As I sit here and think about the literacy curriculum that is included within my classroom, I am a bit shocked at the lack of utilization of materials and resources . Although my MT does have a few computers, reading textbooks, and printed assessments, there is still no classroom library. Therefore, when I assess what materials our classroom holds, I feel as though we are missing the most vital one, being the classroom library. As discussed above, my students have reading textbooks which simply includes a book full of short stories that are made for first graders. Although these books are nice in that they speak to the abilities of my students reading, they fail to challenge them in that they are strictly designed to go in an order as a class instead of individually. Furthermore, these books are the only books that my students can read out of when they finish their work throughout the day; you can only re-read a book so many times before it becomes boring and uninteresting. The computers that we have in class are programmed with a slew of websites that are supposed to be for working on reading and literacy. Unfortunately, when I was in the classroom the other day, they were playing coloring games online and the one reading website they had was seriously the most boring website I have ever seen! There is not an alphabet posted anywhere in the room so it is quite common that my students ask what a letter looks like or how you write a letter. This not only frustrates me, but also makes me feel unprepared in the classroom as I don't want to step on my MT's feet in order to improve this scenario. My students are able to visit the library once a week, but they are not permitted access to these books during the day so their opportunity to read is greatly reduced.
In addition to all of this, I feel as though my classroom does have the materials, but they are not utilized to their fullest potential. While it is great to have computers to use, they are only beneficial if they are used appropriately. Furthermore, I think it is of the utmost importance to provide students with selection that goes beyond what they are comfortable with and sets them up for a challenge as they learn new words. When I sit and read with my students at their desks, it brings me great joy to see the improvement they have made since I first met them this year. Unfortunately, this improvement is short lived when I hear how far behind we are in reading as well as how many of the students are behind. I know that the resources we have can be used better, but it takes change for this to happen. Without question, the need for classroom books is beyond important as I see that classroom money would be well spent if we decided to travel down the road to have a classroom library.
As described in the reading by Dawnene D. Hassett and Jen Scott Curwood, titled "Theories and Processes of Multimodal Education: The Instructional Dynamics of Picture Books and Primary Classrooms", they state that multimodal texts are texts that "Include various pathways to follow, parallel displays of information, extensive cross-referencing elements, evocative graphics and images that extend, often replace, the printed word as the primary carrier of meaning" (271/2). Although this description can be simplified down to the idea that multimodal texts include the transfer of information through technological venues, the idea of multimodal texts are only beneficial if they are used correctly. There may be many computers in my classroom, but if the students are not using websites correctly or ones that include a great deal of literary development they are going to waste. Therefore in order to make this situation better, I would go through and eliminate any additional websites or programs from the computer that do not deal directly with learning. I want to take away anything that distracts the teachers and students from using the computers as busy work.
In addition to all of this, I would also only use the textbook/reading books for supplemental help not the only resource for reading on part of the students. Having students all reading the same book in the same order keeps some of the students confused, the other part on track, and fails to challenge the rest. This is not the model of effective learning that adheres to the many needs of our students, especially the ones in my classroom.
From looking at the website, I would have to say that I am a digital native because I have grown up using technology and use it for a variety of different reasons, from reading an article to looking up something on google, to keeping in touch with my friends via Facebook. I think most people in our generation would consider themselves digital natives, which could ultimately help our generation better incorporate technology in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kori's thoughts about her classroom, I would have to say that I agree with her. My classroom also contains computers set up for the students to play literacy and math games and in watching them play those games, I am realizing they get nothing out of them. They choose the games that they think look like the most fun and don't actually read any instructions or gain anything in regards to literacy. This thought makes me question whether or not I would want my students to use online games to build their literacy. I know that there are many technological tools that could help them build their literacy, but I am not sure these online games are the way to go about doing that. I would almost want to find some sort of online system that would still be fun and interactive but would have some sort of way that I, as a teacher, could monitor what they are gaining out of the games they are playing, like if there were a report that I could print out that shows me what the student did online and what they were supposed to be learning from it. This may be something that is already available that I am unaware of, but I believe this would be better than letting students play mindless games and still thinking they are working on their literacy, which I fear is the case for both Kori's and my students. I believe if technology is effective, it should definitely be a part of the classroom, but if it is ultimately a waste of time for students, I don't believe it is being helpful to the learning process.
P.S. That was my post (Emily Hoag)
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, it reminded me of one of my favorite activities growing up in school called Accelerated Math. This was a program that the teacher controlled and each students started out with the same objectives, but as time went on the more advanced students received more and more objectives that were harder. It was truly a useful math tool and it allowed both the use of the computer and pencil and paper.
After getting some time to talk with my mentor teacher about their reading curriculum, "Reading Street" and writing curriculum, "Lucy Calkins," I was very surprised with what she had to say. She mentioned that the writing curriculum was new with in the last 2 years and she likes it a lot. Since switching to "Lucy Calkins" the students' writing scores have increased nearly 20%, however, "Reading Street" my MT described as dull. She expressed to me she was hoping they would switch to a different curriculum that was more engaging for the students and all around just a better curriculum. This I found very interesting, scary and frustrating all at once. Hearing that my MT thought the reading curriculum she had to follow was not effective slightly scares me because regardless of what she believes is best for her students reading education there is very little she can (or is choosing to) actually change. More or less it seems to me she is caught in between a rock and a hard place and as opposed to really pushing for a new curriculum she seemed slightly content to just teach using the "Reading Street" curriculum until a change takes place over time. In other words, I do not know what is the right thing to do in this type of situation as a teacher- just keep teaching using the curriculum that you are told to use even if you do not think it is best for the students reading education - or modify/alter the curriculum (even if it is frowned upon by the administration.)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading both of your posts I was very surprised by a few of your comments- mainly Kori’s about not have an alphabet posted on a wall in the classroom. This I find mind blowing- a first grade classroom without an alphabet? Additionally, I could not believe that there is not a classroom library As future teachers I think it is crucial that we take time to “decorate” our classrooms in a manner that inspires students to learn and develop. Although it may seem unimportant to some, I personally think what your classroom looks like says a lot about the type of teacher you are. The information you choose to put on walls has the potential to influence students’ learning everyday and should be utilized.
Over the past few weeks I have had a chance to go observe other classrooms. One particular classroom that I have really enjoyed watching operate is a first grade classroom. The students know exactly what is expected of them the moment they walk in the door and they seem to always use their time wisely (even as first graders). The classroom is extremely colorful, organized, and inspiring. During the afternoon the students in this classroom have stations and one of the stations is computers. Given that the classroom I am placed in has 4 computers that I have never once seen used I was interested to see what the first grade classroom used their computers for. To my surprise, all the students were on task, head phones in- playing a reading and/or math game. After seeing this I feel like I would use computers in my classroom-but, after hearing what you both have to say about the computers in your classrooms I am unsure. I believe one of the main reasons for using computers in the classroom is to entertain children as they learn, however, if they are simply entertained and not learning anything then I feel that that time should be spent differently.