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.

Student Generated Digital Story: The Lost Relic

Digital Story creation: Instructional Videos on how to use Windows Movie Maker 2 to create digital stories

Digital Story Creation: Instructional Video on how to use Photo Story 3 to create digital stories 

DigitalStory Creation: Kids’ Vid website gives tools on scripting, editing, video shooting,and showing a movie

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.

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 21^st 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 21^st 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 21^st 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 21^st 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.

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.