Nearing the end or just the beginning…..

The process of learning and teaching is cyclical in nature and for better or worse, it continues as we venture out into the less than perfect environment to share what we have learnt. The experience has been an interesting one and I can safely say that this learning can only be sustained through practice. I still feel that small lament within me that says, there is so much that is not in place to really see this revolution of technology integration work. The most significant thing that I will take away from this though is the understanding of what integrating technology into the curriculum means.” Technology is both a facilitator of literacy and a medium of literacy.” Biancarosa,& Snow(2004). Reading next-a vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy: A report to carnegie corporation of New York. New York: Alliance for Excellent Education.

I am going to use the fairy tale to parallel what this change actually means. Let’s imagine that Cinderella or Snow White or even the Beast decided to live the very same way that they did before their dramatic climax and change. The point being, in their new lives they would now have within their means the resources to make some changes, particularly after coming out of such bad experiences. The tragedy would be that they chose to just keep their new found favor to themselves and not have others share in their good fortune. The happily ever after gets a little tainted and our much loved characters seem a little less noble. The converse is the people coming out of the woodworks expecting an easy ride because there is someone else to do ‘the stuff’
So, let’s promise to share our good fortune and have others join in our maybe not so much happily ever after,but most certainly in the joys of having our students interact with technology in a meaningful and life changing way.

The Plan

This experience has been an informative one in that it speaks directly to our practice. Admittedly, it has been awhile since I have actually practiced writing such an in-depth, detailed and (yes at times an even stressful) plan for a lesson. I know the importance of planning though, so I try to work with an abridged version of lesson planning or something that resembles it.
Oddly enough it reminds me of a book I read ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’ by V.S.Naipaul. The basic premise of the novel is this man spends his entire life trying to have a house for himself.
Alright follow me here, he made some:
shoddy plans.
didn’t do any research into where he was going to live
didn’t exactly know how he was going to achieve this goal
didn’t foresee some of the possible problems he might have
and really the list goes on. The funny thing is when he finally got a house, it still stressed him, he wasn’t exactly happy about it and the house very much resembled the character himself.
Again maybe I’m being a little liberal with the novel (okay plenty liberal) because there were many extenuating factors that just made the task even more difficult and the novel quite entertaining. The point is as much as he complained about this house that he wanted, he got all that he put into it and unfortunately some extra.
I know “food for thought” so happy planning!
Feel free to add the book to your “to read” list, it is very enlightening.

Research Part 2

The understanding of how learning happens is constantly changing in spite of the efforts of some to vehemently hold on to certain practices. In the article ‘Writing to learn across the curriculum: Tools for comprehension content area classes.’ from the The Reading Teacher, 59, 414-424 by Knipper & Duggan (2006), "Mastery of content is demonstrated not only through reading but also through writing. Integrating writing with reading enhances comprehension" Brandenburg, 2002. (Knipper & Duggan,p.462). Technology can provide the needed support for students and enable teachers to give that instructional scaffolding and guidance necessary.

Strategies can be employed throughout the reading process itself, making the attributed connection even more practical. There are strategies to prepare for reading assignments, those to review and summarize and also critical and creative writing-to-learn strategies. Web2.0 tools facilitate this process and allow both the teacher and student to be fully engaged. A distinction between learning to write and writing to learn can outline ways in which the teacher develops follow-through activities.Writing-to-learn strategies invite students to think about and interact with texts, encouraging more thoughtful reading while creating more conscientious learners (Knipper & Duggan p.469).

The issue of the connectedness of these language skills, makes the acquiring and processing of content knowledge more meaningful. The limitation to this approach is the assumption that students are able to write at this level or that they would want to write at all. Hence, the infusion of technology which serves as a motivational element for students.Writing to learn across the curriculum helps students to think critically and creatively ( Knipper & Duggan p.467).It makes for a fascinating insight into the processing of the thoughts of students. It enables both the teacher and student to gauge the actual knowledge base and concept development in the content area.

Say Cheese!!!

Okay show by a raise of hands anyone who has accidentally (wink,wink):
1.cut the head off a family member or friend while taking a picture.
2.cut off any body part ( not going to be picky!)
3.took an excellent picture of your thumb or finger.
4.took a picture and then asked “Who is this person here?”
5.took an image that looks like an alien or ghost because its just too out of focus.
.......and the list goes on. Now that it has been established that at least one or even all offences may have been committed,all hands down.
Lets get to the technical stuff.
101 in taking good pictures! (courtesy of our EDRL6004: ICT for Reading facilitators)
1.Choose your subject for the picture, let your focus rest there and come in close to remove any possible distractions.
2.Observe the rule of the thirds,that is, allow the subject of the picture to be in a place that brings balance both vertically and horizontally.
N.B. The subject directly in the centre is not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
3.Use the natural lines in the subject’s environment to allow the viewer’s eye to lead onto the actual subject.It makes for a more dramatic picture.
4.Use the subject’s natural environment to frame the picture,again its definitely more pleasing to the eye.

“A picture says a thousand words” yes its another really overused cliche, but lets try to have our pictures give the full message now that we know a little more on the ‘subject’.

Taking a Breath

“A whirlwind affair" is as cliche as it gets but it’s an apt description of this infusion of technology that I’ve been experiencing.The thought that I had at least some awareness of how technology can work in the classroom has been obliterated and replaced with the understanding that the world is really at our doorstep. The key is, we have to open that door and let it in through an authentic use of technology in the classroom. The days of ‘hands off the technology’ to students and ‘demonstrations of its use by teachers only’ are being aggressively met with tools,applications and resources that can facilitate learning more effectively through a hands-on approach. In the Handbook of Literacy and Technology. Transformations in the Post-Typographic World 1998,Kuhn and Labbo state “Rapid changes in the computer-based technology have provided classrooms and schools with the potential to transform student’s literacy learning.”
The lament that our schools are not as ready for such a transformation is real and unfortunately the added resistance to change mainly out of fear is also just as real. The affair continues though and is well on its way to becoming a serious relationship. The ‘WikiEducator Gives Back’ workshop is a testament to this growing commitment, as difficult as it is to balance between the workshop and assignments,it is proving to be a rewarding experience. I can come very close to understanding what students may feel when they are exposed to such a working environment. These experiences will be both motivating and edifying as students become fully engaged in the learning experiences.

The Saga of the...........BOOK

The betrayal!
I swore that I would never have another,the intimacy,feel and experience could never be the same but now here I am about to do it. I vividly recall leading the argument against the audacity of some scholars/educators who were advocating the use of e-books as a viable alternative to traditional print-books.My adamant feeling was that the immediacy of a book in hand, the feel of the texture of the page on one’s finger tips, the overall experience should not be replaced by a screen and God forbid technology.

The replacement?
The new suitor has many good features:
Multimedia effects- sound,animation,interactive activities.
Easy to access.
Inexpensive
It supports the development of reading skills particularly for struggling students.
The storage system is more than effective i.e.one can have a digital library and not worry about a physical storage space.
The advantages of using e-books are quite compelling and in this time of integrating technology into the classroom they are an excellent way to encourage children to once again enjoy reading.
The compromise!
There is room enough for both types of books in education,but just for a little while longer I think I’ll keep the sensation of using the printed copy of books. The digital library though can offer a real solution to the problem of space and maybe some day I’ll get around to reading (for pleasure) an entire e-book.

Writing for the Internet 101!

Gone are the days of just putting words to paper (figuratively speaking), to my surprise there is a science to writing for the Internet. Jakob Nielsen was the name given as the pioneer in this reviewing of what actually works when writing for the web,for the really technical explanation feel free to use the link provided- . http://www.useit.com
Here are the words used to explain this concept and my translation of some of it.
1. The reader peruses the page in what is described as an “F” shape,so the information should be placed in such a way as to manage the information across the page.
Translation-Writing is about quality in the right places and not quantity all over the page.
2.The font used can affect readability.
Translation- Don’t go all crazy with the fonts and Sans Serfs fonts are our friends.
Okay I may be breaking rule #1
3.Contrast between the background and font is important.
Translation - "If you can read this and still want to,you are really good."
4.Remember the basic rules of reading.
Translation- Someone once said to me “Don’t let a little learning affect what you know to be true.”
We still read from left to right and with some sense of order,so creativity is fine but remember your audience.
5.Repetition
5.Repetition
5.Repetition is important.
6.Allow for breaks in the page.
Translation - Clutter is never pretty,not even on a web page.
7.Be a responsible “Digital Citizen”
Translation -Please give the credit where and when it is due.
These are just a few of the tips that we discussed during the lecture. The link provided should fill in the blanks.
Sorry, still breaking the rules!