Over the last 3 months I have developed a new appreciation and wonder about how technology can be used to further our students’ learning. I know realize how dramatically essential it is to incorporate in the classroom. Using technology in a suitable way is not only enjoyed by our kids, but there is research that has shown that kids’ brains have changed, that they need a technological environment to be more engaged and learn. Our kids are “digital natives”. They have been born into a world that operates on technological programs, apps, and media. When we change/update our lessons, classroom/libraries and practises to bring this world into the school setting it provides kids with an environment where they can thrive.
Now armed with some new skills (library enhancement/activities/events, blogging, Tweeting, internet Safety knowledge and skills, digital resources such as e-book programs and digital novels, presentation tools, and digital story programs) and a passion for investigating such technological methods, I feel I am more tuned into the direction that education needs to go. The path that I take with my students has changed. I look forward to taking risks and working through technological problems, and solving them together. I am less intimidated and more intrigued. I can investigate and ask questions, take risks and at least feel like I have the knowledge, or enough knowledge, to find answers, figure it out, and be of better service to my students.
One way that I have started to venture down this new road is through the use of multimodal reading programs, such as e-books and digital novels. In the library where I work I have been using interactive fiction books on Tumble Books through the Okanagan Regional Library. I have also begun to do extensive research into digital novels, in particular, Inanimate Alice, and how to use this digital novel as a platform for creating our own digital stories in class (or the library). This is a project I will be taking up with my grade 5/6 class. It’s tough to take risks, not knowing how the final projects will turn out, but I am encouraged from my readings and research that this is a risk worth taking!
As you will see in my final vision project I have outlined for my staff, the need for technology to be used and embraced in the school setting. I chose to focus specifically on multimodal reading programs as I saw a great need within the district to increase students’ reading ability, specifically comprehension. There were many suggested strategies for attaining this goal between all 11 elementary schools in Vernon, but none involved technology. I have presented the notion that through the use of multimodal technology, such as e-books and digital novels students’ reading motivation will improve, as will their comprehension. I have discussed strategies and program s in my final vision that span the grades of Kindergarten to grade 7 in an effort to make my project and work of worth to all elementary teachers. Also, as a school librarian it was important to me that my work would be of relevance to all of my students. I now have the necessary knowledge and resources to apply in my library programs that it will make a difference for students, regardless of their current reading ability, be it low, high or in between.
One of my greatest challenges during my investigation and research into multimodal reading programs was finding resources that were available, for free, for PC computers. Many e-books are available for a low cost, but can only be viewed/”played” on an iPod or iPad, neither of which my district supports. I worked hard to find resources that I could recommend, knowing that they would engage and be successful for our district of PC users. There was no point talking about the benefits of multimodal programs without being able to supply a list of resources for teachers to put to use right away. I felt delivery of such a list was essential, so that there was nothing left for teachers to do – no money to spend, no searching to be done, just implementation! This task was crucial, or my presentation just wasn't worth giving, as I knew to make a difference teachers would need to have some practical resource placed in their hands and ready to go. I am very happy to have persisted. In the end I was able to create a list of e-book programs and digital novels that are suitable to the elementary level. It is not overly extensive (3 e-book programs, with hundreds of titles available at each) and 6 digital novels, but it is also less intimidating than a lengthy list of suggestions! It is a well weeded list, ready to go! I hope others will be convinced by my research to include multimodal programs in their already existing reading routines. I believe their students will be more engaged, enjoy reading more, and literacy among their students will improve.
Please click here to view my final vision project:
Inspiring a Culture of Readers Through Multimodal Technology
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Final Vision Project - Progress, Hurdles, and Technological Components
With the challenge of putting together my final project for
LIBE 477, which involves
research, writing, and a final product to present, I am now at the stage
of putting my research and design ideas into action. I will be
creating a Prezi presentation for the first time and, as we all know,
doing
anything for the first time takes a lot of work to get it right.This
task has required some problem solving, further research and trial and error. Other challenges this week included putting together multimodal e-book and digital story lists and examples. With my
research complete, or so I thought, I began to fine tune some details of the resources I
was putting together, to both present and compile as a resource list for
teachers. Weeding through all of the sources and then setting out to
find more exemplary options took a significant amount of time.
With the goal in mind of presenting on methods to engage reluctant
readers through multimodal reading programs, I have decided to complete my final project using Prezi (a presentation format new to me). I have heard from several colleagues that they much prefer
to participate in workshops that use Prezi (as opposed to PowerPoint). My question has repeatedly been, why not use PowerPoint. The common
response from other teachers has been, “because Prezi is way better!” Why? I’d
like to know. Well, following some more digging, research and practise with the
program, I have come to learn about a few differences between the programs.
Prezi is touted as being more engaging and more effective. If this is true, I’m
all in, as the way I present is almost as important as my content! Engagement
is said to be heightened with Prezi, as unlike PowerPoint, the program is
non-linear. It does not move from one slide to the next as PowerPoint does, but
rather opens up as a large canvas. This immediately appeals to my brain, which loves, needs even, to see the big
picture. With that large canvas on the screen, I am able to jump around to
different ideas throughout the presentation. The navigation is smooth and easy,
unlike the PowerPoint slides which require a stream of backwards or forwards
screen slides to find your point of reference. The third reason I've found to support
Prezi’s reputation of increased engagement and effectiveness, is that Prezi,
unlike PowerPoint, is web-based. This makes the programs appeal even stronger for me, as I will be able to embed it into my blog (a necessity for posting my final assignment). So, it is for the sake of
engagement, effectiveness and learning something new, that I am attempting to
create and present using Prezi. Check out 'Growing Children in Digital Literacy' - a great example of Prezi in action.
Convinced Prezi is the best tool for presenting my final vision project, I
started to work, putting together my presentation. In doing so, I have
discovered a few annoyances, perhaps only hiccups I should say, with the program. Prezi does not, as far as I can tell, allow me to add notes to my document
like PowerPoint. So, rather than having notes on the side (or even a printable
copy of notes) within the same document, I need to create a separate Word
document to type and save my notes on. This seems quite ineffective, and I wish
I could keep all aspects of this presentation together as one document. The
second struggle I’ve had with Prezi is that it does not let me print “slides”
off. I have searched for a way to print areas of the presentation, which I am
able to zoom in on and would like to print in isolation, to be used as a
handout/reference. So, again, it is back to Word to create a separate document. Sorry to be a downer here as I share all my struggles, but hopefully
my readers don’t mind, and fingers-crossed that they may even be able to
correct me on a few points, making my job with the final vision project a
little smoother. So, if you have any insight into my struggles, please feel free
to correct me or let me know about any tips or tricks that may alleviate these woes.
Aside from learning about and preparing my presentation platform, I
have also been embedding examples of multimodal e-books and digital stories on
my Prezi presentation. With lists of hundreds of digital story resources and
multimodal e-book programs, I set to work selecting the best of the
best. What I discovered from my research and notes is that very few of the examples I collected meet the multimodal
criteria, and of what is available and looks promising, there's a fee. I want my
colleagues to be able to leave my presentation with the tools and resources
in-hand. Having to stop and purchase multimodal e-books on their own dime does not allow for effective implementation. I was hoping to find a variety of multimodal e-books to
share as examples in my presentation. And furthermore, I wanted to compile a
list of multimodal e-book resources for teachers’ easy reference and access. I am certainly conscious to the fact that if these multimodal reading programs involve
further time and extra costs, teachers are not in a position to attain and
implement such programs.
After my lengthy list of multimodal e-books did not result in
anything free and readily available, I furthered my search. A colleague
suggested I check out the Okanagan Regional Librarys on-line books. This
turned out to be a great, free,
resource. The library allows its member’s access to Tumble Books. TumbleBook
Library for Kids contains animated, talking picture books. In automatic mode,
the pages turn by themselves and the book is narrated, with read text
highlighted. When switched to manual, you turn the pages yourself and read
without text being highlighted. At any time, you can turn the sound off in
order to read to yourself or at your own pace. When selecting books, students
can choose those that have a ‘game features’ icon.
Thinking of those schools and/or teachers that do not have ORL access,
I phoned TumbleBooks about purchasing a subscription. I was quoted a
price that is $300 more than my schools annual library budget! Definitely not a
feasible option for most. So, with my focus
shifted back to those that do have an
ORL library card, accessing Tumble Books for Kids allows you to view, or “play”
hundreds or possibly more, multimodal e-books. For now, this is the most promising
solution and a worthwhile resource to include in my final project.
Digital stories are the second multimodal resource I will focus on
in my final project. I appreciate that higher grades will find these resources age/grade appropriate and they also allow for extension activates, including the design
and production of students’ own digital stories. Inanimate Alice is a fantastic
example of a multimodal digital story. Again, I searched for as many free, multimodal
stories as I could find to share with colleagues. Unfortunately, there are not
as many as I had hoped. I spent hours looking at sub-par stories that had no
animation, no choice, and no game-like features. There is quite a difference
between digital stories and multimodal digital stories. Inanimate Alice remains
my primary resource and example of multimodal digital stories.
Below I have compiled a list of resources which can be used as extension
activities after “playing” Inanimate Alice. They teach the steps necessary to
create your own digital story, a great project for engaging students,
reluctant and otherwise, in the upper elementary grades.
The one element I am left to face at this point is to make my
Prezi presentation available to teachers/participants through TeacherConnect. I
would like every teacher/participant in my workshop to be able to access the
presentation on their own laptop screen. This way they can view the links,
videos etc. independently and “play” with programs such as Inanimate Alice.
Making this presentation accessible to all is very important to me, as I want
it to be interactive, not just a ‘stand and deliver’ piece. So along with finishing my Prezi this coming week, I will also be exploring and perhaps consulting the district technology helping teacher, in order to make my presentation widely accessible.
References
Bradfield
Company. (n.d.). Inanimate Alice. Available
from http://www.inanimatealice.com/
Kiri, R.
(2014, May 5). Prezi vs PowerPoint: Which is Right for You? [Web log comment].
Retrieved from https://blog.udemy.com/prezi-vs-powerpoint/
Hovious,
A. (2014). Inanimate Alice: Born digital. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 42-46.
Friday, 20 March 2015
Considering the Needs of Implementing Multimodal Reading Programs
“It’s about them, not you. Giving,
not gloating” (Scivicque 2013). This quote has certainly stuck with me from my
earlier research and blog post this past February. I have since decided that
this perspective will shape my vision for the final LIBE 477 project. My final
project will be one that I can apply both to my work and lessons in the
classroom and library, but initially one that I will compile, prepare and share
with my colleagues. With
a goal in mind of presenting methods and programs on how to motivate
readers/engage reluctant readers through 21st century learning
skills (specifically multimodal programs), I am on my way to putting together
an interactive presentation for my colleagues to be shared at either a
curriculum meeting or professional development session.
I
believe this topic is of substantial worth to all of my elementary colleagues
throughout the district. My topic focuses on engaging reluctant readers, as
well as improving phonological awareness, fluency and comprehension which, upon
researching, stands out as a consistent goal among Vernon elementary educators.
During the 2013-2014 school year, school-wide goals focusing on literacy
improvement were set at 79% of elementary schools in the Vernon school district
(11 out of 14 schools). This focus continues to be of primary importance at
many elementary schools throughout the district. Kidston Elementary, for
example states that one of their 2014-2015 school goals is “To increase the
number of grade 2/3 students meeting/exceeding expectations in reading by 5% by
June 2015” (SD22, 2014). BX Elementary decided that they would like to “develop
phonological awareness, improved fluency and comprehension with an increased
emphasis on our struggling readers” as one of their school-wide goals (SD22,
2014). With a strong passion for furthering students’ reading development, I
believe my topic will be of interest and relevance both among my current staff,
but also colleagues throughout the district.
Furthermore,
I have reviewed strategies schools are currently implementing to meet their literacy
goals. At BX Elementary they include: “Catching
Readers before They Fall” book club; assess throughout the year using PMs and
WCRA; shared teaching strategies during collaborative time” (SD22, 2014). At
Kidston Elementary they include, “AFL Strategies, Leveled
reading groups: guided reading, novel studies, Home-reading, Buddy-reading, Shared
reading, Independent reading, Reader’s Theatre, Read and Respond, Repeated
Reading, One-to-One Reading, Kidston Reading Blitz, and a Sight Word Buddy
Program” (SD22, 2014). None of the school wide goals I reviewed in the district
cited electronic resources, such as multimodal programs, as a strategy for
improving engagement and/or reading ability.
In order
to address these school/district reading goals and provide another strategy to
teachers’ repertoire, I have formed an outline for my presentation: research
and rationale for adopting/incorporating 21st century learning tools
in the classroom (and more specifically,
the importance of technology and in particular multimodal technology, as a tool
for improving students reading motivation and ability), an overview/description
of multimodal programs and their effectiveness/benefits, specific examples of multimodal programs for a variety of students,
grades K-7.
During
the introduction of my presentation I will highlight the Reading Workshop 2.0
environment, using information from articles by Morgan, Lancy & Hayes,
Hovious, and Serafini & Youngs to defend my position. I will discuss the
benefits of incorporating digitally based texts and resources into the classroom
framework and provide a rationale for doing so, citing research that stresses
the effectiveness of such 21st century learning tools, such multimodal
and digitally based texts in furthering reading interest and skill (Serafini
& Youngs 2013 and Morgan 2014).
This introduction
to technology based resources will be followed by a focus on specific multimodal
programs, including both multimodal e-books and digital stories. I will discuss
both, as I hope to make the subject matter I am presenting of significance and
applicability to all age/grade/abilities at the elementary level. While discussing
particular e-book and digital story examples, I will provide interactive
examples of each to staff, demonstrating first-hand the power of these
technological tools.
During
my discussion on both multimodal e-books and digital stories I will include
examples and instructions on how to use these tools along with embed links to access
the games/programs/stories. The presentation will be accessible by all participants
through TeacherConnect so that each may have some time individually to “play”
and explore the interactivity of the programs I highlight.
In
conclusion, I feel that the topic of engaging reluctant readers and increasing
reading ability through the use of multimodal programs will meet a need within
my school community, both in terms of content and in a practical sense. Teachers
will learn about another strategy, a very important strategy that involves 21st
century learning skills, and experience programs for themselves which they will
be able to utilize immediately following the session. Through my presentation
they will receive a rationale for incorporating technology, a list of multimodal
resources to take away, and some hands on experience with both e-books and
digital stories. As such, I hope my colleagues will have the information and
tools necessary to assist their students further in personal and school-wide reading
goals.
References
Hovious, A. (2014). Inanimate Alice:
Born digital. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 42-46.
Lancy,
D. & Hayes, B. (1988). Interactive Fiction and the Reluctant Reader. The English Journal, 77(7), 42-46.
Morgan,
H. (2013). Multimodal children’s e-books help young learners in reading. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.
Morgan,
H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and
writing. Reading Improvement, 51(1),
20-26.
Scivicque,
Chrissy. (July 25, 2013). 5 Ways to share your professional expertise and 4
reasons you should. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/07/25/5-ways-to-share-your-professional-expertise-and-4-reasons-you-should/
SD22 (2014). SPC_2013-14_Presentation [PDF document]. Retrieved from www.sd22.bc.ca/District/Documents/SPC_2013-14_Presentation.pdf
Serafini, F. &
Youngs, S. (2013). Reading workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital
age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404.
Friday, 6 March 2015
Reflection and Visions for the Future
There have been several topics that have sparked my interest over the last several months. I am feeling so much more confident with technology and excited about where this journey has taken me. Early on (mid-January), I expressed a keen interest in exploring Internet safety. As a foundational 21st century learning skill, I believe this is a point of entry for all students – to be able to use the Internet in a safe and appropriate manner. I did not explore this topic further in my course work for LIBE477, however still curious and seeking information, I did attend a ProD session on February 20, 2015 about Internet Safety. CyberSafety was a program presented by a middle school liaison officer in Kelowna and Bonny Lalach, the program coordinator for the Justice Education Society. The officer is a RCMP liaison in three schools in the Kelowna area and had many stories and examples to share that stressed the importance of teachers being aware, and gaining the necessary skills, to handle Internet safety issues proactively. She stressed the dire need for students to be safe/feel safe on-line. Her discussion was followed by an introduction to the CyberSafety program. This program is an online course that shows children/students how to stay safe in the digital world. The program is based on a series of videos and activities that help children learn about digital footprints, staying safe when sending messages and posting online, protecting themselves from identity theft and how to deal with cyber bullying and sexual predators. Upon completing (viewing) at least 90% of the course, which takes about 1.5 hours in total, participants can take an exam and earn a CybersafeBC certificate (Source Link).
I have scheduled this program into my Health and Career Education plans, which we will begin the first week back after spring break. The program provides a parent letter to send home so families are aware of the unit and the sensitive nature of the lessons. I am happy to have had the opportunity to explore Internet safety outside of my course time, as I had quickly decided back in January to shift gears to the inquiry phase and select a topic that would be of immediate relevance to all my students, both primary and intermediate. Ever since, the topic of ‘how to engage reluctant readers’ has been forefront in my mind.
By the end of January/early February, I had narrowed down a list of articles relating the engagement of reluctant readers – to increase their motivation through 21st century learning skills. I researched and looked at a variety of ways to do this: e-readers, interactive fiction, tablets, online stories, and games. I knew that the use of digital technologies would inspire, engage, and as a result likely enhance learning for all of my students. Articles by Hovious, Morgan, Serafini & Youngs confirmed this idea. A dominant theme ran through each of the four articles: they all discussed multimodal and digitally-based texts. Three of the articles I selected examine the general scope of breaking away from traditional book reports and paper/pencil tasks, and engaging readers through 21st century skills through the use of multimodal programs and digitally-based texts.
The first of these three articles, Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s Literature in the Digital Age (Source Link), discusses a literacy environment that incorporates the use of multimodal and digitally-based texts. I found the article to be of great significance, as it describes several key aspects of a 21st century classroom model with regards to engaging readers. Using Digital Story Projects to Help Students Improve in Reading and Writing (Source Link), is a second resource I appreciated, as it offered information and insight not only on how technology (specifically digital stories) can not only motivate, but improve students’ reading and writing. The third resource I found, Multimodal Children’s E-Books Help Young Learners in Reading, (Source Link) furthers the discussion on how multimodal programs improve students’ interest in reading. Through the increased motivation, academic gains are seen along with an improvement in reading.
Inanimate Alice “Born Digital" (Source Link) is the fourth resource I referenced. This article is in a category of its own, as it discusses a specific multimodal program in detail: its creation, its intention, and its impact on students’ learning worldwide. Inanimate Alice is a program I have since spent hours “playing”. Inanimate Alice is a digital story that captivates student interest with sound, animation and other various media elements. I have enjoyed reading Alice’s story; her life from the age of 8 in episode 1 to age 16 in episode 5. Within these five episodes, Alice has travelled to China, Italy, Russia, Hometown, and Hometown 2. Upon viewing Alice’s story, I was immediately taken by interactivity of these stories. Immediately I began brainstorming and talking to colleagues about how the story of Alice could be used in the classroom/library to engage reluctant readers.
My ICT learning has included an introduction to blogging, Twitter, hashtags, embedding links, and Google+. By using these various forms of technology and social media related aspects, I feel that I can stay connected, receive and share a lot of information, and perhaps most importantly teach 21st century learning skills to my students, of which I had no previous applicable knowledge (Source Link). For me, this will include the social media networks Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, watching videos, and joining a Personal Learning Network (Source Link).
In terms of furthering my own ICT Skills, I mentioned in mid-February that listening to podcasts would be a fantastic use of my time during my 1.5 hour commute each day. I found a list of educator’s podcasts and have enjoyed three to date (Source Link). Some days I just want to sing on my way to/from work, but at least a couple times a week I enjoy the information, instruction and insight during my travels. This is definitely a routine that I will continue, long commute or not.
What has emerged for me as I look back on all of my posts and my inquiry phase as a learner in this course is that I would like to continue investigating how to motivate readers/engage reluctant reader’s through 21st century learning skills. This is a focus that has application in both the library and in the classroom (where I teach grade 5/6 two days a week). I have thought for weeks that putting together a unit on the multimodal game Inanimate Alice would comprise my final project. I had a vision of students watching Alice’s stories and then creating a digital story of their own. This would require me to first learn and create my own digital story, of which I have never done. I have read about a teacher in Australia that accomplishes this assignment with her grade 7s, so I imagine it is possible! My vision was to create my own digital story, to be used as a model for students. I wanted my storyline to be about how a young boy, a reluctant reader, whom discovers the world of digital stories upon which a new desire is ignited in him to read and create online.
Following my February 20th post on Supporting my Colleagues ICT Needs, I have begun to reconsider my final project idea. I awoke to the fact that I shy away from teaching my colleagues, as I feel too young, or too new to the profession, or too…(fill in the blank). My biggest take away from the February 20th assignment (and it was a big one for me) was that by sharing your wisdom with others you are not being arrogant, you are being of service. “It’s about them, not you. Giving, not gloating.” (Scivicque 2013). I am now contemplating how I can share what I have learned, specifically about engaging reluctant readers, with my staff. I would love to have a finished project that serves as both a unit which I can apply to the classroom and/or library, and also serves as a platform for presentation (such as staff meetings, Pro-D, curriculum meetings, or a Learning Community meeting).
References:
Hovious, A. (2014). Inanimate Alice: Born digital. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 42-46.
Justice Education Society. (2014). CyberSafe BC. Retrieved from: http://cybersafebc.ca/user/register
Morgan, H. (2013). Multimodal children’s e-books help young learners in reading. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.
Morgan, H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and writing. Reading Improvement, 51(1), 20-26.
Scivicque, Chrissy. (July 25, 2013). 5 Ways to share your professional expertise and 4 reasons you should. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/07/25/5-ways-to-share-your-professional-expertise-and-4-reasons-you-should/
Serafini, F. & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404.
I have scheduled this program into my Health and Career Education plans, which we will begin the first week back after spring break. The program provides a parent letter to send home so families are aware of the unit and the sensitive nature of the lessons. I am happy to have had the opportunity to explore Internet safety outside of my course time, as I had quickly decided back in January to shift gears to the inquiry phase and select a topic that would be of immediate relevance to all my students, both primary and intermediate. Ever since, the topic of ‘how to engage reluctant readers’ has been forefront in my mind.
By the end of January/early February, I had narrowed down a list of articles relating the engagement of reluctant readers – to increase their motivation through 21st century learning skills. I researched and looked at a variety of ways to do this: e-readers, interactive fiction, tablets, online stories, and games. I knew that the use of digital technologies would inspire, engage, and as a result likely enhance learning for all of my students. Articles by Hovious, Morgan, Serafini & Youngs confirmed this idea. A dominant theme ran through each of the four articles: they all discussed multimodal and digitally-based texts. Three of the articles I selected examine the general scope of breaking away from traditional book reports and paper/pencil tasks, and engaging readers through 21st century skills through the use of multimodal programs and digitally-based texts.
The first of these three articles, Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s Literature in the Digital Age (Source Link), discusses a literacy environment that incorporates the use of multimodal and digitally-based texts. I found the article to be of great significance, as it describes several key aspects of a 21st century classroom model with regards to engaging readers. Using Digital Story Projects to Help Students Improve in Reading and Writing (Source Link), is a second resource I appreciated, as it offered information and insight not only on how technology (specifically digital stories) can not only motivate, but improve students’ reading and writing. The third resource I found, Multimodal Children’s E-Books Help Young Learners in Reading, (Source Link) furthers the discussion on how multimodal programs improve students’ interest in reading. Through the increased motivation, academic gains are seen along with an improvement in reading.
Inanimate Alice “Born Digital" (Source Link) is the fourth resource I referenced. This article is in a category of its own, as it discusses a specific multimodal program in detail: its creation, its intention, and its impact on students’ learning worldwide. Inanimate Alice is a program I have since spent hours “playing”. Inanimate Alice is a digital story that captivates student interest with sound, animation and other various media elements. I have enjoyed reading Alice’s story; her life from the age of 8 in episode 1 to age 16 in episode 5. Within these five episodes, Alice has travelled to China, Italy, Russia, Hometown, and Hometown 2. Upon viewing Alice’s story, I was immediately taken by interactivity of these stories. Immediately I began brainstorming and talking to colleagues about how the story of Alice could be used in the classroom/library to engage reluctant readers.
My ICT learning has included an introduction to blogging, Twitter, hashtags, embedding links, and Google+. By using these various forms of technology and social media related aspects, I feel that I can stay connected, receive and share a lot of information, and perhaps most importantly teach 21st century learning skills to my students, of which I had no previous applicable knowledge (Source Link). For me, this will include the social media networks Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, watching videos, and joining a Personal Learning Network (Source Link).
In terms of furthering my own ICT Skills, I mentioned in mid-February that listening to podcasts would be a fantastic use of my time during my 1.5 hour commute each day. I found a list of educator’s podcasts and have enjoyed three to date (Source Link). Some days I just want to sing on my way to/from work, but at least a couple times a week I enjoy the information, instruction and insight during my travels. This is definitely a routine that I will continue, long commute or not.
What has emerged for me as I look back on all of my posts and my inquiry phase as a learner in this course is that I would like to continue investigating how to motivate readers/engage reluctant reader’s through 21st century learning skills. This is a focus that has application in both the library and in the classroom (where I teach grade 5/6 two days a week). I have thought for weeks that putting together a unit on the multimodal game Inanimate Alice would comprise my final project. I had a vision of students watching Alice’s stories and then creating a digital story of their own. This would require me to first learn and create my own digital story, of which I have never done. I have read about a teacher in Australia that accomplishes this assignment with her grade 7s, so I imagine it is possible! My vision was to create my own digital story, to be used as a model for students. I wanted my storyline to be about how a young boy, a reluctant reader, whom discovers the world of digital stories upon which a new desire is ignited in him to read and create online.
Following my February 20th post on Supporting my Colleagues ICT Needs, I have begun to reconsider my final project idea. I awoke to the fact that I shy away from teaching my colleagues, as I feel too young, or too new to the profession, or too…(fill in the blank). My biggest take away from the February 20th assignment (and it was a big one for me) was that by sharing your wisdom with others you are not being arrogant, you are being of service. “It’s about them, not you. Giving, not gloating.” (Scivicque 2013). I am now contemplating how I can share what I have learned, specifically about engaging reluctant readers, with my staff. I would love to have a finished project that serves as both a unit which I can apply to the classroom and/or library, and also serves as a platform for presentation (such as staff meetings, Pro-D, curriculum meetings, or a Learning Community meeting).
References:
Hovious, A. (2014). Inanimate Alice: Born digital. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 42-46.
Justice Education Society. (2014). CyberSafe BC. Retrieved from: http://cybersafebc.ca/user/register
Morgan, H. (2013). Multimodal children’s e-books help young learners in reading. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.
Morgan, H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and writing. Reading Improvement, 51(1), 20-26.
Scivicque, Chrissy. (July 25, 2013). 5 Ways to share your professional expertise and 4 reasons you should. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/07/25/5-ways-to-share-your-professional-expertise-and-4-reasons-you-should/
Serafini, F. & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
World Libraries
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| Rural librarian outside community reading room in Ethiopia. |
Community libraries are emerging in rural and underdeveloped
countries as a key strategy in strengthening literacy, knowledge, education and
job growth for the local people. A shift towards reading for passion, for
interest, for education is beginning to take hold. Parties working towards this
end include government agencies, NGOs, municipalities, universities, business
and technology companies (Tamakloe, 2014). In these under-served countries of poverty,
literacy rates are very low, the lowest in the world - particularly among
girls. Literacy education is being used as a tool to break the poverty cycle
that has continually and cyclically plagued the people of these regions.
Gone, for the most part, are the days of passing along our
used and tattered books to the less privileged (although this still happens,
many are making aims at moving away from this model). Organizations, such as
those listed here (source
link), are a few of the groups now working to meet the individual needs of
communities in a variety of ways including, meaningful book collections, local
librarianship training, local publishing and ICT resources and training.
Rural book collections are now being put together by
organizations, such as Code Ethiopia and African Storybook Project (ASP), in an effort to provide
meaningful, quality books, which meet the immense need of under-served rural
people. These provisions are quality resources that the community members can
relate to, and which meet their educational and cultural needs. Local language
publications are necessary in these communities, as many of the indigenous
people living in these impoverished areas are not yet literate in their local
language, thus exemplifying the demand for tailored materials, not the used
English books that have been historically donated. Check out this video about
project READ (Rural Education and Development) in Mongolia. They are supporting
schools by providing more books and professional development training to the
teachers and school networks. You will see students reading big books in their
own language, writing their own narratives and stories through little books
(books about farming, berry picking and cultural recipes).
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| A community information center in Kenya. |
As important as Internet access is, even when in place, it
poses challenges to both those facilitating and rural community members. A
variety of common factors can hinder access, including lack of electricity,
lack of reliable connections, and the fact that technology becomes obsolete
quickly. The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative (video below), was
scheduled to deliver 10 000 laptops to under-developed communities in Ghana in
2009. The goal was that every school-going child was to receive a laptop which
would be owned by that child. The same year, distribution was halted due to
many rural areas lacking electricity. The program was then suspended until
implementation of electricity to those schools (Agbenyo, 2010).
Mobile Library Units are another way of providing rural and
impoverished communities with Internet access. Momodu (2012) highlights the
need for mobile library units, pointing out that such library services are
necessary for bringing library services to the doorsteps of farmers in rural
areas. Volta Regional library, supported by EIFL-Public Library Innovation
Program in Africa, has provided mobile library ICT services since 2010. They
travel to multiple rural schools in a van equipped with solar power, bringing
fully-charged laptops for the children to use in class. A digital library
(EGranary) has also been installed to provide access to additional literacy
resources. The aim of this project was to help children pass their exams (as
they often have ICT requirements), and to enable students to access information
that would be of local value, such as those about farming methods as a way to
help their parents improve farming practices (i.e. yields and income). Students
then are targeted as the agents of change in their communities. The project
does have the need for ongoing financial support, as challenges include the
need to pay for gas, vehicles, trained librarians, teachers, technicians and
educational software. Finances aside, this project has gained international
recognition. Both Kyrgyzstan and Liberia have requested briefings on what
contributed to the project’s success (Tamakloe, 2014).
The people benefiting from these various initiatives are
widespread. They include the young, adolescents, families, and most often,
communities as a whole. When meaningful information is provided in an
accessible and reliable way, there is potential for all community members to be
affected. Children, for example, receive emergent readers, adolescents ICT
training to pass exams, farmers glean information about improved farming
methods, subsidy opportunities and ICT usage. The increased access to books,
literacy support, and ICT contributes to the creation of literate environments,
bringing new hope and prosperity to the neediest regions of the world
(Lipeikaite).
Asselin, M.
& Doiron, R. (n.d.). It takes a village to raise a
reader : Guidelines for reading promotion & Literacy support in
community libraries. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
https://codelibraries.wordpress.com/
Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (2009). Supporting literacy in
Ethiopia through libraries and reading rooms. Bookmark, 49. Retrieved from
http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/bookmark/2009winterBookmark.pdf
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2015). Global Libraries.
Retrieved from
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Global-Libraries
CODE (2013). Reading Ethiopia. Retrieved from
http://www.codecan.org/our-programs/where-we-work/ethiopia
Eldis (2015). Retrieved February 24, 2015 from the Eldis
Wiki: http://community.eldis.org/.59bf83cb/Wiki/
Lipeikaite, U. (nd). Small services big impact: public
libraries’ contribution to urban and rural development. Retrieved from
Momodu, O.M. (2012, September, 30). Rural libraries and
community development in Nigeria. International Journal of Basic, Applied and
Innovative Research, 1. Retrieved from
OLPC Mission: One laptop per child. [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://one.laptop.org/about/mission
Ranga, M. & Pradhan, P. (2014, August). Generating
solutions for rural development through ICT in India. Journal of WEI Business
and Economics, 3. Retrieved from
Tamakloe, A. (2014, May 30). Innovative mobile library
brings rural school children ICT and new educational opportunties. Retrieved
from http://library.ifla.org/867/
[Community centre in Kenya]. Retrieved from
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Global-Libraries
[Local librarian]. Retrieved from
http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/bookmark/2009winterBookmark.pdf
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