Text and Online Lingo: Good or Bad? May 6, 2008

Writing is the most amazing technology in the world. It is used for many different purposes. It is a way to document work, but mainly I think that it is a way to get your own thoughts, ideas, and beliefs out of your head and into the world. Recently, there has been a big issue surrounding writing: text message and online lingo. In professor Tweedie’s class, we had a huge discussion on this topic, and I have officially chosen a side. If in fact, one reason for writing is to get a point across, why can’t abbreviations that are conveying the same message as full sentences do the be just as affective? I want to stress the point that language is an ever-changing vessel. It has been played and toyed with for many years and will continue to be manipulated to fit the social norms of that particular culture and time period. In a paper for Professor Tweedie, I used the example that If you go back and read a Shakespeare passage, read the constitution, read a transcript of a speech made by president Kennedy, then pick up a magazine from 2008; you can argue that all these people aren’t even speaking the same language. I think that developing language is a good thing and as long as people are still able to convey their thoughts and feelings through writing, that this short hand method is not really as huge as a problem as some make it to be. I think that technology will have a huge impact on language in the future. As long as students are able to grasp the basic concepts of reading and writing, they should be able to write however they want. While I do believe that students shout still learn proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling, I think that this form of writing and even speaking will never go away. Instead of fighting it, we need to adapt to it.

The lack of technology in the home: a student’s great dilemma May 6, 2008

I have always had a computer in my life. I can remember typing papers and designing flyers for my campaign as 4^th grade president, therefore I sometimes forget that not everyone has regular access to the Internet and computers. Well, unfortunately for me, I got a small taste of this issue this semester. My computer crashed synonymously with my entrance in the last module of my introduction to writing arts class. What could make this unfortunate incident even worse, the last module of this class revolves strictly around technology. This made this class extremely hard for me, simply because I did not have access to the Internet or a computer as often as necessary for this class. I had to pre- type my blogs and post them whenever I got a chance to run over to the Rowan University library. Now, this may not sound that hard, but let me fill you in on a little secret that most people don’t know about Rowan, especially towards the end of the semester, they give up on maintaining their technology. I cannot stress enough how many times I went to the computer labs on campus only to find that most of the computers were out of order, unable to connect to the Internet, or were already occupied. You would think that with three computer labs on campus it would be easy to find at least one computer a few times a week to use, but this proved to be a very hard task. This didn’t only affect my life in this class because I needed the Internet, printing problems were even harder to solve. Luckily for me, my roommates finally gave into my constant nagging and let me email all of my papers to them so I could print them. In order to log onto the Internet, I needed to steal one of their computers, but only if they were not using them. This usually only occurred between the hours of 11pm to 9am. Obviously, this greatly affected my ability to use the technologies required for this class to my best abilities.

You may ask, “How did this affect you in the long run?” Well hopefully my grades won’t suffer too badly, but I really learned a valuable lesson this semester. As a future educator, I now understand how frustrating is can be for some children who are not as well off and lucky as I have been in my life. When I get my own class I will be sure to be accommodating to these types of students by allowing sufficient time in class to access computers and the Internet, as well as providing sufficient time to complete these types of assignments. I do agree that technology can do amazing things and can be extremely helpful and beneficial to my students, I will use it in a way that can benefit all, NOT MOST of my students.

Is the Rowan University Libray condusive to teaching children reading? May 6, 2008

After evaluating the children’s section of the Rowan library I found some strengths and some weaknesses in this section. There are many suggestions I would have to solve these problems. In order to break up this section of the library, each student read about 10 books to help us gain perspective of the entire section. The ten books I read all had great aspects of children’s literature in them. They had enticing pictures, easy vocabulary, and kid-friendly topics. Most of the books I chose were lesson books. They taught the reader a lesson, like eating vegetables or about being yourself. These are my favorite type of picture book because they teach morals and values to children in a fun and sometimes-funny way. There are many of these types of picture books in this section of the library and I think that is great. These picture books also ranged in difficulty and age-appropriateness. For example, one book I read was “Mamma Has Three Kittens” by Denise Fleming. This book had large print, easy vocabulary, used repetition and had many bright pictures; making it perfect for beginning readers. There seemed to be many of these types of books in this section as well, which is a must have for any children’s library section. It is important to get children excited about reading at a young age and by having books that they are able to read by themselves is a great way to do this.While there are many picture books in this section that are for beginning readers, I saw a few examples of picture books that are geared towards older children. One example of this is in the book “Flying Giants of Long Ago” by John Kaufmann. This book is an informational book that would be for readers at a third or fourth grade level. I say this because there are a lot less pictures and more words. The vocabulary, while not overly challenging, is a lot more complex. This book is a great example of a picture book for more advanced readers because it has complex concepts but describes them in a kid friendly way. There are a few examples of this type of picture book in the children’s section of the Rowan library; however, they are not as well represented as beginner reader picture books are. While there are a plethora of children’s picture books to choose from in this section of the library, there are many issues about the children’s section that I would change. First of all, the entire set up of this section is not appropriate for children. Most of the books are even out of my reach and vision level so there is no way that a child would even be able to locate these books. This section is set up exactly like the rest of the library, which is not at all acceptable for a children’s section. There are no chairs in the section for children to sit down and read, and there is no cheerfulness to this section at all, it looks drab and boring, the exact opposite way that you want young readers to feel about literature. In order to help fix these problems, I would recommend moving the children’s section to a corner of the library where it is more secluded from the rest of the books. I would put shelves that are lower and easier to access and a carpet with some chairs to encourage children to read. This would definitely help brighten up this section of the library and would help encourage more young readers to use this library. Besides inaccessibility and dreariness, this section is not very well organized. There were many books that were out of order and it was very hard to locate specific books. While I was looking through this section I was looking for award winning books to read, such as Caldecot winners, and it was almost impossible to find them. In order to further enhance this section of the library, the librarians need to purchase more of these books. Overall I was not very impressed with Rowan’s children’s section. While there was a fairly large amount of books in this section, there are many improvements that need to be made in order to make this section better. I think that adding technologies to this section would greatly enhance the experience for children. In class we spoke about how information can be greatly organized using technology. This would benefit not only the librarians, but the people who go to visit the library as well. I know that I will use technologies in my classroom to benefit my students.

using fantasy novels to teach literacy skills May 6, 2008

The Tail Of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler is a great fantasy novel for seventh graders. It is exciting, imaginative, and uses great imagery that students this age would greatly enjoy. I would try to integrate this novel into my classroom as well as a few others and would use literary circles with my students to help them analyze this book. While I think that this book would be great for seventh graders I think that it appeals more greatly to girls rather than boys. Kessler uses strong imagination and great imagery to draw the reader into her novel. “Sharp spiky rocks were piled all the way up to the surface and higher, with soft rubbery bushes buried in every crevice in the brightest purples and yellows and greens you’ve ever seen.” (161) Her simple vocabulary combined with her complex imagery draws the reader into the novel and helps them to visualize the setting in great detail. This edge of your seat highly visual type of writing is very appealing to seventh grade readers because it keeps their interest throughout the entire novel. The character of Emily Windsnap is very charismatic and relatable. I think that many children will be able to relate to her in many different ways, whether it is due to her lack of fitting in, her inability to connect with her mother, her hardship in finding friends, or her love of the sea.  Kessler gives Emily a very strong voice throughout the novel. She accomplishes this by telling the entire story in first person point of view. This helps the readers see the story through the eyes of Emily, a girl who is their age and has a lot of the same issues as them. I really enjoyed this novel and will recommend it to my seventh grade sister.

Can a fantasy novel such as this be used effectively in the classroom? I think that any thing that gets students reading is a great. As a future educator and possible middle school teacher, I would recommend this novel as a summer reading assignment, simply because it seems to apply more to girls that boys. I think that this would be a great introduction to class and that it would get students interested in my reading class for the rest of the school year. I really believe that a good book and a great teacher can change a life, and I hope to become one of those educators one day.

social networking sites May 6, 2008

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace have been on a rise for years now. It is nearly impossible to find someone who does not have either of the two. The creators of these sites have become billionaires. There are many ups and downs to these sites. Do the benefits, or good things about these sites out weight the potential risks that are often associated with these sites is the real question that needs to be considered. These sites are often used as a way to keep in touch with old friends and new friends alike. I have stayed in touch with many of my friends via Facebook, including marines currently serving overseas in Iraq. These sites are amazing for instances such as these. Losing touch with an old friend from high school is a lot harder when they can simply look you up on face book and poke you, writ eon your wall, or send you a message. It still shocks me that I can receive a message from someone who is stationed half way around the world without even trying. I know that as a current college student, when you meet someone at a party, you want to check out their Facebook to get any dirt on them that you can find, look at their pictures, and see if you have any mutual friends in common. Being Facebook or Myspace friends is becoming almost as big of a deal as being “real” friends. I know relationships that have ended over Myspace comments, as well as a few that have started using this technology. I cannot even reiterate how many times I see people walking around with digital cameras taking pictures of themselves and their friends and someone yells “You better put that on Facebook!” or “Aww we look so cute, new Myspace pic!” While these sites can be great for making connections, they can be detrimental to people and their futures. I know that many people my age (myself included) do not realize that things on the internet never actually go away. Just because you delete something doesn’t mean that it is gone forever, actually it is usually very easy to track down. Putting inappropriate pictures and comments on these types of sites can come back to bite you in the butt later on. It is very important to remember to use these sites wisely.

reading critically May 5, 2008

This article really helped me a lot with my study habits. I have always been a good and fast reader, but I don’t always look at things with a critical eye. The advice in this reading will benefit me greatly in the future. As a future teacher, and possible middle school reading teacher I will use the strategies given in the reading. Reading critically will help my students with comprehension skills, which will help them score higher on their standardized test. As explained in the article, reading is greatly tied in with writing skills. By using the tips provided by this article, I can help my students as well as myself become a better writer. The article gives 11 strategies for reading critically: exploring the significance of figurative language, annotating, outlining, and recognizing emotional manipulation are only a few examples that I think really benefit readers. Personally, I use annotations while I study. This helps me be a lot more organized and better develop my ideas.

Education Today and Tomorrow May 2, 2008

Education Today and Tomorrow

 

This video really makes you think and reminds me of some of the topics we discussed this years in our intro to writing arts modules.  Give it a watch…its pretty good, let me know what you think.

Teaching Literacy May 2, 2008

In Teaching Literacy (a required class in my major for elementary education) on Wednesday we gave presentations on text sets.  The text set was a selection of different materials or texts which could be used in a certain classroom setting.  For example an eighth grade class doing a lesson on the Titanic.  By completing this exercise I was able to come up with some good ideas on how to use texts and materials in the classroom.  Many of the groups that presented did text sets geared toward elementary students.  Examples of texts were fiction, nonfiction, picture books, textbooks, biographies, videos, internet sites, and so on.  From others’ presentations I found that there are many websites today which are interactive and will keep students interested.  I’m thinking the problem with using internet sites may be the school budget (not enough money to buy computers for students), or not all students have access to computers.  Review games online would be good homework to assign if all students had access to computers.  Most students use computers at home when they return from school; why not add an educational game or worksheet to it?  If technology is available in classrooms I feel it would be a great tool to use to keep student interests.  Students these days usually do not like sitting through lectures, therefore by incorporating different texts and materials into the lesson, different activities, and projects can grab and hold attention.  By using different kinds of materials in the classroom the teacher will be able to reach those students who have different learning styles.  Learning literacy can be an extremely difficult task.  Many children these days struggle with literacy tasks and we as up and coming educators need to find ways to end these struggles.  We must use all resources available to us.  In order to keep up with the students, technology wise, we must continue our own education as well. Sometimes it may not be easy, but maybe that’s why we call it work.  The intrinsic rewards will be the best kind when helping students gain confidence in their literacy skills.

Visual Literacy April 29, 2008

Today in my Literacies in Today’s World course, we talked about visual literacy.  As a class, we defined the term and involved the act of seeing visual information, examining the information, finding the meaning, using schema, and having others interact with the text along with each other.  In class, we talked about films and even watched some of the first silent pictures as examples of visual literacy.  Up until today, I was not aware that there was such an aspect of literacy dealing with the “visual.”  And then it made sense to me, because I then referred back to Gee’s article from our class in my head regarding video games and how they are a form of literacy.  Before reading this article, I had always considered video games to be a form of entertainment, like most in the class.  But it is literacy because we learn to associate symbols and icons with words and ideas.  Just like video games, movies have this same idea and effect.  It is easy to assume that video games are not educational because there are many kinds that possess a violent or war-based theme.  However, there are more and more toys and inventions being created that are targeted towards toddlers and young children to help them learn.  I can concur from personal experience, I have a three year old niece who has her own “laptop” that teaches colors, numbers, and shapes, just to name a few.  And she truly does learn from this toy.  I truly advocate these toys as a future teacher, and I even support educational video games as well.  Perhaps when I have my own classroom 3 or 4 years from now, technological lesson plans will advance and I’ll utilize video games with my students each day (all for educational purposes, of course!)  This way, I can make sure that my students’ visual literacy progresses just as well as their ability to read.

Literacy center April 28, 2008

I cam across this website today. It has a lot of great fun, interactive lessons and games to teach children of early grades things like colors and numbers, words, and ultimately to read and be literate. The website is Literacy Center.

I think any of us who intend to teach, or who currently teach the lower grades will enjoy this site.