This week’s
readings offered so many sites to explore for online reading. In Johnson’s
book, chapter 5, she makes many comparisons between online ebooks; those that
are read-alouds, and those that are interactive storybooks. I’d like to challenge us this week (or next
week) to try and use one of these sites within our own classroom, “borrow”
another teacher’s classroom, or at home with one of our own children. If teachers don’t know any sites that offer
free online stories or interactive stories, have 2-3 sites from which they can
choose one to try-out. I’m curious what
responses the kiddos have regarding the interactive features, and if they felt
the features were distracting or supported their comprehension of the story.
I’m wondering if the students had the choice to customize their experience, how
many would use or turn off features such as, narration, sound effects, music,
or automatic page turns.
I found it interesting that findings have
concluded that if literacy-building practices are to be prioritized, then print
or basic ebooks are preferred over those intended “just for fun” (Johnson, p.
75). I’m inferring the author is
alluding to books that are overly interactive.
However, as noted, enhanced e-books may motivate a young reader who
otherwise does not want to pick up a book.
What are your experiences with online books of either type?
I’m especially interested in apps such as,
Subtext www.subtext.com, (Johnson, p. 74),
which allows a teacher to embed instruction, videos, web links, and assignments
right on the pages. Students are also
able to annotate text as they read to discuss with their classmates. Similar apps are Read mill
(readmill.com/ipad), Bookshout (bookshout.com), Ponder (www.ponderi.ng) , and
Marvin (marvinapp.com). I’m going to give
Subtext a go this week with my students in reading lab. Stayed tuned for how it goes!
I also am anxious to try out Flipboard (www.flipboard.com). Users are able to subscribe to online
magazines, skip advertisements, save content that interests them, and then have
the ability to create their own magazine of content that they have personally
collected and created. I’m curious about
what apps from our readings are you anxious to try? Virtual Field Trips incorporating extension
activities sounds too good to be true! What have been your experiences with
ebooks, hybrid books, and free book apps? If teachers implemented one new
technology practice every 2 weeks that would enhance one of their lessons, I
wonder what engagement, motivation and learning would look like. If teachers were given a list of 10-20 free
educational sites that could be used on a SMART Board, in the computer lab, or
with whatever technological devices that would be applicable, and those sites
were shared in PLC meetings (Professional Learning Communities—teachers meet to
discuss best practices, curriculum and student achievement), I wonder if
teacher success would breed additional teacher success in regard to more
technology integration to enhance comprehension, collaboration, and creativity. What is your thinking regarding some of the
ideas and sites that I’ve discussed, or that are featured from our readings
this week?
Also, make mention of Digital Bloom's Taxonomy as it is referenced in the new literacy skills and learning activities. As for what I will try out this week with Subtext, I see commenting, reviewing, posting, collaborating, and networking (Evaluating) all embedded within this new literacy component.
Also, make mention of Digital Bloom's Taxonomy as it is referenced in the new literacy skills and learning activities. As for what I will try out this week with Subtext, I see commenting, reviewing, posting, collaborating, and networking (Evaluating) all embedded within this new literacy component.
Hi Barbara, thanks for making us move: what an inspiring inquiry! :)
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I am really excited to know how Subtext worked with your students. I would love to try one of the interactive ebook tools with my students this week; however, this week's main goal for my class is to make a presentation through a week-long preparation, which includes selecting a topic, creating questionnaires, interviewing American people, analyzing the data, and making PowerPoint slides for their presentation. So, I would be able to try an interactive ebook tool in three or four weeks when Fall 2 session begins at my school.
However, I want to discuss your first question regarding my experiences about online books. Although my current position is to teach Speaking and Listening skills at CESL, I used to teach Reading and Writing at another school a year ago. My students are all adult learners studying English for academic purposes; and they were beginners. When teaching the class, I found out that my institute has an e-book copy of the textbook. The e-version has the exactly same book in the pdf format, and it has audio links for the given texts; so students can listen to the sounds of the given texts. I just simply opened the digitalized book on a screen when I did a read-aloud activity; and I found out that using the e-text was more engaging than using a print-text for read-aloud activity. The implication of my experience is a bit different than what Johnson's chapter 5 addresses. The chapter was telling us the power of integrating ebooks and other materials (e.g., an video about hibernation) to enhance vocabulary knowledge and literacy skills. However, my case was about increasing students' engagement to the class, and I think that the engaging factor was perhaps based on the multi-modality of the text. Since the Reading and Writing class was taught right after the lunch break, I came up with that idea, using the TV screen, to show e-texts in hopes of helping my students wake up; and it worked well. At this point, I believe to some extent that a "media" containing texts has an subconscious influence on people's mindset regarding how people perceive the setting. For example, when students use an iPad, they would feel more awake (excited) than when using a paper book, because they presumably know that iPad can be a playing tool, not only a studying media such as a printed book. When my students were prompted to read the print book, heading down to the desk, they would feel "Okay, another studying time." But, when I prompt them to look up to the TV screen, they might think "wow, something fun is coming," which may have influenced my students' more engaging reaction to the TV screen than the textbook. In addition, I indirectly modeled my students how to use the e-book copy to self-learn the sounds; I encouraged them to self-study using the e-book whenever they are curious about the sounds. With this in mind, I think e-book is more engaging; however, I could be wrong. This is my only one direct experience of using an interactive e-book in a classroom setting. (I use lots of Internet articles by sharing the web links; but I think that is somewhat out of the scope of this week's readings).
(continued)
DeleteOther than the aforementioned example, my wife used an iPhone Bible app. The Bible app provides reading service, so she sometimes just turns on the reading service and listens to the story. This aspect is quite simple, but still a distinctive feature when comparing it to a printed text. So, I think this simple factor can open our students' eyes to NL, although they are not that fascinating as the examples shown in our readings this week. Particularly, these two cases (e-text via a TV screen and e-Bible) touch the 4th social practice I think - adopting alternative modes of communication. So, it could be quite static. What do you think you all? Do you think that my two examples can be an example of NL? Why or why not? Also, I am curious about your experiences of using interactive ebooks with your students. What social practices did your experiences touch?
I'll get back to more questions soon. Thanks! :)
John I'm glad that your class is able to use interactive books for learning, and they seem to like it. Your comment about students thinking it is more fun to read digital text is interesting. I’m sure there is a mind-shift when you contrast studying with big printed books and iPads with digital text. I’m curious, did the digital text have the capabilities to highlight and annotate? Did the students use apps to use digital type post-its for note taking? This is an area that really interests me. I would like to be more versed on the different types of note taking and annotating features available for online text.
DeleteHi Barbara, Thanks for your reply. Actually, no, my students back then were not able to annotate using the digital book because it was quite static book - we had a CD-ROM for that. However, they were able to copy and paste the texts if they wanted. In fact, I as a teacher, captured several screenshots to make a reading test; it was a lot easier than typing a story in a paper book.
DeleteRegarding the annotating or post-it marking, Kindle books provide those services. We can highlight sentences, leave a comment wherever we want while reading. This feature makes my life a lot easier than using the iBook app in iPad, because when using iPad, I just drag sentences using my finger tip and screenshot the whole window to capture it to the camera roll. It is not a real highlighting. Kindle, however, does offer the colored highlighting and annotating services. I was just curious; what makes you be interested in the digital annotating functions? I think that it is quite tied into the 4th and 6th social practices, that is, adopting alternative modes of communication and constructing and enabling identity. What do you think? :)
John I think you are really on to something when you say that you feel there is a novelty to reading on the iPad, as we elementary educators see the same excitement or shift in energy when we ask a student to complete a task on the computer or iPad vs. a paper and pencil. I think this is a motivation that we should capitalize on, because I am not sure that I see too many negative effects from it. My primary concern would be that if not exposed to paper texts often enough, students may struggle to focus and/or pull enough information from it simply because it is not interesting to them.
DeleteMy sister's kids go to a private school in NC that had a fundraiser 2 years ago to purchase iPads for every student in the school. Now, instead of printed textbooks, every student is issued an iPad with their specific textbooks preloaded onto it, as well as educational apps as requested by their teacher. The kids love it. My 17 year old niece in particular loves the fact that she doesn't have to lug around a huge bag of books, and the iPad fits perfectly into her purse. They all love that they can highlight text, take notes on "post-its", and flip over to the internet to verify information or watch a supporting video, etc. My sister and her husband have mixed feelings about the iPads. They both state that it is very difficult to manage what the kids are doing on their iPads, and that the kids don't have the self-discipline to not explore and play and such, so supervising homework requires much more focus, energy, and effort for them as parents.
I had an experience using Flipboard app two years ago; honestly, I had used it for about a week and deleted it from my iPhone. The app had a lot of good comments regarding evaluating/synthesizing aspects for the digital texts; but I was more willing to just google resources whenever I need them rather than editing my Flipboard selection. However, Flipboard might be good for our students to taste the digital archive function; but still it would not be that engaging in comparison to other creation-based apps in my opinion. Perhaps one of you might like the app; has any one of you tried Flipboard either for yourself or your class? How was it?
ReplyDeleteJohn I have never used Flipboard, or truly any other apps or websites to enhance my instruction on a consistent basis. There are a few that I would use, such as newsela, which provides news articles at a variety of Lexile levels. So there is a story right now about the regulation of e-cigs. The same content is available in 5 different lexile levels, ranging from approximately an 8th grade reading level to an 11th grade reading level. There is also the ability for students to write in a split screen format where they have the article on the left half of the screen and a writing pad on the right side of the screen. Teachers can also assign quizzes for each article. I used this sight a lot to differentiate for my kiddos, however there are no interactive capabilities such as words being read or defined.
DeleteI will brag on my use of math resources on the web and various apps, but I'm not sure that's the kind of literacy we are talking about.... or is it? ;)
I tried flip board and found it wasn't very accurate in providing me what I wanted to read, but my new phone has a ( much more accurate) service just like it, and I love it! It combines the topics I want with important calendar and social media updates, saving me a lot of time trying to find it all myself.
DeleteInteresting....you have tried a lot of apps! Tell me the ones you do like. I also have the Bible app--wonderful! When I think of NL, I think of literacies that feature collaboration, creativity, multi-modal, and interactive. Just using YouTube to see short clips of "How-To's" with different digital environments is so fascinating to me. I watched one the other day on Google Hang-Outs--it was so surprising to me to see how 10-12 people can discuss items while online and send chat messages to ask questions at the same time a person is leading a discussion/business meeting. I hope when our group tries Google Hang-Outs we are also successful. John, since I've began this class, I am very aware of trying to include technology whenever it is appropriate for my lessons---video has been one I've used the most lately to supplement lessons. Today we were reading a book about the Aye Aye (like a lemur) from Madagascar. I went on YouTube and low and behold there was a 2 minute video from some site Wild Animals or something like that--it showed the Aye Aye in its habitat, and gave information about how we are working to ensure it doesn't go extinct. Just giving some background knowledge in video/audio form really ignites and motivates the kiddos to learn more. I am deciding which blog format to use for my class now. I think this too will get kids excited to respond to some of their readings knowing I will be reading and posting back positive comments.
ReplyDeleteRegarding e-books--when I had my own 3rd grade class, I showed e-books on the SmartBoard. We explored different genres and held discussions on characteristics of each type---it made it fun because the kids were all relating to the same text and could build on each other's comments and observations. We spent the most time discussing graphic e-books. Kids love the graphic stories---frankly, I don't care if they read the back of a cereal box, as long as they practice reading. My favorite time was using Scholastic News (a nonfiction magazine of current events and high interest articles) for kids that is geared to their grade level. For the past few years they have had an online version. I would display the magazine on the SmartBoard, and we would read it together, discuss articles in small group, and response in our journals. The online text has vocabulary features (you click, and it pops up with a window that says the word and offers a definition), and other hyperlinks that take you to maps or other related links. Kids LOVE the interactivity---I guess I must admit, I do too.
I love the Bible app too!
DeleteMy husband's second call sign was iSean, because he is know for having an app for everything a pilot, husband, father, etc could ever want. I am not nearly as app savvy. When I was in the classroom I used my Smartboard all the time, but primarily with the smartboard software or to display websites. I utilized a lot of "read-aloud" websites, such as storylineonline.net, which features celebrities reading aloud popular picture books. It is great for exposure to the elements of fluency, but it doesn't provide a visual of the written text, which is a bummer.
I also love the stories from "Between the Lions" on pbskids.org because they are adorable, they focus on various components of language development such as different phonetic patterns and rhyme. The text is displayed and phrases highlighted as they are stated by the actors. Abcmouse.com is similar and also commonly used in the early childhood/elementary classroom to develop the various components of reading including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Our ETS department at OKCPS has some fantastic resources on their website, including http://www.tcea.org/pd/ios/ which has tons of apps listed, along with a brief explanation of what it offers. Some of the resources you have to be a member to see, however the Free Must-Have iPad Apps link brings you to the apps I explored.
As an instructional coach I now spend most of my time and resources trying to create better teachers, particularly by modeling, observing and providing feedback, and providing resources. I love Barbara's idea of teachers training teachers through PLC "best practices" discussions. I do think that teachers are more likely to use the programs if they have a chance to work with them while a mentor or someone who can help them navigate and/or answer their questions is readily available, so that may be something to consider (having them explore during the same PLC).
DeleteOk friends, so this is slightly off topic, but not really. I spent quite a bit of time this week exploring the websites and apps mentioned in the readings, and others as well. Some things that I found that I think are definitely worth another look include:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ipadeducators.com/#!the-chemistry-of-combos-pt1-and-pt2-/c23h
http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/category/badges
http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/
http://onestopteachershop.com/2014/12/free-resources-for-non-fiction-texts.html
Check them out when you have some time and let me know what you think! :)
Thanks for your evaluation of different sites! You are all prepared for this week's readings as well since you have tried out things. Mackinley, thanks for the links. I"m going to try them out.
ReplyDelete