How are new technologies changing literacy? What are your thoughts about this?
New technologies are changing literacy greatly! I can see this firsthand because when I grew up we didn't have the internet. For school related projects we needed to go the library all the time. I practically lived there! By the time I reached college the internet had been around a few years but not to the extent that it is presently. I love the ease of looking up information on the internet for school projects. It is much more convenient and a time saver. No more microfisch! :o)
Technology is changing literacy as well by making it easier for students to learn how to read and write who may have difficulty the traditional way. Programs online have been proven to help students learn to read better and has helped to make learning fun.
One personal example I have is that last year I taught 5th grade in an inclusion classroom and I had 6 students with SLD (specific learning disabilities). Two of them were on a Kindergarten reading level and another on a second grade reading level. One thing that has helped them is the internet. They love MySpace and love playing games on the internet. This, in a way, forces them to have to read and write. They aren't the greatest at it yet, but the internet is motivating them. In order to communicate with their friends via MySpace, email and other chat programs, they will have to read and write. They can't NOT participate with their friends on the internet so they are doing it. Years ago without the internet, kids had no motivation to want to read or write like this. I am actually keeping in touch with them over the summer via MySpace and it's great to see them still reading and writing from their computer even over the summer!
Programs have also been developed to assist people with physical disabilites to be able write and communicate with other people. There is even a new technology that has just been invented where people who cannot move or use their arms or legs wear a headband with a laserpoint on it and it tracks their eye movements. With their eye movements they can type on a computer, surf the internet, etc... The possibilites are endless here!
I also believe that we should integrate technology with the old style of teaching children literacy in our schools. This way the children get the best of both worlds. We all learned to read and write using the traditional method and are Graduate students. Technology has just enhanced our skills. We all write emails or blogs almost on a daily basis, so we are constantly practicing writing and improving our schools without even knowing it. It is great! Technology and traditional literacy learning go hand in hand.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007 Blog: NCLB
What are your thoughts about NCLB, and the politics of education (especially reading)?
My thoughts on NCLB and the politics of education are very mixed. I could literally write a 10 page paper about this so I won't be able to elaborate on every point.
First, NCLB... The concept is a good one and I feel as though it is doing some good. I like how it holds schools and teachers accountable. I like how it forces teachers to be properly certified because it is important that our children get the best teachers possible. If it wasn't for NCLB, the NJCUE program that I am in would not be funded or possible. There are 18 of us in Cohort 4 and we are all dedicated to this mission and put our heart and soul into teaching these children. This is what these children need, especially in the urban/Abbott school districts.
NCLB definitely needs reform though. The time alloted to completed the requirements, etc I believe is not enough. Also, like the Wiki pointed out, the funding is just not there. While the Abbott schools get a lot of money, John Corzine's decision to make cuts there have already started to affect the schools. Every school in Newark had to cut at least two positions out. The schools already do not have enough resources and with the cuts they are suffering more.
I also believe that these strict rules motivate people to "cheat", so to speak. Test results are either altered or other measures are taken. I know for a fact that in my school, kids from out of district are let into our school who will help boost the scores. A kid from out of district who is a behavior problem and has low test scores is sent back with no problems, but if the child is an acheiver, him/her is kept. So there is no way to know for sure if the boosted test scores we are seeing in NJ is a result of NCLB working or the manipulation of scores and students.
I also think that NCLB did not take special education students into consideration either. Some children are in 5th grade and reading/writing on a 1st grade level. How are they expected to pass the standarized tests? There should be a separate section that addresses this and accounts for special needs children. I have also heard of schools limiting their special needs programs and students just because of the test scores. This is ashame and our children are suffering as a result.
So NCLB has great intentions but in order for it to truly work, major changes need to made. Once the kinks are worked out, I believe it could work.
As for the politics on education, politics is always a hard subject. I think some reading programs are geared towards companies making money as opposed to getting the programs children need based on their learning styles. And again, children suffer. It's like the drug companies paying doctors to give their drug to patients, etc etc... I think we're losing sight of the true needs of children. Most children learn to read fine using standard methods but the children that get left behind need other ways to learn and I believe this is where we fall short. Politics in my mind are almost always never good. You always have to find a way around them. That may be a terrible generalization but I am going only on my experiences.
My thoughts on NCLB and the politics of education are very mixed. I could literally write a 10 page paper about this so I won't be able to elaborate on every point.
First, NCLB... The concept is a good one and I feel as though it is doing some good. I like how it holds schools and teachers accountable. I like how it forces teachers to be properly certified because it is important that our children get the best teachers possible. If it wasn't for NCLB, the NJCUE program that I am in would not be funded or possible. There are 18 of us in Cohort 4 and we are all dedicated to this mission and put our heart and soul into teaching these children. This is what these children need, especially in the urban/Abbott school districts.
NCLB definitely needs reform though. The time alloted to completed the requirements, etc I believe is not enough. Also, like the Wiki pointed out, the funding is just not there. While the Abbott schools get a lot of money, John Corzine's decision to make cuts there have already started to affect the schools. Every school in Newark had to cut at least two positions out. The schools already do not have enough resources and with the cuts they are suffering more.
I also believe that these strict rules motivate people to "cheat", so to speak. Test results are either altered or other measures are taken. I know for a fact that in my school, kids from out of district are let into our school who will help boost the scores. A kid from out of district who is a behavior problem and has low test scores is sent back with no problems, but if the child is an acheiver, him/her is kept. So there is no way to know for sure if the boosted test scores we are seeing in NJ is a result of NCLB working or the manipulation of scores and students.
I also think that NCLB did not take special education students into consideration either. Some children are in 5th grade and reading/writing on a 1st grade level. How are they expected to pass the standarized tests? There should be a separate section that addresses this and accounts for special needs children. I have also heard of schools limiting their special needs programs and students just because of the test scores. This is ashame and our children are suffering as a result.
So NCLB has great intentions but in order for it to truly work, major changes need to made. Once the kinks are worked out, I believe it could work.
As for the politics on education, politics is always a hard subject. I think some reading programs are geared towards companies making money as opposed to getting the programs children need based on their learning styles. And again, children suffer. It's like the drug companies paying doctors to give their drug to patients, etc etc... I think we're losing sight of the true needs of children. Most children learn to read fine using standard methods but the children that get left behind need other ways to learn and I believe this is where we fall short. Politics in my mind are almost always never good. You always have to find a way around them. That may be a terrible generalization but I am going only on my experiences.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
July 11th Blog- ASSESSMENT
There are many things I can say about assessment inside the literacy realm and outside. To start, everyone knows that assessment drives instruction. Giving different forms of assessment to your students lets you know if they are "getting it" and if they aren't you need to alter the way you are presenting the information or instructing them. There are many different ways to assess students. There are informal assessments such as checklists, walking around and visually examining your students, small quizzes, projects, etc. Then there are your formal assessments which include standardize tests, exams, and the like. The reason why assessment is so crucial in the field of teaching is because it tells us what to improve on and helps to shape us as teachers.
Being a first year teacher last year there were many assessments within the literacy realm that were almost overwhelming but were necessary. In order to know what reading level a child is on it is necessary to do a DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) at the beginning of the year and then follow up with a running record every month. The total assessment is peformed again at the end of the year. This really helped me to see where my students were as readers, how well they were comprehending what they read, and the progress they were making.
Also at the beginning and the end of the year I had to give my students the Slosson test. This tests for verbal cognitive ability and gives you an idea what grade level they are on for that. There are columns of words and you have the child read all the words. Each column is for a separate grade level so you test them up to their grade level. If they read all the words for their grade level then they can move on until they skip a word. You count the errors and use a chart to figure how they did.
Since I taught in a 5th grade inclusion class we also had district writing and novel assessments too. The students were tested on a novel that they were required to read in class and were also given a writing sample.
These exhaustive literary assessments are ways to keep track of children. Ways to see how we can improve our own instruction and ways to make sure our children are learning and succeeding.
Being a first year teacher last year there were many assessments within the literacy realm that were almost overwhelming but were necessary. In order to know what reading level a child is on it is necessary to do a DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) at the beginning of the year and then follow up with a running record every month. The total assessment is peformed again at the end of the year. This really helped me to see where my students were as readers, how well they were comprehending what they read, and the progress they were making.
Also at the beginning and the end of the year I had to give my students the Slosson test. This tests for verbal cognitive ability and gives you an idea what grade level they are on for that. There are columns of words and you have the child read all the words. Each column is for a separate grade level so you test them up to their grade level. If they read all the words for their grade level then they can move on until they skip a word. You count the errors and use a chart to figure how they did.
Since I taught in a 5th grade inclusion class we also had district writing and novel assessments too. The students were tested on a novel that they were required to read in class and were also given a writing sample.
These exhaustive literary assessments are ways to keep track of children. Ways to see how we can improve our own instruction and ways to make sure our children are learning and succeeding.
Friday, July 6, 2007
July 6th, 2007 Blog- TIP 5,6,7
What do you understand from the reading? What are your thoughts?
The readings in TIP are very thought provoking for me. As an alternate route teacher, my BA is in Psychology. It is exhilarating for me to see all the psychologists and their theories that I have researched in depth explored in a different light. It is wonderful to see how the different theories go beyond the scope of just human behavior and enter the realm of teaching, specifically on reading.
Piaget is very much idolized when it comes to child psychology and it interests me to see his constructivist and developmental theories utilitized when discussing how a child learns to read. His cognitive development theories make sense when comparing the stages to the stages of reading. Especially the theory that after a child is older than 6 and has not learned language, they never will.
Reading this book is bringing me back to my undergrad Psychology days where you are presented with a tons of ideas and theories and asked to make sense of them and to adopt the ones you believe in. It is also great to see how this is applied to teaching and how we subconsiously adopt theories which drives the way we instruct our students. To be aware of these theories now is liberating. Personally I now understand the way I have taught in the past and with this newfound knowledge I can improve my teaching. I look foward to reading more of the book.
The readings in TIP are very thought provoking for me. As an alternate route teacher, my BA is in Psychology. It is exhilarating for me to see all the psychologists and their theories that I have researched in depth explored in a different light. It is wonderful to see how the different theories go beyond the scope of just human behavior and enter the realm of teaching, specifically on reading.
Piaget is very much idolized when it comes to child psychology and it interests me to see his constructivist and developmental theories utilitized when discussing how a child learns to read. His cognitive development theories make sense when comparing the stages to the stages of reading. Especially the theory that after a child is older than 6 and has not learned language, they never will.
Reading this book is bringing me back to my undergrad Psychology days where you are presented with a tons of ideas and theories and asked to make sense of them and to adopt the ones you believe in. It is also great to see how this is applied to teaching and how we subconsiously adopt theories which drives the way we instruct our students. To be aware of these theories now is liberating. Personally I now understand the way I have taught in the past and with this newfound knowledge I can improve my teaching. I look foward to reading more of the book.
July 2nd Blog- Language Acquisition
How do children acquire language? What might this have to do with reading?
There are many theories on how children acquire language but it is not disputed that acquiring language is an innate human capacity which occurs during the ages of 2-6. Children hear language all around them and that is how they first learn. They tap into the language capabilities they were born with and develop it further.
It is critical that language acquisition starts and continues to develop from ages 2 through 6. Without this, children will most likely never learn to speak beyond mere words. This is seen through one child who was raised by animals and another child that was stashed away and could not speak. People tried to teach these children or adults at the time, how to speak but could not get them to go beyond phrases such as "Mommy cookie" or "Daddy go". The language explosion period had surpassed them and there was no going back.
Reading definitely ties into language acquisition. When children hear spoken words from a story, they learn the format of a story, new concepts, new words and grammar too. Just by pointing out signs and saying the word, the child is seeing words and associating language with it and improving his/her vocabulary. Reading, writing, and language acquisition are all closely related.
There are many theories on how children acquire language but it is not disputed that acquiring language is an innate human capacity which occurs during the ages of 2-6. Children hear language all around them and that is how they first learn. They tap into the language capabilities they were born with and develop it further.
It is critical that language acquisition starts and continues to develop from ages 2 through 6. Without this, children will most likely never learn to speak beyond mere words. This is seen through one child who was raised by animals and another child that was stashed away and could not speak. People tried to teach these children or adults at the time, how to speak but could not get them to go beyond phrases such as "Mommy cookie" or "Daddy go". The language explosion period had surpassed them and there was no going back.
Reading definitely ties into language acquisition. When children hear spoken words from a story, they learn the format of a story, new concepts, new words and grammar too. Just by pointing out signs and saying the word, the child is seeing words and associating language with it and improving his/her vocabulary. Reading, writing, and language acquisition are all closely related.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Response to questions on 3 articles...
What did I get from the readings in terms of thinking about reading and literacy?
What I got from the readings was a clearer definition of literacy and all the components that make it up. In terms of thinking about reading and literacy, I can say I think differently about the two. I always thought of literacy and reading as the same thing but now I see that that is not correct. Literacy encompasses so much more and is very complex. Being literate is so important to everyone.
What are some of the key issues that stick out to me?
Some keys issues that stick out to me are how teachers are having the creativity zapped out of their teaching. One article talked about how one teacher got put out of a school for sticking up for what she believed in. I see that happening in my own school. Teachers are placed in undesirable positions because they fell out of favor with an administrator. As a first year teacher, I see this and cringe. Adults are bigger babies than children!
Also, the article talked about scripted lesson plans and teachers having to follow them. Well, I just found out that in the Fall my school will be doing scripted lesson plans for literacy. At first I thought that was good to have uniformity but after reading this article, I am wary. What happened to teacher's making their lesson truly their own. Teachers are losing power and frankly, that scares me.
What am I wondering most about?
I am wondering mostly about the topic literacy itself and how complicated it is to teach. Going from an inclusion classroom where I had help from my General Ed teacher to self contained where I'm on my own is scary. I want to teach the best way that I can but I need ideas. I need support. I'm sure this class will do wonders for me!! I am already learning a lot just from reading the text books. I look forward to a successful year come September!
What I got from the readings was a clearer definition of literacy and all the components that make it up. In terms of thinking about reading and literacy, I can say I think differently about the two. I always thought of literacy and reading as the same thing but now I see that that is not correct. Literacy encompasses so much more and is very complex. Being literate is so important to everyone.
What are some of the key issues that stick out to me?
Some keys issues that stick out to me are how teachers are having the creativity zapped out of their teaching. One article talked about how one teacher got put out of a school for sticking up for what she believed in. I see that happening in my own school. Teachers are placed in undesirable positions because they fell out of favor with an administrator. As a first year teacher, I see this and cringe. Adults are bigger babies than children!
Also, the article talked about scripted lesson plans and teachers having to follow them. Well, I just found out that in the Fall my school will be doing scripted lesson plans for literacy. At first I thought that was good to have uniformity but after reading this article, I am wary. What happened to teacher's making their lesson truly their own. Teachers are losing power and frankly, that scares me.
What am I wondering most about?
I am wondering mostly about the topic literacy itself and how complicated it is to teach. Going from an inclusion classroom where I had help from my General Ed teacher to self contained where I'm on my own is scary. I want to teach the best way that I can but I need ideas. I need support. I'm sure this class will do wonders for me!! I am already learning a lot just from reading the text books. I look forward to a successful year come September!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Hi
Hi,
I am posting from class right now. This is our first class for READ 500. This will be my blog for the class.
To add on to this, I am one of 3 Rachel's in the class. However, I'm the only Rachel that is in the NJCUE program. :o) Besides finishing up my first year teaching, I got married in September, started Grad school, bought a house and just adopted a dog. It was a challenging year to say the least but definitely worth it all.
For fun I like to play softball (I'm in two leagues) where I pitch, I love to read, mountain bike, swim, write in a journal, travel, drive, and I am into cars. I also play music- the violin, piano, trumpet and am in the process of teaching myself the guitar. I am also a lover of animals and have two cats and a new puppy, as I mentioned before. If I ever won the lottery (which I don't know why I say that since I don't ever play it) I would buy acres of land and run a "farm" full of dogs, cats and any other unwanted pets. My husband tells me I'm crazy. Maybe he's right. LOL :o)
~Rachel
I am posting from class right now. This is our first class for READ 500. This will be my blog for the class.
To add on to this, I am one of 3 Rachel's in the class. However, I'm the only Rachel that is in the NJCUE program. :o) Besides finishing up my first year teaching, I got married in September, started Grad school, bought a house and just adopted a dog. It was a challenging year to say the least but definitely worth it all.
For fun I like to play softball (I'm in two leagues) where I pitch, I love to read, mountain bike, swim, write in a journal, travel, drive, and I am into cars. I also play music- the violin, piano, trumpet and am in the process of teaching myself the guitar. I am also a lover of animals and have two cats and a new puppy, as I mentioned before. If I ever won the lottery (which I don't know why I say that since I don't ever play it) I would buy acres of land and run a "farm" full of dogs, cats and any other unwanted pets. My husband tells me I'm crazy. Maybe he's right. LOL :o)
~Rachel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
