I must confess that at the beginning of Semester 3, I was somewhat apprehensive about EDRL6004 because I could not, by any stretch of the imagination, claim to be tech savvy. However, it did not take me very long to realise that the technologies about which we were learning did not require one to be a computer expert and my fears quickly subsided. As the course progressed, I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying the lab sessions. I felt though, that the intensity of the course content demanded more contact time, but we all needed some vacation, so that we had to make the best of the time that we had.
To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. I feel that a huge vista has opened before me. As an educator, I can never be the same again. With the utmost sincerity, I can say that EDRL6004, out of all the MEd Reading courses covered so far, has had the greatest impact on me. Having learnt about blogs, wikis, concept maps, e-books, digital storytelling and podcasts, I feel more empowered and equipped to make a tremendous and positive difference in the literacy development of our millennial youth, and in the professional growth of my colleagues who desperately need training in literacy instruction.
I am very grateful to our lecturer and tutors for their guidance, patience and dedication. They have helped me much more that they know. I also say thanks to my peers without whose assistance, support and camaraderie, this past semester would have been more of a strain. Good wishes and blessings to all!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Podcasts, please!
Semester 3 drew quickly to a close and there was no time left for hands-on podcast sessions in the lab. However, from my readings I learned that podcasts are audio blogs that prospective listeners can subscribe to and download to their MP3 players or computers. Martinez (2005) states that podcasting is " the internet's media "broadcasting" format". Given the requisite software, creating a podcast appears to be just as easy to produce as the other technologies we have worked on, and teachers and students can actually transform any piece of writing into a podcast.
Cothran (2008) explains that students can create a podcast to respond to text which they have read. This is done by writing down their reflections or interpretations, practising (to read) it, and recording it through a voice recorder or on a computer and microphone. The recording is then uploaded to a computer. Certainly, there can be many variations to this kind of project, but it is obvious that podcasting is beneficial to literacy development, in that it connects reading and writing meaningfully to promote fluency. This is because the " podcaster" will want to aim for recorded material that is flawless, so he will do repeated readings until he gets it right. The mere fact that students get to integrate technology in the process of reading and writing is quite motivating for them, and the opportunity to publish digitally is also gratifying in itself. Which child would not like to hear himself, or for his peers to hear him on an MP3 player? Colleagues, let us add podcasting to our technology toolkit.
Cothran (2008) explains that students can create a podcast to respond to text which they have read. This is done by writing down their reflections or interpretations, practising (to read) it, and recording it through a voice recorder or on a computer and microphone. The recording is then uploaded to a computer. Certainly, there can be many variations to this kind of project, but it is obvious that podcasting is beneficial to literacy development, in that it connects reading and writing meaningfully to promote fluency. This is because the " podcaster" will want to aim for recorded material that is flawless, so he will do repeated readings until he gets it right. The mere fact that students get to integrate technology in the process of reading and writing is quite motivating for them, and the opportunity to publish digitally is also gratifying in itself. Which child would not like to hear himself, or for his peers to hear him on an MP3 player? Colleagues, let us add podcasting to our technology toolkit.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Webspiration for Teaching and Learning
The heat is now on for our Electronic Portfolio and this has directed my attention to the use of concept maps in literacy instruction. Many of us have used graphic organizers in our classrooms. We may have created them ourselves (or with some input from our students) on the black/whiteboard, or had our students examine the ones in their texts. These may have caught our students' interests only marginally, if at all. By chance, they might have benefitted by being able to visualize connections between words/phrases and a main idea. According to Lovitt & Horton (1994), concept maps can assist struggling readers by building on their prior knowledge, thus motivating and preparing them for a reading task. During reading, concept maps can also be used to support their reflections on their understanding. As such, concept maps promote comprehension.
Some other benefits of concept maps are that they are helpful for teaching vocabulary, they can be used in all content areas, and are easy to construct. Cost free, user friendly Webspiration can add the element of fun to the exercise for both students and teachers. This Web 2.0 technology enables users to digitally create concept maps individually or collaboratively. In addition, pictures and graphics can be inserted for visual effects and to enhance meaning, so that using Webspiration for concept map construction can help to revolutionize teaching and learning. Children get to use computers (which they enjoy) to organize their thoughts in the process of making and sharing meaning, without the hassle of boring face to face question and answer sessions. Teachers have at their disposal an excellent teaching and evaluation tool. Needless to say, Webspiration must not be kept a secret. Let's see how I can make it work in my Electronic Portfolio.
Some other benefits of concept maps are that they are helpful for teaching vocabulary, they can be used in all content areas, and are easy to construct. Cost free, user friendly Webspiration can add the element of fun to the exercise for both students and teachers. This Web 2.0 technology enables users to digitally create concept maps individually or collaboratively. In addition, pictures and graphics can be inserted for visual effects and to enhance meaning, so that using Webspiration for concept map construction can help to revolutionize teaching and learning. Children get to use computers (which they enjoy) to organize their thoughts in the process of making and sharing meaning, without the hassle of boring face to face question and answer sessions. Teachers have at their disposal an excellent teaching and evaluation tool. Needless to say, Webspiration must not be kept a secret. Let's see how I can make it work in my Electronic Portfolio.
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