Blogs, RSS Feeds, Twitter - these are the PLNs we have worked with this semester, and there are still so many more out there! Last week I attended a session at the Minnesota Education Conference titled "Becoming a Web 2.0 Leader." I was amazed by how much technology has developed and how advantageous it can be when used wisely. It even goes beyond tools for teachers to those that students can take advantage of, such as Googledocs, Ning, Screentoaster, Diigo and Bibme.
When used wisely. Professional Learning Networks are tools that can be very advantageous. Unfortunately, for those who have not grown up around technology, these new tools can look very intimidating. I have grown up with technology and I am still challenged by discovering everything that these tools have to offer. It is important for educators to know that these are out there! They can offer a lot, but time must be invested in learning how to use them efficiently.
I have found blogs and twitter very useful; I only wish I had more time to explore them. I try to balance all the interesting information I have at my disposal with the responsibilities I need to complete in my day. With more time, I might be able to use these tools for the purposes that they were intended, but at the moment my life is consumed with seemingly more immediate realities. One of these days, when I can take the time to adequately learn what these tools have to offer, I hope I will be able to efficiently apply them and integrate them into my life.
The blogs I am subscribing to are:
1. Free Technology for Teachers: this blog is useful to keep up to date with ways to bring technology into your classroom
2. Two Writing Teachers: Two teachers collaborating to bring attention to writing as a passion and an art
3. Write Out Loud: A teacher giving writing prompts to his students - interesting and sparks ideas
4. The Scholastic Scribe
5. The Book Whisperer: Author of "The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child"
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Critical Literacy
Critical literacy initiates a discussion between the author and the reader and focuses on the power relation between the two. No longer is the author the sole authority of the text, for the reader is invited to question, examine or dispute what the author puts forth. Critical literacy transforms the passive reader into the active reader, inviting him to reflect on what is missing from the work of literature and to take action to transform the inequalities.
Critical literacy appeals to me because it engages the reader in a discussion and holds the reader accountable for the meaning that is derived. It calls the reader into action to confront the text, ask hard questions and argue the topics that are percieved as the norm. Critical literacy "disrupts the commonplace" - it challenges and has the ability to transform ideas into radically new ways of thinking! It's exciting! For the reader to hold the power to actively engage in a written text adds a whole new layer to the possiblities of reading! To teach critical literacy is to teach students to actively participate in the development of their world perception. It places power and authority in the hands of students.
Critical literacy involves active participation. It is challenging and requires an effort to be put forth. For the already active student, critical literacy will be like a splash of cold water, waking them up to the possibilities that lie hidden in the text, waiting to be uncovered. For a low-achieving or uninterested student, critical literacy might be huge obstacle to climb after they already feel drained from the hill they've been climbing. I am confident that the teacher can present critical literacy in a way that excites students, but the particulars of this are not clear. How can we teach critical literacy in such a way that students feel challenged but also completely capable? This is an overarching question, as well as a specific one. How do we teach our students to feel so confident in their abilities that they are willing to try new things?
Critical literacy appeals to me because it engages the reader in a discussion and holds the reader accountable for the meaning that is derived. It calls the reader into action to confront the text, ask hard questions and argue the topics that are percieved as the norm. Critical literacy "disrupts the commonplace" - it challenges and has the ability to transform ideas into radically new ways of thinking! It's exciting! For the reader to hold the power to actively engage in a written text adds a whole new layer to the possiblities of reading! To teach critical literacy is to teach students to actively participate in the development of their world perception. It places power and authority in the hands of students.
Critical literacy involves active participation. It is challenging and requires an effort to be put forth. For the already active student, critical literacy will be like a splash of cold water, waking them up to the possibilities that lie hidden in the text, waiting to be uncovered. For a low-achieving or uninterested student, critical literacy might be huge obstacle to climb after they already feel drained from the hill they've been climbing. I am confident that the teacher can present critical literacy in a way that excites students, but the particulars of this are not clear. How can we teach critical literacy in such a way that students feel challenged but also completely capable? This is an overarching question, as well as a specific one. How do we teach our students to feel so confident in their abilities that they are willing to try new things?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Talk It Out!
Many problems with teaching literacy arise from students' unwillingness or inability to interact with the text. Reading is an interactive process - you cannot absorb the meaning of a text by staring at the words - you must construct meaning through interaction.
During reading strategies offer structure and guidance for interacting with texts. There are two reading strategies that we have read about this semester that particularly excite me: Beers' "Say Something" approach and Atwell's Dialogue Journals.
The Say Something strategy interrupts students' reading of a text and gives them a chance to think about what they are reading. This is done in pairs, and each student takes a turn "say something," which can mean making a prediction, asking a question, clarifying a confusion, making a comment, etc. The other student responds to what was said, and they both continue to read until the other student stops to "say something." I think that this is a very effective strategy because not only does it require students to find some sort of meaning in the text, but it also exposes them to different connections/questions/etc. that they might not have thought about before. It is important for them to observe their peers engaged in constructing meaning as well - it shows them that all readers must interact with the text they are reading in order for it to make sense.
Atwell's Dialogue Journals are similar to the "Say Something" strategy, but gives the students the opportunity to put their thoughts, ideas and questions into writing. In this approach, each student owns a bound journal in which they are required to write every week. They may write a letter to a classmate or to the teacher, but a letter to the teacher must be written at least once every two weeks in order to evaluate their progress. They give the journal to the person that the letter is addressed to, and that student must respond to the letter with a letter of their own within a determined amount of time. This creates a reading community in which the students are exposed to a variety of genres, authors and topics. Ideally, this is done within the structure of a reading workshop, where the students are reading literature of their choice. This is an excellent way to enhance writing and reading skills, as well as encourage the reader to reflect deeper on his or her understanding of a text.
These are only two of many reading strategies that would be beneficial for middle school readers. During reading strategies are necessary for the student to grasp all of the meaning that is to be gained from a text. Once they realize that reading is an enjoyable, interactive process, they will become more motivated to explore the world of literature outside of the classroom. This is key to developing lifelong, independent readers.
During reading strategies offer structure and guidance for interacting with texts. There are two reading strategies that we have read about this semester that particularly excite me: Beers' "Say Something" approach and Atwell's Dialogue Journals.
The Say Something strategy interrupts students' reading of a text and gives them a chance to think about what they are reading. This is done in pairs, and each student takes a turn "say something," which can mean making a prediction, asking a question, clarifying a confusion, making a comment, etc. The other student responds to what was said, and they both continue to read until the other student stops to "say something." I think that this is a very effective strategy because not only does it require students to find some sort of meaning in the text, but it also exposes them to different connections/questions/etc. that they might not have thought about before. It is important for them to observe their peers engaged in constructing meaning as well - it shows them that all readers must interact with the text they are reading in order for it to make sense.
Atwell's Dialogue Journals are similar to the "Say Something" strategy, but gives the students the opportunity to put their thoughts, ideas and questions into writing. In this approach, each student owns a bound journal in which they are required to write every week. They may write a letter to a classmate or to the teacher, but a letter to the teacher must be written at least once every two weeks in order to evaluate their progress. They give the journal to the person that the letter is addressed to, and that student must respond to the letter with a letter of their own within a determined amount of time. This creates a reading community in which the students are exposed to a variety of genres, authors and topics. Ideally, this is done within the structure of a reading workshop, where the students are reading literature of their choice. This is an excellent way to enhance writing and reading skills, as well as encourage the reader to reflect deeper on his or her understanding of a text.
These are only two of many reading strategies that would be beneficial for middle school readers. During reading strategies are necessary for the student to grasp all of the meaning that is to be gained from a text. Once they realize that reading is an enjoyable, interactive process, they will become more motivated to explore the world of literature outside of the classroom. This is key to developing lifelong, independent readers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)