Shanika Mack: My NLGL Synthesis
How do I incorporate web 2.0 tools into my classroom curriculum in order to motivate struggling readers become better readers?
Once I began my coursework within the NLGL Master's of Language Arts program, I knew immediately what educational issue I wanted to explore. After teaching for a few years, I discovered that by the time my students reached their 7th grade year, my students began to struggle with reading and their desire to do so. Meanwhile during, my first graduate course ECI 546, New Literacies and Media, I was excited to be exposed to several 21-century tools to help my students to become more interested in reading.
Initially, I selected students whom I knew were not confident readers or proficient in utilizing their critical thinking skills to comprehend information they have read. Therefore, the use of "new literacies" that I learned these tools were called would motivate students in a very unique way. Despite my enthusiasm about using Trailfire, I had to be sure of one key factor: "When considering a powerful technology and literacy strategy match, our (educators) first conversation was to maintain the integrity of the literacy strategy while also creating something that was not there without technology." (McCleod & Vaslinda) In other words, I had to be sure that I was using this web 2.0 tool just for the sake of using technology with my students; the tool had to serve a significant educational purpose that would bridge the new literacies to the traditional literacy competencies expected.
Once I began my coursework within the NLGL Master's of Language Arts program, I knew immediately what educational issue I wanted to explore. After teaching for a few years, I discovered that by the time my students reached their 7th grade year, my students began to struggle with reading and their desire to do so. Meanwhile during, my first graduate course ECI 546, New Literacies and Media, I was excited to be exposed to several 21-century tools to help my students to become more interested in reading.
Initially, I selected students whom I knew were not confident readers or proficient in utilizing their critical thinking skills to comprehend information they have read. Therefore, the use of "new literacies" that I learned these tools were called would motivate students in a very unique way. Despite my enthusiasm about using Trailfire, I had to be sure of one key factor: "When considering a powerful technology and literacy strategy match, our (educators) first conversation was to maintain the integrity of the literacy strategy while also creating something that was not there without technology." (McCleod & Vaslinda) In other words, I had to be sure that I was using this web 2.0 tool just for the sake of using technology with my students; the tool had to serve a significant educational purpose that would bridge the new literacies to the traditional literacy competencies expected.