The Future

‘The Internet will become invisible – you will not be able to tell where it begins or where it ends.’(Banes and Walter, 2002)

This statement to me is very profound in that is forces us to think of the strides being made in terms of technological advances as being more attainable and current. It also makes us aware of the seemingly limitless possibilities that will soon be available.

It also causes me to wonder how all this technological advancement would affect teaching and learning. What would our classroom experiences be?

I imagine :-

Powerful electronic tools.

A wealth of information

The interactive experiences.

Collaborative environments.

Global interactions.

High speed and real time.

This is how I envision the future of education. But we have to prepare ourselves to be a part of this new age. Not by force, but by us embracing technology and its possibilities. If not we’ll be left behind, because whether we like it or not the future of education is changing and changing fast.

Wikis for Writing

A Wiki is a web 2.0 tool that allows the user to create, view and modify documents on the internet. It supports the collaborative nature of the internet with has emerged into a social networking environment.

The collaborative quality of wikis is a very important aspect to consider especially as a teacher. Giving students the opportunity to share their ideas and their peers being able to read those thoughts and make additions makes for a very interactive class.

Students would feel a sense of ownership for a project that is produced with the use of a wiki. When all students have some input and they know that their input is valued by their peers and their teacher they are more motivated to participate in writing projects. A sense of ownership, leads to increased interest.

As teachers in a writing class the ultimate goal would be for our students to become independent writers. Students would attain independence with the right instruction, motivation and brilliant tools like the wiki.

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling involves the amalgamation of story telling and digital multimedia. Now how can you get better than that? Everything children love all rolled into one fantastic tool. Or should I say ‘Funtastic’. Engagement couldn’t get any easier.

Teachers create contexts for engagement when they provide prominent knowledge goals, real-world connections to reading, meaningful choices about what, when, and how to read, and interesting texts that are familiar, vivid, important, and relevant.

Guthrie 2000

Digital Stories can be:

• Personal Narratives
  Historical and
  Informative.

Digital Stories can be used in different ways:

Teachers can use them to tell stories or give information
Or they can be used for the student to complete stories or create stories of their own.

Because digital stories can cover a myriad of topics teachers can cater to the interests of all the students. The graphics, audio and other multimedia applications capture the interest of the students while being relevant to their experiences.

Digital Storytelling allows for the acquisition and development of other literary skills in students such as Research skills, Writing skills and Organizational skills just to name a few.

This tool to me is by far the most exciting of all that I have come across. The possibilities are endless.

Technology Integration

The IRA Standards for Reading Professionals (2010) suggests that Reading Specialists should “provide opportunities for teachers to see, experience, and practice using a variety of effective classroom routines that incorporate the effective use of technology at the classroom, school, and district levels”(p.28).

Technology has generally been embraced by the masses without us being aware. Our world has become technologically dependent, as all areas of life are in one way or the other controlled by technology. The way we do business, our banking, the way we travel, our recreational activities, the way we communicate just to name a few, are all driven by technology. As such it would be expected that as professionals we would readily integrate technology into our daily practice. But this is not always the case.

The International Society for Technology in Education defines technology integration as the use of “technology as a tool to enhance the learning [process] in a content area or multidisciplinary setting”( [ISTE], 2000a, p. 6).

Integration of any kind is a process that requires rethinking the way things are normally done. In short it requires change. Change is good but not necessarily received well especially when we ourselves have to be the agents of change. It’s fine when change is trussed upon us and we have no choice. But when we have to make a concerted effort to embrace new concepts and methodology we have reservations. We must appreciate technology and the impact that its integration would have on the teaching learning process.

Technology integration would not just enhance the teaching/learning process itself but can also supplement other areas such as research and planning, evaluation and record keeping.
It is our responsibility as Reading Professionals to persuade educators to incorporate technology in the classroom, but we must first do so ourselves. There must be an exploration of the technological advances that have been made and the tools that are available through computer programs and the internet. We must investigate how these tools can be utilizes to enhance all areas. Only that can we be able to persuade others.

About this Blog

Who is a Reading Specialist?
What does a Reading Specialist do?
What makes a Reading Specialist so special?
Can I be a Reading Specialist?

These are just a few of the questions that crossed my mind coming into this course.
At the end of the first year of this course I had a better understanding of where I see myself as a Reading Specialist.

Now we have been introduced to ITC for Reading. This adda a new dimension to the whole reading process. This blog hope to highlight some of the concepts being covered during this course. Also some of the thoughts and feelings that have been brought about during this course.

View this GREAT video from Academy of Reading.