Help for the Disabled

This past academic year I have been teaching a Form 2 student who is disabled. He cannot walk, so he is wheelchair bound. Some other students take turns to wheel him around and assist him in getting his things in and out of his bookbag. He has limited use of his hands so that turning pages and writing are somewhat laborious for him. His handicaps though, are only physical because he reads quite well, participates eagerly and intelligently in class discussions, generally produces good work and is socially well-adjusted.

I believe however, that there is still a lot of untapped potential in this fourteen year old. How I would love to introduce him to electronic books and all the other Web 2.0 technologies with which I myself have recently become acquainted. In particular, e-books would free his hands from having to turn pages and manipulate pens and pencils. He would be able to read many more books in a shorter time, express himself more extensively by creating his own e-books and generally develop literacy skills faster and more independently. He is already a motivated student, so that with e-books and the entire range of Web 2.0 technologies at his disposal, there should be no stopping him. It might be a good idea for the government to provide laptops to the nation's disabled children as well.

Wikis and Writing

Many of us have been teaching our students process writing which involves much feedback from the teacher and limited collaboration among students, if the end product is not a group effort. However, as reading specialists, we must be ever mindful of the evolutionary nature of literacy and the ways in which it is manifested in the twenty-first century. Undoubtedly, wikis are an added dimension to literacy that can be used to enhance the writing process. Since they are designed to support social interaction and collaboration in a digital setting, teachers can now have students write with wikis and edit each other's writing for grammar and spelling. There can also be peer review in which students can post drafts and and invite other students to comment.

In a wiki as well, groups can write short stories or expositions together. Group members can share and organize ideas, and as the piece develops, there is ongoing review and editing with guidance from the teacher. In addition, visual literacy may be incorporated and developed where pictures are used to illustrate, as well as to help create mood and tone and other effects intended by the authors.

When our students are engaged in this manner, writing should become more exciting and enjoyable, and less onerous than pen and paper exercises (which are ever waning in popularity among our charges). Once they are taught rules and guidelines for online social interaction and for using the Internet, it might be possible for them to become more inspired by the experience of writing wikis.

Blog Talk

Blogs (weblogs) can be regarded as online diaries or journals, according to Vacca & Vacca (2008). They provide a digital medium for teachers to monitor their students' literacy and academic progress. As a collaborative tool, blogs facilitate class participation where a teacher or a class can set up a blog, wherein every student can have his/her own "blogspace" for making and sharing comments to contribute to class discussions. This aspect of blogs I find to be especially helpful for the more reticent students and for those who lack the confidence to speak up in class. With blogs they can find a "voice" with which to express themselves, thus enabling the teacher to make assessments that would not be possible in a verbal forum.

Atkins, Battle, Nicholson & Caverly (2008) point out that blogs can be used to promote critical reading, thinking and writing. These skills are essential for literacy in a "Web 2.0 world". It appears however, that blogs are not appropriate tools for reading intervention with students who are experiencing challenges with word level aspects of reading such as phonics, phonemic awareness and basic sight words. Unfortunately, many of us in this MEd programme are grappling with the task of assisting students with such issues, both in the primary and secondary schools. Nevertheless, as reading specialists, we shall be mandated to train other educators to help their students at all levels in developing their literacy. As such, we can instruct our colleagues in the use of blogs so that hopefully, they will become more effective in their classrooms.

What Web 2.0 means to Us

I must say that I am impressed with Web 2.0 (cloud computing) because of the benefits it affords users. Among these advantages are collaboration tools such Google Docs, wikis and blogs. If these are used on a wide scale to promote literacy across our nation's schools, they might motivate our students to engage in more meaningful and constructive online communication with their peers, as opposed to what they have grown accustomed to on Facebook (to a large extent, idle gossip and damaging pictures).

Another significant benefit of Web 2.0 is that basic applications and file storage cost nothing. Consequently, much computing can be done on inexpensive computers such as netbooks. This has significant economic implications for our new government. Since it is claimed that the pre-election promise (of laptops to SEA students entering secondary schools) will be kept, then funding for this must be carefully considered. As an educator who has only recently been introduced to Web 2.0, I advocate that the government should exercise thrift with public funds and purchase netbooks, which are to be stored safely at the schools because of our appalling crime situation. Certainly these institutions should have uninterrupted internet access and the government-provided netbooks are to be released to the students for regular classroom activity.

Needless to say, Web 2.0 and netbooks will not be very effective in a classroom situation if teachers lack the necessary professional training and knowledge to use them for scaffolding students in their learning. Here is where we as reading specialists have a significant role to play.

TPACK and Literacy Learning

In Harris & Hofer (2009) we are made to understand that "technological pedagogical content knowledge" (TPACK) is an umbrella term which refers to the combination of teachers' knowledge of technologies, pedagogies and curriculum content. It is this knowledge that forms the basis of content-based technology integration. The article further points out that TPACK in educational practice is complex. From my perspective, it may be especially daunting for educators who are "techno challenged". We can take comfort in the fact that this professional knowledge can be developed over a period of time and that this ICT course is launching us into this area of professional development.

If we are committed to our students' literacy development within the context of twenty-first century requirements, we must be prepared to learn about the technologies that are available, and how to use them to help our charges to learn. We must also be wary of being "technocentric" (Papert, 1987), where there is too much emphasis on the technologies utilized and insufficient focus on their effectiveness on students' learning. Uppermost in our minds should be that the technologies are merely a means to an end and not an end in themselves. Extremely useful in this consideration are the technology-enhanced learning activity types that the article outlines in tabular form. Although these activity types are specific to social studies, they illustrate quite clearly that this approach can be employed to enhance learning outcomes in any content area. We must note though, that for this approach to be successful, there must be precise and detailed planning and preparation. Let's meet this challenge head-on.

Reference

Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types as vehicles for curriculum-based TPACK development. In C.D. Maddux, (Ed). Research highlights in technology and teacher education 2009 (pp. 99-108). Chesapeake, VA: SITE.

Response to Jennifer Payne

Response to Jennifer Payne

Like Jenny I have made many new friends and acquaintances in the MEd Reading programme and have learned a lot.

I agree with her observation that in spite of the general improvement in our living standards, where most children have cell phones, trendy clothes, access to free meals and so on, the decline in literacy, especially among our male students is alarming. In equipping our teachers to address this problem, I think the government also needs to provide for further teacher training in the area of special education, in addition to the MEd Reading programme.

Why I chose to become a Reading Specialist

WHY I DECIDED TO BECOME A READING SPECIALIST

In the face of increasing illiteracy among the general population of Trinidad and Tobago, arising largely out of growing levels of educational disengagement and underachievement on the part of our male students, I decided to become a reading specialist to assist in providing solutions for this disturbing phenomenon. It is my intention to participate in a wider holistic campaign, as well as a to interface on a more personal level with struggling readers, to bring about interventions aimed at reducing and eradicating illiteracy in our nation.

To further this objective, as a reading specialist, I would like to pass on valuable knowledge (to which I am exposed in this Med programme) to other teachers, especially those in the content areas. This is in order to equip them to become teachers of reading, as they deliver their respective curricula. I am cognisant of the fact that content area teachers in general do not consider themselves to be reading teachers, and as such they believe that promoting literacy is not one of their roles as educators. There is a desperate need to overturn this mindset, so that teachers will become more flexible in their outlook and open to a paradigm shift, wherein they will embrace the requisite training and instructional strategies to scaffold students in their literacy development.

Finally, as a reading specialist, I would be facilitating my own professional development. During my years of teaching experience at both the primary and secondary levels, I have noticed that over time, students’ interests and learning styles have changed. This is in accordance with changes in technology and how this has impacted social networking and entertainment. Hence I hope to be able to cater for the needs of emergent and struggling readers in the twenty-first century.