Post 4: Learning to Love Literacy

            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

WGBH Educational Foundation. (2002). Misunderstood minds. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/reading.html