Recently, I was awarded what will likely be one of the greatest opportunities of my life. And this all came about because I was tired of students just reading about things and discussing them, but not actually seeing these things with their own eyes, maybe even touching them. To me, the greatest comprehension, engagement and critical reading happens when one is reading about things they have experienced personally. So, when thinking about my own teaching, and having students read about literature rooted in European history. I said to myself, "why don't we get some students together someday and go there." Having received some info from EF Tours, an educational travel company (see www.eftours.com), I requested a detailed tour packet by filling out a form online, mostly on a whim. However, in doing so, I was automatically entered to win a contest for a teacher to take several students on a EF tour of their choice. Well, long story short. I won.
Now I am swamped with working out the logistics, which included recruiting a small committee of teachers to help me select the students. This will be done through an essay/video contest that ends Wednesday. Students will be selected based on the most convincing, truthful submissions. I know I will have many entrants, but I will only be able to choose five. It's a great but tough job to have. We will be going on a 9-day tour to France, Germany and the Alps and I can't wait!
But you're probably wondering what that has to do with virtual school Senior English and literacy instruction and skill development. Well, I've realized that virtual school English is great for all of the opportunities it can provide and the breadth of information and background knowledge readily available for students to use via the Web. However, just as it is for reading books and looking at pictures in the traditional classroom, for the most meaningful, vibrant and lasting instruction, nothing beats being there. For example, because Paris is one of the places we're going (though I've been myself, it's all about the students, you know), we could read Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Les Miserables and then go to the places he uses as his settings. The students could imagine Quasimoto up amongst the gargoyles and buttresses while standing right before the mighty Gothic cathedral. What could beat this kind of learning? Nothing beats being there.
While I look through the lessons of the virtual school Senior English course I am observing, I see that there are resources students can use to learn more about their reading selections, and some allow students to visit the story settings or related artifacts virtually, but certainly doing so in person is not possible. According to an article by Tuthill and Klemm (2002), actual field trips "help bridge formal and informal learning, and prepare students for lifelong learning." Further, they state that: "Research has long demonstrated that using a variety of instructional strategies optimizes the effectiveness of teaching and learning." The pair also cite research that field trips have a positive effect on student learning and when they are "designed to connect classroom topics to real world contexts" they "provide direct learning experiences, adding realism and relevancy to studies." Field trips also appear to various learning profiles, they state.
But in recent years, schools' focus on classroom instruction time to prepare for standardized testing and budget constraints have largely made field trips a thing of the past. Additionally, when considering a trip overseas, the cost becomes exorbitant for participants. That's why I've been so fortunate. The trip will be largely free and all-inclusive, other than student spending money and tip monies for our guides and drivers. Otherwise, there is no way I'd be able to do it. No, instead I would be forced to do what Tuthill and Klemm discuss as an emerging trend, taking "virtual" field trips via the Internet, perhaps even taking the students to a school computer lab and letting them engage in interactive lessons on the computer that "take" them to the place they are studying and let them review the material at their own pace, and let individual students explore items of more interest to them in-depth. While I will agree that this is a great use of information and computer technology (ICT) and it likely is more effective in giving the student a range of resources that help to enhance learning and the feeling of actually being there, it still isn't the same as actually BEING there.
So, does this mean I think that virtual schools English instruction isn't worthwhile? Certainly not, and I'm not so fickle or naive to not understand that it is unreasonable to expect to take students to the places they read about in class. However, I am just pointing out that despite all of our advances in print media over the centuries, and now digital media, it is difficult to match the learning than can be afforded by engaging with something in person. But, as the lucky students and I travel to see some of Europe's finest wonders next year, I doubt I'll send a post card. Why do that when you can blog or send e-mails? An old, paper post card of some static, non-interactive picture? What's the point?
So, I guess if you follow my sarcasm, here might be a potential hierarchy for ideal learning settings:
I. Being there in person
II. Using digital tools, including the Internet
III. Traditional classroom and materials, including books and maps
But this is just me, what do you think?
Reference:
Klemm, B. & Tuthill, G. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips. International Journal of Instructional Media. Dec. 22, 2002. Accessed April 20, 2008 from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7969233_ITM
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Virtual School Literacy - Contributing to Resarch? and Hybrid Courses
Today I’ve realized the most potentially exciting or depressing aspect of my experience with studying literacy skills in the virtual school English classroom. When I’m attempting to use Google to search for “literacy in the virtual school,” my own blog is the top result. This is a blog I just started about seven weeks ago. I say that this is exciting in the sense that I feel like I am contributing (potentially) to the existing bank of knowledge regarding this unique subject, but also depressing in that there isn’t already more canonical info and scholarship readily available via Internet. Though many schools around the country are continually paying more attention to literacy and “reading” instruction, including seeing that teachers all get reading endorsements soon, it seems that many people haven’t yet considered what role technology has played in what we define as a “literate student” in the 21st century. Is this student the one who does very well on a state-standardized, multiple-choice reading test? I’m not so sure the answer to that question is “yes,” but rather “possibly.” Yet, how are we teaching these students about literacy and language and how does that vary between the virtual and traditional schools?
In my own school literacy instruction has changed and will continue to change drastically within the next year, as we have just received a grant that will place 25 laptops (w/ connectivity) for student use within the classroom of every English and Reading teacher. This means that my students will have access to the minimal technologies that are required to take a virtual school class and many of the same resources those students and teachers use. Still, if I so desire I can still utilize more traditional forms of text, including the trusty old literature book and the white-erase board. I suppose in this way I can further differentiate instruction and offer a blended course. This notion of emerging “hybridity” in many classrooms was recently addressed in an eSchoolNews article.
I hate to continually use this media outlet as a resource to support my viewpoints, however, it is one of the most prolific resources available regarding innovations, trends, issues and general news in educational technology, including virtual schooling. The article, by eSchoolNews assistant editor Meris Stansbury, primarily focuses on the recent trend of traditional school classes where teachers meet with students in both face-to-face and online format and cites “evidence” that hints that “hybrid courses can help students learn more effectively.” Stansbury’s primary example is a study done with a college course taught at the
Strengths
Students’ final grades were 9.9 percent higher in blended course compared to traditional only classes
Greater student comprehension of course content
Frees up traditional class space and offers students more flexibility for part of the curriculum
Weaknesses
Learning curve for the course delivery system (WebCT in this case)
Difficult to confirm identity of actual student completing assignment
Through its
1. What do you want students to know when they have finished taking your hybrid course?
2. As you think about learning objectives, which would be better achieved online and which would be best achieved face-to-face?
3. Hybrid teaching is not just a matter of transferring a portion of your traditional course to the Web. Instead it involves developing challenging and engaging online learning activities that complement your face-to-face activities. What types of learning activities do you think you will be using for the online portion of your course?
4. Online asynchronous discussion is often an important part of hybrid courses. What new learning opportunities will arise as a result of using asynchronous discussion? What challenges do you anticipate in using online discussions? How would you address these?
5. How will the face-to-face and time out of class components be integrated into a single course? In other words, how will the work done in each component feed back into and support the other?
6. When working online, students frequently have problems scheduling their work and managing their time, and understanding the implications of the hybrid course module as related to learning. What do you plan to do to help your students address these issues?
7. How will you divide the percent of time between the face-to-face portion and the online portion of your course? How will you schedule the percent of time between the face-to-face and online portion of your course, i.e. one two hour face-to-face followed by one two hour online session each week?
8. How will you divide the course-grading scheme between face-to-face and online activities? What means will you use to assess student work in each of these two components?
9. Students sometimes have difficulty acclimating to the course Web site and to other instructional technologies you may be using for face-to-face and online activities. What specific technologies will you use for the online and face-to-face portions of your course? What proactive steps can you take to assist students to become familiar with your Web site and those instructional technologies? If students need help with technology later in the course, how will you provide support?
10. There is a tendency for faculty to require students to do more work in a hybrid course than they normally would complete in a purely traditional course. What are you going to do to ensure that you have not created a course and one-half? How will you evaluate the student workload as compared to a traditional class?
Obviously, these questions are mostly those that require in-depth consideration for an educator thinking about teaching a hybrid course, or at least one who plans to do it effectively and thoughtfully. Just reading these questions, it makes me realize that there are a lot of logistics to developing a hybrid course. Given this, a teacher striking out on their own may have a lot of difficulty and it would seem more effective to have, at the very least, a learning community within a school that can take on the trials of developing the course and learning the delivery technology for the online portion of the curriculum. From my observations and interacting with an virtual school Senior English course, I realize that the course delivery and quality of content is a large part of its success. Though the school seems to desire to improve the course, and plans on rolling out a new version soon, the tools it uses for content delivery, interaction and student tracking and record keeping all seem to be extensive, versatile and seamless. Being that these tools are already available and ready for the teacher and students to use, there isn’t the difficulty of having to develop ones own course. There are a lot of people with specific expertise backing them up, including curriculum specialists and IT professionals. For this reason, I think if hybrid English courses are to become more common and as beneficial as possible, each course needs to have the online portion of the curriculum delivered by tried-and-true digital frameworks, otherwise it may not be worth the time and energy a teacher would put into designing such a course. That is, the students’ learning gains statistically or anecdotally may not be enough to justify such an effort.
References:
Stansbury, M. (2008). Hybrid courses show promise. eSchoolNews.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Technology Learning Center. (2005). Ten hybrid questions to consider. pp. 1-2. Accessed
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Virtual School, Minorities, and Literacy
According to a recent article at eSchoolNews' Web site (Stansbury), it cites a recent webinar hosted by the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), which I unfortunately was not able to attend. The article, however, discusses how at the event "titled 'Increasing Academic Offerings for Minority Students through Online Learning,' panelists Ray Rose, director of programs at MentorNet, Sharnell Jackson, chief eLearning officer for the Chicago Public Schools, and Themy Sparangis, chief technology officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District," all discussed how online learning, such as via virtual school, can help to improve the opportunities, and possibly even the performance of, minority or "underrepresented" students.
For me and the purposes of my blog and focus, this presents an interesting possibility. Mainly from my traditional classroom teaching experience, and in some of my reading, I have found that minority students make up a larger percentage of students who do not have what are considered to be traditional academic literacy or ICT literacy skills. This could include poor grammar, spelling, and general writing skills, but can also include critical reading skills or a breadth of background knowledge (which can largely affect reading comprehension and fluency), and lack of experience with creation and manipulation of digital documents and media. At times this also includes ESOL students, who are less familiar with English and all of its uses, in addition to the cultural aspects that make meaning of our language. Primarily though, I think it is cultural and socioeconomic differences at play here, included lack of regular access to technologies (the digital divide).
However, what is suggested in the eSchoolNews article by Stansbury, and by the panelists she cites, online learning can help provide learning that is more tailored and more equitable for minority students. The article cites an Illinois school where there is a large Hispanic population that has managed a high pass rate for online learning, which includes students who have used virtual learning for dropout recovery as well as parents who work full time or raise children but don't have their high school education. Still, the NACOL panelists all noted, according to the article, that schools must work to close the digital divide in their schools and make sure that access to updated computers with broadband connections were provided so that minorities could make use of virtual school. Some methods suggested were offering scholarships and tech literacy courses, which obviously would be the kind that teaches ICT (information and computer technology) literacy, one of my focuses in the study of a virtual school English class.
For a virtual school course, one panelist, Jackson, suggested - for students success - that "educators who are teaching online classes communicate with students’ traditional classroom teachers, so they can better learn—and cater to—these students’ needs." She further explained that:
"Expectations for teachers are still the same even in online learning: help kids become proficient, college-prepared students. Online learning students must achieve and excel in their studies just like in a traditional classroom format, but online learning can increase communication and engagement, as well as provide individualized learning options."
Given all of this, from my own observations of a virtual school Senior English class and its interworkings, this is how that particular school is operated. The teacher and school certainly performs in this way, and student success seems to follow accordingly. As it pertains to traditional and ICT literacy, students will never learn this without exposure to reading and writing using digital tools. According to an October 2007 Florida Tax Watch report on Florida's Virtual School, minority students made up about a third of students in that particular virtual school. However, Florida Tax Watch also reports that this is quite low when compared to the state's traditional schools.
Noticing this, Florida Tax Watch asked:
"What is there about e-learning in general that fails to adequately entice minority students to participate at higher levels?" and "Why do African-American and Hispanic students have a high withdrawal rate compared to their enrollment shares?"
Providing its own answers, Florida Tax Watch stated that "some theorize that the answers to these questions rest with the notion of the digital divide," and gave that idea some credence, however, it also noted that "the great majority of FLVS students are part-time, taking just one or two courses. They spend the rest of their day on the campus of a comprehensive school site, where computers are available – to the universe of students, including minorities."
Florida TaxWatch's study also said "to secure national data about minority participation in online learning programs." According to its report, this kind of data was not readily available, "as most as most states do not compile such figures." Still, from "perceptual data from national experts," NACOL claims that minority participation is about 10%. and that, as a result," it would seem that Florida Virtual School is outpacing the country in its service to minority students" if about 33 percent of its students were considered minorities."
While this is great in the case of FLVS, being just one of many virtual schools nationwide, I wonder about the seemingly anecdotal nationwide data from Florida Tax Watch, knowing that in Southern states such as Florida, minority populations are much higher than the much of the country, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. I guess what I am saying is I hope their data is considered per capita. I think the a primary issue facing minorities and their representation in virtual schools may be lack of familiarity with computers in the home (often relative to socioecnomic standing) and not enough digital learning experiences in some elementary schools. I think that given that most virtual students are those in the secondary grades, previous exposure to digital forms of learning before that time may seem more foreign or present more of a logistical challenge if one has to learn basic ICT and, at once, to be able to effectively take on the coursework as well. In the case of learning with computers and having ICT abilities, familiarity does not breed contempt, it breeds success and opens opporunities for more individualized, potentially engaging learning and skill development.
References:
Florida Tax Watch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability. (2007). Final report: A comprehensive assessment of Florida Virtual School. Oct. 15, 2007. Accessed April 16, 2008 from http://www.nacol.org/docs/FLVS_Final_Final_Report(10-15-07).pdf
Stansbury, M. (2008). Panelists: Online learning can help minority students. eSchoolNews (online edition). Accessed April 16, 2008 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/technologies/index.cfm?i=53470;_hbguid=f581aec8-754e-4b40-9237-0c5d99153799
For me and the purposes of my blog and focus, this presents an interesting possibility. Mainly from my traditional classroom teaching experience, and in some of my reading, I have found that minority students make up a larger percentage of students who do not have what are considered to be traditional academic literacy or ICT literacy skills. This could include poor grammar, spelling, and general writing skills, but can also include critical reading skills or a breadth of background knowledge (which can largely affect reading comprehension and fluency), and lack of experience with creation and manipulation of digital documents and media. At times this also includes ESOL students, who are less familiar with English and all of its uses, in addition to the cultural aspects that make meaning of our language. Primarily though, I think it is cultural and socioeconomic differences at play here, included lack of regular access to technologies (the digital divide).
However, what is suggested in the eSchoolNews article by Stansbury, and by the panelists she cites, online learning can help provide learning that is more tailored and more equitable for minority students. The article cites an Illinois school where there is a large Hispanic population that has managed a high pass rate for online learning, which includes students who have used virtual learning for dropout recovery as well as parents who work full time or raise children but don't have their high school education. Still, the NACOL panelists all noted, according to the article, that schools must work to close the digital divide in their schools and make sure that access to updated computers with broadband connections were provided so that minorities could make use of virtual school. Some methods suggested were offering scholarships and tech literacy courses, which obviously would be the kind that teaches ICT (information and computer technology) literacy, one of my focuses in the study of a virtual school English class.
For a virtual school course, one panelist, Jackson, suggested - for students success - that "educators who are teaching online classes communicate with students’ traditional classroom teachers, so they can better learn—and cater to—these students’ needs." She further explained that:
"Expectations for teachers are still the same even in online learning: help kids become proficient, college-prepared students. Online learning students must achieve and excel in their studies just like in a traditional classroom format, but online learning can increase communication and engagement, as well as provide individualized learning options."
Given all of this, from my own observations of a virtual school Senior English class and its interworkings, this is how that particular school is operated. The teacher and school certainly performs in this way, and student success seems to follow accordingly. As it pertains to traditional and ICT literacy, students will never learn this without exposure to reading and writing using digital tools. According to an October 2007 Florida Tax Watch report on Florida's Virtual School, minority students made up about a third of students in that particular virtual school. However, Florida Tax Watch also reports that this is quite low when compared to the state's traditional schools.
Noticing this, Florida Tax Watch asked:
"What is there about e-learning in general that fails to adequately entice minority students to participate at higher levels?" and "Why do African-American and Hispanic students have a high withdrawal rate compared to their enrollment shares?"
Providing its own answers, Florida Tax Watch stated that "some theorize that the answers to these questions rest with the notion of the digital divide," and gave that idea some credence, however, it also noted that "the great majority of FLVS students are part-time, taking just one or two courses. They spend the rest of their day on the campus of a comprehensive school site, where computers are available – to the universe of students, including minorities."
Florida TaxWatch's study also said "to secure national data about minority participation in online learning programs." According to its report, this kind of data was not readily available, "as most as most states do not compile such figures." Still, from "perceptual data from national experts," NACOL claims that minority participation is about 10%. and that, as a result," it would seem that Florida Virtual School is outpacing the country in its service to minority students" if about 33 percent of its students were considered minorities."
While this is great in the case of FLVS, being just one of many virtual schools nationwide, I wonder about the seemingly anecdotal nationwide data from Florida Tax Watch, knowing that in Southern states such as Florida, minority populations are much higher than the much of the country, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. I guess what I am saying is I hope their data is considered per capita. I think the a primary issue facing minorities and their representation in virtual schools may be lack of familiarity with computers in the home (often relative to socioecnomic standing) and not enough digital learning experiences in some elementary schools. I think that given that most virtual students are those in the secondary grades, previous exposure to digital forms of learning before that time may seem more foreign or present more of a logistical challenge if one has to learn basic ICT and, at once, to be able to effectively take on the coursework as well. In the case of learning with computers and having ICT abilities, familiarity does not breed contempt, it breeds success and opens opporunities for more individualized, potentially engaging learning and skill development.
References:
Florida Tax Watch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability. (2007). Final report: A comprehensive assessment of Florida Virtual School. Oct. 15, 2007. Accessed April 16, 2008 from http://www.nacol.org/docs/FLVS_Final_Final_Report(10-15-07).pdf
Stansbury, M. (2008). Panelists: Online learning can help minority students. eSchoolNews (online edition). Accessed April 16, 2008 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/technologies/index.cfm?i=53470;_hbguid=f581aec8-754e-4b40-9237-0c5d99153799
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Legitimate Literacy Instruction in the Virtual School
In the traditional school, within the past decade or so, literacy instruction has become a consistent focus of teaching and school improvement plans. In large part this is because of the accountability standards implemented by the No Child Left Behind Act and school grading systems determined largely by scores on state-derived reading assessment tests, such as the FCAT in Florida (where I live). Unfortunately, many schools, teachers and trainers missell this as "reading" and not "literacy," which it should be. As a result, many core curriculum and elective teachers say things like "I didn't sign up to be a reading coach or a reading teacher. Why should I have to do this?" Regardless, within Florida, at all grade levels most teachers are being encouraged, more like pressured, to work toward a reading endorsement add-on to their certification within the next year or two. While this presents an extra responsibility for already-busy teachers, it has helped to deliver more training to teachers regarding the theoretical underpinnings of literacy and usable teaching strategies to improve literacy instruction regardless of their content area.
In the virtual school Senior English "classroom," this kind of theory-based literacy instruction is apparent. Reviewing the course I find "reading" strategies like PAS (Preview the text, Access background knowledge, and Set a purpose). Specifically, this is used with the reading of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Before the students ever read the actual text. they have assignments that requires them to frame their thinking and develop a metalanguage for engaging the text. For example, the students must first do an assignment called "Keys to Understanding Drama," that reviews all of the terms associated with the reading of plays (such as soliloquy, tragedy and motif), as well as the structure of the five-act play. From there the students take on an activity that asks them to choose a scenario/prompt that outlines the perspective and motivation of various characters in Hamlet. They then must choose one of the five prompts and write a "well-developed" paragraph about it and submit the assignment to their teacher. It is after doing these assignments that the students actually begin reading the play. During the reading, students are given assignments that address issues such as the difficulty of Shakespeare's Elizabethan-era language that further frames their thinking and aids in comprehension.
According to my host teacher, this is all intentional and of the curriculum is based on sound literacy learning theories. However, I believe that because this literacy instruction and the overall course content is being delivered digitally, it is more engaging and authentic for the students than what they might encounter in the traditional classroom.
According to an article by Learning First Alliance (2000) at Adlit.org (a site centered around adolescent literacy), students' "comprehension is enhanced when teachers make sure students understand what they are reading by asking questions and encouraging student questions and discussions." It further states that, "effective instruction will help the reader actively relate his or her own knowledge or experience to the ideas written in the text, and then remember the ideas that he or she has come to understand." This is the idea of a lot of the emerging literacy instruction in the traditional school and what is found in the virtual school course I am observing. But, again, when students are using technology to study text, there is a built-in engagement factor that often can't be matched by the technology-free traditional classroom. According to Alltech, an organization that promotes the use of technology for individual achievement (see alltech-tsi.org), "the use of technology alone cannot promote students' literacy skills," however, goes on to say that "when technology is combined with research-based reading and writing instructional strategies, powerful outcomes are achieved." Alltech posits that: "When implemented effectively, literacy technologies can motivate students, promote positive attitudes toward learning, provide individualized and learner-controlled instruction, facilitate positive social behavior, and support active learning experiences." This would certainly seem to ring true with my experiences so far with the virtual school English class that I've been observing, especially in how the course curriculum is set-up with its resources, scaffolding and pacing. Additionally, because the work is being done on computers students either are supporting or developing their ICT (information and computer technology) literacies, a necessity for successfully completing the course.
References:
Alltech (2007). Technology for all (May 2007). Alltech-tsi.org. Accessed April 13, 2008 from http://www.alltech-tsi.org/news/2007_05.html
Learning First Alliance. (2000). 9 components for effective, research-supported reading instruction. Adlit.org. Accessed April 13, 2008 from http://www.adlit.org/article/50
In the virtual school Senior English "classroom," this kind of theory-based literacy instruction is apparent. Reviewing the course I find "reading" strategies like PAS (Preview the text, Access background knowledge, and Set a purpose). Specifically, this is used with the reading of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Before the students ever read the actual text. they have assignments that requires them to frame their thinking and develop a metalanguage for engaging the text. For example, the students must first do an assignment called "Keys to Understanding Drama," that reviews all of the terms associated with the reading of plays (such as soliloquy, tragedy and motif), as well as the structure of the five-act play. From there the students take on an activity that asks them to choose a scenario/prompt that outlines the perspective and motivation of various characters in Hamlet. They then must choose one of the five prompts and write a "well-developed" paragraph about it and submit the assignment to their teacher. It is after doing these assignments that the students actually begin reading the play. During the reading, students are given assignments that address issues such as the difficulty of Shakespeare's Elizabethan-era language that further frames their thinking and aids in comprehension.
According to my host teacher, this is all intentional and of the curriculum is based on sound literacy learning theories. However, I believe that because this literacy instruction and the overall course content is being delivered digitally, it is more engaging and authentic for the students than what they might encounter in the traditional classroom.
According to an article by Learning First Alliance (2000) at Adlit.org (a site centered around adolescent literacy), students' "comprehension is enhanced when teachers make sure students understand what they are reading by asking questions and encouraging student questions and discussions." It further states that, "effective instruction will help the reader actively relate his or her own knowledge or experience to the ideas written in the text, and then remember the ideas that he or she has come to understand." This is the idea of a lot of the emerging literacy instruction in the traditional school and what is found in the virtual school course I am observing. But, again, when students are using technology to study text, there is a built-in engagement factor that often can't be matched by the technology-free traditional classroom. According to Alltech, an organization that promotes the use of technology for individual achievement (see alltech-tsi.org), "the use of technology alone cannot promote students' literacy skills," however, goes on to say that "when technology is combined with research-based reading and writing instructional strategies, powerful outcomes are achieved." Alltech posits that: "When implemented effectively, literacy technologies can motivate students, promote positive attitudes toward learning, provide individualized and learner-controlled instruction, facilitate positive social behavior, and support active learning experiences." This would certainly seem to ring true with my experiences so far with the virtual school English class that I've been observing, especially in how the course curriculum is set-up with its resources, scaffolding and pacing. Additionally, because the work is being done on computers students either are supporting or developing their ICT (information and computer technology) literacies, a necessity for successfully completing the course.
References:
Alltech (2007). Technology for all (May 2007). Alltech-tsi.org. Accessed April 13, 2008 from http://www.alltech-tsi.org/news/2007_05.html
Learning First Alliance. (2000). 9 components for effective, research-supported reading instruction. Adlit.org. Accessed April 13, 2008 from http://www.adlit.org/article/50
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Virtual School English - ICT and Literacy Development
I had some expectation this week to observe virtual school students taking the oral reading portion of their course exam for Senior English, however, I haven't heard back regarding appointments my host teacher with a couple of students. Because of the nature of the Senior English course in the virtual school, at this time, most are done with the course and ready to graduate from their traditional school. My host teacher is still working to see several through to completion in the next few weeks, but their contact is now sporadic and often unscheduled, making it difficult for me to observe regularly.
Not to be deterred, I am continuing my research of virtual school English and how literacy, both traditional and information and computer technology (ICT) literacy are used in and developed by online learning. According to an article by Phil Taylor in a 2002 edition of Literacy Today, there are "exciting opportunities" offered by ICT "for creativity and collaboration, particularly in developing students' literacy" (available at http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/taylor2.html). Taylor notes that while digital tools like Microsoft's Word and PowerPoint programs have been available for years, "limited access" for some students and teachers means "we do not use them as intended."
Explaining further, Taylor writes:
A word processor is really a thinking tool for drafting, organising and presenting ideas, although we sometimes end up using it to 'type up work in best'. This is why the ability to touch-type, while desirable, is not essential. You only need to type as fast as you can think. With widespread use of networks and email, new ways to monitor and assess students' ICT-based work are possible. For example, word-processed work can be emailed to a teacher, who (in Microsoft Word) can use the reviewing tools to insert comments for improvement before sending it back. The reviewing tools (on the reviewing toolbar) also allow changes to be tracked as writing is developed.
Students in virtual school use this type of tool regularly and the teachers are constantly "monitoring and assessing" student ICT-based work, including using reviewing tools. However, many teachers in the traditional school have no idea that these type of tools exist, more than 10 years after they became widespread, and if they do, even less know how to use them effectively with students.
Taylor goes on to explain other uses of ICT literacy that help develop traditional literacy: Reading and writing, including critical reading skills. For example, he discusses how students might use word-processing or mindmapping (like Inspiration, see http://www.inspiration.com/), to think about story elements, such as creating idea/element hierarchies in a linear outline format. This is often done in my own school as part of a reading initiative, for which all of the teachers have received training. However, that training, though presented with software such as PowerPoint, did not include using ICT tools to develop literacy skills. No, instead we mostly do it with good ole' pen and paper, or, at the most, chart paper and poster board, maybe even with colored markers or dry-erase boards! Oo-wee! How modern, engaging and interactive.
At any rate, I digress...Going back to Taylor and moving away from low-tech methods of literacy instruction, he notes that animation and video-editing software (such as ProShow Producer - see http://www.photodex.com/products/producer/ or Corel's Ulead software - see http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1175714228541), helps further students' creative use of ICT and thus, literacy instruction. For example, Taylor shares how students in London (England) used video editing software for studying the novel Great Expecations by using clips from the more recent film version (with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, I highly recommend checking it out) to create their own trailers, "adding sound tracks and text overlays. "In doing this," he says, "They were able to draw out the key moments in the narrative and build an overview of the story."
If students in the virtual school English class were to do this type of project, they could easily create and share their work using the computer, the same tool they use for most of their coursework. They don't even have to get up to go to the store to buy posterboard! Further, the virtual school teacher could access and assess this work using the computer, making it much easier to add as an assignment option, which is aided by the ease of use and management for both teacher and student.
When I think about all of the non-engaging and unrealistic ways we still do literacy instruction in the traditional English classroom, using tools that are commonplace in the virtual school class seems to make so much more sense for aligning instruction with the world outside of school. In higher education or the workplace, students are far less likely to use pen and paper, or markers and chart paper alone to demonstrate understanding or convey information. Just think, what business proposal or presentation is done with chart paper and markers these days? Further, I think about the management of cumbersome projects and paperwork teachers have to endure. Having assignments done and submitted in digital form eases grading, organization and, in my opinion, recordkeeping. It is much easier to set up and back up digital "folders" on a hard drive, CD-ROM or flash drive, or server rather than have custodians find some old filing cabinet to move into your room because your old one is full of old student work and assessments you haven't looked at in months to years, but were told to keep as "evidence."
Focusing on literacy, however, the proliferation of digital resources over the past decade has allowed for many authoring tools to be available the masses. The main problem, though, is getting these tools into the hands of students. Even in virtual school, most students are limited to what they already have on their computer or those that are shareware/freeware. Still, for the virtual school English class, students are engaged with the option of creating these videos as forms of assessment, if they so desire. And these type of tools can result in students having, communicating, and displaying a deep understanding of narratives. That is, helping to develop their literacy skills in real, meaningful, current, and authentic ways. Praised be that.
Reference.
Taylor, P. (2002). "Using ICT to develop literacy." Literacy Today. Dec. 2002. Accessed April 12, 2008. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/taylor2.html
Not to be deterred, I am continuing my research of virtual school English and how literacy, both traditional and information and computer technology (ICT) literacy are used in and developed by online learning. According to an article by Phil Taylor in a 2002 edition of Literacy Today, there are "exciting opportunities" offered by ICT "for creativity and collaboration, particularly in developing students' literacy" (available at http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/taylor2.html). Taylor notes that while digital tools like Microsoft's Word and PowerPoint programs have been available for years, "limited access" for some students and teachers means "we do not use them as intended."
Explaining further, Taylor writes:
A word processor is really a thinking tool for drafting, organising and presenting ideas, although we sometimes end up using it to 'type up work in best'. This is why the ability to touch-type, while desirable, is not essential. You only need to type as fast as you can think. With widespread use of networks and email, new ways to monitor and assess students' ICT-based work are possible. For example, word-processed work can be emailed to a teacher, who (in Microsoft Word) can use the reviewing tools to insert comments for improvement before sending it back. The reviewing tools (on the reviewing toolbar) also allow changes to be tracked as writing is developed.
Students in virtual school use this type of tool regularly and the teachers are constantly "monitoring and assessing" student ICT-based work, including using reviewing tools. However, many teachers in the traditional school have no idea that these type of tools exist, more than 10 years after they became widespread, and if they do, even less know how to use them effectively with students.
Taylor goes on to explain other uses of ICT literacy that help develop traditional literacy: Reading and writing, including critical reading skills. For example, he discusses how students might use word-processing or mindmapping (like Inspiration, see http://www.inspiration.com/), to think about story elements, such as creating idea/element hierarchies in a linear outline format. This is often done in my own school as part of a reading initiative, for which all of the teachers have received training. However, that training, though presented with software such as PowerPoint, did not include using ICT tools to develop literacy skills. No, instead we mostly do it with good ole' pen and paper, or, at the most, chart paper and poster board, maybe even with colored markers or dry-erase boards! Oo-wee! How modern, engaging and interactive.
At any rate, I digress...Going back to Taylor and moving away from low-tech methods of literacy instruction, he notes that animation and video-editing software (such as ProShow Producer - see http://www.photodex.com/products/producer/ or Corel's Ulead software - see http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1175714228541), helps further students' creative use of ICT and thus, literacy instruction. For example, Taylor shares how students in London (England) used video editing software for studying the novel Great Expecations by using clips from the more recent film version (with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, I highly recommend checking it out) to create their own trailers, "adding sound tracks and text overlays. "In doing this," he says, "They were able to draw out the key moments in the narrative and build an overview of the story."
If students in the virtual school English class were to do this type of project, they could easily create and share their work using the computer, the same tool they use for most of their coursework. They don't even have to get up to go to the store to buy posterboard! Further, the virtual school teacher could access and assess this work using the computer, making it much easier to add as an assignment option, which is aided by the ease of use and management for both teacher and student.
When I think about all of the non-engaging and unrealistic ways we still do literacy instruction in the traditional English classroom, using tools that are commonplace in the virtual school class seems to make so much more sense for aligning instruction with the world outside of school. In higher education or the workplace, students are far less likely to use pen and paper, or markers and chart paper alone to demonstrate understanding or convey information. Just think, what business proposal or presentation is done with chart paper and markers these days? Further, I think about the management of cumbersome projects and paperwork teachers have to endure. Having assignments done and submitted in digital form eases grading, organization and, in my opinion, recordkeeping. It is much easier to set up and back up digital "folders" on a hard drive, CD-ROM or flash drive, or server rather than have custodians find some old filing cabinet to move into your room because your old one is full of old student work and assessments you haven't looked at in months to years, but were told to keep as "evidence."
Focusing on literacy, however, the proliferation of digital resources over the past decade has allowed for many authoring tools to be available the masses. The main problem, though, is getting these tools into the hands of students. Even in virtual school, most students are limited to what they already have on their computer or those that are shareware/freeware. Still, for the virtual school English class, students are engaged with the option of creating these videos as forms of assessment, if they so desire. And these type of tools can result in students having, communicating, and displaying a deep understanding of narratives. That is, helping to develop their literacy skills in real, meaningful, current, and authentic ways. Praised be that.
Reference.
Taylor, P. (2002). "Using ICT to develop literacy." Literacy Today. Dec. 2002. Accessed April 12, 2008. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/taylor2.html
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Literacy Standards in the Virtual School English Class
After discussing how literacy is addressed and aided in the virtual school English class with my host teacher, I found out several interesting aspects about how literacy standards are integrated into some online Senior English courses.
Actually, she said literacy is a large focus of the course in several ways, two of which are reading fluency and comprehension. How these particular standards are addressed and assessed in the course has undergone recent revisions, she explained, mainly because of the need for the virtual school to align itself with state standards and ensure a baseline level of skills for its students.
In the past, as part of their course exam, the students were required to read a random passage aloud, from a novel typically, recording their voice into a digital file, then submitting this recording to the teacher. Now, instead the student does not choose the passage and they must call the teacher and read the passage in real time, rather than submit an asynchronous recording.
The actual instructions the students sees in the course materials for their "literacy check" are as follows:
This oral component tests your knowledge of the book you have read.
A portion of this oral assessment will also check for fluency. Your instructor will select approximately 100 words for you to read aloud. The selections may come from the directions, lessons, or texts used in the course.
The rubric will be used to assess your fluency level. Full credit will be awarded for completing the fluency standard as a part of this oral assessment. Points awarded on other components of this oral assessment are at the teachers’ discretion.
Please call your instructor to complete this part of the exam, unless otherwise instructed.
My host teacher said that there has been difficulty, however, with some of the students completing the literacy check portion of their exam, mainly with logistics. In many cases, the novels the teacher might use for selecting a passage was one used in the coursework, but because the virtual school did not provide the text for the student, the student may have borrowed it from someone or checked it out from a library and already returned it before the literacy check portion of the exam. So the problem comes, she said, when the student doesn't have the same passage available as the teacher intended for them to read, and they don't want the student to be practiced.
Currently, while fluency is the main standard being addressed, she said "comprehension is what we're going for."
Students who don't do well in the coursework, are often those who don't understand what they're reading, regardless of how fast or with how much prosody they can read it, just like the traditional school. While there is a direct correlation in most students between fluency and comprehension, my host teacher explained that many of the students in the virtual school Senior English class are just taking the class to fulfill an English credit for graduation requirements and often read just enough to find the information they need to complete the coursework. Because of this, she said many skim to find this information and filter the rest of the text. While she said developing this skimming is a useful literacy skill that can serve them well later, even in college coursework, they often misinterpret text because they fail to obtain a full picture of the selection and be able to employ critical thinking skills that rely on comprehension.
At the traditional school, we are required by our state to complete certain literacy checks a few times per year, including an oral reading fluency and what's called a MAZE test, where students read a non-fiction passage with three words periodically given as choices to correctly complete a sentence. Students must circle or mark the word that best completes the sentence. In both cases, these literacy assessments are timed. This is not the case for the virtual school's literacy check. My host teacher explained that they are untimed when reading the 100 words the teacher selects for them to read aloud. If comprehension is the goal, she said, the faster the student tries to go, they may mess up and further damage their ability to comprehend.
But what about before students take this literacy assessment as part of their culminating exam? How do virtual school English teachers identify and serve their struggling readers when they never meet with students in person? Well, my the teacher said that it is more difficult in the virtual school to recognize those students who might be having difficulties in reading. She said it takes a keen eye to know which students might be avoiding more difficult assignments and skipping around from module to module, not because they are lazy, but because they aren't strong readers and may be in need of additional help. Further, the teachers do not receive literacy ability records for students, such as state reading assessment scores, automatically. Those scores either have to be requested specially by the virtual school from their traditional school guidance counselor or the information is given to the virtual school by the parent or the students themselves. This is not the case in the traditional school where every teacher is given a copy of students' state reading test scores and expected to play a role in increasing those marks.
However, because of the very nature of the virtual school's English class, there is a lot of reading involved and a weak reader might have a difficult time completing assignments without assistance. For instance, my host teacher said in the case of ESOL students, each is encouraged to have someone available with them to go online and help with translating or explaining the coursework personally. Given the difficulty with assessing student reading ability through the coursework at first, my host teacher said her particular virtual school is in the process of implementing basic literacy checks when students first come into the course and determine their baseline abilities. She said this would also include their comfort and abilities with the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy that I mentioned in previous blogs. This way, she said, the virtual school teacher will know what they need to focus on for each student in helping to bolster and develop their literacy and technology skills.
I think in the traditional classroom teachers might often have more exposure to the student and their work over a period of time (even a week) and is able to identify their literacy shortcomings quickly. Still, as is apparently true for virtual school as well, students in traditional school might not do certain assignments, not out of rebellion or laziness, but simply because they don't understand what they are being asked to do. I know for many teachers it is easy to jump to conclusions and assume that it is sloth, but if one looks closer and isn't hasty, they can identify where a student might need literacy skill development. For instance, a student might blow off an assignment that involves creating a computer-based document. It might come across as being belligerent and idle, but it could be because the student is a poor typist and speller and/or has never had a computer in the home and avoided classes that involved interacting with it in the past.
Personally, I commend the virtual school teachers who seek to identify students weak in literacy and then help to develop their skills, because it isn't as easy to determine who these students are, especially out of the 200-plus students that are often assigned to some of these teachers. Further, because this virtual school is a not a diploma-granting institution they are not considered ultimately responsible for students' literacy abilities or their passing of state reading assessments, however, they strive to increase students' skills in these areas anyway. Again, this is because the school's focus is on serving the students and getting them what they need for personal success, as it should be.
Actually, she said literacy is a large focus of the course in several ways, two of which are reading fluency and comprehension. How these particular standards are addressed and assessed in the course has undergone recent revisions, she explained, mainly because of the need for the virtual school to align itself with state standards and ensure a baseline level of skills for its students.
In the past, as part of their course exam, the students were required to read a random passage aloud, from a novel typically, recording their voice into a digital file, then submitting this recording to the teacher. Now, instead the student does not choose the passage and they must call the teacher and read the passage in real time, rather than submit an asynchronous recording.
The actual instructions the students sees in the course materials for their "literacy check" are as follows:
This oral component tests your knowledge of the book you have read.
A portion of this oral assessment will also check for fluency. Your instructor will select approximately 100 words for you to read aloud. The selections may come from the directions, lessons, or texts used in the course.
The rubric will be used to assess your fluency level. Full credit will be awarded for completing the fluency standard as a part of this oral assessment. Points awarded on other components of this oral assessment are at the teachers’ discretion.
Please call your instructor to complete this part of the exam, unless otherwise instructed.
My host teacher said that there has been difficulty, however, with some of the students completing the literacy check portion of their exam, mainly with logistics. In many cases, the novels the teacher might use for selecting a passage was one used in the coursework, but because the virtual school did not provide the text for the student, the student may have borrowed it from someone or checked it out from a library and already returned it before the literacy check portion of the exam. So the problem comes, she said, when the student doesn't have the same passage available as the teacher intended for them to read, and they don't want the student to be practiced.
Currently, while fluency is the main standard being addressed, she said "comprehension is what we're going for."
Students who don't do well in the coursework, are often those who don't understand what they're reading, regardless of how fast or with how much prosody they can read it, just like the traditional school. While there is a direct correlation in most students between fluency and comprehension, my host teacher explained that many of the students in the virtual school Senior English class are just taking the class to fulfill an English credit for graduation requirements and often read just enough to find the information they need to complete the coursework. Because of this, she said many skim to find this information and filter the rest of the text. While she said developing this skimming is a useful literacy skill that can serve them well later, even in college coursework, they often misinterpret text because they fail to obtain a full picture of the selection and be able to employ critical thinking skills that rely on comprehension.
At the traditional school, we are required by our state to complete certain literacy checks a few times per year, including an oral reading fluency and what's called a MAZE test, where students read a non-fiction passage with three words periodically given as choices to correctly complete a sentence. Students must circle or mark the word that best completes the sentence. In both cases, these literacy assessments are timed. This is not the case for the virtual school's literacy check. My host teacher explained that they are untimed when reading the 100 words the teacher selects for them to read aloud. If comprehension is the goal, she said, the faster the student tries to go, they may mess up and further damage their ability to comprehend.
But what about before students take this literacy assessment as part of their culminating exam? How do virtual school English teachers identify and serve their struggling readers when they never meet with students in person? Well, my the teacher said that it is more difficult in the virtual school to recognize those students who might be having difficulties in reading. She said it takes a keen eye to know which students might be avoiding more difficult assignments and skipping around from module to module, not because they are lazy, but because they aren't strong readers and may be in need of additional help. Further, the teachers do not receive literacy ability records for students, such as state reading assessment scores, automatically. Those scores either have to be requested specially by the virtual school from their traditional school guidance counselor or the information is given to the virtual school by the parent or the students themselves. This is not the case in the traditional school where every teacher is given a copy of students' state reading test scores and expected to play a role in increasing those marks.
However, because of the very nature of the virtual school's English class, there is a lot of reading involved and a weak reader might have a difficult time completing assignments without assistance. For instance, my host teacher said in the case of ESOL students, each is encouraged to have someone available with them to go online and help with translating or explaining the coursework personally. Given the difficulty with assessing student reading ability through the coursework at first, my host teacher said her particular virtual school is in the process of implementing basic literacy checks when students first come into the course and determine their baseline abilities. She said this would also include their comfort and abilities with the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy that I mentioned in previous blogs. This way, she said, the virtual school teacher will know what they need to focus on for each student in helping to bolster and develop their literacy and technology skills.
I think in the traditional classroom teachers might often have more exposure to the student and their work over a period of time (even a week) and is able to identify their literacy shortcomings quickly. Still, as is apparently true for virtual school as well, students in traditional school might not do certain assignments, not out of rebellion or laziness, but simply because they don't understand what they are being asked to do. I know for many teachers it is easy to jump to conclusions and assume that it is sloth, but if one looks closer and isn't hasty, they can identify where a student might need literacy skill development. For instance, a student might blow off an assignment that involves creating a computer-based document. It might come across as being belligerent and idle, but it could be because the student is a poor typist and speller and/or has never had a computer in the home and avoided classes that involved interacting with it in the past.
Personally, I commend the virtual school teachers who seek to identify students weak in literacy and then help to develop their skills, because it isn't as easy to determine who these students are, especially out of the 200-plus students that are often assigned to some of these teachers. Further, because this virtual school is a not a diploma-granting institution they are not considered ultimately responsible for students' literacy abilities or their passing of state reading assessments, however, they strive to increase students' skills in these areas anyway. Again, this is because the school's focus is on serving the students and getting them what they need for personal success, as it should be.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Supporting and Defining My Focus - How Online Learning Aids Literacy
In my previous post I realize now (thanks to my professor and classmates) that I failed to define what exact type of literacy I was focusing on as it pertains to virtual school English/Language Arts learning. So, I am seeking here to clarify what I mean and support my ideas further.
Being aware that there are many different types of literacy (computer, math, science, business lingo, etc.) the kinds I am focusing on are mainly the traditional forms of reading and writing (and all subcategories), but because of the unique opportunities presented in the virtual school using digital tools, I am also including information and communication technology (ICT) literacy. I believe that the virtual school offers an opportunity for its learners to become literate in the 21st century sense, which includes all of the traditional expectations of a literate person and adds the ICT literacy. However, while virtual school develops these skills, for (quick) success I believe it also requires students to have a minimal amount of preexisting abilities/knowledge.
According to Gabriel (2005), online learning environments allow for students to engage in interpersonal sharing activities, problem solving and information collection and analysis. In order to successfully use the virtual environment for these activities, however, she notes that students must utilize both traditional literacy and that of ICT. All of these activities, she says, involve communication and information sharing, hallmarks of any literacy.
Gabriel notes that the International Reading Association, International Society for Technology in Education and the National Council of Teachers of English, all call for integration of ICT literacy standards in the classroom today. But because teachers are already hard-pressed to cover existing standards and material, she says the best way to accomplish this is not to tack on ICT literacy to the existing curriculum, but rather, integrate it into learning activities. For example, rather than write a brief reading response to a literature selection, the student could send the teacher and e-mail instead, or post to a blog. This would allow the student to engage both in the traditional forms of literacy and ICT.
Now, you can do this in the traditional classroom and all teachers should if they're able, however, the very nature of the virtual school English class environment requires that it be already integrated in this way. Further, Gabriel calls for a constructivist approach to this type of integration. Again, this is the nature of the virtual school, where it "builds on students' capacity to learn independently and to create their own understanding within a context" and "the teacher acts as a guide who organizes and facilities learning experiences within the classroom" (p. 97).
Additionally, Gabriel posits that learning in the online environment supports literacy skills development because students: Read text in various forms (hyperlinks, images, interpersonal communication); "write" text in responding to communication and assignments, writing notes in a word program, inputting/writing data on Web site designs or blogs; design and present written and visual communication for an audience.
Once more, from what I've learned about the virtual school high school English classroom, these are the types of learning activities that are taking place. But rather it be in a traditional school where the teacher is stretched paper thin to design and implement learning activities, it can be difficult to integrate digital tools into learning activities on a regular basis. Also, to support literacy skills, both traditional and ICT literacy, the teacher must have access for his/her students to digital tools and in many classrooms this is still not a reality. For the virtual school, everything is already created in and designed for use in the digital realm and must be accessed in this way. It is made for 21st century literacy.
Reference:
Gabriel, M. (2005). Developing literacy with online learning environments. In Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (Eds.) Literacy, libraries and learning: Using books to promote reading, writing and research. 97-106. Available at: http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/8196ch08.pdf
Being aware that there are many different types of literacy (computer, math, science, business lingo, etc.) the kinds I am focusing on are mainly the traditional forms of reading and writing (and all subcategories), but because of the unique opportunities presented in the virtual school using digital tools, I am also including information and communication technology (ICT) literacy. I believe that the virtual school offers an opportunity for its learners to become literate in the 21st century sense, which includes all of the traditional expectations of a literate person and adds the ICT literacy. However, while virtual school develops these skills, for (quick) success I believe it also requires students to have a minimal amount of preexisting abilities/knowledge.
According to Gabriel (2005), online learning environments allow for students to engage in interpersonal sharing activities, problem solving and information collection and analysis. In order to successfully use the virtual environment for these activities, however, she notes that students must utilize both traditional literacy and that of ICT. All of these activities, she says, involve communication and information sharing, hallmarks of any literacy.
Gabriel notes that the International Reading Association, International Society for Technology in Education and the National Council of Teachers of English, all call for integration of ICT literacy standards in the classroom today. But because teachers are already hard-pressed to cover existing standards and material, she says the best way to accomplish this is not to tack on ICT literacy to the existing curriculum, but rather, integrate it into learning activities. For example, rather than write a brief reading response to a literature selection, the student could send the teacher and e-mail instead, or post to a blog. This would allow the student to engage both in the traditional forms of literacy and ICT.
Now, you can do this in the traditional classroom and all teachers should if they're able, however, the very nature of the virtual school English class environment requires that it be already integrated in this way. Further, Gabriel calls for a constructivist approach to this type of integration. Again, this is the nature of the virtual school, where it "builds on students' capacity to learn independently and to create their own understanding within a context" and "the teacher acts as a guide who organizes and facilities learning experiences within the classroom" (p. 97).
Additionally, Gabriel posits that learning in the online environment supports literacy skills development because students: Read text in various forms (hyperlinks, images, interpersonal communication); "write" text in responding to communication and assignments, writing notes in a word program, inputting/writing data on Web site designs or blogs; design and present written and visual communication for an audience.
Once more, from what I've learned about the virtual school high school English classroom, these are the types of learning activities that are taking place. But rather it be in a traditional school where the teacher is stretched paper thin to design and implement learning activities, it can be difficult to integrate digital tools into learning activities on a regular basis. Also, to support literacy skills, both traditional and ICT literacy, the teacher must have access for his/her students to digital tools and in many classrooms this is still not a reality. For the virtual school, everything is already created in and designed for use in the digital realm and must be accessed in this way. It is made for 21st century literacy.
Reference:
Gabriel, M. (2005). Developing literacy with online learning environments. In Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (Eds.) Literacy, libraries and learning: Using books to promote reading, writing and research. 97-106. Available at: http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/8196ch08.pdf
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Finding My Focus: Literacy Skills and Virtual School English
For those of you following the blog, you know I've been studying and writing about high school English in the virtual school, as well as looking at virtual school pedagogy in general. Well, now it has come time for me to focus my work on something more specific and definitive. After a lot of reading, research and personal deliberation I have decided to focus my work on virtual school English and literacy skills: Those needed and those developed.
From here on out, my blog will mostly focus on this area. This post in particular will explain my reasoning for choosing this area and review a bit of the available knowledge and scholarship that supports it as viable. I hope you enjoy and can add your own perspective and knowledge to help better bolster and legitimize and problematize (when necessary) my musings.
As it pertains to virtual schools and the development of literacy skills, the North American Council of Online Learning (NACOL) and its document "Virtual Schools and 21st Century Skills," (2006) which was written in conjunction with the Partnership for 21st Century Schools, seek to identify and help promote skills, through virtual learning, needed for success in this new century. According to NACOL, in assessing student knowledge in the virtual school students aren't merely tested on factual knowledge rather, their knowledge and understanding is showed by "being able to analyze information, solve problems, collaborate and communicate effectively." These are the skills that many reading initiatives call for in secondary schools and try to develop in how teachers teach and in curriculum design.
Further, in virtual schools NACOL states that students often have the choice of choosing an assignment, including in English class, that best fits their skills and learning profiles. These differentiated assessment types could include podcasts, traditional essays, PowerPoints, or Web site creation. All of these things involve the kind of literacy that is valued by employers in the 21st century, but also those that are used in how knowledge and information are being shared today for entertainment and education.
Specifically, on information and communications technology (ICT) literacy, NACOL writes:
The rate at which new information becomes available today is
astounding when compared to previous decades. In order to
succeed in the 21st century, students must master the ability to
use appropriate technologies to process, analyze and present
information efficiently and effectively in school, life and work
settings. Because virtual schools require students to master
technology as part of their everyday learning, students are
able to exercise and refine their 21st century technology skills
in settings that are quite similar to those they will encounter in
the real world.
Today’s graduates must be adept with the tools of
collaboration and communication that are the reality of
a global, web-driven workplace. Online learning affords
unprecedented opportunities for students to complete their
work using applications that are common to today’s workers,
such as web-based conferencing, project management, or
digital media and communications tools.
I do have other resources that help show the correlation and significance of the relationship with virtual schools and its development of literacy skills, and I will focus on those in upcoming posts. But to address what is being said by the NACOL and Partnership for 21st Century Schools, it seems that virtual schools and the literacy skills one learns in engaging in this kind of self-directed learning involves regular use of the skills that are deemed most worthwhile by the modern workplace, and possibly institutions of higher education. That is to say that "literacy" is no longer just being able to read or write, it is being able to communicate, analyze, interpret, categorize, create, collaborate and problem solve all using certain tools and formats, most of which are digital. This goes back to a previous post of mine, noting how we cannot teach students in a way that prepares them for a world that doesn't exist anymore. Recently a classmate of mine, following that post, reminded me of a quote by John Dewey and I think it applies here: "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, then we rob our children of tomorrow." And if Dewey were still alive, perhaps he might write on in his blog on education that "If we teach how to communicate as we did in the past, then we are preparing our students' voices and ideas for descent into silent nothingness."
It's a thought anyway.
Reference:
North American Council for Online Learning & Partnership for 21st Century Schools. Virtual schools & 21st century skills. Nov. 2006 [Accessed April 2, 2008]. Available at : http://www.nacol.org/docs/NACOL_21CenturySkills.pdf
From here on out, my blog will mostly focus on this area. This post in particular will explain my reasoning for choosing this area and review a bit of the available knowledge and scholarship that supports it as viable. I hope you enjoy and can add your own perspective and knowledge to help better bolster and legitimize and problematize (when necessary) my musings.
As it pertains to virtual schools and the development of literacy skills, the North American Council of Online Learning (NACOL) and its document "Virtual Schools and 21st Century Skills," (2006) which was written in conjunction with the Partnership for 21st Century Schools, seek to identify and help promote skills, through virtual learning, needed for success in this new century. According to NACOL, in assessing student knowledge in the virtual school students aren't merely tested on factual knowledge rather, their knowledge and understanding is showed by "being able to analyze information, solve problems, collaborate and communicate effectively." These are the skills that many reading initiatives call for in secondary schools and try to develop in how teachers teach and in curriculum design.
Further, in virtual schools NACOL states that students often have the choice of choosing an assignment, including in English class, that best fits their skills and learning profiles. These differentiated assessment types could include podcasts, traditional essays, PowerPoints, or Web site creation. All of these things involve the kind of literacy that is valued by employers in the 21st century, but also those that are used in how knowledge and information are being shared today for entertainment and education.
Specifically, on information and communications technology (ICT) literacy, NACOL writes:
The rate at which new information becomes available today is
astounding when compared to previous decades. In order to
succeed in the 21st century, students must master the ability to
use appropriate technologies to process, analyze and present
information efficiently and effectively in school, life and work
settings. Because virtual schools require students to master
technology as part of their everyday learning, students are
able to exercise and refine their 21st century technology skills
in settings that are quite similar to those they will encounter in
the real world.
Today’s graduates must be adept with the tools of
collaboration and communication that are the reality of
a global, web-driven workplace. Online learning affords
unprecedented opportunities for students to complete their
work using applications that are common to today’s workers,
such as web-based conferencing, project management, or
digital media and communications tools.
I do have other resources that help show the correlation and significance of the relationship with virtual schools and its development of literacy skills, and I will focus on those in upcoming posts. But to address what is being said by the NACOL and Partnership for 21st Century Schools, it seems that virtual schools and the literacy skills one learns in engaging in this kind of self-directed learning involves regular use of the skills that are deemed most worthwhile by the modern workplace, and possibly institutions of higher education. That is to say that "literacy" is no longer just being able to read or write, it is being able to communicate, analyze, interpret, categorize, create, collaborate and problem solve all using certain tools and formats, most of which are digital. This goes back to a previous post of mine, noting how we cannot teach students in a way that prepares them for a world that doesn't exist anymore. Recently a classmate of mine, following that post, reminded me of a quote by John Dewey and I think it applies here: "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, then we rob our children of tomorrow." And if Dewey were still alive, perhaps he might write on in his blog on education that "If we teach how to communicate as we did in the past, then we are preparing our students' voices and ideas for descent into silent nothingness."
It's a thought anyway.
Reference:
North American Council for Online Learning & Partnership for 21st Century Schools. Virtual schools & 21st century skills. Nov. 2006 [Accessed April 2, 2008]. Available at : http://www.nacol.org/docs/NACOL_21CenturySkills.pdf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)