Technology
& Communicating
For
many of today’s adolescents, being in constant electronic
contact through cell phones, instant messages, blogs, or email is
just an accepted way of life. Some researchers, such as Donna Alvermann,
have found that students’ literacy skills outside of school,
in this media-rich world, are even more advanced than in school.
The question facing teachers, however, is why and how to channel
this energy into the instructional process to promote reading and
writing development. One strategy is to engage students in activities
that involve online conversations or discussions with peers in schools.
When students become part of an online learning community, they
become motivated to read and write in an authentic environment.
Imagine students discussing books they have read, debating issues
surrounding an historical event, or sharing results of an experiment
in biology. The online reading and writing environment becomes a
venue where students can express themselves clearly and read with
understanding what someone else has written. This becomes a meaningful
and natural context for them to apply valuable literacy skills.
With the current range of easy-to-use and readily available online
tools, everyone can be an author and participant in the “Read/Write
Web.” In this section you will find links to information not
only about how communication can be used, but also about resources
available to teachers.
Please
note, however, that it is advisable to check with an administrator
or your school’s technology specialist to ensure that your
plan to bring students online adheres to your school’s acceptable
use policy. For more information about Internet safety for students,
visit the “Ensuring
Safety” page in the Conducting
Online Research section of this Web site.
Sites
That Matter
If
you want to learn more about strategies for using technology for
online communication, choose from the links below.
Background
The New WWW: Whatever, Whenever, Wherever
This article, written by Tom March for Educational Leadership, examines the challenges brought on by the rapid advancement in technology and
provides creative learning strategies for using technology which are "real, rich, and relevant" for today's adolescents.
Click Here - Very long URL.
Literacy for the 21st Century: An Overview and Orientation Guide to Media Literacy Education
Developed by the Center for Media Literacy, this 50-page downloadable book examines media literacy, theory, practice, implementation, pedagogy, and provides alternate questions for various ages and abilities, strategies, tools, web resources, training information, and implementation in schools and districts.
www.medialit.org/pdf/mlk/01_MLKorientation.pdf
Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners
This article examines using technology to provide differentiated instruction for various student populations. The readers are introduced to Ms. G, a fictional 5th grade teacher, and the wide range of learning profiles in her classroom.
www.wested.org/online_pubs/kn-05-01.pdf
Weblogg-ed
This site provides information about Read/Write Web related technologies,
such as Weblogs, wikis, RSS, and audiocasts.
www.weblogg-ed.com
Teaching & Learning with the Read/Write Web
This brief article on the Tools for the Teks Web site gives an overview
of several online communication tools and outlines their potential
for use in the classroom.
www.wtvi.com/teks/04_05_articles/read-write-web.html
The
Educated Blogger: Using Weblogs to Promote Literacy in the Classroom
Blogs provide an excellent opportunity for educators to advance
literacy through online storytelling and dialogue. This article
explores the importance of literacy and storytelling in learning,
and then connects these concepts with the features of blogs.
www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_6/huffaker/index.html
7
Things You Should Know about Wikis
Wikis are Web pages that can be viewed and easily modified by anyone
with Internet access. Described as a composition system, a discussion
medium, and a repository, wikis support asynchronous communication
and group collaboration online. The "7 Things You Should Know
About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI)
provides concise information on emerging learning practices and
technologies. This helpful article focuses on Wikis.
www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf
Resources
Global SchoolNet Foundation
Founded in 1984 by teachers, Global SchoolNet is a free membership program designed to connect students around the globe. It currently brings together students from 194 countries who engage in project-based learning activities. The site also contains resources, materials, lessons, and special offers from their partners.
www.globalschoolnet.org/index.html
KIDPROJ
KIDLINK, a project of KIDPROJ, engages secondary school students via various email forums in projects around the world. Teachers and youth group leaders plan activities and projects for their students in an adult discussion, while students post their work in a designated area on the site called, "KidSpace." View the many current and ongoing projects.
www.globalschoolnet.org/index.html
ePals
ePALS is a large community of collaborative classrooms engaged in
cross-cultural exchanges, project sharing and language learning.
It features a suite of online tools and resources, including student
safe email, discussion boards, file sharing, book clubs, and custom
school homepages.
www.epals.com/
KeyPals Club International
Founded in 1996, KeyPals is the very first penpal club designed for kids by kids. A free service from teaching.com, KeyPals connects kids around the world through the use of e-mail, chats, club activities, projects, and homepages.
www.worldkids.net/clubs/kci/
iEARN
iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) is
a non-profit organization made up of over 20,000 schools in more
than 109 countries. Since 1988, iEARN has pioneered on-line school
linkages to enable students to engage in meaningful educational
projects with peers in their countries and around the world.
www.iearn.org
Tapped
In
Tapped In is a Web-based learning environment for educators and
professional. It’s free to join, and members may sponsor student
groups and bring them into a protected online environment. On Tapped
virtual K-12 campus, student groups have access to discussion boards,
chat rooms, note pads, whiteboards, messaging, email, and more.
tappedin.org
The
Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration
This site was developed to help teachers use the Internet to "reach
out" globally. These materials were prepared as part of the
Department of Education's International Education Initiative. Here,
teachers will find many projects and suggestions to begin or expand
classroom projects that reach across the globe.
www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tech/international/index.html
Scholastic
Authors and Books
This section of the Scholastic Web site provides a literature bulletin
board to talk about the selected book with other children across
the country who want to share their thoughts too. After a week,
the actual author will join in the discussion; students pose questions
directly to the writer.
www2.scholastic.com/teachers/
authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorstudies.jhtml
Google
Groups
This is
a free online community and discussion group service that offers
the Web's most comprehensive archive of Usenet postings (more than
a billion messages). Your group can be open to the public or viewable
only to members.
groups.google.com/
Yahoo!
Groups
This is a free service that brings members
together through a Web site with a message board and email group
in an easy-to-use, privacy-protected, and spam-protected environment.
groups.yahoo.com/
