TPACK K-6 Literacy
This chapter on technology use in literacy was a breath of fresh air! After reading the 20 plus pages, I felt like I had two of the three TPCK areas under my belt. After nine years of teaching and four masters courses in literacy, I feel confident in the strategies I use to teach reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, language structure, and writing. Lesson planning, classroom management, and student assessment are areas that I’ve become comfortable with over time. These areas are constantly change and will be greatly impacted as more technologies are introduced into our world.
This third TPACK area (technology) is definitely the area that I need the most education and practice with. This chapter not only stated why technology is important in schools, but gave practical examples of how any kindergarten through sixth grade teacher could incorporate technology into literacy lessons. It was stated that:
”To become fully literate in todays world, students must become proficient in the new literacy of (ICT) Information and communication technology.”
Although I have a very specific job, I’m finally starting to see how I can use technology in a small group setting. Here are some examples of ways technology could be used in my classroom:
hypermedia and hypertexts- uses images and sound to enhance students comprehension and their ability to create text.
Computers- make the act of writing easier, especially editing and revising. This allows students to focus on ideas and organization rather than on mechanics.
Electronic or talking books- link to word pronunciations, sentences, and/or definitions. While listening, students develop a sense of story structure, build vocabulary, and increase word knowledge. Comprehension, motivation, and sight word acquisition is all enhanced.
Visual literacy- digital cameras, video cameras, inspiration, kidpiration, clicker5 and storybook can all be used to brain storm, with story grammar, character maps, writing, and more.
Specific examples of using technology in k-6 classrooms:
Create a digital story during literature circles (72)- This involves telling stories and sharing the information through multimedia.
Developing fluency using predictable text- This provides opportunities to hear and practice fluent reading by using a predictable story. The story uses repetative language and phrases allowing kids to chime in. They used Kid Pix.
Students compose with technology- They prewrote story ideas using inspiration and concept maps. They also composed the first draft and used SubEthaEdit to edit.
Although I dig my feet in when technology is mentioned, I’m becoming more excited to learn about and teach using these newer tools and programs. One on one help to learn would be greatly appreciated and highly beneficial for those of us who have not really had the time, desire, nor the practice of using technology in the classroom. With time and training, this whole new world will (hopefully) become less of a headache and more of a pleasure to use with my students.
Reinforcement k-6
Literacy, math, and science
Create a comic strip!
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Christine, You and I are too much alike! No wonder the kids confuse us. I had to laugh. You had two of the sites that I had! pbskids.org is so fun for children. Using the mouse, choosing what they want to play or create, and being familiar with many of the characters makes it a pleasant program to learn the basics of computers and skills on. Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction was one that I too chose, mainly because it gave great definitions of the things we are learning. Two that were new to me were Starfall, and Tips for Teaching Students to Read. Starfall led to some wonderfully quick videos of blends and digraphs, long and short vowels which I teach. Not only is it colorful, and models the sounds, but gives examples of words that each begin with. Very neat little demonstrations that I could use during my normal intro. to these "chunks." I LOVED the Tips for Teaching Struggling Readers. I printed it out and have it hanging in my classroom. There are many prompts that I already use with my students along with new ones that I will be trying out. Thanks for all your links. They were really helpful.
ReplyDeleteKeith- "Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction" was one that I too picked out! I really enjoyed this article because it clearly defined many new terms. Digital Storytelling is something that I'm interested in, but have not had much time to learn about it. I will definitely look further at your site in the near future. I really enjoyed "Read write think." It's definitely useful in a Title 1a classroom where students are asked to do all of the above in a short amount of time. Thanks for all your great links!
I’m excited that this chapter was a breath of fresh air for you. You have grow so much this semester in getting a better understanding on how technology can enhance your students’ learning process. The students you work with are struggling with reading and selecting the correct technology tools at the right time can make a difference for them. The examples you stated are outstanding and can work well in small group settings.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been fun watching you work with comic life and the site you found is another great resource for your students. http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/itworkshops.html
The site Technology tips for Classroom Teachers has a link called Integrating Technology Workshops http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/itworkshops.html and has incredible resources.
Continue your journey of learning and sharing resources with your peers. You have a better understanding on how the three components of TPACK can create enhance learning opportunities for all your students. Checkout this website http://mrsdell.org/reading/ Select the items in the left side bar and you will find many resources under each category.