For my graduate course, Integrating Technology and Literacy, we had to explore one of two texts pertinent to our grade level which focused on the integration of technology into the classroom. I read the text, Connected From the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades, by Kathy Cassidy. In this book, Cassidy urges teachers to integrate technology into the classroom as early as possible. She goes into great detail explaining why and how teachers can do this. Some tools Cassidy explains include: blogs, Twitter, and Skype. |
The best part of this book is that it is very interactive in nature. The author has included links to many videos and online tools that support the technology she is sharing about in her book. I find that I sometimes doubt the ability to incorporate certain technological tools into my classroom since my students are so young and have such varied abilities. This book took me right into Cassidy's classroom, in which pictures and videos painted a vivid picture of how these resources are enhancing the education of these 21st century learners. Most importantly, it showed me that I do not need to be limited based on my students' age; rather, I had to be a little more creative.
While I read this text, my classmates read the text, Blended Learning in Grades 4-12. We recently had a literature circle to discuss the findings and implications of the texts we read. Since the text I read was different than that of my peers, I shared out the big ideas I took from the book first, then we discussed the other book. At first I thought that the book everyone else read would be disconnected to the book that I read; however, I found that there were many similarities as we dove deeper into the text. Many of the tools and practices remain the same. It is just the implementation that would change based on grade level and content area.
During the second night of literature circles, we were paired up to discuss key questions from the text related to integrating technology in the classroom. The topic I focused on with my partner was the connection between ELA and technology. Although my partner was a middle school language arts teacher, we found that we shared many of the same concerns, as well as ways to address these concerns. For example, we talked about the lack of time during the day and varied ability levels within the classroom as a daily challenge we face. We discussed using online leveled texts and one of the solutions in dealing with these challenges. Our online texts would come from different sites; however, the outcome would be the same regardless of the site we were using. This conversation proved to be very valuable to me. In such a large school, we have many teachers with varied experiences and knowledge. This conversation encouraged me to take advantage of the resources and knowledge of teachers I may not have reached out to before since they taught such a drastically different grade level than me.
Overall, I thought it was very valuable to have a literature circle based on our reading of these texts. The best part was that everyone in the class teaches such different age groups and content. I liked being able to see the related challenges and successes, as well as the similar tools that were being utilized across levels. Another thing I found valuable about this experience was being able to see the future progression of my students, including what they will be expected to do and what tools they will be using. As Cassidy pointed out in her book, it is important to start the students off early with a strong foundation in using technology. Through these conversations, I got a better picture of where my students are in relation to others and where they had to go. This helped me to better understand what I could do in order to support my 21st century learners and get them ready for the future.
While I read this text, my classmates read the text, Blended Learning in Grades 4-12. We recently had a literature circle to discuss the findings and implications of the texts we read. Since the text I read was different than that of my peers, I shared out the big ideas I took from the book first, then we discussed the other book. At first I thought that the book everyone else read would be disconnected to the book that I read; however, I found that there were many similarities as we dove deeper into the text. Many of the tools and practices remain the same. It is just the implementation that would change based on grade level and content area.
During the second night of literature circles, we were paired up to discuss key questions from the text related to integrating technology in the classroom. The topic I focused on with my partner was the connection between ELA and technology. Although my partner was a middle school language arts teacher, we found that we shared many of the same concerns, as well as ways to address these concerns. For example, we talked about the lack of time during the day and varied ability levels within the classroom as a daily challenge we face. We discussed using online leveled texts and one of the solutions in dealing with these challenges. Our online texts would come from different sites; however, the outcome would be the same regardless of the site we were using. This conversation proved to be very valuable to me. In such a large school, we have many teachers with varied experiences and knowledge. This conversation encouraged me to take advantage of the resources and knowledge of teachers I may not have reached out to before since they taught such a drastically different grade level than me.
Overall, I thought it was very valuable to have a literature circle based on our reading of these texts. The best part was that everyone in the class teaches such different age groups and content. I liked being able to see the related challenges and successes, as well as the similar tools that were being utilized across levels. Another thing I found valuable about this experience was being able to see the future progression of my students, including what they will be expected to do and what tools they will be using. As Cassidy pointed out in her book, it is important to start the students off early with a strong foundation in using technology. Through these conversations, I got a better picture of where my students are in relation to others and where they had to go. This helped me to better understand what I could do in order to support my 21st century learners and get them ready for the future.