Extending The Conversation

As an educator, it is our responsibility to ensure that our students are 21st century learners. However, the training must be offered by our school districts. The new technology and new literacies are constantly changing our lives and the way we think. If we have access to technology, then we can help to better prepare our students.

Blogs, Wikis, and Word Processors

As teachers, digital writing tools are a way for us to begin to build relationships or make some kind of personal connection with our students. Using these tools as a way to give feedback may even help students to evaluate their own progress. Digital writing tools such as blogs and wikis can help to improve a students writing because they are doing most of the talking. Conferencing with  students also improves the relationship between teacher and student, although, we often feel there is little or no time. Students can develop their own blog post and respond to their peers. However, modeling the kind of response you want them to make may be a good idea. This may be a way to help students become better writers and readers.   

Educator Critique

Laura Candler is the author of Laura's Voice. Laura is a classroom teacher and has spent years writing books and developing online lessons and printables. Her resources may appeal to upper elementary and middle school teachers. Candler's blog is mostly on educational issues and her readers are encouraged to respond to each message. She regularly uses her facebook account and twitter account to collaborate with her colleagues. She finds powerful teaching strategies and makes them easy to implement in a classroom. She includes active engagement strategies, interactive whiteboard use, and learning centers. all of these are "buzz" words in my district at this time.

Faculty Art Exhibition

The art exhibit was interesting. However, I was expecting more art and a larger variety. Also, I would have like to known more about the artist and maybe even why the created their art. The art I chose to focus my attention on was The Wishing Tree by Jennifer Groves (2011).This art was a tree that had shed all its leaves. This reminded me of my favorite season, Fall. It was an acrylic painting. The mini field trip was nice. I would like to tour more parts of the university.

Digital Native or Digital Immigrant

Wow, our students today have never lived without the internet! Our educational system must change to teach this new generation of students. Technology has always been a part of their lives. Therefore, students today think and process information differently. I find it quite interesting that as a digital immigrant, my brain may be different from my students' brains as a result of how differently we grew up. Since digital natives were born into a digital world, they speak a digital language. As a digital immigrant, I must learn their language. Digital natives prefer graphics to learn while digital immigrants prefer slow, step by step learning. This is so true! As digital immigrant teachers we have to realize that students today learn differently and as digital immigrant educators we must learn the new and even let our students help us learn.

Semiotic Representations

Literacy has been defined as the ability to read and write but researchers have found that students today need experiences to build or connect meaning across sign systems that are called semiotic representations. As teachers, we must now consider integrating the arts, drama, and even movement into our English Language Arts instruction. However, in order for teachers to teach this way, they must first believe that sign systems are essential in developing good readers and also writers.

Infographics

The information Kathy Schrock presented in her video was new to me. It seem that infographics are becoming popular, especially with the interest today on social media, like Facebook and Twitter. Infographics, which are visual representations of information, appear to make information clearer to students that might otherwise be complicated.They seem to be great for engaging students and also require a whole new way of thinking. Infographics can be used in language arts to tell stories or help make connections. In science or social studies infographics could be used to introduce new concepts or to begin a research project. Infographics might just catch students' attention and spark interest.