Classroom-Tested Tech Tools Used to Boost Literacy

Several teachers explained how they used the existing technology in the classroom. They did not need to buy programs; they just used what already exists in various ways. One teacher had her student teacher read the vocabulary words and then created a PowerPoint to go with the words. Then she burned the presentation onto DVDs and gave each student a DVD. This allowed each student to hear the words pronounced properly and also gave a visual for each word. The teacher found that it made students more adept at recognizing the words. Audio books were also found to help students with fluency and comprehension.
In an elementary school, one teacher utilized webcams to help improve student’s reading. He had the students read aloud while being recorded. Then, the teacher was able to view the video with the student and help point out some errors and how they could improve. Within 5 weeks, the teacher found that students made at least 2 fewer mistakes in their reading.
Blogs are also a way for students to practice fluency and engage students in reading and writing. When students connected with other students from other countries with their blogs, it forced the students to polish their grammar and pronunciation. The students were excited and wanted the other foreign students to know the proper way to speak and write; therefore, the American students wanted to perfect their speech and writings.
Some other technology tools that were used were VoiceThread, Storybird and Teachers’ Domain, an online repository of free media resources for teachers run by the Boston-based WGBH Educational Foundation, provides multimedia-rich science and social studies curricula infused with literacy lessons. The overall concept for utilizing existing software was to cut down on purchasing pre-packaged, expensive software and to use the tools in an effective way to make a difference.

Ash, K. (2011). Classroom-tested tech tools used to boost literacy. Educational Week Digital Directions, 4(2), 22-24.

Good Teaching Thumps Good Tools

"Good Teaching Thumps Good Tools"

by William M. Ferriter

Summary by Krissy Brown

The author of this article points out that having a 21^st century classroom does not necessarily mean you will have 21^st century teaching. We can have the most high-tech classroom in the universe and still not effectively use the technology in our lessons. At the same time, a teacher could have no high-tech devices in the actual classroom, and still be able to provide 21^st century teaching.

Many teachers get caught in the trap of focusing on the digital tools themselves instead of simply using the tools to instruct the students in the different academic content areas. Teachers need to learn how to “craft lessons that integrate the skills needed for success.” (Ferriter, 2011)

William Ferriter recommends two powerful online discussion tools that teachers can use to generate conversation amongst the students. They are great options for teachers who may not have many “devices” in the classroom, but still want to incorporate technology into their lessons. The first resource that Ferriter discusses is VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com). You can create voice threads by uploading topics for discussion to the website. These can be cartoons, images, quotes, etc. Your students can then go on-line and add comments to the conversation. The purpose of incorporating this into the classroom, is to teach students how to contribute worthwhile comments to conversations and to strengthen language skills. By using VoiceThread, students get the opportunity to polish their ideas before publishing them to the conversation.

The second tool that Ferriter recommends for teachers is Diigo (www.diigo.com). Through Diigo, users can annotate, tag, organize, and share online information. You can bookmark specific websites for your students to visit, and once on those websites, both you and your students are able to annotate, highlight, and make comments about the posted text. This preparation before class then leads to sophisticated, in-class discussions.

Bibliography

Ferriter, W. M. (2011, February). "Good Teaching Thumps Good Tools". Educational Leadership .