Three-Dimensional Reading and Writing

Frey, Fisher, and Gonzalez (2010) state that the term three-dimensional reading is often used “to discuss Internet-based reading” (p. 36) in which “with hyperlinks the reader is on a self-directed journey and may never finish the original page” (p. 37).  This is the type of literacy that our current students are learning about and learning with.

 What will be the future of the written word?

With the use of sites such as BookFLIX by Scholastic (mentioned in a previous blog), students are already able to listen to stories and read along.  Some of these stories have music and other applications, such as games, that they can link to right from the page they are reading.  I think that in the future, the written word will continue to evolve and you will be able to access different types of media, perhaps not even thought of yet, from hyperlinks.

Picture taken from: http://www.macscitech.org/choosing-the-best-family-computer.htm

Reference:

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0 Reading and writing in 21^st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Wikipedia

When I was in school and we needed to look up information we went to the dictionary or to the row of encyclopedias, chose the correct volume, carried it back to our desks, and searched for the information.  Today, students simply need to go to the Internet, type in the word, and they will receive more sites with information than they will ever have time to read.  Typically, one of the first sites that comes up is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

  In Literacy 2.0 by Frey, Fisher, and Gonzalez (2010), Margaret Santori introduces her students to the discussion tab of a Wikipedia entry, where people are able to have educated discussions about each of the topics on the site.  Santori and her students then discuss the ways the online discussion is similar to their discussion in the classroom.This activity may be a little more difficult with Kindergarten students, but I think that modeling appropriate use of the Internet and explaining to students why I am choosing the sites I am choosing is very beneficial to them.  We spend a lot of time in Kindergarten working on social skills and this activity would give us an opportunity to do so while integrating technology.  When looking up information on the Internet, I search for sites other than Wikipedia, but after reading the chapter of this book, I am able to see the importance of teaching students how to be informed users of the Internet.

Picture taken from: http://www.notebookcomputerssmall.com/category/computer-kids/

Reference: Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0 Reading and writing in 21^st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

BookFLIX

BookFLIX by Scholastic is a great resource we will be able to use starting August 1, 2011.  This resource helps children to build a love of literacy through the pairing of fiction and non-fiction interactive Ebooks.  The words are highlighted as they are read aloud so students have the opportunity to follow along.

Image taken from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bear-Snores-On/Karma-Wilson/e/9781416902720/?itm=1&USRI=bear+snores+on

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson  is one of the stories featured in this resource that is also in our district’s reading curriculum.  Students would have the opportunity to listen to and watch the story online and then to read a related non-fiction text about bear cubs. 
This resource will be a great addition to our reading centers.  Students will have the opportunity to read both fiction and non-fiction texts, play educational games, and read about their favorite writers.  They may also explore the web in a safe way by choosing pre-selected links related to the topics they have been reading about.  For more information about this wonderful resource, go to: http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/pages/uploaded_files/BookFlix12pg.pdf or http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/pages/uploaded_files/BookFlix1pg.pdf.

 

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning involves students working together in small groups.  Students may be creating a product, working together on a task, or improving their problem solving skills.  For a more detailed definition of collaborative learning and other information on the topic, go to http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/index.html.

There are many benefits and challenges associated with implementing collaborative learning.  For a list of benefits, go to http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/44.html. When Kindergarten students are involved with collaborative learning, one of the challenges I see is that often one of the students takes over and completes the work while the others observe.  Another challenge is that young students may fight or argue over who will perform certain tasks.  I see both of these challenges as learning opportunities.  Before students begin the collaborative learning tasks, we discuss and model what it looks like and what it does not look like to work together.  I use this opportunity to discuss manners and taking turns and students are then able to apply these social skills in a real collaborative situation. 

In Tools for Teaching, found at http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html, Barbara Gross Davis lists suggestions for successful implementation of collaborative learning groups.  While some suggestions are aimed at older students, they can be applied to younger students as well.  As our society continues to change and become more and more dependent on technology, students will need to have appropriate skills to work with others.  Therefore, I feel that it is extremely important to involve students in collaborative learning tasks at an early age and strive to do so in my classroom on a regular basis. 

Image taken from: http://www.cr.k12.ia.us/news/Stories2010-2011/20110221.html

Gaming in the Educational Setting

An important part of Kindergarten is learning to be a good friend, including sharing and taking turns.  Playing games is one of the many ways we work on this.  We recently read The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper.  Even though it was a familiar story, my students enjoy hearing it over and over again.  During free choice time at the end of the day, students may use either the Smart Board or our student computer to play games and http://www.thomasandfriends.com/usa/Thomas.mvc/Home has been a popular choice lately.  If you click on games, there are fourteen different options.  My students enjoy the Memory Matching game.  We spend a lot of time in math focusing on time and the difference between seconds, minutes, and hours and this game times students and how fast they are able to find all of the matches.

 

Image from: http://thesanmarinorealestatereport.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/the-little-engine-that-could-by-carrie-benuska/

Another game that we play at the beginning of the year is “Reggie Loves to Rhyme” which can be found at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/reggie/index.htm.  We often play this game together if we have a couple extra minutes.  We try to think of other words that rhyme with the pair given by Reggie.  One nice thing about this game is that if you click on the picture it pronounces it for you, which is definitely helpful at the beginning of Kindergarten.