"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives"
(Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).
To say that technology has come a long way in the past 20 years would be an understatement. I remember visiting a friend when I-pads were just becoming popular, and her two year old daughter was navigating educational apps like a professional. I was amazed. I have been teaching for a few years now and have seen firsthand the impact that literacy as social practice has had on students. According to the Gillen and Barton, "The use of screens by (young) people, and the implications of that use for pedagogies as well as for forms of writing, need to be fully understood. Screens encourage profoundly different approaches to reading than did the traditional page" (Gillen and Barton, 7). In my experience, the use of screens has had a tremendous impact in motivating my students to read! Children tend to become more interested in reading when technology is incorporated. One focus for my students last year was building reading stamina. It was difficult to assess the amount of time spent reading as all I had to go by was their word, until I learned about a website called Mobymax. I have since become their biggest promoter (although the company doesn't know this).
Mobymax is a website that allows the students to read and answer comprehension questions online, while allowing the teacher to monitor exactly how long they read during each session and how many questions they answered correctly. (FYI, it also has a math and vocabulary component and it is aligned to the Common Core Learning Standards). This approach to literacy changed the entire dynamic of reading for my students. They became eager to read and I saw an improvement!
I work in district where many of the students do not have internet access or computers at home. I used the program in the school's technology room and most of the students who didn't have access to computers outside of school would often come in early or stay late to use the school computers for the Mobymax website; some students also used their parents' smartphone to access it.
Like the two year old using I-pad apps, my students were able to make sense of literacy through this web based program to "further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 9).
References
Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010). Digital literacies. Teaching and Learning Research Programme.1-32.
It certainly is amazing how far technology has come. Even within the last year or two, the technological world has made leaps and bounds.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned how many students in your area have no internet access. While this is quite sad, in terms of the loss of potential educational material for these students, it is also interesting how this lack of access to new literacies relates, in a way, to how students in some areas don't have access to physical reading materials. And just as this lack of books can affect student's reading capabilities once they start school (more often than not they are behind others who did have reading materials at home), students who don't have internet access may be behind in terms of technological smarts. This is why using technology in the classroom, rather than shunning it in favor of the "old ways" is so important. Computers, internet, etc. are vital skills to have if someone wants to function in today's world, especially in the job market, and the Lankshear Knobel textbook talks about this in the first chapter. And students want to learn, even if it's simply reading online, as you mentioned, students will flock to this because it is new and exciting, as well as educational.
You make a valid point regarding the lack of access of physical reading material. Though all classrooms in New York City are required to have a leveled classroom library with physical books, it is true that for many students, this is the only access that they have to physical books. Although for some it is because they have the technology and money to be able to afford a tablet or e-reader and to purchase downloadable books, while others couldn't fathom that. This is an unfortunate reality for many people (children and adults). Last year, a reading program through Jet Blue donated a book to every child in the school. Needless to say, some of them were very excited.
DeleteMarlaina,
ReplyDeleteYou make excellent points about technology especially when talking about your friend's two year old daughter. On Tuesday, I substituted for the pre-kindergarten teacher who took a sick day. A specialist came into the room to work with one of the children and brought her IPAD. We are so lucky she came! There was a student whose first day was on Wednesday and even his father could not get him to stop crying. As soon as he saw the IPAD and the Temple Run game, he didn't even know that his father had left the room. He was making friends and teaching them at the same time. We left the students playing for about fifteen minutes and they were sharing, taking turns, and using all different types of apps from music, to interactive reading games (even though they could not read it yet). It is just so amazing how even the youngest kids are more inclined with technology than I am and I am twenty two years old!
I always like hearing about different websites that teachers use for their students. This Mobymax website sounds wonderful and like a genius invention. I agree with you that it is very hard to judge how long a student is actually reading at home--reading logs only work if the student is not filling out the form themselves and if the parent actually pays attention and helps the child read. Thank you for sharing this website! I cannot wait to look at it.
Marlaina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that technology has come a long way! Technology is a great motivator for students to stay focused and want to learn. In my class, my students do the Daily 5 as part of our ELA block. One part of the Daily 5 is listen to reading. We are very fortunate as a school to have a Chrome Books for each student. When I brought the Chrome Books in and told the students they would be able to use them during listen to reading, they were so excited! Many of my students that were not motivated about reading were now excited and engaged. Just a simple thing like technology gave a "boring" task new light. With this new excitement and motivation came progress in their reading abilities. Technology is a great resource in the classroom that allows teachers new ways to reach our "digital" learners. It is becoming so common in our society. We just have to be willing to jump right in!
Many of my students don't have access to the internet at home. As their teacher, I feel that it is my job to stay current and up to date on the new technologies. They are looking to me for guidance and support when it come to new media. If I become excited and motivated about technology, hopefully they will be too.
Thank you for sharing your awesome resource! I love that on Mobymax students can feel in charge of their own learning, while you can still monitor their progress! They love to see their own growth and feel like they have accomplished something.
Tessa Giammarino