New literacies and why are they important in the K-12 classroom?
The new literacy skills involving technology are closely tied to 21st century skills. Being technologically literate means being able to navigate a wide range of programs and online software to effectively communicate. Long gone are the days when tech savvy meant knowing Word and Excel, even PowerPoint is growing older. Being able to adapt to new and changing technology is the one of the strengths of the new generations.
Along with being able to manage newer Web 2.0 tools, students need to be explicitly taught some basics. For example, how to be a responsible and safe internet citizen. While many schools use a 'walled garden' approach, I am concerned that if students are not taught what to do if they stumble upon an inappropriate site, they might not be aware of the dangers there are. Students also need to be taught how to protect themselves and their privacy online and the reasons that it is important to do so. (Richardson, 2010)
School/district policy about publishing to the web?
Because I teach in a preschool classroom that does not have access to a computer, school online policy is not an issue that I typically have the need to address. While I have done some online projects with my students (using VoiceThread) to publish completed works, I obtain the families consent prior to the project and it typically is not an issue, since the students are not using the internet and we don't use any identifying materials.
What is a weblog and how might it be used in teaching/learning?
Blogs can be used in any number of ways to share information easily with push-button publishing tools. Blogs can be used as an online portfolio, a class website, a book discussion, information chronically a long term project (for example, following the hatching of trout eggs and their growth and observations), there are many, many different ways that classrooms can utilize blogs to enhance learning.
Additionally, teachers can use blogs to share their own ideas, lessons and teaching strategies with other teachers across the country. When used this way, blogs become an endless resource book on teaching.
Hi Barbara! I'm officially making my first comment on your page! I'm starting here because you are, after all, super tech savvy! As I've been reading the required texts for class, I can't help but get the feeling that some of these topics are not necessarily applicable to pre-schoolers! Have you used blogs at all in your classroom... perhaps with parents? I'm also interested to hear about how you might use a blog with upper elementary students (I know your children are tech savvy just like you)! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI think the bigger obstacle for me with using tech tools in my preschool classroom is that I don't have access to even a computer. :( A couple of years ago, when our classrooms were in a different location in our classroom, our office was in a part of our classroom and we had access to a computer. I did do some blogging with my students. I had a 'reporter' job, who would report on what we did that day (the book we read or any special activities we did). Then parents could comment on the activities. It was fun while it lasted. :)
My son, Sean has done some recreational blogging, mostly just sharing links that he finds or sharing ideas or what he has been upto.
When he realized that he had a viewer in New Zealand, he was so excited that he quickly went to look up where NZ was and learn a bit about it -- talk about a learning moment!!
For older elementary students, I could easily see tracking ongoing projects, incorporating photos of student works, or publishing short stories for others to comment on and share.