It seems as though I missed an interesting Skype with Aviva Dunsiger.  From what I have read in Aviva Dunsiger's Blog and on this Google Doc, she seems to optimize student learning with implementing technology in ways that meet students' needs.  Using Twitter, Skype, and blogging,  Aviva demonstrates using the Net Standards for both teachers and students seamlessly.  Aviva also encourages the use of I pads and I pods, the Nintendo DS, as well as other Apps, within the classroom to enhance and differentiate lessons with ease.  My favorite quote from her is, "I see results, so I use the tools!"  In her blog, she demonstrates that even very young students can use technology to demonstrate understanding of difficult concepts and increase literacy skills.

I also found  Aviva's Blog from 2008 to 2011 an interesting read that you may want to check out. 

Let me know what you think of her ideas and implementing technology to meet the needs of students in a 21st century learning environment.  I would also like to know about the Skype session with her.  Anything of interest that I missed???

Empowering Students with Technology

Alan November:  Empowering Students with Technology

November Learning

Chapter 4-

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could invite major figures into our classroom to discuss their lives and experiences?  Well this is not always possible. 

Can we invite Anne Frank into our room when reading The Diary of Anne Frank?  How about Abraham Lincoln when discussing The Civil War?    

What we can do, however, is use primary resources to enhance these learning situations.  How about using the actual letters written between families while one member was serving in Vietnam to learn more about the Vietnam War than what is in the text book?

Alan Novembers suggests using primary source document to increase authentic learning experiences. One avenue to access primary source documents is from the National Archives.  November also points out that educators should also teach the skills so students can access these documents on their own. 

This reminds me of the Chinese proverb…

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. 

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” 

It also remind me of the first video in Taini's Alan November's Blog Post in which Alan November speaks about the skills that we must teach our students including the importance of teaching our students to be self-directed, independent thinkers and learners.

We must teach our students the skills to access and evaluate primary source documents on their own…

    not just the skills to read and respond to a primary source document we have provided for them!

Chapter 5-

We now live in an age where technology rules just about every aspect of our lives.  Online learning and access to web-based knowledge has become the norm for most. 

As asked by Alan November...

Do schools have an obligation to prepare students for a world where those who can access learning resources 24-7 potentially have an enormous advantage over those who can only rely on the physical structure of the classroom to learn?

In my opinion, the answer is absolutely!!!  We as educators need to do the best we can to provide students the tools and the desire to learn and learn well in all arenas, including an online learning community.  As elementary teachers, we do not have students who are taking online courses, but in the future many of our students probably will be learning in an online community.  The skills that they will need to succeed in this learning environment must begin to be taught NOW! 

In the second video in Taini's Alan November's Blog Post, Alan November speaks about teaching students the importance of evaluating web-sites and using critical thinking skills to evaluate the information accessed.  I am reminded of what I read in Sara's Alan November's Blog Post.   Sara speaks about November’s views of blocking sites as a short-term victory.  Even with the constraints we face in our classroom (blocked sites being only one of them) we need to teach all of our students the skills to succeed in the 21^st century technological age- not the 20^th century industrial age!  The critical thinking, analyzing, and evaluating skills to succeed in online learning must begin with us in elementary school. 

The standards emphasized in the Nets for students and teachers should be ever present in our learning communities while we organize student-centered, technology rich learning environments.  

New Literacies & Nets

New Literacies-

How am I supposed to define this term with its ever changing nature???

When I think about new literacies I think about all the different skills students need to acquire to function in our ever changing global environment.  Skills not only to read traditional print texts but skills they need to acquire to utilize technology that hasn’t even been invented.  New literacy skills will revolve around the new technologies of the future but will involve skills and strategies to enhance effective global communication.

What do you think the future holds in the way of new literacies?

Nets (What is it?) National (INTERNATIONAL AS WELL!) Standards for Integrating Technology

The skills our students will need to develop throughout their years of schooling to succeed in tomorrow’s world.  Essential skills will not only include the ability to use the given technology but to also apply the technology to live as a global citizen.

As a classroom teacher, do you think it is reasonable to expect teachers

to incorporate these skills on top of everything else we do?

http://nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net/

For Students:  Check out the “student friendly category names” in the above wiki.

6 Standards:

      Creativity & Innovation

      Communication & Collaboration

      Research & Information Fluency

      Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, & Decision Making

      Digital Citizenship

      Technology Operations& Concepts

For Teachers:  Don’t miss it- the lesson ideas for each standard/ objective within specific grades!

5 Standards:

      Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity

      Design & Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences & Assessments

      Model Digital Age Work & Learning

      Promote & Model Digital Citizenship & Responsibility

      Engage in Professional Growth & Development

As a Reading Assistant for the past five years, I work with struggling readers to increase comprehension skills within guided reading and intervention groups.  My day revolves around teaching children basic story elements (character, problem, events etc.) and comprehension skills (how to visualize, infer, predict, question, etc.) within traditional texts.  After reading the article “Expanding the New Literacies Conversation” (see link below) I question the quality of education I am providing my students.       

      http://ctserc.org/ssr/downloads/leu-newlit.pdf

Am I really preparing my students to succeed in the technology age?  I think not!!!

In the future, I plan on incorporating technology into the literacy instruction.  I will teach children about story elements using authentic experiences and create digital stories allowing my students to learn the literacy “old” skill by using the new technologies available and gaining “new” literacy skills.  Critical thinking and analyzing skills, skills involving synthesizing information, etc. will be taught within online reading incorporating more complex comprehension skills.  

Why not exchange a hand held traditional book for a Kindle or I-Pad and read online to gain both “old” and “new” literacy skills simultaneously???