Task #2 Minds-on “New Literacies Definition and Components”

The ELA teacher I interviewed was myself J. I integrate technology in my classroom by reading digital stories that highlight the vocabulary words for the students. The students complete graphic organizers such as Venn Diagrams and Story maps to help analyze the text for better understanding. While reading, students are presented with questions, which are connected to the story. At the end of reading students are asked to write responses or reflections about the text. At the end students are put into groups of two or three to discuss the topic and share their reflections.

I would like to include more use of technology and the Internet in the classroom. My goal is to have my students do more writing on the computer to help improve their typing skills. But due to the limited time we are allowed in the computer lab each week that becomes a challenge. I also want to introduce my students to virtual games that can improve their Spelling and Vocabulary skills.

The resources I will need mostly are a few computers in the classroom. Currently, I have one computer the students use for recreational purposes. Having a few more computers would allow students to have more time on the computer for research and publishing purposes. The professional development I need would be in troubleshooting some general issues that I may run into during instructional time. Attending a few workshops on how to use the SMART Board more extensively would also be very beneficial.

The ideas I have for grouping students are to pair them up so they can learn to cooperate with each other. I may randomly pick a group of students and allow them some computer time. I can also put some advanced readers on the computer while I meet with the on level and below level readers and vice versa. I can also assign an allotted time for each student on the computer and when his or her time is up another person will be able to use it. This is the method I use mostly in class now.