhaps choral reading would be an appropriate way to teach punctuation to children in a way that is appealing and enjoyable.

I think the problem is fixed with my posts not appearing. I've always considered myself pretty technologically savey, but apparently blogging is not part of that ability. I have figured it out, though and soon I hope to move out of the emergent stage of blogging and at least into the beginning stage. :-)



First, to Olivia's question. In the real world, I would never have students do a choral reading on the first reading. We always do it with poems, and stories with which we are already familiar. That way you can have a discussion about them before you start reading. In the 402 world, we only have 3 hours. I should have mentioned that, though. I'm sorry. Perhaps I should have waited to see how everybody else responded to Olivia's question.



You have some good goals. We will definitely discuss differentiation. Also, the books I bring in each week are books I think would be great for the classroom library. Additionally, once the scholastic book orders come in (hopefully before our class on Wed.) you will be able to look through those and get some books.

Thanks!

My thoughts on Choral Reading

While I find choral reading nice in the sense of shaking things up, I found it difficult to concentrate. It was fun trying to pick out exactly what each part was going to be, but I'm not sure what the exact point of choral reading is. It seems that when listening and/or coming up with a strategy the story was lost. I couldn't even tell you right now what our story was about, or any of the names of the other stories that I heard. I wonder looking back if I was supposed to be picking up on what they were saying or how they were saying it. Is there a way to do both? How can I as a teacher make choral reading both fun and beneficial??

Choral Reading

Just like Carrie, I had never heard of choral reading before this class. At first, I was a little confused as to how it would benefit children or how and why it would be used in the classroom. Yet, after reading the poem out loud with the rest of the class, it made me realize that not everyone does read and interpret the text the same way. I was a little naive to not consider that every doesn't read the same. By participating in the activities, it allowed me to see that people can come up with several ways to read a text. For instance, some of the groups had one person read and add a person with a new part, and other groups had a leader and then people repeated a part. Depending on the text of the book, children can learn more about emphasis, as well as about expression within a text.

By going to placement, I have heard some students read out loud, and it's very interesting to see how some children will skip over periods and have a long run-on sentence. Other students would see the period and pause a very long time before reading the next sentence, and there was a variety of students that did and didn't read with expression. Sometimes I forget that because I know how to read, obviously children's reading abilities aren't the same as mine; and the choral reading definitely helped me to realize that.

Thoughts on Choral Reading

Prior to this week’s class, I had never known of the term choral reading; honestly, it sounded scary at first because it reminds me of chorus and I hated chorus because I can’t sing (tangent). However, I found it to be rather enjoyable. I liked reading the short poem in pairs; I thought that it was an appropriate introduction for the activity. In contrast, our group reading was monotone and not as exciting. In our defense, the poem was abstract and we did not discuss the meaning as group so maybe that is why there wasn’t a lot of emotion; because several class members (me included) were unsure of the tone.

I love Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and was ecstatic to read it in a choral reading (small groups). Furthermore, my group seemed excited to read the book aloud which contributed to my enjoyment of the task. We read the book in a cumulative style where one voice was added at a time. One of the group members said that the cumulative style would be fitting since it aligns with the fact that the alphabet letters are gradually added to the tree. I think that this book could be read in a variety of choral reading styles. For example, echo would be fun as the children could come in on the “boom boom” part. Another book, Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 lends it self to much more echoing as it repeats “Will there be enough room?” throughout the story.

Overall, I enjoyed participating in choral reading and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. It would be fun to use with my fourth grade students and I think they would enjoy it as it allows them to be active participants.

Response to 1/23: Discussions in Placement

After reading Melanie and Olivia’s blogs, it is encouraging as well as discouraging to hear that they are having some of the same experiences in their field placement. It is encouraging because I fell like I’m not alone in my situation but discouraging because it means that in many cases literacy education is not where it should be. I am intrigued by the literacy centers in Olivia’s classroom; however, I cannot imagine planning 25 new centers each week, it seems overwhelming. I would love to see some of the plans for these centers and how they interact as well as overlap.

In terms of Melanie’s situation, I have also been in a Montessori school (actually, the same one!). Her comment surprised me, that the students asked the same questions repeatedly and did not build off of each others comments. I’m not sure why it surprised me, but I think it is because I have a mindset that the students in Montessori schools are much deeper thinkers: which may be completely incorrect. Another thought that crossed my mind is that students model their teachers and mimic the teachers actions, does that imply that the CT Melanie has does the same sort of questioning (repetitive) when she is leading discussions?

Lastly, I was extremely happy to read Olivia’s comment that her students love reading. I wonder if it is because there is so much emphasis on literacy centers in the morning and the fact that the students have weekly time with the teacher to discuss literature. It is also frustrating though, because several of the students I work with in my placement are completely turned off by reading and writing because many of the tasks the teacher assigns are arbitrary and meaningless. On a more positive note, however, this week I read a story about Dr. MLK Jr. to the class and what followed was a discussion on him and the important things he did: I think it was a step in the right direction.

Discussion..take 2

First of all I am placed in Cumberland elementary, where a very diverse group of second graders are learning the fundamentals of literacy. Every week Mrs. Walker (my CT) has set up a group of morning literacy stations, 25 in total. The students are broken down into groups of three or four and visit 5 stations a day, resulting in every student visiting every station by Friday. While I see a lot of the positive out comes of group work I see a distancing of teacher involvement.
Some of the stations include: worksheet on spelling (fit the shape of the word in the shape of the box), worksheet for proofreading, sit down time with Mrs. Walker, and there is also a listening center where they listen to a story on tape. When reading the Almasi article the line, “Peers can function as tutors for one another as they learn how to interpret text” popped out at me.” I felt popped out at me. I think this is one of Mrs. Walker’s goals with in her classroom community. A lot of the time students are asking each other questions and many respond back with positive responses. On the down side of that there are also students who have a stronger temptation to cheat because of the independence they are receiving when Mrs. Walker is aiding another group.
The best thing I have learned about my students when it comes to literacy is that they LOVE to be read to. Whenever we have a spare second they are always asking for me to read to them. I think this is when most of the scaffolding takes place (and in Mrs. Walker’s station). What I have learned is that they love feeling involved with the reading. So to get them involved I read aloud a sentence or two, and then they read to me for however long they feel comfortable. Sometimes it’s only a couple sentences and sometimes I’m helping them to sound two or three words. However, regardless of their reading skills, they all show an eagerness to learn.
In the Goldberg article it states, “Perhaps most important (in a discussion), he or she (the teacher) manages to keep everyone engaged in a substantive and extended conversation weaving individual participants’ comments in a larger tapestry of meaning.” I think this is so vital, yet I also see this lacking most in my classroom. I am interested to see as time goes on how she incorporates more scaffolding in her classroom, because I am not sure if I see much of it right now, besides in her read aloud. I think next week I will observe what is going on in her specific station and take better observations of what goes on there. Until next time, Olivia

Response to Melanie's and Carrie's goals

I'm not sure what happened to my first response, so I'm going to write another one in case the first one was lost in cyberspace. First of all, I am comforted by the questions you two also have. I know it is ironic that I am relieved by your questions, but I feel that I am not alone. I feel that it is ok to have these questions, because it means we want what is best for the students. We are willing to ask the dumb questions, and admit the skills we are lacking in hopes of being better teachers. I think that is pretty cool and something to be proud of.
However, when reading both of your blogs I feel the mountain of teaching literacy grew a bit in my opinion. I don't know if i wasn't thinking about teaching literacy on a surface level or what, but after reading your goals I realized I have a lot more that I want to accomplish. You both realized that your students will be coming in with different literacy levels and it is your job to reach them all. What a HUGE responsibility that I never thought of before!!! It also made me think about teaching literacy as a deaf education major. My deaf ed students will have completely different learning styles as those that are in gen ed. Yes, there maybe some similarities but overall it is very different. How do I reach them? My only literacy course is TE402 and it is directed towards general ed students and while that is great, how do I apply the tools I learn to my future classroom. Is that possible?
My goals and expectations have changed and I expect them to keep changing as the course moves along. In the end it just comes down to being the best, most prepared teacher I can be for my students. Next year it is my practice but it is their real year, and that responsibility to teach them what they need to know is my motivation to be the best.

Discussions

I'm in a new placement this semester so I haven't seen too many discussions within the classroom. I'm in a Montessori classroom of 1st-3rd grade and one discussion I had seen was of individual students present a project they did over break. After everyone presented, the teacher had them ask questions to the presenter. After awhile, I realized that the same questions were being asked to the presenter, such as, "Why did you chose that state to research?" and "How did you come up with your idea?" After someone asked a question, no one build off of the comments made.


After reading the Almasi article, I realized that a good discussion can benefit students across several domains, such as cognitive, social-emotional, and affective. Looking back on the presentations taking place, it was very useful that the teacher would try to have to students stay on topic and encouraged them to ask new questions, which she modeled. Yet, there wasn't exact interaction that was described in the article. I remember being in elementary school and never really having a classroom discussion. I remember the teacher always talking, and basically doing a traditional type of discussions, which was described in the article. Although I find it beneficial for the teacher to reflect on student's responses, but it's also very important to allow the children to do most of the talking since it will benefit them in several ways.


In my classroom, all the students feel very comfortable with one another, which is great for leading into discussion. Yet, I feel there definitely needs to be some more scaffolding, and having the students really reflect on others thoughts and come to their own meanings of the conversation or of a text. I feel if different types of discussion activities were used, it may be easier to build it up for the students to participate in a large classroom discussion. For example, if the students start out in small groups and have a topic to discuss, each group would get a Popsicle stick. The student with the stick is the only one that can talk and share their ideas. The stick gets passed around and once everyone had a chance to say something, then they may start with anyone talking. That way, it allows those students who are more shy and may not speak up right away, get a chance to have their thoughts be heard. This is a great way for those students build up their self-esteem and get used to speaking in front of others. Gradually, I think a large group discussion will happen naturally and successfully.

Reflection on Discussion Type in my Placement

In my placement this semester the students – overwhelmingly – participate in “recitation” talk. During discussions, the teacher asks simple follow up questions such as, “Where did ____ go? What did ____ say?” Although this is discouraging, I understand my CT’s reasoning; her classroom has students reading at the first grade level up to the seventh grade level. When she reads to the whole group, she asks questions like this so that all the students can participate.

However, after reading the articles this week, I think it would be beneficial for her to have small group discussions and maybe mix up the students by reading level. This would allow the higher readers to act as mentors and the lower readers to experience guidance from their peers. Furthermore, as Almasi discussed, participating in reading discussions can contribute to the students’ cognitive, social, and affective development.

At this point in the year, I think a lot of scaffolding has to take place in order for the students to participate in a productive small group discussion. The best way to do this would be to model a small group discussion in front of the rest of the class, perhaps a fishbowl discussion? This way all students would participate in the small group discussion and be able to observe when not participating. Furthermore, the teacher would be able to guide and model the students during the first few discussions.

A few students in my classroom will need scaffolding in several ways. First, some of the students have taken on “bully” roles and will need to be reminded everyone’s opinion is important and valid. A few of the other students are quite shy and hesitant to participate (may be connected to the bullies in the class). These students would benefit from being encouraged to participate by their teacher as well as their peers.

As a write this blog, I am thinking that it would be exciting to do a fishbowl in my classroom. I think that the students in my placement would be extremely successful in this type of discussion and would be excited because it is completely out of their normal literary experiences. Lastly, the fishbowl discussion would be an “introduction” to small group discussions that the students may be able to participate in later on in the year.

Response on Goals

I definitely agree with Olivia in that I hope to also create a great library for my classroom. I have taken children lit. classes, yet I still don't feel fully prepared to make one of my own. I also hope that I, too, can create a positive environment in which literacy can be seen as a passion for my students. I also hope to "learn how to teach a group of students that cover such an extensive range," such as Carrie has mentioned. I feel that because students vary in their reading and writing abilities, I'm not quite sure how I would incorporate literacy so that all my students will be successful and also follow the curriculum, as well as support them. I feel there is so much to do with literacy, but I just don't even know where to start. Another thing I have been thinking about is if there are students who are at the correct level and students below their age/grade level, do we set different goals and standards for them, as well as grading assignments for them?

Melanie

My goals for Te 402 Literacy

As a Language Arts major I am so excited to finally get a chance to see what a great literacy lesson has to offer. Growing up I have always loved reading, but my younger brother(12) never wants to touch a book. I want to know not only what has changed but also how can I bring that passion back into elementary schools.
My TE402 goals all revolve around what makes good literature, good. I hope to discover the different qualities and traits that goes into what makes a great resource, or a not so great one. I know that one thing I want in my classroom is to have a great library of books, but as of now I am not sure what that entails. I also hope to gain methods and ideas about how to be a great language arts teacher. It sounds very broad, but really that is what it comes down to.
I will be starting my internship next fall as a Language Arts major, yet this will be my first TE class based around Literature. To be perfectly honest I am totally unprepared for the teaching world and I don't want to feel that way as I graduate this upcoming may. In the end I guess it comes down to confidence and preparation.

Goals for TE402

I'm very excited for this semester and am looking forward to learning much more about how to incorporate literacy into the classroom. I understand that every child learns differently and one of my goals is to learn different techniques that I will be able to use so that it will help multiple students. Using different strategies will definitely be beneficial and useful in my classroom one day. With this course, I also hope to become more familiar with the curriculum and how to plan for lessons.

I realize that because not every child will be at the same reading level, I will have to have different reading groups. Throughout this class, I hope to gain knowledge of how to test my students to figure out what level they are at, as well as what level is appropriate for that grade. I want to also learn how assess my students and figure out what their writing level is, as well, and where they should be at. One of my biggest goals for this course is to know how to do reading records or assessments of my students. I want to know how I can best support my future students and how to help and encourage them to improve if they are behind.

Lastly, I know that literacy is one of the main subjects that is seen in elementary schools, and I hope to learn the several aspects of literacy. I hope to recognize a child in my placement and determine what level they may be at. With using literacy many times throughout the day, I also hope to incorporate literacy into several of my lessons (like math, science...etc). I realize that I may have students who are ELLs and I hope to learn how to support those students, as well as the rest of the students in the classroom. My last goal is to learn how I should grade or critique the students in my classroom, depending on assignments that are given to them. I'm very excited for this semester and ready to fulfill my goals!

Melanie

My Goals for this Semester

I have been looking forward to taking the literacy component of TE 401/402 as it seems that literacy is a dominant component of the elementary school classroom. I have several goals that I want to accomplish this semester. Many of these goals have grown out of my experiences in the field as well as teaching in the child development laboratories.
In my placement, students range in reading ability from first grade to seventh grade. A goal I have is to learn how to teach a group of students that cover such an extensive range. How does one teach the class as a group but also meet individual needs? Another goal I have is to learn how to make literacy exciting rather than monotonous; it is extremely disappointing that so many students learn how to “hate reading” at such a young age.
One of the biggest goals I have is to become more knowledgeable in literacy skills myself. It is important to be well educated in this area so that one can share more with students. To achieve this goal, I hope to gain my Masters in literacy. I think that this will enhance my skills, especially if I work towards my masters while teaching.
In my TE 401 class last semester, we discussed the sometimes negative effect of having so many standards in school. A goal I have in this course is how to abide by these standards but also make learning enjoyable and authentic. Lastly, I think that overall I want to learn more about the best teaching strategies to use when teaching literacy; especially with young children who are learning letter sound, letter recognition, writing, etc.