Tech-ing Up Education ツ: Literacy

Saturday, 1 September 2012

Back to the Basics with Learning Literacy

After graduating, I was itching to spend the summer doing something adventurous, experience something new, travel, while continuing to learn, and of course make a difference, so I was very excited to take the opportunity to support a literacy program in a northern Ontario reserve.

The Lieutenant Governor's Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camp is a great program led by Frontier College to support the development of literacy skills among First Nations children and youth living on isolated fly-in only reserves in northern Ontario.

With a solid week of training in Thunder Bay regarding what we might or will expect when living and teaching in a First Nations community, my team was anxious and eager to get started.

After flying in on a small propeller plane, settling in, exploring the community, introducing ourselves to the community, and beginning registration, it was time to get started. The First Nation reserve that I was placed in has a population of approximately 300 people. Although the reserve is small, there was definitely a good number of children aged 4-16 who were eager to be involved in the literacy program throughout the summer.

As expected, there were setbacks when planning and implementing a program in any community. One of the challenges that I came across (considering I was looking forward to using technology as much as I could in the classroom) was the lack of reliable internet available to support literacy lessons in the school. Not letting that stop us, our team did an incredible job at going back to basics with picture books, novels, journals and basic supplies. We planned and implemented creative and collaborative literacy activities that engaged students and got them continuing to develop their literacy skills throughout the summer.

My top learning experiences;

Accommodating lessons, activities, and assessment for a variety of learners has to be the foundation for success in this program. No matter how engaging activities are, cultural differences require your flexibility in the way one plans, delivers and assesses the program and students. Daily team reflection is key!

Collaboration with your team, other summer programs and community members is the most effective way to obtain community involvement that supports literacy in the community. With parents, teachers and community members willing to support the program, but may not know how, obtaining their support in any way they are able to provide it, increases the chances that children can look up to role models in the community.

Our assessment data showed improvements in reading levels for consistent attendees to the program. Small gains can make a difference. With overall success in the program, I can honestly say that this was a challenging yet overall worthwhile teaching and learning adventure!

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Teaching with Technology Showcase

The 2012 Brock University Teaching with Technology Showcase in Hamilton, Ontario attracted top Edtech exhibitors, leaders in the field, and hundreds of attendees. I was fortunate to experience the showcase both as an attendee and a presenter.

Being able to present at the Live Learning with Livescribe session specifically on “Livescribe Smartpens for Early Readers and English Languages Learners,” along with my colleagues Candice Lee and John Dang, reassured my passion for instructional leadership and being able to inspire and encourage educators and administrators to explore the benefits of incorporating Smartpen technology into their classrooms. Collaboration as presenters allowed our session to provide examples of activities that targeted primary, junior and intermediate divisions. Check out my learning object for this session.

I eagerly attended the Gamification of Learning, and Google in Classroom sessions led by fellow colleagues, and was very impressed with their knowledge and leadership in these areas. These sessions greatly expanded my understanding of social media tools and using video games in the classroom. Additionally, the exhibitor showcase provided me with valuable information on new technologies, and opportunities for collaboration in the Edtech community.

Overall, I took away practical and ready to use Edtech tools and ideas for the classroom and expanded my PLN by meeting some passionate newbies and leaders in the field.

See you there next year!

Sunday, 18 December 2011

Mp3 Players for Literacy, Fluency & Comprehension

Grade 3 student using mp3 player
to time and reflect on reading

As a part of the daily Language Arts block, it’s now time for independent reading. Each student has the routine down. Students pick up their numbered packages containing an assigned mp3 player, headphones, an individual leveled book, and recording/self- assessment folder. Students spread out and choose a quiet spot to read in the classroom or pod. They read two pages at a time while their mp3 player records their reading. They play back their recorded reading and actively listen for further understanding, errors and fluency. They time and record their readings, note new vocabulary and provide an overall rating for difficulty as self-assessment. Students read two pages, at least three times, before moving on in their book/novel.

Grade 3 student using mp3
player to record his reading voice

As they read, record, and play back their reading, the objective is that they will become more fluent and efficient readers. As they are able to listen to themselves read, they can continue to create, build on and reach their personalized literacy goals. As I walk around the room for reading support, I realize all students are truly engaged in their reading and learning.

As a teacher candidate in BrockU’s Educational Technology cohort, I was fortunate to have my first teaching placement at a modern grade three classroom at P.O.W. Elementary School in HWDSB. As part of an innovative project, my practicum class is working towards fluency and comprehension using simple mp3 players to reach their literacy learning goals. It was great to be part of the beginnings of this project in this classroom and I’m looking forward to the findings as the school year progresses.

I learned that it doesn’t have to take much to engage primary students, especially when it comes to technology. The average child will know how to use mp3 players to play their favourite songs. Even if a child doesn’t know how to use a mp3 player yet, it’s a great experience to teach a child to use an educational tool that can multi-function to support them in building their literacy skills. I also envision that teaching students this learning strategy can extend into all other subjects and various types of projects, such as, practicing for an oral presentation, using voice journals for learning reflections, creating podcasts, etc. Many adults say that hearing their own voice makes them feel uncomfortable. Perhaps if recording our voice and thoughts, and playing it back to ourselves is taught to us early enough as an efficient learning strategy, some of us might take on more of a comfort level using the play back button more often and explore the learning that can come out of it.