Educational Technology Applied to the Teaching

of Reading Skills

Educational Technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating

learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.

BUT…

our reality confront us with the fact that to be able to apply it proficiently and efficiently we, as teachers, need:

Unfortunately there’s still a long way to go…

• training,

• coaching and

• time to implement and test.

So, should we bother ?

Knowing how to use computers effectively and efficiently can serve our teaching goals

because:

•Students are motivated by technology.

• Students develop computer literacy by applying various computer skills as part of the learning process.

•Students learn where to find information in an information rich world.

•Therefore, students are able to move beyond knowledge and comprehension to application and analysis of information.

•It allows us to work in more depth with the content.

•There’s an intrisic need to learn technology in the information age.

Now, how do we do it?

7 effective steps teachers found to go about it…

3. Choose one lesson or unit that could be enhanced or taught through the computer.

Jerome School District

1. Choose a core area, e.g., reading, writing, math, science or social studies.

2. Decide what technology skill(s) you want to teach or could be best taught in this area.

Stick to an easy project in an area you

are comfortable with!

4. Develop that one lesson or unit in a software or medium you know very well.

5. Use it!

6. Evaluate how it went.

7. Refine the lesson.

Teaching ReadingReading a novel is

different from reading a newsletter and

therefore requires different skills and strategies students

need to learn.

At the request of the U.S. Congress, the National Reading Panel

conducted an extensive review of the research on teaching children to read and, in 2000, concluded that an effective approach must contain the

following five components.

Teaching Reading

Phonemic awareness

Phonemicinstruction

Fluency instruction 

Vocabulary instruction 

Text comprehension instruction 

Potential

The technology framework consists of four general capabilities that computers can provide to support students learning to read.

Computers Can:

present information

and activities to students

assess students'

work

respond to students'

work

provide scaffolds

However…

Technology can support

teachers and help them be more successful with all children, but teaching children to read is too complex and success is dependent upon the types of reinforcement, guidance, and support that can only be provided by caring, knowledgeable teachers.

Consulted sites:

• Teaching Literature http://www.teachingliterature.org/teachingliterature/technology.htm

• A Review of Technology Choice for Teaching Language Skills and Areas in the CALL Literature http://www.f.waseda.jp/gstock/Stockwell_ReCALL_2007.pdf

• Professional Development in Integrating Technology Into Teaching and Learning: Knowns, Unknowns, and Ways to Pursue Better Questions and Answers http://rer.sagepub.com/content/77/4/575.abstract

• Educational Technology in the ELT http://educationaltechnologyinelt.blogspot.com.ar/

• Using Technology to Teach Reading and Writing to Students with Learning Disabilities http://www.slideshare.net/gteed/using-technology-to-teach-reading-and-writing-t-

presentation

• Technology and Teaching Children to Read: What does the research say? http://www.neirtec.org/reading_report/report.htm

• Teachers of the 21st century know the what, why and how of technology integration. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~coesyl-p/principle3-article2.pdf

• Using Technology to Teach Reading in the Content Areas. http://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Leadership_Compass/2008/LC2008v5n3a5.pdf