I am about to
admit something that might offend many, if not most educators. I hate reading. There, I said it. I am not proud of this by
any means. Looking back on my grade
school years, I believe that my struggles with reading likely stemmed from
environmental, educational, and motivational issues. First, I did not grow up with
parents who read to me regularly at an early age. Second, I freaked out on timed reading
assessments; the anxiety I felt going into the test alone was enough to thwart
what little chances I had to concentrate on, and comprehend the material that I
was able to cover. And third, I cannot
remember one novel that I read in school, that I really liked or was interested
in, or even finished for that matter. It
was not until my undergraduate studies that I started to really develop
my own reading strategies. And when I
took a graduate course to administer Level B educational assessments, I
realized that my dislike for reading might also be attributed circuit
difficulties.
Does this sound familiar to you, or someone that you know?
The
resources in this fourth module have allowed me to not only reflect on my
struggles as a reader, but to get reacquainted with the whole concept of
literacy, capture some ways in which I may continue to help myself and others,
and explore some innovative technologies to support the development of literacy
skills. The culture of literacy in the 21st century has come to include a wide range of abilities and competencies such as (a) traditional, (b) informational, (c) visual, (d) critical, (e)media, (f) tool, and (g) digital literacies. Traditional literacy typically involves reading, viewing, speaking, listening, presenting,
and writing skills.
During
my graduate studies, I came across this great online resource for students, parents,
and teachers. It offers “try it yourself”
simulations for difficulties associated with attention, reading, writing, and
math, in addition to understanding these basics and exploring remedial
strategies. I used this website in my
learning strategies class (in part) to help students identify areas of literary
need, and apply individualized strategies.
It was a very helpful resource for all of us.
Recommendations
from this site prompted me to look into assistive technologies that could also
help students become better readers and writers. While we used Read & Write Gold in
our high school, Kurzweil is another literacy software program that
serves as a talking reader, word processor, translator, highlighter, and spellchecker
for students. 
We
also purchased a reading pen for our students to try; it
is a hand-held tool that scans text, and provides similar features to that of
the software noted above. The students
felt that some features like dictionary and translator were helpful for
secondary students, but that the pen’s reading speed would be better suited for
beginning readers. 
With
the popularity of Smart phones, my students also explored free apps like Dragon Dictation to record, transpose, and edit oral response to
text for written assignments. This has
allowed students to get their thoughts down orally, upload them into Microsoft Word, and
then organize, complete, and edit their oral writing (per se) into a final
typed submission. Retail apps like Fountas and Pinnell Prompting Guide 1 can also help teachers enhance their reading and writing lessons. This app can be used to guide instruction and
assess learning for students of all reading and writing levels.
The
innovations described above are just a handful of the technologies available to
help teachers help students, learn how to read and write better. They engage students through relevant digital
tasks, and they provide formative feedback in real-time for students to self-correct
effectively and efficiently. These tools also provide a safe medium for
students to maximize their strengths and develop areas of weakness in
literacy. As I lifelong reader I continue to forge
through volumes of text and online material at this level of academia with commitment,
challenge, and a new-found appreciation for reading and writing. I hope that other educators will explore all
means possible to help their students develop a love for literacy sooner,
rather than later.
REFERENCES:
Apple Inc. (2013a). Dragon dictation. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8
Apple Inc. (2013b). Fountas and Pinnell prompting guide 1. Retrieved
from https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/fountas-pinnell-prompting/id403800504?mt=8
Balanced Literacy (n.d.). In wikispaces classroom. Retrieved January
18, 2014, from http://part2part3.wikispaces.com/Balanced+Literacy
Cambium Learning (n.d.).Kurzweil Education Systems. Retrieved January
19, 2014, from http://www.kurzweiledu.com/individuals.html
Churchill, D. (2009). New literacy in the Web 2.0 world. Retrieved
from http://www.slideshare.net/zvezdan/new-literacy-in-the-web-20-world
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Reading and the brain. Baltimore, MD: Author.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2013, February). The NCTE definition of 21st century literacies. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition
PCI Education (n.d.). Reading pens for special education. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.pcieducation.com/landing/reading-pen.aspx
Texthelp Ltd. (2014). Read & Write. Retrieved from http://www.texthelp.com/North-America/Our-products/Readwrite
PCI Education (n.d.). Reading pens for special education. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.pcieducation.com/landing/reading-pen.aspx
Texthelp Ltd. (2014). Read & Write. Retrieved from http://www.texthelp.com/North-America/Our-products/Readwrite
WGBH Educational Foundation. (2002). Misunderstood minds. Retrieved
from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/reading.html
