FLaRE's Online
Volume 5, Issue 37 Jan 2005
Digital-Age Literacy
Visit the FLaRE
Website HThttp://flare.ucf.eduTH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
In this Issue:
1. News from Pat Striplin, Director of FLaRE
2.
Sharing the Good News
3.
News from Florida Education & Literacy
4.
FLaRE FLASH – Digital-Age Literacy
5. From the FLaRE Library
6.
Online Digital-Age Literacy
7.
Upcoming Conferences and Activities
8.
Coordinator Corner
1. News from Pat Striplin, Director of
FLaRE HTpstripli@mail.ucf.eduTH
Since FLaRE embraces the charge to support and enhance literacy learning, I’d like to share a current calendar of Reading Endorsement Competencies Four, Five and Six offerings. This schedule reflects collaborative planning between districts/consortia and FLaRE to implement district reading endorsement plans. Keep in mind, though, that the schedule is a work in progress; and new offerings continue to be added.
FLaRE
Grades K-12 Reading Professional Development
Florida Reading Endorsement Competencies 4 and 5
Train the Trainers
| Districts | Attending Dates |
| Manatee | January 4 - 6, 2005 |
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| DeSoto | January 8 & 29, 2005 |
February 12, 2005 |
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| Escambia | January 10 & 25, 2005 |
January 25, 2005 |
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| Dade (NOT Train the Trainers) | January 13, 2005 |
February 1 - 2, 2005 |
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February 2, 2005 |
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| Collier | January 22, 2005 |
February 5, 2005 |
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| FLaRE Areas 1 - 4 | February 1 & 3, 2005 |
February 3 & 22, 2005 |
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March 23, 2005 |
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April 11 - 12, 2005 |
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| Palm Beach | February 7 - 11 2005 |
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| Hillsborough | February 12, 19, & 26, 2005 |
March 5, 12, & 19, 2005 |
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| Wakulla | February 18, 2005 |
March 17, 2005 |
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April 25 - 26, 2005 |
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May 26, 2005 |
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| Collier | February 19, 2005 |
March 5 & 12, 2005 |
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| Duval, St Johns, Putnam | February 28, 2005 |
March 1 – 2 & 9 – 10, 2005 |
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| Sarasota | April 8, 15, & 29, 2005 |
May 13, 2005 |
Florida Reading Endorsement Competency 6
Train the Clincial Mentor/Practicum Supervisor
| Districts | Attending Dates |
| Collier, Charlotte, Manatee, | January 9 - 14, 2005 |
| Sarasota , Hardee & DeSoto |
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| Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas | January 12 – 14 & 20-21, 2005 |
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| Palm Beach , Indian River, | January 24 - 28, 2005 |
| Martin, St. Lucie |
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| Citrus | January 24 & 31, 2005 |
February 7, 14, & 28, 2005 |
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| Sarasota | February 4 & 18, 2005 |
March 18, 2005 |
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| Leon | February 7 - 8, 2005 |
March 9 - 10, 2005 |
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March 30 - 31, 2005 |
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| Okaloosa | March 21-25, 2005 |
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| Duval, St Johns, Putnam | April 19 – 21 & 26 – 27, 2005 |
| FLaRE Areas 1 - 4 | April 19 - 21, 2005 |
| May 24 - 26, 2005 |
2.
Sharing the Good News
Frankenstein Meets the 21st Century
In support of Jensen Beach High School’s goal of collaborative learning, Mr. Paul F. Waite and Dr. Mark C. Malham developed a lesson plan for a joint class project between Mr. Waite’s intensive reading students and Dr. Malham’s business systems and technology students.
The challenge for the teachers was to develop a lesson plan that complemented—rather than deviated from—each teacher’s curriculum, to ensure the lesson wasn’t “just a fun thing to do.” An analysis of both curriculums revealed distinct benchmarks that could overlap, given the correct approach. For example, Mr. Waite’s students were required to “synthesize information from multiple sources to draw conclusions.” Dr. Malham’s students were required to “demonstrate knowledge of ethical behavior in a business environment.” All students, however, were required to use technology to communicate ideas.
After considerable brainstorming, the teachers agreed their respective benchmarks would work well for a joint class project: Mr. Waite’s students had finished reading Frankenstein, and Dr. Malham’s students’ had completed a lesson on legal and ethical issues in business. Therefore, the teachers agreed to use the Frankenstein novel as the foundation of a PowerPoint presentation about the moral and ethical issues discussed in the book and their application to today’s business environment.
The groups were assigned by matching a student from Mr. Waite’s class with a student from Dr. Malham’s class. The teachers discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each student and paired them accordingly. Because Dr. Malham’s students were unfamiliar with the novel, it was incumbent upon Mr. Waite’s students to present the moral and ethical issues. In turn, Dr. Malham’s students were responsible for assisting Mr. Waite’s students in developing the PowerPoint presentations and applying the issues to today’s business environment.
After determining the objectives, the teachers had to develop an assessment that effectively evaluated the project. They developed a rubric that equally weighed the understanding and application of the issues, as well as the organization, content, and creativity of the presentation. Additionally, they developed a self and peer evaluation tool to further enhance the assessment.
Over a two-day period, students collaborated on their respective projects, which were then presented to all students in the Media Center, providing a more formal and business-like setting. Although some of the groups simply reported the Frankenstein story, most of the groups made the connection between Dr. Frankenstein’s attempt to “play God” and current issues such as cloning, stem cell research, and abortion. Some students even addressed other ethical issues such as the arrogance displayed by Enron executives and their subsequent demise.
Both teachers reported that the most satisfying aspect of the collaboration was the literate discussion that occurred in the pairings. As the students discussed and debated the relevancy of particular themes and how best to present them, it was obvious that comprehension and knowledge increased. In the end, the students had a much better understanding of their respective lessons.
Here is some of the feedback we received from our students. Jeff B. stated: “Working with Mr. Waite’s English class was a good learning experience for students in both classes.” Raymond S. stated: “Having the opportunity to work with the other class was a lot of fun and very exciting; I had a good time!”
Some teachers, who happened to pass through the Media Center while the presentations were underway were impressed with the creativity and originality of the projects that the students displayed in developing their PowerPoint presentations. They spoke with Mr. Waite and Dr. Malham about working on collaborative projects with them as well. Additionally, Mr. Waite and Dr. Malham discussed additional opportunities for which they could collaborate.
3.
News from
Florida
Department of Education at http://www.fldoe.org/
Just Read,
4.
FLaRE FLASH – Digital-Age Literacy
Digital-Age Literacy
Larry Bedenbaugh, Information Services Coordinator lbedenba@mail.ucf.edu
Although there is no dispute that we want our students to be more literate in the traditional meaning of the term, we must also consider other literacies as we strive to prepare our students to be productive citizens of the 21 st century. Various organizations have weighed in with their thoughts on what skills students will need in this new digital-age.
No Child Left Behind legislation has established technology literacy as a core foundation for learning (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/index.html). The Partnership for 21 st Century Skills (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/) offers several reports and publications that examine a vision for learning in the 21st century that better prepares students for work and life in the new millennium. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Research Council (NRC) produced Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology (2002) (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309082625/html/). The 21st Century Workforce Commission looked at 21 st Century literacy in A Nation of Opportunity; Building America's 21st Century Workforce (http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/downloads/keyWorkplaceDocuments/21stCenturyWorkforce/21stfinal_1.pdf). Educational Testing Services (ETS) released Digital Transformation: A Framework for ICT Literacy, that stresses today’s students must be able to decipher meaning and express ideas through a range of media (http://www.ets.org/research/ictliteracy/ictreport.pdf).
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), as part of their enGuage website (http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/), issued 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age, which focuses on the skills students need to deal with the complexities of life in a changing society. NCREL asserts that digital-age literacy includes basic literacy, scientific literacy, economic literacy, technological literacy, visual literacy, information literacy, multicultural literacy, and global awareness. The following articles examine several of these new age literacies.
Digital Literacy
by Vicky Zygouris-Coe, Ph.D. FLaRE Research Coordinator and Assistant Professor in Reading Education, University of Central Florida vzygouri@mail.ucf.edu
We don't have an option of turning away from the future. No one gets to vote on whether technology is going to change our lives. ~ Bill Gates
Introduction
The Net-Generation (or N-Gen) has been here for a few years now. The N-Geners are eighty-eight million strong (Tapscott, 1998). They are the first to grow up surrounded by digital media. Computers, DVDs, and digital cameras, are common place to N-Gen members. They work with them at home, in school, and they use them for fun and entertainment. More and more these technologies are connected to the Internet that is attracting a million new users monthly. Constantly surrounded by technology, today's kids are used to its strong presence in their lives. Today's kids are saturated “in bits”; they are the ones teaching their parents how to program the DVD player or use the computer (Tapscott, 1998). These children and youth are learning, playing, communicating, working, and creating communities differently than their parents did.
The issue at hand is not whether technology is going to change our lives. It already has. The question is how we are responding to it. How are we preparing our students to deal with the knowledge explosion of the 21 st century? Today’s students are expected not only to “read the world” but also to “write the world.” Today’s students’ ability to construct meaning from print also expands into constructing meaning from graphics, images, audio and video, film, and other digital forms.
What is Digital Literacy?
To achieve success in the 21st century, students need to be proficient in literacy, math, science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a comprehensive understanding of information in all its forms. Over the past few years many “new literacies” have emerged. The concept of literacy is on an evolving continuum; it mirrors the expanding information needs and trends of our society. The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory's (NCREL) enGauge (2003) identified eight digital age categories: basic literacy, scientific literacy, economic literacy, technological literacy, visual literacy, information literacy, multicultural literacy, and global awareness.
Digital-Age Literacy includes the following:
- Basic Literacy: The basics level of English language and numeracy proficiency necessary to develop knowledge and to function on the job and in society.
- Scientific Literacy: The knowledge and understanding of the scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making and participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity.
- Economic Literacy: The ability to identify economic problems, alternatives, costs, and benefits, changes in economic conditions and policies. Also, the ability to collect and organize economic evidence and analyze costs and benefits.
- Technological Literacy: Knowledge about what technology is, how it works, the purposes it can serve, and how it can be used for acquisition of knowledge, communication, and learning.
- Visual Literacy: The ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video or film using media to advance thinking, communication, and learning.
- Information Literacy: The ability to recognize, locate, synthesize, analyze, and evaluate information across a range of media using technology, communication and electronic resources.
- Multicultural Literacy: The ability to understand and appreciate the similarities and differences among cultures.
- Global Awareness: The recognition and understanding of interrelationships among international organizations, socio-cultural groups, and people across the globe.
What are the Characteristics of the Net-Generation?
Many educators are trying to reach a culture of interaction through antiquated methods and means. We struggle to motivate students who are not motivated the same way as the previous generation of students did. Today’s youth culture is emerging out of interactive media. This is the generation that is creating the workplace and society of tomorrow (Tapscott, 1998). Here are some characteristics of the N-Geners Culture:
- They are very independent. They enjoy the freedom to access information and to also confront information they don’t agree with in chat rooms and e-discussion boards.
- They expose themselves emotionally and intellectually. They keep online journals and post their feelings and thoughts on their web pages or in chat rooms. An example is The Diary Project ( http://www.diaryproject.com/), a chronicle of kids growing up at the turn of the 21st century.
- They move toward greater social inclusion.
- They enjoy the freedom of expressing their strong views via the Internet.
- They constantly look for new ways to do things better.
- They perceive themselves as more mature than other generations before them.
- They investigate how technology works and how they can benefit from it.
- Immediacy, interactivity, and the speed of the Internet, guide their interactions, communications, and learning.
What do We Need?
The biggest mistake we could make is to assume that the challenge is to prepare teachers to do the usual things better. ~ John Goodlad
Do our schools and curricula meet today’s students’ literacy needs? Does literacy for the Internet age look different from conventional literacy? Do students read, understand, and evaluate electronic text, graphic, and digital information, the same way they read, understand, and evaluate text in textbooks? How do we go from hypertext to context? Do students know how to search and use the virtual library? Do students know how to evaluate the authenticity of information on the World Wide Web? What is the future for the digitally literate and limited digitally proficient learners [emphasis mine]?
Wiring the schools and populating them with computers is necessary but not enough. In order to prepare the students for school, workforce, and societal success, students must be provided with appropriate software, services, and teachers who are proficient in various literacies and equipped to teach a generation of students that has been brought up with digital media. Students need instruction on how to locate and evaluate information. Yes, they need access, infrastructure and support; but they also need to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to handle this information revolution. Educators need to make sure that the technological progress is not merely providing us with more efficient means for going backwards!” (paraphrased quote from Aldous Huxley).
"Being literate in contemporary society means being active, critical, and creative users not only of print and spoken language but also of the visual language of film and television....Teaching students how to interpret and create visual texts....is another essential component of the English language arts curriculum. Visual communication is part of the fabric of contemporary life." NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts (1996) as quoted in Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (2002, pp. 74-75).
"It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliche, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter, and important news from coverage." Ernest, Boyer, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Former U.S. Commissioner of Education.
Resources
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (2003). Literacy in the Digital Age:enGauge 21 st Century Skills for 21 st Century Learners. Available Online: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/engauge21st.pdf#search='digital%20age%20literacy'
Tapscott, R. (1998). Growing up digital: The Rise of the Net Generation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Visual Literacy
Marcia Halpin, Area 5 Coordinator mhalpin@mail.ucf.edu
Visual literacy has been defined in many ways. Here are some examples. Visual literacy is
- the ability to understand and produce visual messages (Keith Lightbody, 2004).
- the ability, through knowledge of the basic visual elements, to understand the meaning and components of the image (The On-Line Visual Literacy Project, 2004).
- a group of vision competencies a human being can develop by seeing and at the same time having and integrating other sensory experiences (International Visual Literacy Association, 2004).
Visual literacy begins to develop very early in life when babies learn to identify their caregiver’s mood by interpreting facial expressions and body language. The development of common meanings for visual elements continues throughout life as we gain experience with visual elements such as geometric lines and shapes, direction, color, lighting, scale (size), and movement of objects. Our ability to “read” visual images can be learned, just as reading and writing can be learned.
A fairly new example of the development of common meaning is “shouting” on line by writing in all capital letters. As more and more people have begun using email and instant messaging as a form of communication, the understanding that the visual image of capital letters is interpreted as “SHOUTING” in print. Our interpretation of text is influenced by the way it is presented as well as by what the words actually say. Have you every pondered what font and font size to use when writing a newsletter or creating a flyer? Technology that is getting more user friendly all the time allows the use of movements such as text that appears, disappears, flashes, changes colors or moves around a monitor. These visual elements influence our comprehension of the text. For example, advertisers often use movement in their pop-up screens to catch our attention and direct it to specific bits of text.
Professionals who develop the layout for magazines and journals pay a great deal of attention to the layout of text, photographs and graphics on each page. Readers tend to skip pages that contain too much text. Photographs and graphics grab the readers attention. They are designed to peak the reader’s interest and support understanding of the text. When we use every bit of space of a page to reduce the amount of paper needed to produce documents in quantity the risk of an even greater waste of resources if the recipients don’t actually read the document.
The elements of designing an attractive document are influenced by the way it will be viewed. For example, creating a newsletter that will be read on paper is more inviting when more than one column is used but when reading from a computer screen multiple columns may require frequent scrolling up and down to read each column.
Five elements influence the way we interpret visual information in conventional and electronic forms (Ribaulo, 2000). They are proportion, dimension, direction, texture and shapes.
- Proportion refers to the relationship between graphics and/or text. Degree of importance may be implied through size.
- Dimension is created through the use of light, shadows or color as well as through a linear perspective. Remember drawing those lines in art class – the ones that “met” at the horizon? I remember using them to make a road that faded off in the distance.
- Direction refers to the ways our eyes are “pulled” around things we look at. Sometimes bright colors or large objects grab our attention. Sometimes a line can be used to guide our vision.
- Texture can be “seen” when we have prior experience with materials. For example, we can “see” if a fabric is smooth (satin) or rough (burlap) without touching it.
- Shapes become an “elementary vocabulary, an alphabet” that provides a way to think and communicate about visual images. Shapes may also convey meaning. Rings (circles) are often chosen to represent eternity while squares may give the feeling of dullness or stability.
Color shapes our perceptions and affects our emotions. You probably know that red is the color of anger and heat. Blue is a “cool” color associated with calmness and peace. The association between red and violence may be related to the color of blood. Blue’s “meaning” may be its similarity to the sky or ocean. The value, or intensity, of color can direct our eye, create the impression of dominance or imply emotion.
Picture books tell three stories (Hastings, 2004). The illustrations tell one story, the print tells one, and combining illustrations and text create yet another. We expect cartoons to be funny. A book about the Holocaust illustrated with cartoon figures would probably not be well received, even though readers might not be able to articulate just what they didn’t like about the book. The illustrations in Eve Bunting’s Fly Away Home seem to be about a father and son embarking or returning from a trip on an airplane trip. The text is about a homeless father and son who have learned to escape notice while living in an airport. Two very different stories indeed.
Keith Lightbody, an Information and Communication Technology consultant, provides a plethora of ideas at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~cumulus/index.html for using technology to develop your students’ visual literacy. He provides suggestions for taking pictures with a digital camera and manipulating the images to help students identify the elements of visual images and think critically about how those elements can influence their ideas and emotions.
According to Mary Alice White, researcher, Columbia Teacher’s College, young people learn more than half of what they know from visual information (McKenzie, 1998). As educators continue to explore ways to help their students become critical thinkers and effective communicators, visual literacy must not be forgotten.
Resources
Hastings, W. (2004). How to Look at Illustrated Books. Available Online: http://lupus.northern.edu:90/hastingw/illusbks.htm
International Visual Literacy Association (2004). What is Visual Literacy? Available Online: www.ivla.org/organization/whatis.htm
Lightbody, K. (2004). Visual Literacy in Classrooms . Available Online: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~leemshs/visual.htm
McKenzie, J. (1998). Visual Literacy. Available Online: http://fnopress.com/PLNZ/vislit.htm
Ribaulo, M. (2000).The Salon/Poolside - Visual Literacy. Available Online: http://ribaulo.tripod.com/clubricci/poolside
The On-Line Visual Literacy Project. (1998). What is Visual Literacy? Available Online: http://www.pomona.edu/Academics/courserelated/classprojects/Visual-lit/intro/intro.html
Multicultural Literacy
Linda Tuschinski, Area 6 Coordinator ltuschin@mail.ucf.edu
Culture is what we learn and create to make sense of our world, it’s a community of people who share a language, a history or a way of life. The issue of culture itself seems to be a fascinating aspect of modern culture. This fascination has brought about many changes in current culture; for people invent, refine and embellish their cultures through contact with and by borrowing from other cultures. This seems to be one of the ways different cultures learn to live together. Multiculturalism has become a fact of our daily lives.
Valuing Diversity
Diversity is stimulating and enriching. In her article “Weaving the Tapestry of Diversity: Enlarging the American Dream”, Helja Robinson addresses the idea that true multiculturalism can be achieved by accepting the existence of cultural diversity and working towards achieving equity, peace and a harmonious relationship among cultures.” As educators, it has become more and more important that we become culturally sensitive in order to communicate and connect with students and families of diverse backgrounds. Students need opportunites to learn about, appreciate, and understand the beliefs and values of those from different backgrounds. Careful observation of students engaging in classroom interaction is a first step. We cannot assume that all students have had similar classroom experiences. Many may not be familiar with the free exchange of information in the form of class participation and discussion. The cultures of poor and ethnic minority students need also to be considered. When children enter school, they must adjust to the school culture but may come from backgrounds where parents teach children differently or where children and adults converse and interact differently. Any of these can create such a degree of discomfort and/or frustration that the child may completely withdraw, thus, contributing to possible academic underachievement and failure.
Multicultural Literacy
Multicultural education is being used to promote multicultural literacy. Multicultural literacy is the knowledge of and the ability to understand and appreciate the similarities and differences in the customs, values, and beliefs of one’s own culture and the cultures of others. For a community to exist and thrive there must be an “other community” against which the community can define itself. Awareness and sensitivity to differences enables all stake-holders to gain an appreciation of the wealth of diversity around us in our world.
Carefully selected classroom materials are excellent vehicles to portray culturally diverse groups realistically and from a variety of perspectives enabling all to be contributing members of the class. Carlos Cortes (2000) believes that examples of multiculturalism as found in the mainstream media should be brought into the classroom as a way to help students analyze and evaluate its content. The teacher can point out that the different forms of media use are different means of conveying the information. Students can examine the types of words and how they are used to show cultural biases. Articles need to be of interest to all the students so that their background knowledge allows them to make the necessary connections.
The use of culturally diverse children’s literature in the classroom promotes multiculturalism both for students and teachers. Stacey Leftwich in her article “Learning to Use Diverse Children’s Literature in the Classroom: A Model for Pre-service Teacher Education” (2002, Culturally Diverse Literature and the ABC’s Model section, para. 3) states that this literature is also a vehicle for differentiated instruction by allowing individual students to use “strategies such as inquiry, reflection, and discussion that increase learning.” Good teaching occurs when students are engaged in activities that are meaningful and when they are taught to “see major concepts and general principles rather than being exposed to isolated skills or facts.” The responsibility for strategies in writing and reading is shifted from teacher to student, and literacy is promoted. “This form of teaching and knowledge construction helps students connect what they learn in school with their out-of-school lives and the lives of others.” Using culturally diverse literature provides the information that allows students to come to their own understanding of cultures and form their own conclusions. Ms. Leftwich suggests several rich examples of literature depicting ethnic and cultural diversity as well as social assumptions and values about family, ethnicity and color, disability, gender, and war and conflict.
In this digital age, students are enabled to communicate and work with students from diverse environments via email or teleconferences often using digital cameras or online projects. As this practice pertains to all ages, teachers need to tailor technology materials to the students’ ability levels to encourage instead of overwhelm. Rick Allen in the Fall 2004 ASCD Curriculum Update states that “for the last four years, researchers in France have been building up an international network of student e-mail exchanges to encourage cultural communication at the peer level, especially among early learners.” This network involves seven countries including the United States. Additional information can be found online at http://ww.mmm-ec.org.
Therefore, students need opportunities to interact cross-culturally in meaningful ways; it is our task to create environments that ensure that these students value diversity in cultures other than their own and become sensitive to issues of bias, racism, prejudice, and stereotyping.
Resources
Allen, R. (2004, Fall). Louder Than Words: How K–12 World Language Teachers Are Meeting New Challenges. Curriculum Update, 1-3,6.
Banks, J. A. (2003). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (4 th ed., pp. 32-73). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Banks, J. A. (1991). Multicultural Literacy and Curriculum Reform. Educational Horizons, 69(.3), 140.
Chu, C. (2002). 21 st Century Literacies: Cultural Literacy. Available Online: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/cultural.html
Cortes, C. E. (2000). The Children are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity. New York: Teachers College Press.
Leftwich, S. (2002, September). Learning to use diverse children's literature in the classroom: A model for preservice teacher education. Reading Online, 6(2). Available Online: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=leftwich/index.html
McLaughlin, B. & McLeod, B. (1996). Educating All Our Students: Improving Education for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds. Available Online: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/ncrcdsll/edall.htm
Robinson, H. A. (1994). Weaving the Tapestry: Enlarging the American Dream (Multiculturalism and Diversity). National Forum, 74(1), 3-5.
Technology Literacy
Susan Kelly, Area 8 Coordinator sukelly@mail.ucf.edu
We have a choice as to whether we march into the future world with our eyes open, deciding for ourselves how we want it to be or whether we let it push us along as we remain helpless to understand where we’re going or why. ~ William Dugger
What does it mean to be technologically literate? According to North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (2003), technological literacy is knowl edge about what technology is, how it works, what purposes it can serve, and how it can be used efficiently and effectively to achieve specific goals.
Dugger (2001) expands on this definition by defining technological literacy as a person’s ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology. This definition supports the standards set by the International Technology Education Association which specify what every student should know and be able to do in order to be technologically literate. You can find a complete description of the standards and their accompanying benchmarks at http://www.iteawww.org.
For those who may be resistant to understanding and using modern technology, you are not alone. I began writing this article with great resistance. Who am I to write an article on technological literacy when I still think my voice travels from Florida to Indiana by magic? I am still amazed that with just a few clicks of a button, I can watch Oprah any day or time of the week! As you can imagine, writing this article was a lot like asking a struggling reader to read his or her textbook. I procrastinated hoping no one would notice I hadn’t contributed. When that didn’t work, I sought advice and began reading, searching for a purpose that would make the process and product meaningful.
It was reassuring to find out that very few people are technologically illiterate. Most of us have had some experience with technology. Many of us fall somewhere along a continuum. For those of you who are already integrating technology and consider yourselves to be at the higher end of the continuum, you may want to skip the next few paragraphs and go directly to the examples of integrating literacy in the classroom below. For those of you who need more convincing, keep reading!
Why Incorporate Technology?
Technological advances are born from a need to improve upon our present situation. When incorporated into the curriculum, technology can provide students with experiences that accelerate their academic learning. Below are a few of the many benefits.
- Advances in technology allow teachers to bring places, events and people from around the world to the students in the classroom. This helps close the gap between students with various levels of background knowledge.
- Technology such as physical adaptations, translators, and electronic organizational tools allows students with disabilities to have equal access to knowledge and learning experiences as their peers.
- Instead of reading about science or viewing diagrams from textbooks, technology allows students to observe scientific processes at work. They can manipulate the circulatory system and various machines through controlled on-line experiments.
- Teachers and students can use technology to enhance their presentations. Digital cameras, power point, and video-conferencing are a few of the tools available to improve the quality of the learning experience.
- Software, the internet and computerized simulations provide students with additional knowledge resources which require them to integrate information, recognize patterns, draw inferences and problem solve.
- The use of word processors improves students’ motivation to write and improves their quality of writing by enabling them to edit and revise efficiently.
- Finally, several studies (see http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/national/benefits.html) have indicated that student motivation is increased through the use of modern technology.
Why Not Incorporate Technology?
While many of us may be convinced of the advantages of expanding our own and our students knowledge and application of technology, it is the sacrifices we feel we must make that prevent us from embracing it.
As technology advances, the traditions we cherish are at stake. For example, as students become more efficient at word processing, elementary teachers fear the extinction of cursive handwriting. Secondary language arts teachers are concerned that the use of formal English will disappear as instant messaging brings its own style of written communication. Physicians concerned about our physical well-being fear the internet, along with computerized games, will lead to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. Psychologists and others in the social fields are concerned that technology will diminish human contact and possibly lead to isolation.
I, too, have my concerns. Several weeks ago, I was working with students in a high school reading class. The majority (all but one) stated that reading was boring. A few explained that it takes too long to get to the good part. They are growing up in a society in which immediate gratification is the norm. It’s not just limited to television and computerized games. We can push a few buttons and get money from our account, slide a card through a machine to pay for groceries, enter a pin number and watch a movie whenever we desire. Most literature takes time and patience to get to the “good part”. Reading a couple of chapters or even one, does not offer the immediate gratification that advanced technology can offer. I couldn’t make these students enjoy reading The Giver, one of my favorites, any more than they could make me enjoy playing Halo, a popular video game. However, I could meet them in the middle. I read aloud The Giver. They asked for books about horror and suspense, and I ordered them. Together, the two generations found a common ground.
As educators, it is our responsibility to provide our students with the knowledge they need to use technology. By doing so, we expand their choices and increase their opportunities. Perhaps it is equally our responsibility to provide them with experiences that modern technology has made easy to ignore. Sometimes it takes a hurricane to jog our memory. When faced suddenly with no electricity, many of us found ourselves reading more, visiting with neighbors and playing board games by candlelight. The activities we had no time for before, we found time for then. This is not to suggest we are better off without technological advances. On the contrary, technology has the potential of saving us time. It is what we do with that time that often determines whether or not our lives are enhanced.
Activities for Integrating Technology
Most educators would agree that technological literacy is best taught within the context of learning and solving problems. Integrating technology within the curriculum is preferred over teaching skills in isolation. The following learning activities were taken from the website for the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (http://cnets.iste.org/students/s_integration-ela.html). These are just a few examples of the many possible activities that integrate technology into the curricululm. Although they may not be applicable to your specific teaching situation, they may help you generate other ideas.
Elementary School Students
In “Brrrr, It's Alive,” young learners use word-processing and hypermedia software to create and share information about cold weather animals. In “Awesome Authors,” students gather information about authors online and then edit, revise, and publish their own stories electronically.
At the intermediate level, teachers help students learn about the importance of point of view in both literature and history. In a learning activity titled “You Were There!” students visit Web sites to view actual documents from the period and write news stories for publication in an electronic newspaper. The “Wall of Fame” learning activity demonstrates how biographies of famous people can motivate reluctant students to read. Students locate, evaluate, and collect information and use a variety of media to communicate ideas effectively.
Middle School Students
At the middle school level, English language arts students use video interviews, hypermedia stacks, Web pages, and other technologies to conceptualize and create multimedia representations of a hero or heroine. In the “Birthstone Project with a Multimedia Twist,” students work collaboratively on Internet-based research about their birthstones and learn advanced word-processing skills to create hypermedia reports that can be shared with a wide variety of audiences.
High School Students
In “What Makes the Writer Write?” high school students use Web-based information resources to research Charles Dickens: his life, his times, his style, and his use of figurative language. A variety of media is used to gather information, make observations, and analyze, report, and illustrate the results of group work. In “Discovering Ourselves in Literature and Life,” students read literature and review a variety of media productions to explore the thematic question: “Who am I?” Students create their own multimedia portfolios and develop their own personal home pages to reflect who they are.
In concluding this article, I hope that regardless of where you are on the continuum of being technologically literate, you will find a way to embrace new technology while not sacrificing what you value.
Here’s to a new year and all that it may bring and to past years and all that they have contributed. Remember one is silver and the other is gold!
Resources
Carmen, L. (1997). Technological Literacy . Available Online: http://ww.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/Luke/TECHLIT.html
Dugger , W. (2001). Standards for technological literacy. Available Online: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kdug0103.htm
Eisenberg, M. & Johnson. D. (2002). Learning and Teaching Information Technology Computer Skills in Context . Available Online: http://searcheric.org/digests/ed465377.html
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (2003). 21 st Century Skills: Technological Literacy . Available Online: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/techlit.htm
U.S. Department of Education. (1996). Benefits of Technology Use . Available Online: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/national/benefits.html
Technology, Teaching, Learning, and Media/Information Literacy
Connie Cain, Area 9 Coordinator cecain@mail.ucf.edu
According to Ian Jukes and Ted McCain, authors of Beyond Technology to the New Literacy (2000), there have been many faulty assumptions about the possible effects of technology on education. He debunks these Myths of Education:
- Myth 1: Computers will replace teachers and schools
Myth 2: Using computers replaces the need to read - Myth 3: Computers will replace writing
- Myth 4: Technology makes numeracy skills less important
- Myth 5: Technology is a curriculum or subject (p. 4 – 8)
Jukes outlines how we can move beyond technology to the New Age of Literacy; from a focus on LOTS (lower order thinking skills and lots of information, to HOTS (higher order thinking skills). The United States spent more than 100 billion dollars in the 1980’s and 1990’s equipping schools with technology in an effort to reform education. But even with tremendous expenditures, the much anticipated technological revolution has not become a reality; instead it has been a disappointment to most educators and policy makers. This most likely has been due to a fundamental misunderstanding about the role that technology could and should take in education. Currently, many schools are bogged down in the “how” of getting and implementing technology instead of using it to “reinvent learning.” Jukes and McCain (2000, p.2) wrote that we need to be concerned with, “Moving it beyond TECHnology to TEACHology and LEARNology.”
So what is this so called, TEACHology and LEARNology? The vast information available on the Internet and the associated tools of WP, multimedia, graphics, DTP, DVD, SS, DB, digital communications, etc. are the same challenges that have faced students as they enter a traditional library. Information is a tool, whether it comes from a library book or the Internet, and students need to know more than the mechanics of how to access information. Students need to be engaged in learning through higher order thinking skills of problem solving, writing, and independent thought. We can barely monitor the exponential increase in information and technology so we must teach the most important things, higher order thinking skills and a foundation of appropriate ethics and values. In Jukes’ words, “The new literacy is the ability to use any tool guided by HOTS to solve real world problems” (2000, p 11).
Jukes practices what he teaches. He spends a significant amount of his time reading, studying, and thinking deeply about the latest innovations in technology across all areas of interest including business, education, medicine, brain research and biotechnology. He reads nearly 100 journal articles each week and posts summaries of what he considers the best and most important offerings on his weekly Blog, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/. On the Blog, you will find the “Top Picks” of the week and thirty or more “Recent Postings.” He also has a link to his presentation slides at The InfoSavvy site in which he interprets and applies his own HOTS.
Resources
The following articles [available at http://thecommittedsardine.net/] are just a few of many that may be useful and applicable to the work of educators. Also included is the InfoSavvy copyright policy which is quite liberal for educators who want to use printed copies with their students.
Beyond Technology to the New Literacy, by Ian Jukes & Ted McCain, The InfoSavvy Group & Cystar, 2000. [Available Jan. 1, 2005, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/]
Creating Knock Your Socks Off Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power and Pizzazz, By Ian Jukes & Dr. Ania Dosaj, The InfoSavvy Group & Cystar, 2004. [Available Jan. 1, 2005, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/]
From Gutenberg to Gates: Education in an On-line World, By Ian Jukes & Ted McCain, The InfoSavvy Group & Cystar, 2001. [Available Jan. 1, 2005, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/]
Getting the Most from Internet Searching Tools & Searching Techniques, by Bruce Macdonald, The InfoSavvy Group, 2002. [Available Jan. 1, 2005, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/]
New Schools For A New Age by Ian Jukes & Ted McCain, The InfoSavvy Group, 2001. [Available Jan. 1, 2005, at http://thecommittedsardine.net/]
Copyright Policy: Materials published on The Committed Sardine website may be duplicated in hard copy format for educational, non-profit school district use only and must include this copyright policy. All other uses, transmissions and duplications are prohibited unless permission has been expressly granted. The InfoSavvy Group, 2005.
Ian Jukes is the Director of The InfoSavvy Group, an international consulting group that provides leadership and program development in the areas of assessment and evaluation, strategic alignment, curriculum design and publication, professional development, planning, change management, hardware and software acquisition, information services, customized research, media services, and on-line training as well as conference keynotes and workshop presentations.
5.
From the FLaRE Library
The following professional resources are available for checkout from the FLaRE library:
Kress, G. & Van Leeuwen, T. (2005). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2 nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Burke, J. (2001). Illuminating texts: How to teach students to read the world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Burmark, L. (2002). Visual literacy: Learn to see, see to learn. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Considine, D. & Haley, G. E. (1999).Visual messages: Integrating imagery into instruction. Portsmouth, NH: Teacher Ideas Press.
Hall, S. (1990). Using picture storybooks to teach literary devices: Recommended books for children and young adults. Westport, CT: Oryx Press.
Hall, S. (1994). Using picture storybooks to teach literary devices: Recommended books for children and young adults, Volume 2. Westport, CT: Oryx Press.
Hall, S. (2002). Using picture storybooks to teach literary devices: Recommended books for children and young adults, Volume 3. Westport, CT: Oryx Press.
Opitz, M. F. (Ed.). (1998). Literacy instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students: A collection of articles and commentaries. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Paxson, P. (2004). Media literacy: Thinking critically about visual culture. Portland, ME: J. Weston Welch Publishing.
Pearson, G. & Young, A. T. (Eds.). (2002). Technically speaking: Why all Americans need to know more about technology. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Tiedt, I. M. (2000). Teaching with picture books in the middle school. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
6.
On-Line Differentiating Instruction Resources
21st Century Literacies
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/index.html
This resource was created to support the Pacific Bell/UCLA Initiatives for 21st Century Literacies. The site focuses on four 21st century literacies - information, media, multicultural, and visual. Resources, including bibliographic, web-based, and lessons, are provided to assist you in your quest to learn and/or teach literacy skills.
21st Century Skills – Literacy in a Digital Age
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/skills.htm
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) provides EnGauge, a Web-based framework that helps schools and districts plan and evaluate their system-wide use of educational technology. One part focuses on the 21 st century skills deemed essential for students in today’s knowledge-based society.
Book Raps
http://www.readingonline.org/articles/voices/fowler/index.html
Cathy Fowler is a Year 7 teacher at Kawungan State School in Queensland, Australia, and a participant and coordinator of the extremely popular Harry Potter Book Rap, a guided Internet book discussion among students all over the world. In this interview, Cathy talked about her own “rapping” experience and how the activity fueled her students’ love for reading. On her website, you can learn about the reading-related activities her rappers participated in, read their book discussions in the archives, and view some of the wonderful work they created, including illustrations of the book’s characters. It is a wonderful documentary of an exciting literacy activity.
Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through Children's Literature
http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com/
This web site contains links to annotated bibliographies of children's multicultural books appropriate for the elementary grades (kindergarten through grade six). Cultural groups currently listed include: African Americans, Chinese Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Native Americans, and Korean Americans. Books are categorized by genre: realistic fiction, information (non-fiction), traditional literature, biography, historical fiction, poetry, and fantasy. Each annotation includes an approximate grade level designation, e.g., K-3, 4-6. Each link contains related links for elementary school teachers.
Center for Media Literacy
http://www.medialit.org/default.html
A pioneer in its field, the Center for Media Literacy (CML) is a nonprofit educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development and educational resources nationally. Dedicated to promoting and supporting media literacy education as a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating media content, CML works to help citizens, especially the young, develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture. The ultimate goal is to make wise choices possible.
International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA)
http://www.ivla.org/index.htm
IVLA is a not-for-profit association of researchers, educators, and artists dedicated to the principles of visual literacy. IVLA was formed for the purpose of providing a forum for the exchange of information related to visual literacy. We are also concerned with issues dealing with education, instruction and training in modes of visual communication and their application through the concept of visual literacy to individuals, groups, organizations, and to the public in general.
Introducing Visual Literacy
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dancin/resources/lesson_plan-l2.html
This lesson plan introduces students to the idea that visual images can be read and interpreted, and that they can become literate in media as well as text. It is meant to be an introduction to approaching visual literacy, either as a separate unit of study or as an ongoing perspective on films and images viewed throughout the school year.
Linking Literacy, Technology, and the Environment: An Interview With Joan Goble and René de Vries
http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=voices/goble_devries/index.html
This article, from Reading Online, describes three internet projects, created by Goble, a third-grade teacher in Indiana, and de Vries, a sixth-grade teacher in The Netherlands. Students research endangered species and write reports or stories that are published on the Internet. There are also opportunities to e-mail--even videoconference--with children from around the world and publish online, making this an extremely successful learning experience.
Passport – International Children’s Literature
http://passport.imaginarylands.org/
Passport was created from an United States perspective and defines international children's literature as anything outside of your borders. Passport regards international literature as distinct from multicultural literature. International children's literature is the body of books originally published in one country and later published in another country. Site areas includes: General Resources, Geographical Focus, Bibliographies, Authors & Illustrators, and Just for Kids.
Picture This – Visual Literacy Activities
http://www.museumca.org/picturethis/visual.html
Picture This: California’s Perspectives on American Historyis an educational resource that features primary source images from the Oakland Museum of California’s collections that reflect the rich cultural diversity of California. The activity ideas presented easily adaptable to other regions. By participating in Picture This activities, your students will:
- learn to appreciate and analyze photographs
- increase their visual literacy
- develop and improve observational skills
- increase critical thinking skills
Picturing Books
http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org/
A website about picture books that lets you explore aspects of picture books, including artistic media, design, history, etc. Includes sections on Using Picture Books, Resources, Just for Kids, Links, and Palette.
Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (STL)
http://www.iteawww.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf
Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (STL) was developed by the International Technology Education Association's Technology for All Americans Project (ITEA-TfAAP). The content standards in STL articulate what needs to be taught in K–12 laboratory-classrooms to enable all students to develop technological literacy. Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, understand, and assess technology. The standards were built around a cognitive base as well as a doing/activity base, and they include assessment checkpoints at specific grade levels (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12).
Standards for Technological Literacy (2000)
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/match4.htm
Correlation between the standards developed by the Technology for All Americans Project and the enGauge 21st Century Skills.
Traci's Lists of Ten – Technology Literacy Activities
http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/014.shtml
http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/015.shtml
Two lists of ten activities from Traci Gardner that provide questions that we can ask students to consider as critical thinkers interacting with computer technology.
Visual Literacy
http://eduscapes.com/info/visuallit.html
Website from Annette Lamb of eduScapes, that contains classroom connections and ideas related to visual literacy.
Using Technology to Take Young Readers on a Digital Journey to the Past
http://www.readingonline.org/articles/voices/huschak/index.html
A Digital Journey to Altoona's Past brings the history of Blair County, Pennsylvania alive for young readers by making them the main characters of delightful, historically accurate stories about the area's past. Irene Huschak, a computer teacher at Altoona Area High School in Altoona, Pennsylvania masterminded and led the project, which was the 2000 grand prizewinner of the International Reading Association's Presidential Award for Reading and Technology. The project is without question a spectacular example of how technology and literacy can be successfully intertwined.
7. Upcoming Conferences and
Activities
|
Dates |
January 2005 |
|
11 - 13 |
DOE/FAISA/FASA Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Leadership
Conference |
|
ALA 2005 Midwinter Meeting American Library Association Hynes Convention Center Boston, Massachusetts http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/midwinter/2005/home.htm |
|
26 - 28 |
|
|
27 - 29 |
TRLD 2005 Conference - 23rd
Annual International Conference |
29 |
Bay County Reading Association - 20th Annual Conference A Carousel of Reading Gulf Coast Community College 5230 West Highway 98 Panama City, Florida 32401 http://www.bay.k12.fl.us/bcra/20th%20Annual%20Language%20Arts%20Conference.htm |
|
Dates |
February 2005 |
|
5 - 8 |
2005 National Many Voices: Meeting the Challenges of
Literacy Acquisition http://www.readingrecovery.org/sections/conferences/national.asp
|
Dates |
March 2005 |
|
39th Annual TESOL Convention and Exhibit Teaching Learning, Learning Teaching: A Nexus in Texas The Henry B. González Convention Center San Antonio, Texas http://www.tesol.org/tesol2005 |
Dates |
April 2005 |
|
ASCD Annual Conference Voices of Education: Unleashing the Power, Passion, and Promise Orange County Convention Center, West Building Orlando, FL http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.9f45bc8553f12b1abfb3ffdb62108a0c/ |
|
2005 National Conference on Family Literacy Literacy Changes Lives Louisville, Kentucky http://www.famlit.org/Conference/index.cfm |
Dates |
May 2005 |
1 - 5 |
IRA 50th Annual Conference San Antonio, Texas http://www.reading.org/association/meetings/annual.html |
11 - 13 |
Florida Literacy Coalition Conference Open Books Open Minds Florida Mall Hotel Orlando, FL http://www.floridaliteracy.org/2004/con2005.html |
8.
Coordinator Corner
Wakulla County: Collaboration at it’s Best
Cathi Braxton Addison, FLaRE Area 3 Coordinator cbaddiso@mail.ucf.edu
I tackled my new job responsibilities as a FLaRE Coordinator in August by scheduling appointments with the appropriate district personnel throughout my area. There was no particular order to these appointments; I simply visited them at their earliest convenience. As it happened, my first appointment was with Beth Mims in Wakulla County; and by the end of our first meeting we had penciled in dates for an offering of Competency 4/5 Professional Development. My adventure in this new area had begun.
Throughout our series of meetings, which consisted of several after-school sessions and three whole days, my admiration and fondness for this talented and colorful group of educators grew. I found myself looking forward to hearing the latest from my new friends as I traveled to another of our sessions. Diane would, of course, give me a report of how many fireballs she consumed during her long drive from Port St. Joe, Jonele might have a story of her latest antic to keep her students engaged (a talent she has obviously mastered) or Francey might share another of her creative lesson ideas (such as her ingenious newspaper unit or her use of Hitchcock’s The Birds). Besides their lively personalities, they are true Southerners and thus believe that you don’t have company unless you feed them. I’ll never forget standing in front of the room talking passionately about the importance of vocabulary development while participants listened intently AND stirred their crock pot contents at the same time. The aromas in that room were enough to make you forget what you were talking about, especially the closer it got to lunch time.
Because this group are dedicated professionals, they immediately recognized the affirmation of effective instructional practices already in place and immediately began to incorporate newly learned ones. Likewise, they vigorously began work on their assignments. And in the true spirit of cooperation, which became their hallmark, they formed a study group which meets each Tuesday afternoon to work on these assignments. They support each other throughout this process; they can use this time to talk through related issues and get feedback from each other. AND in true Wakulla fashion, they take turns meeting in each other’s homes…with food…lots of it…I’m sure!
We laughed; we learned; we shared; And it became apparent that these ladies love their students, their profession, and each other. Whether they were striving to support each other in their action research, completing a class project, or planning refreshments for our next session, they exhibit a true spirit of collaboration. Ladies, see ya’ll next Tuesday!
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 |
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Mary, Vicky, Joyce, and Diane demonstrate Reader’s Theatre as Barbara looks on. |
Jonele explains her group’s visual depicting the relationship between the various elements of reading. |
Carol, Serena, and Brenda demonstrate echo reading as Francey, Mandy, and Jen look on. |
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