New Literacies

I really enjoyed making my digital literacy project. I learned a lot during this process too. The new technology I used was digital storytelling. I had never seen it before but the program was very user friendly. It broke the project down into steps, one for importing pictures, one for adding text to the pictures, adding a voice recording, and adding music. I just followed the instructions step by step. I had never used a computer program for a picture slideshow before to teach a lesson. One difficulty I had was adding music to my project. I learned that the program only accepts certain music filenames. I had to change my music to mp3 format because it was all saved as something else in my iTunes. Another difficulty I had was hooking up a microphone but once I found one it was easy to configure. Overall the program was easy to use and I definitely want to use it with a class one day. I think this technology would be pretty easy for the students to use. As long as we have cameras available for the students then importing pictures would be easy. Adding text is pretty self explanatory within the program. It shows the text being added to the screen as you type it. Also the students can easily rearrange their pictures once they are imported. If the projects are going to incorporate music I would have to make sure the computers they are using have a variety of file types for stored music. I think that using a technology like this will fit in with effective literacy instruction. The students will need to incorporate text into their projects and the students reading one another’s projects will need to be able to read. My project especially fits with literacy because it teaches about another culture and incorporate vocabulary lessons. People reading/watching it will be able to learn the words for certain Spanish things, what those words mean, and how to correctly pronounce those words. This is definitely tied to literacy. This type of a lesson would be good for any class that has a minority group of students in it. One could use it to teach the majority group some of the common words found in the minority group’s language. It is a good project to bring a diverse class together. Overall I think this project was very successful and I learned a lot that I will use in the future.

New Literacy Project

For my New Literacy Project, I chose to make a scrapblog that also incorporated a comic, on environmental literacy. I chose to do this, because I wanted to focus on different biomes and explain human impacts on these biomes. I felt that doing a powerpoint or a scrapblog would be a good idea, so I decided to go with a scrapblog since I already know how to make powerpoints. This was new to me because I had never made a scrapblog before. Environmental literacy was new for me compared to more traditional literacies, because I had never thought of environmental literacy as separate from just the definition of literacy which I had already developed. In order to use the new technology to do this project, I did not realize at first how much time it would take for me to do it. I had to learn how to use the technology and also had to do a lot of research in order to create my final project. I believe that this technology is very easy for students to use and will also fulfill the commitments required for K-8 students as outlined in the GLCEs. This is because this technology will allow students to practice their research, writing, reading and technology use. The scrapblog can be used by many different grade levels, because it can be created without even using any reading or writing. Younger levels would be able to create a project and then present it to the class, allowing them to practice their speech and fulfill GLCEs. Students will be able to use the scrapblog to convey meaning and other students should be able to view the scrapblog to gain an understanding of the meaning of the student’s project. I believe that incorporating technology is very important when it comes to effective literacy instruction. This is because in our day and age, technology is very prevalent and being able to use it will be very important for a student’s future.

When it comes to my understanding of literacy, I believe that my ideas have expanded. While I always knew that literacy incorporated more than just reading and writing, I never really thought about how much more is included in its definition. While it should have been obvious to me that literacy involves more than just language arts, this project has really helped me to see how many different aspects of literacy there are (environmental, emotional, etc.). I had never really thought of environmental literacy or any other type of literacy as a separate distinction from the definition of literacy. I mainly viewed these topics as connected to literacy because you need to read and write to be able to perform across different subject areas in school. This growth has altered my conception of learning in English language arts, because it has shown me how many different ways that literacy can be taught using different technologies. It has also shown me that to correctly teach different types of literature to students, you need to understand the different types of literacy there are and what is involved in those literacies. By viewing other people's projects, I was able to develop new understandings of these types of literacies and ways that I can teach them to my students. I was able to see many different aspects to these literacies and that they are multi-layered. There is much you can take out of these new literacies.

New Literacies

After completing TE 301 I had a new found knowledge about the mechanics of literacy. However, TE 401 has introduced be to the possibilities that literacy can encompass. My new ideas of literacy not only include the maechanics such as grammar, letter-sound knowledge comprehension, etc. but also other topics. Literacy is part of everything and can be expanded to include anything like culture, the enviroment, emotions, etc. Literacies go far beyond knowing and recognizing your ABCs. Those are just the beginning of a long and never ending road that you follow long after your school days are done. This project really helped me understand that. I started coming to this realization after one of the first articles we read. The Leland article made me realize that, not only was that class honing their skills of reading and writing, but they were becoming stronger mentally in their views on the world around them. They were questioning what they were reading; asking Why? This article really set the pace for me in this class and now I'm expanding even more to include new digital applications to my literacy education and schema.
To provide effective literacy instruction to a diverse classroom of learners means to include everyone. Let the students teach about their backgrounds. When I was in fifth grade our final assignment was a presentaion on our heritage. We were given months to research and find information on our backgrounds. I did mine on Ireland. The project included a 15 minute presentation and a 2 page paper. Up until that point I had never had a project that rigorous. However, I learned so much about my own culture as well as the cultures of my fellow classmates. This knowledge included food, language, customs, and so much more. I worked so hard on that and it gave me a sense of pride. Looking back on this and other experiences like it I now understand that I was expanding on a new type of literacy. A literacy that included diversity, social studies, history, and so much more. Projects like these are great for a classroom environment because it puts every student in the spotlight to say, "This is me, this is where I come from." Even though that was a long time ago and many of the digital literacies I've recently learned about were not available, these applications are really a great way to supplement projects like these.
For my New Literacies Project I chose to create a Scrapblog about Cultural Literacy. My focus was the Insider/Outsider debate in Multicultural Literature. This project went above and beyond my traditional literacy knowledge in the sense that I had to teach myself the ins and outs of the presentation method as well as the subject. The digital literacy was challenging for me because I have a rough enough time getting pictures from my camera onto my computer, I have trouble defragmenting my computer when its running rough, as well as many other mainstream issues that come about it the world of technology. Learning about something completely different was a whole other ball game. This project took somewhat of a great deal of effort for me. First of all, I had to complete it twice because of a computer malfunction and my inability to save it correctly the first time (there were two steps to the svaing process...something I failed to recognize). It took a lot for me to not slam my computer shut and walk away. The good thing was I was at work and had nothing else to do for 3 hours. The second time around I got it right! I was also very proud of the finished product.
I think this type of technology could be useful in a classroom environment as a creative way to track and showcase all students' progress within a unit or over an entire year. It will also instill a sense of pride in them which will help with their motivation.
This project further expanded my outlook on literacy in a sense that it was another frontier to cover in the neverending road to be a master at literacy.

Comprehension

While in grade school reading was never a problem for me. I always scored much higher on tests than my grade level. When I got to highschool I expanded my reading skills and was accepted into the advanced English program. Reading was just never a problem for me. Nowadays, depending on the class I am in determines what I get out of the reading I am doing. If I am enthusiastic about the class and am really enjoying its content I'm going to be more inclined to read more deeply into the texts. If I'm discouraged or overwhelmed by a class I have a much harder time focusing and taking away things from what it is that I am reading. My comprehension processes have changed over the years. I now have to go slowly to make sure I'm understanding something. It takes me a little while to get through a chapter of a text or an article and sometimes I'm pressed for time and I don't really retain much of what I read. For good thorough comprehension I need time, space, and I need to be calm and unrushed. Otherwise there is no point to even reading. After discussing with my group and skimming the articles I haven't been assigned I have decided that my comprehension strategies rest heavily on motivation. Tompkins presents a table that explains what effects the motivations of students. I think that the main issue in my strategies has a lot to do with these 8 factors. I think its interesting how much a teacher's attitude can affect someone's comprehension skills. It makes sense though, if I didn't think my teacher thought very highly and cared about what I was reading I wouldn't really be inclined to care about it either.
In my field placement I have observed a very small amount of full class literacy instruction and it is probably because there are so many grades in my classroom. I do know that the children are working on the writing process which can contribute greatly to comprehension because it lets the students express their ideas. I was working with several students on a reading assessment during one of my days there and noticed very vast differences in comprehension levels. Some students read the passages perfectly but then it came to answering the corresponding questions and they received a very low score. Some students could do neither with success and constantly looked at me for help. At one point I asked a student one of the questions about a passage that she had had significant trouble with and she looked at me and just said "Ms. R, I just don't really know...is that ok?" I told her that was fine and we moved on with the assessment. This particular student didn't finish the assessment because she got too frustrated with a later passage. Lots of them were concerned about the stopwatch, one student sped through it so fast I almost had to have him do it again I fell so far behind checking all the words.
In the classroom as a whole I've noticed that the students are split up into specific groups and I am assuming they are based on literacy levels to some degree with behavior tendancies acting as a factor as well. I often find myself wondering how a class with this many literacy levels works together or gets things done. Most of the students are behind for their grade level when it comes to literacy anyways but it seems that there are no 2 students who are right on the same track and each one is vastly different.

Comprehension Processes

After reading about comprehension, I have learned a little bit about my own comprehension strategies. I always scored high when I was younger in the comprehension sections of tests. I am a fast reader and I usually get what I need to get out of the things I read. I use different strategies though, depending on the context or the task. If a teacher gives me an assignment that obviously pulls answers straight from the text then I am what Applegate terms a literalist. I read all of the questions and then scan the text for answers. I usually only use this strategy when I am in a hurry or if it is just a busy work assignment that I won’t really benefit much from. Applegate says that “When we can match the reading profiles of our students with the instruction they need, we can put our children firmly on the road to effective, rewarding, and engaged reading throughout their entire lives”. I agree with this statement and I think it is important to recognize that there are many different kinds of comprehenders.
While in the field, I have noticed some different kinds of comprehension processes. During reading groups, two girls who were at similar reading levels were reading the same book together. Every time that they start reading groups they always read the last page over again of the part that they finished the last time they read the book. This is a great strategy to re-orient them to what they had learned last time they read. Another group I worked with was reading a shorter and lower level book. Each time I sit down to read with the two of them they say, “Let’s start over, I don’t remember anything”. So they start over and each time we read we get to about the same spot in the story when it is time to switch stations. We need to work on a new strategy for comprehension because these two students are not progressing in their book since they start over at each session. We should maybe jot down some notes about the characters before we stop reading so that next time we just have to recall a few facts and then continue with the story.
Chapter seven of Tompkins talks about eight different comprehension strategies. I notice that in my own comprehending I use two of these eight more often than other. When I am reading I am constantly visualizing what I read. This does help me remember things more clearly in the future. I also found that I monitor my reading, no matter what it is that I am reading. I frequently re-read paragraphs or go back to find the name of a less frequently appearing character just to make sure I am thinking of the right person. I go back to check on vocabulary words too. I find that both visualizing and monitoring are two comprehension strategies that seem to help me out a lot.

Reading Comprehension

After doing the assigned readings, I was able to see that there are many comprehensions strategies that I use unconsciously while reading. While I am sure that some of these strategies were taught to me when I was in elementary school, I honestly do not remember being taught them. When I read, I often make connections from the text to my own life. This helps me to understand how the characters are feeling and makes me think about what I would do if I were in the same situation as the characters which I am reading about. According the Tompkins, there are many factors which readers use to comprehend a text (225). The factors which I now believe that I use the most, are activating my prior knowledge, making predictions, making connections to my own experiences, and creating mental images. After our discussion in class, I came to the realization that I never really took into account how my prior knowledge and experiences will affect the inferences that I make about what I am reading. This helped me to see how people can take away such different meanings from the exact same text. I had realized that this can occur when reading things such as texts about history (which I am not very good at, so people often take away much different meanings than I). This weeks readings also helped to remind me how much motivation affects the amount of attention we pay to a text and therefore affects our comprehension of a story. I know that if I don't believe a text is going to be interesting, that I am going to be far less motivated to read it and will pay little attention (I will most likely skim over it).
In field, I am seeing quite a bit related to comprehension processes and literacy instruction. In the Literacy for the 21st Century, it describes how reader factors such as phonics and other skills, comprehension strategies and vocabulary knowledge greatly affect a readers comprehension (224). There are quite a few English Language Learners in my classroom and they have great difficulty when it comes to decoding due to differences when it comes to sound-letter knowledge. This affects not only their reading, but their writing as well. Since some of the students have so much trouble with phonics, they take virtually no meaning from the text since they don't understand the words which they are reading. This then makes it so they have difficulty when it comes to writing assignments which relate to the readings. For this reason, my CT is using a series of intervention books to help them develop their sound-letter knowledge and work on their fluency. Not only this, but she makes sure to go over any challenging vocab to ensure the fact that students are understanding what they are reading. A word wall is posted, with new words being added every week. When discussing books, my CT will also ask students to make personal connections to the text. She does this by calling on students and by also having them do worksheets where they describe how a character in a story was feeling, how they knew that the character felt that way, and if they have ever felt the same way that character did. Much of this work is done with their classmates during literacy centers, which according to Tompkins, more likely allows them to be engaged with reading and writing (236). So far, I have seen a lot of good instructional techniques which I believe can help me to be a better teacher in the future.

Digital Native or Immigrant?

It was no surprise to me that I classified myself as a digital immigrant. While taking the quiz I was familiar with a lot of the terms but for many of them I guessed on definitions or only got them half correct. For instance; I instant message (IM) all the time and on a daily basis but when I download higher versions of AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) its not uncommon for me to get frustrated with simply trying to find out how to set up an away message. My first experience with blogs happened this semester. Again I was familiar with the term but the idea and the actual technology scared me a little. Even now I only type and publish...that's it nothing fancy or over the top. I've added to a wiki but have never actually set one up myself. My TE 301 class required the creation of a Wiki for a massive project. I was able to play around with it and add to it and "make it pretty" but I didn't explore it too much. I would say I am definately an emergent digital literacy learner. I have interest and can get my way through some of the topics but slowly and I get easily frustrated if there isn't a step by step how to. Much like the emergent stage in literacy where students are familiar and interested but its not quite clicking yet.
In chapter 1 of the Tompkins book there is a subtitle under principle 3 called Characteristics of Classroom Communities. I think that all of these characteristics apply to any type of literacy. If I want to become better at technology I need to explore more and take responsibility for my own advances in the topic. All my classes have provided opportunities for advancement such as my Wiki assignment in TE 301 and the blogging requirements for 2 of my classes this semester as well as the New Literacies Project for TE 401. These are just a few of the ways that our own classroom community is being formed within the Literacy section of 401.
To sum up I think that becoming Native to digital literacy is not out of reach for me. This is especially because I have so many opportunities to practice it in the classroom.