Leveraging Tools, Text, and Talk in My Teaching Context

 This week I have learned a great deal about designing classroom activities across spaces. I have been thinking about how I can support classroom practices beyond the screen and I have come up with two new ideas. One which will enhance an activity that I have already used in the classroom and one that I am looking forward to assigning that could leverage both analog and digital learning experiences towards a complex learning goal. 

Digital technology is something that is present in the lives of today’s students. “The “e-generation” is strongly motivated by the integration of technology”, and Hsu & Wang suggest that blogging is a great way to, “enhance students’ learning motivation and diversify their language-learning experiences.” (Hsu & Wang, 2017, p.29) Following this same logic, I would love to incorporate an “unboxing” video into a reading activity. Most of my students are familiar with “unboxing” activities on Youtube where a content provider will talk the viewer through the opening and unveiling of a product. This would require students to read a text, and choose items that can be connected to the text to include in their box. They could then introduce the book, character from the story, or a setting that was included in the story. In this way they are engaging with written material, using online research, and creating a video that can be shared with the class in an inventive and engaging way. This type of project will :help students to build important 21st century skills while testing the full range of language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). (Hsu & Wang, 2017, p.29) Some considerations while engaging in this sort of activity are that I have some students that do not have access to devices outside of the educational setting and I also have some students whose parents do not allow them on YouTube or other social media sites. In order to mediate this I would compile a collection of school appropriate unboxing videos so that all students involved can understand and connect with the assignment. 

The above activity is also the perfect way to continue the conversation on digital literacy and the need to consider the sources where they are finding their information as well as crediting those who provided the information for their research. Students need to be aware that, “search engines match us to certain results and hide us from others”, (Aguilera,2017) providing credible search engines and comparing the information that we find on non credible sites can be an eye opening experience. I myself was shocked when I  played the “ Fake it to Make It Game”, it is very easy to put false information into the online world. Additionally, when conducting research for this multimedia project, plagiarism must be top of mind. I use Google images daily for my rainbow planner and assign tasks for students to find online images. Moorman & Pennell posed a thought provoking question with regard to original content,  “At what point does a person’s unique idea evolve into common knowledge?” (Moorman & Pennell, 2017) When I take that photo or GIF should I be crediting the creator? 

The other activity that I would like to modify is when I teach a unit about ecosystems, pollination, and the anatomy of flowers. I was inspired by the article, “Reframing the Medium”. I currently discuss the pollination process, show videos of butterflies and bees in the natural environment, label diagrams of the insects as well as flowers, and bring in flowers for students to dissect and label. What I would like to incorporate in the future to make this a more multimedia activity. Although it is fictional,  showing The Bee Movie is  a way to engage students and encourage a conversation about what was factual and what was  not. I also plan on scheduling a trip to the farm that is run by my district. Here we have wild flowers that students could choose from for their dissection and we also have six hives of honey bees. Students can suit up and see the bees in their natural environment. 

Aguilera, E. (2017). MORE THAN BITS AND BYTES. Literacy Today, 3Aguilera, E. (2017)5(3), 12-13. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fmore-than-bits-bytes%2Fdocview%2F1966006470%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067 

Hsu, H., & Wang, S. (2017). RETHINKING LANGUAGE LEARNING. Literacy Today, 35(3), 28-29. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Frethinking-language-learning%2Fdocview%2F1966005990%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067

Moorman, G., & Pennell, A. (2017). PLAGIARISM IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Literacy Today, 35(3), 14-15. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fplagiarism-digital-age%2Fdocview%2F1966007393%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067 

How New Literacies Are Relevant to Us

     When asked to reflect on the two supplemental readings that I chose this week, the common theme is that in order to access all that digital literacy has to offer, there must be a synthesis between foundational literacy skills and meaningful learning experiences. The International Literacy Association makes a great argument that simply using the newest app or device in the classroom does not mean that "digital literacy" is being properly utilized. Instead they support the idea that, "digital tools are secondary to the teacher's literacy and learning goals." (ILA, 2018, p.2) This is echoed in the brief written by Vanek (2019) which reflects the idea that digital literacy skills are dependent upon the background and users ability to apply them.

    There are a number of meaningful learning activities that I had planned early on in the school year that involved  digital aspects. I was excited for students to participate in them but had not realized that many of my students were lacking basic skills on the computer like being able to format text, add images, use basic editing tools. I realized that I needed to "walk before I could run." Although my students had been able to use certain apps and click links, their foundational understanding was not yet where I needed it to be to have them participate in a meaningful way in my planned activities. After taking the time to provide basic instruction I am selective in what I choose to incorporate into my classroom. 

    Using digital technology has opened doors for some of my students that never seemed possible. In one of my classes a student has such severe dyslexia that his parents main worry was that he would never be able to fill out a job application one day. With training and scaffolding he has now developed the compensatory skills to be able to participate in the classroom and beyond with his available technology. 

    Vanek (2019) outlines all of the areas in which digital literacy can be developed and infused in instruction such as basic computer skills, network literacy, digital problem solving, information, and media literacy. The information provided in the research will help me to guide my digital literacy content and instruction. I also place value in the practical and meaningful application of digital literacy that was provided by the International Literacy Association. However, I find myself in disagreement with the point made about restricting students phone use during class time. I do not believe that asking students to abstain from their devices during educational time is, "teaching implicit lessons about the kinds of environments these students are expected to enter." (ILA, 2018, p.5) Expecting students to be present during class and not on social media or texting their parents about after school plans in my opinion is merely holding them accountable to participate in their education. I am interested to see what others think about restricting student use of personal media devices during school hours.

Reference

International Literacy Association. (2018). Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and Justice. Literacy Woldwide.Org. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf  

Vanek, J. (2019) What does it mean to have digital literacy skills? [Issue Brief ] https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf 

 

Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter

     My education was based around what Sang (2017) refers to as the "conventional view of literacy" which involved a print resource and was exclusively presented in English. While in college my literacy courses focused exclusively on encoding and decoding. It was not until I was in my own classroom that I was able to appreciate and understand the need to utilize and incorporate new literacies in order to tailor the education experience to each of my learners, and provide them with the training and tools to be successful in an ever changing world.   

    In my day to day professional life my instruction is infused with "new literacies" which was introduced by the New London Group and defined as, "a combination of multiple ways of communicating and making meaning, including such modes as visual, audio, spatial, behavioral, and gestural" (Beecher, 2023, p.4) This allows me to enrich my instruction and provide ways for my students to collaborate and think critically. Fortunately I work in a district that is concerned with empowering students to be involved global citizens who are able to understand how they learn and to seek knowledge. Learning is based around ten traits known as the IB Learner Profile Traits, and we rely heavily on digital literacy and responsibility.  I am fortunate to have access to multiple platforms that help me to meet each student where they are and provide them with the compensatory skills to succeed, especially if they do not have the traditional print literacy skills. Programs like Padlet allow the entire class to collaborate using gifs, memes, websites, and pictures. We can share ideas and create projects as a group. This can look different for each person in my classroom. Some students are able to participate using speech to text or text to speech. Canva, Book Writer and Google Slides are taught so that students are able to understand that information can be presented and shared in many different ways. Along with having these tools comes the obligation to produce digitally literate students who can, "do research, find reliable sources, and make judgements about what they read online and in print." (Beecher, 2023, p.5) 

    When considering the idea of equity and access, tools like Screen Castify and Kami allow me to post assignments for students to complete on their own by listening to a recording of me reading a text as they follow along or reading a document to them. This past year the district began using an app called Parent Square which allows us to send information school wide, class wide, or to individual parents.  The communications come across as an email or like a text message to a Smartphone. On my caseload are two students who have IEPs and are English Language Learners. English is not the language spoken at home and communicating with parents has been very difficult in the past. Using a translating service for a five minute conversation turned into a 45 minute phone call by the time all parties are on the line and able to work with the translator. One parent in particular did not know how to use email so communicating was especially difficult. With this new app, messages to and from the parents phones can be set to the language of their choice.I introduced the app at open school night and this parent had access to her children's teacher and an involvement in their education that she had never had before.  As a teacher, I cannot imagine being able to reach and educate my population of students in a world in which education is based around traditional literacy.

    As I prepare to go to school today, I have printed the NCTE Position Statement to keep in my classroom. The questions that are posed here will remind me to evaluate how I am guiding my students to "participate effectively and critically in a networked world" (NCTE, 2022, p.5) and remind me to continue finding ways to infuse learning opportunities and new literacies into my classroom.

 *** For more on the MYB IB Learner Profile Traits please click the following link. https://sites.google.com/ambrit-rome.com/mypcentral/the-ib-myp/ib-learner-profile 

References

Beecher, C. (2023, July 19). Chapter 1. what is literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching Early Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/  

IB Learner profile. MYP Central. (n.d.). https://sites.google.com/ambrit-rome.com/mypcentral/the-ib-myp/ib-learner-profile 

National Council of Teachers of English. (2022, April 19). Definition of literacy in a Digital age. https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/ 

Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(8), 16–19. 

Hi everyone! My name is Jes Cardello and I live on Long Island with my husband of 15 years and my 9 and 14 year old daughters. I love to read, cook, go for walks, entertain, spend time with my family, and do pilates. I did not take the traditional path to becoming an educator. After twenty years in the hospitality business it was when I was home with my daughters during COVID that I was inspired to become a Special Education teacher. While enrolled in community college I got a job working at a local Developmental Disabilities Institute to gain experience and learned a great deal from my students and co-workers. I continued on to graduate with a degree in Child Studies and a concentration in Psychology from the university that I had first attended 20 years prior! I currently hold initial certification in Birth-6th grade for General Education and Birth-12th for Special Education. When I began my teaching journey I had thought that I wanted to be with the younger population but after student teaching with 5th and 6th grade students I was shocked to realize that this is where I felt I could be most impactful. I am finishing up my first year in a 6th grade probationary position as a Special Education middle school teacher and could not love where I am more! I currently teach two sections of 15:1 Science,  two periods of ICT ELA, and have a resource room. I don't yet know what I will be teaching next year but am excited for the opportunity to continue collaborating with the educators in my building. I hope to enhance my instruction with what I will be learning in my classes. The population that I teach is quite diverse and I have been most successful when I incorporate different forms of media and technology in my lessons. I am excited for this semester and look forward to continuing to enhance and tailor the learning experience for my students.