EDLA615 Language Arts and Technology

The article The Impact of Using Blogs on College Student’s Reading Comprehension and Learning Motivation was fascinating. It outlined a study done with 149 college students and 2 instructors to incorporate blogs into developmental reading courses. The goal of the study was to see if students’ reading level will improve if they have access to digital texts with a blogging tool. The study proved that there is indeed a positive correlation between using blogs and a higher retention rate. I found this article very interesting. It’s so powerful to see an idea we know prove itself in a real and physical sense. A lot of teachers realize how beneficial technology incorporation is. However, when they see it in black and white, they may be more motivated to implement it themselves. I feel that this article is a must read for all educators. 

Digital Storytelling is a fun and engaging way to teach ANYTHING! Teachers and students can have so much fun with these tools. Here is an example that I created using Voicethread. It's easy to use and the options are endless. The voicethread is on the Scientific Method. https://voicethread.com/share/9835338/

Second Life is an ingenious online interaction game that can promote many skills for students. Second Life can be incorporated into ELA instruction in many ways. Firstly, the communication aspect enables students to text chat and instant message each other. They can use voice chat as well or create notecards. This helps students build communication and writing skills in a virtual environment. Students can “make friends” and join groups. They can travel all over the world and invite friends to travel with them. ELA instruction can be incorporated in the actual playing of the game or afterward. The teacher can have students write about their experiences, reflect on what they did, and so on. Here are a few screenshots of the site:   

The article “Theories and Practices of Multimodal Education”, analyzed the implication of using multimodal texts in early literacy instruction. It specified how multimodal texts opens up new roles for the reader/writer and the teacher as well. It introduced three new roles of a teacher, a resource manager- the teacher has to navigate a range of texts to endure that the students have the skills to and abilit i es to read new texts. Second, the teacher as a  co- constructor of knowledge. The teacher and the students learn together since sometimes the students know more about certain things. Last, the teacher as the design consultant- the teach e r provides feedback and advice with the curriculum in mind.  The roles were apparent in the studies of the article. The teachers initiated open ended activities in response to multi-modal texts. When teacher use multi-modal resources, students acquire the conceptual bases to interpret and produce complex text/image/design relationships....

Hannah Friedman Keystone Project- UDL Book Dr. Hsu Link to my UDL Book:  http://bookbuilder.cast.org/ view.php?op=view&book=122638& page=1        My UDL book is on the topic of the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the story of Rosa Parks. I chose this topic because  t he classroom is a diverse place. There is a lot of room for discriminatory thoughts or encounters. Learning about the civil rights movement helps students know the rights of every person and that every person is equal no matter where they come from. This is a vital concept for students of all ages, it’s never too early to start. Students like to learn about heroes and heroines so they will like learning about the people of the movement. They will connect with the ideas and values and apply it to their own lives.  In addition, the students today are exposed to so much violence. They watch it, read about it, hear about it all the time! The Civil Rights Movement proves ...

The two articles were very enlightening and I learned so much from them. It was particularly interesting to read about the challenges of implementing technology, the different ways that teachers use technology and the correct framework in which they can be implemented. The next articles went in to further depth of actual examples of technological implementation by teachers using social networking sites. I learned a lot about new literacies, the skills involved such as technological, cognitive, and literacy, as well as the five main components of new literacies.  Through reading about the study conducted, I realized the importance of having teachers trained in technological skills. This idea is highlighted in the social networking article. When teachers learn how to navigate the tools and resources they are provided with, they can then effectively use their skills to enrich the learning of their students. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that teachers have access to the trainin...

Here is a screenshot if my Edmodo page.  There are many different functions for a teacher on the Edmodo website, all if which are extremely useful and easy to work with. Here are a few of them.  Library : this function allows the teacher to keep files neat and organized. The teacher can create different folders such as a quiz folder to keep class quizzes in, assignments or anything else.  Messaging : here, the teacher can post messages to the class and to parents about anything. This will guarantee that the whole class is notified about important events and obligations as well as creating a collaborative feeling and the ability to connect.  Progress : this allows the teacher titrack the progress of students and the class. It helps the teacher see in which direction the class is headng, where more help is needed and so on. It makes everything clear and all the information is where the teacher needs it.  Assignments : the teacher can keep track of assig...

View my video script here .

After learning about gaming in the classroom since the starts of the semester, I became really interested in the topic. The articles and the websites were fascinating to say the least! I had never thought of gaming as a relevant or integral part of the classroom learning. However, after viewing the games from the perspective of new literacies, I am beginning to think otherwise. For the teacher, gaming is an ideal way to motivate students. Which students does not love playing video games? So many games seem mundane and irrelevant but even games like Minesweeper have their good aspects like logical reasoning and even fine motor skills! Students build cognitive awareness in all areas. From visual-spatial to logical and reasoning to creativity to collaboration, all these areas are being honed and worked on. For the student, gaming offers a refreshing approach to material and information that may seem dull in a normal classroom setting. It helps review and synthesize information and offer ...

I was fascinated when I discovered Flowlab.io! Here, students and teachers can create games in minutes! It’s a browser based and easy to use. Additionally, it can be used for all topics and levels. Teachers can use the teacher dashboard for an overview of all student projects. There is no installation needed, students can access it from anywhere, and there is absolutely no programming experience needed. Game creators help students build interest in a certain topic, develop cognitive and focusing skills, as well as visual and focusing development. Teachers can implement game building tools to motivate students and help them build cognitive skills.

View my recording here .

Grade level: 5 Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on  grade 5 topics and texts , building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound...

The game: School Tycoon. The player has to create a school where the teachers and the students are happy. Beware of fire, storms, trouble makers, and unhappy janitors! :) 1-       Gaming Elements: Text- Many games provide texts in the form of balloons or dialog boxes. The player must identify the main idea of the text provided. They must make connections between the text, the game, and the context. This is an ongoing transactional process. Additionally, the player uses previous knowledge of the game to critically analyze the text provided and make choices and draw conclusions about a better way to play based on that. In this game, the text appears on the top of the screen to notify the gamer of impending disasters, teachers that quit, new students, and so on. Additionally, the player can read the students’ and teachers’ thoughts to make changes in the game. A school newspaper is given out as well. Visual-graphic: Players need to learn how to draw informat...