Week 6 Technology and Adolescence

1.  Enhancing adolescent literacy achievement through integration of technology in the classroom.  By: Betty J. Sternberg, Karen A. Kaplan, and Jennifer E. Borck.

I chose this article because although the authors are noticing the struggles of adolescent readers and the challenges stemming from these struggles and focus on implementing interventions to support them, but they are also focusing on earlier interventions and working with prekindergarten students to third graders in a proactive method. Their goal is to use the empirical research they collect to inform future practices in seven different areas: state-offered virtual courses and delivery systems, communication tools, artificial intelligence, word processors, new literacies practices, professional development, and technology for parents. I was particularly interested in the use of articificial intelligence and how they suggested its use in providing individual and independent feedback on students' writing ccan occur multiple times in one class period which would not be possible by actual teachers.

I would recommend all of you to read it because the article gives great examples of how online learning programs can be successful for many students who are struggling in traditional learning environments or for students who aren't challenged and want more variety. However, it also takes a step back and questions how exactly online learning programs affects different aspects of learning and what exactly is making them successful rather than simply promoting their use.

2.1 The first article discussed a lot about social networking sites for schools like Edmodo and Blackboard, both of which I feel pretty familiar with, explaining their potential use of extending the learning outside of the classroom walls and a typical school day for a deeper more involved learning experience. It also discusses the very visible split in attitudes concerning technology use in the classroom with the pro arguments stating all of the potential benefits technology offers to our students and their success in the very global environment they will be a part of. The other side states that that these technologies are a distraction to students' learning and have a negative influence on students ability to communicate and write properly. I personally don't think that it is one or the other, I think both are possible and it all depends on the way technology is integrated into learning and the classroom. Something this article discussed that I wasn't really aware of, but am now interested in, is the initiative NYC Dept. of Education has taken to encourage schools and teachers to "adopt social networking sites to support and enrich learning opportunities..." It is the support teachers need who are trying to make a shift in technology integration in schools where the attitude towards learning environments is more traditional. It can be utilized to create a community of support for teachers across different subjects, teaching styles, and populations of students to find the best way to integrate technology into individual classrooms.

The second article discussing research into more general ICT skills and integration, how it's currently being done, and suggestions for future use. Specifically the study found that the teachers that participated were fairly confident in terms of their basic ICT skills and their technology skills. But the researchers found that technology wasn't being integrated to its' full potential and they wanted to understand why. They learned that teachers lacked confidence in advanced ICT skills and their technology integration skills. However, a bigger obstacle was their limited access to technology. This makes sense because if the technology is limited then teachers aren't able to practice implementing it and creating the best ways to integrate. But the researchers also point out that simply having technology in the classroom and it being used does not mean that the integration is a beneficial kind. 

2.2

I have created a Teacher's Corner where I have some apps that I have purchased and want to keep open to share ideas with co-workers and any other teachers who want to be a part of it. If you'd like to join, the group code is... px5u5m

Also here is a link to last year's EdmodoCon (yes it's real) where you can see archived videos and presentations. 
http://www.edmodocon.com/

There are many potential uses of Edmodo for ELA teachers. The tools such as posting notes, quizzes, polls, and planner are great for daily use. The quizzes and polls are especially great to get regular feedback on the different stories and assignments you do in class and to check on students understanding of comprehension and literary concepts. The planner is a great tool for helping students stay organized and help guide them in learning how to plan ahead to complete multiple assignments. It's also a great differentiating tool because you can add tasks and events and add just one student who may need extra reminders/support to complete assignments without the rest of the class being aware of it. The Library is a safe and efficient was to share resources with students with out the fear of them finding unreliable or unsafe material on the internet and since it is all in one place, the content is available to them no matter where they log on. I personally think the student badges are a great built in behavior management/reward system giving students something visible to work towards that isn't erased on a daily/weekly basis, but rather built upon. The ability to create your own badges allows the opportunity to easily tailor the reward system to each students. And the ability for parents to be active participants or simply observers reinforces the home and school connection for students.

When I briefly used Edmodo in my literacy class it was for a compare and contrast essay based on the book we were studying at the time. In the library I was able to include online resources that provided information about the book, characters, and included images. I was also able to create my own graphic organizers and worksheets to help guide the students and uploade them into the library. Student were able to download the worksheets from the library, complete and save them, and then re-upload them to 'turn' them in. Using the notes feature I was able to provide detailed instructions that they could refer to as many times as they needed and I was able to send out reminder posts as it became closer to the deadline. I was able to download their papers, read them, grade them, leave comments/edits, and then award them badges for their hard work. It is a really motivating way for them to do the same work in a non-traditional setting.