ertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty

LITERACY SPECIAL INTERESTThe Journal of the

Literacy Professional Learning Network

of ISTEThe International Society for Technology in Education

Issue #5 – WINTER 2016

Please click here >

#5

LITERACY SPECIAL INTERESTJournal of the

LITERACY PROFFESIONAL LEARNING NETWORK

OF ISTEInternational Society for Technology in Education

Issue #5 - Winter 2016

Rights and Permissions

Submitting writers assure the journal that the works they provide for inclusion are their own and present no infringements on any rights associated with them. Submitting writers assure that these works are original and the property of the submitter (unless otherwise specified) and their submission represents no violation of copyright or trademark or other variety of intellectual property rights, anywhere. Submitting writers retain rights to their work, other than for inclusion in this journal, for which they receive no compensation. All parties interested in reprinting or republishing these works, in whole or in part, should contact the submitting writer directly. The journal will not be responsible for rights issues or considerations associated with the works that appear in it, which are the sole responsibility of the submitting writers. The sole purpose of the journal is to promote the professional knowledge of educators, is free of any commercial considerations, and does not seek to promote any products or services offered anywhere for profit or other consideration.

Submissions

Those interested in submitting articles for inclusion in this journal should first submit a summary to: literacyspecialinterest@gmail.com, putting the words “Journal Article Summary” in the subject field of the email. On receiving feedback from the journal, prospective submitters may complete and submit a full manuscript.

Editorial CommitteeMark GuraMichele Haiken

2

Table of Contents1. Up Front

By Mark Gura, Editor Page 4

2. Coding for Literacy Page 5By Joel Heffner

3. Scaffolding Presentation Skills with eduBuncee, a Multimedia Creation Tool by Ferancesca Arturi and Claire Cucci Page 15

4. Wonderopolis® as a Versatile Digital Learning Tool Page 21By Brittany Howell and Lindsay Sainlar

5. Level Up Literacy! Page 29By Shawn Young

6. Listening to the Dead and Famous: How English and Social Studies Teachers CanMake Speaking and Listening Come Alive Page 32By Dr. Rose Reissman 6b. Author Inspirational Voice Page 37 By Jannatul Yesmin (student work submitted by Dr. Reissman)

7. Using “Just Right Books” to Enhance Early Literacy Instruction Page 38By Kristi Meeuwse, Dr. Diane Mason, and Dr. Kaye Shelton

8. The Bronx Book Blog: Blogging to Develop and Support Writing TeachersBy Erica Newhouse Page 43

9. Engage Me! Building Family Connections Through Digital StorytellingFamily, Student, School, Community Page 49By Blanca Duarte, Toni Kinnear, Carol Varsalona, and Kris YturraspeNOTE: This article appeared previously in The English Record. It was originally published there, and is reprinted here under permission, by the New York State English Council.

3

Up FrontMark Gura, Editor

Part of being alive and connected these days, both as an individual and a professional, is to sit each morning, one hand wrapped around your coffee cup and the other navigating the accumulation of items that have been deposited in your email in-box overnight. I approach this daily ritual with anticipation; on a mission to clear as much as I can, as best I can, and move on to the rest of the day.

My own personal bent is to subscribe to numerous publications and news services and resources that aggregate and feed me an ever expanding body of Education and Instructional Tech items. Hey, I can handle it; we all can… and we do. The upside is that by perusing, surfing, scanning, and skimming, as well as occasionally truly clearing my cluttered brain space and fully reading and reflecting, my knowledge about the field of education, but more importantly, my instincts and general sense of what’s going on in it, what’s important, what’s trending, what works and what doesn’t, and where we are headed, grows and gains focus. And this happens daily, sometimes throughout my day. It’s a different sort of professional learning than what I was brought up to expect, than what my various formal educational experiences prepared me to anticipate and take advantage of. It’s the ‘What Is’ state of something that may not have found a proper name for itself yet although we are all deeply immersed in it.

The upshot of all of this, when I think about this, the 5th issue of this journal, is that I’ve experienced a gargantuan body of ideas and announcements about events, resources, practices, and surprises against which to measure the body of articles that have been submitted for inclusion here. And it seems to me that this issue very much hits on so many of the important current trends in our field: the new awareness of coding as a potentially important platform for Literacy Learning, tablet-based learning, Digital Storytelling, Gaming, Arts Integration facilitated through Tech Integration, Book Blogging, YouTube-based Author Study, and more. These not only explode out of my overstuffed inbox daily, but they are well represented in the body of articles this issue of Literacy Special Interest carries.

And by the way, this issue, too, is being shared through a variety of social media and email distribution methods. Marshall McLuhan would have understood; the carrier of content about new media practices, in turn, influences and supports them as they grow and establish themselves. Perfect!

4

Coding for LiteracyBy Joel Heffner

When my wife was a middle school science teacher she asked me to visit her classroom so I could install software on the four computers that she had in her classroom. At the time I was a staff developer for the Office of Instructional Technology in the New York City Board of Education. After the software was installed, as I was walking out of the classroom, she asked me if there was anything I wanted to do with the class. I paused and asked the class, “How many people want to write a composition?” No one responded, of course. I moved another step closer to the door and asked, “How many people would like to make a webpage?” This time nearly everyone raised their hands. One boy actually jumped out of his seat. For the next ten minutes I showed the class how to write a webpage using simple HTML. In fact, writing a composition and writing a webpage are the same thing! The former is dull and old fashioned while the later is exciting and hip. Whatever works to encourage students to write is good by me. Combined with today’s interest in ‘coding’ there is a revived interest in teaching HTML. Unlike other forms of coding (i.e. SCRATCH, etc.), HTML is easy to learn and works with the subject matter you want to teach. It fits into English (or any foreign language), social studies, science, and mathematics. HTML has the glitz of coding while within the core of literacy education.

The HyperTextMarkupLanguare was created by Tim Berners-Lee, the man who ‘invented’ the World Wide Web. The language he created is HTML. The language consists of instructions on how a browser (i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari) interprets simple text commands. The most basic HTML file looks like this:

<html>

<head>

<title>My first webpage.</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1>Wow! I made a page!</h1>

<p>You can write anything you want on your page here. It is fun, cool, and easy. Right?</p>

</body>

</html>

If you, or your students, can type what you see above, you can make a webpage, no kidding. It is really that easy. All you need is a text editor. Text editors are different from word processors. Word processors are made to allow you to make your text look fancy. Text editors do not let you change the appearance of text. They only let you write plain text, the kind that HTML uses. The good thing is that you already have

5

a text editor and it was free. It came with your computer, although many people have never used it. With a Windows computer, it is called NotePad. Macs have one that is called TextEdit.

If you saved the sample above using NotePad (with Windows) or TextEdit (with a Mac) and save the file as myfirstpage.html it will look like this if you open it in a browser (like Chrome, Firefox or Safari).

(Continued on the following page)

6

Here is how the page looks in the text file and the browser.

This Makes That

HTML is made up of tags, or commands. Most tags have a beginning part and an ending part.

The first tag you see is <html>. That tells the browser that a webpage is coming. Notice the brackets. At the end of the file, you see the ending tag </html>. Notice the additional part.

Basically, HTML consists of simple tags. Here is what the others in the example do.

The <head> and </head> tags are markers that enclose information. For our purposes here, the only <head> tags only have one other set of tags within them.

The <title> and </title> tag tells the browser what the name of the page should be. The words within these tags appear on the very top of the webpage.

Now we get to the good stuff, the information that goes between the <body> tags. For our example, we are using the <h1> and </h1> tags and the <p> and </p> tags. Words that are within the <h1> and </h1> tags are bold and larger than the normal text. Words within the <p> and </p> are regular text and appear as a paragraph. The “This Makes That” chart shows you how it works.

Where does this fit into literacy, you may be asking. This simple file can be used by your students to write compositions, essays, reports, or whatever you call them.

7

Imagine if your student wanted to write about George Washington. Here is what a typical “composition” might look like from an elementary school student.

George Washington

By Joel Heffner

George Washington was an interesting man. This composition will tell you about his childhood, early years as an adult, his work during the American Revolution, and his time as President of the United States.

George Washington was a regular boy. He had friends. He learned how to read and write. He was known for being honest. He would have made a really good friend.

George Washington was not always famous. He worked as a surveyor. He also owned a large plantation where he lived with his wife Martha. When the British had trouble with the French and the Indians, George helped the British army.

George Washington was a leader during the American Revolution. He was made the commander of the Colonial Army. He let the troops to victory over the British.

George Washington became the first President of the United States. He appointed good people to help him, including Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. He tried to start our financial system and kept us out of war. He is called the Father of Our Country.

Something like this would be written by the student and read by teacher. Maybe the student’s parent would see it. Maybe. Not very exciting…I think. However, the same information can be converted into a webpage, using the template* that I showed you above. Here’s how the new ‘website’ would look using HTML. I am going to add a couple of new tags to make links between webpages and to center some words.

8

It could look like this…

The only tag that was added was for a link going back to the home page. This page would be part of a more complete class website. Imagine if each student had selected her or his own president to write about. Instead of the student and teacher being the only ones to read it now the audience would be greatly expanded. Human nature says that at least some of the other students in the class would click on the pages of other students. Parents would look at it and tell relatives about it. Same composition…now it could be seen by many.

9

The only additional tags that were needed looks like this…

<p><a href="index.html">Home</a></p><center> words within these tags will be centered on the page</center>

The page that it was linked back to is called index.html. Most websites have the home page designated as index.html. That would be the one that the teacher would have to create. It would have links to each student’s page. The students page would need names like joel.html. Each student file would need a unique name. [Please note that webpages end in .html and have no spaces. Usually the file name is all lowercase.]

The teacher’s page could look like this.

10

The coding for this class page (the index.html file) looks like this…

<html>

<head>

<title>Presidents of the United States</title>

</head>

<body>

<center><h1>Presidents of the United States</h1></center>

<br>

Our class page about the Presidents of the United States. Each

student did research about the president and wrote a short

description of why the president was unique. <br>

<br>

<center><a href="adam.html">Adam</a><br>

<a href="barry.html">Barry</a><br>

<a href="cleo.html">Cleo</a><br>

<a href="dave.html">Dave</a><br>

<a href="edith.html">Edith</a><br>

<a href="george.html">George</a><br>

<a href="henri.html">Henri</a><br>

<a href="joel.html">Joel</a><br>

<a href="zelda.html">Zelda</a><br></center

</body>

</html>

11

All of this can be done using only two templates*. The students fill in the basic template and the teacher creates the template with links to each student. It’s really easy…no kidding.

The only additional tag for the teacher, i.e. index.html, page is the tag needed to create a link. For example,

<a href="joel.html">Joel</a><br>

In this case, Joel would be underlined in blue (the link) and joel.html would be the name of the file that the user would be sent to if she clicked on the link. Incidentally, the <br> acts like the <p> tag and makes the next information go to a new line.

For those who are more advanced and know HTML coding, you know that the coding used here is very basic. There are far more complex ways of writing HTML. Remember, this is meant to be an example of how basic coding can be introduced within a literacy framework. My goal is NOT to teach coding, but to include it in classes without separating the “regular” classwork with computing. A computer lab would go much further. This is an introduction. For teachers who would like to go further, there are many tutorials online. In addition, you can make more sophisticated webpages using free software called Composer, part of the SeaMonkey suite of apps. SeaMonkey is a browser, made by the folks who used to make Netscape and now make Firefox. You can download the software at http://www.seamonkey-project.org. It comes in versions for Windows and Macs. When you download SeaMonkey you can get to the Composer component by going to WindowComposer.

When you open Composer, you will be surprised to find that it looks a lot like your favorite word

processor. If you click on you will see the coding that is created. It’s a great way to create a webpage even if you don’t know the tags. I would start students doing the coding themselves. If they, or you, are interested in going further you might move over to Composer.

12

It also includes a really useful Publish button on top. Your webpages need a host in order to be seen online. Hosting services cost less than a hundred dollars a year. One of the popular hosts is Bluehost. Bluehost is the one I’ve been using for several years. An individual teacher or a whole school can host their sites using one hosting account. Each person needs their own domain, such as mrheffner.com. Domains cost about $10 per year.

Before you create a website containing your students’ work remember that you must get permission from their parents and make sure you are following your school’s guidelines. Check with your principal before you put anything online! [Warning: NEVER put a photo of a child online without parental permission and NEVER put a child’s picture online with the child’s name!]

A teacher can be a techie without being a techie…using simple HTML. It’s the perfect way to introduce students to coding and be an integral part of literacy. Students can create websites about presidents, scientists, mathematicians, cities, countries, elements, and the list goes on and on. Whatever the subject, a website can provide motivation for a student to write. They will call them websites even if some teachers still call them compositions. It’s a win-win for coding and literacy.

(Continued on the following page)

13

Joel Heffner was a middle school social studies teacher in New York City for 28 years. He then became a staff developer for the New York City Board of Education’s Office of Instructional Technology for an additional six years, until his retirement. He now helps teachers and schools integrate technology into their classrooms. You can reach him at joel@websin5.org.

*To download all templates mentioned in this article go to: http://websin5.org/iste

14

Scaffolding Presentation Skills with eduBuncee, a Multimedia Creation ToolBy Francesca Arturi and Claire Cucci

The challenge of strengthening information literacy and presentation/explanatory skills is nothing new. In 1999, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, an Assistant Professor, Department of Instructional Technology, at the University of Georgia wrote in an American Library Association (ALA) report how research shows that evaluating information can be an unusually complex task made more complicated by its position within the context of an even more complex task, such as decision making or arguing.1 This challenge for students can be overcome with the guidance of literacy teachers, literacy lessons, and 21st century tools.

As information proliferates and becomes more accessible, the need for information literacy grows. Simple web searches yield thousands of results in all different media formats, and it is essential for students to sift through the immensity of this information with a fine-tooth comb. Not only will this help them in academic endeavours, but in all areas of their lives as they encounter current events, statistics, and research.

The team at eduBuncee has witnessed many different methods educators use to improve information evaluation and curating techniques in students. We have been warmly welcomed into all kinds of classrooms to offer student workshops and professional development sessions on the buncee creation canvas. It is during these encounters, and through our online interactions, that we are exposed to some amazingly creative and fun lessons instilling information literacy in students.

Scaffolding is one such method that can guide students towards information literacy. Scaffolding a lesson is described by Rebecca Alber, Edutopia Consulting Online Editor, as breaking up a lesson into chunks and providing structures or tools to understand each piece of the lesson.2 In her ALA report, Fitzgerald provides some scaffolding questions that can aid in the evaluation of information. Each question corresponds to her defined components of the evaluation process: metacognition, goals and motivation, disposition, signals, deliberation, and decision.3

METACOGNITION: What are you thinking about?

1 Fitzgerald, Mary Ann. “Evaluating Information: An Information Literacy Challenge”. School Library Media Research. Vol 2, 1999.1. Web. 5 Jan 2016.

2 Alber, Rebecca. “6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use With Your Students”. Edutopia. 24 Jan, 2014. Web. 5 Jan 2016.

3 Fitzgerald, Mary Ann. “Evaluating Information: An Information Literacy Challenge”. School Library Media Research. Vol 2, 1999. 6. Web. 5 Jan 2016.

15

GOALS/MOTIVATION: What are your goals for using this information? What are you

going to do with it when you’re done?

INITIALIZATION/SIGNAL: Do you see anything in the information that seems confusing or wrong?

DELIBERATION: Here are some strategies to try.

DECISION: What do you think about this information now?

These questions can guide students through the process of information evaluation. We’ve laid out an example of how these questions can be applied to a middle school timeline project in which students created buncees (multimedia creations produced on the edu.buncee.com digital canvas) based on their assigned period of time.

Metacognition: During this period of time, what are you thinking and curious about? Goals/Motivation: What are your goals for the information you hope to find? How will

you use it? Initialization/signal: Does anything in your information seem confusing or wrong? Deliberation: Why don’t you try looking at different sources? Decision: Now, how do you feel about your information?

16

These scaffolding questions can also be applied in the K-5 classroom setting. Let’s use the example of a second grader’s science fair presentation created on edu.buncee.com. The creation incorporated many forms of media: text, photos, videos, and audio recordings. The scaffolding questions outlined above could have helped this student through the information curation process, helping the student determine what information to include from her experiment and how to present it.

Information literacy coincides with the essential skill of presenting and explaining information. Writing standards ask students as young as kindergarten to compose informative/explanatory texts.4 Students are asked to use a mix of media (drawing, dictating, and writing) to compose informative/explanatory texts.

Using iPad creation apps such as Buncee for EDU, educators can encourage students to strengthen their explanatory text creation skills. In the kindergarten classroom of Concrete

4 “New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy.” EngageNY. 10 Jan 11: 26. Web. 19 Jan 2016

17

Primary School, students created buncees (multimedia creations produced on the edu.buncee.com digital canvas) with text and fun stickers to explain American symbols and different zoo animals. Students can also draw on the app and record their voice to further explain their thoughts and findings.

Building on the ability to create informative/explanatory texts, students in fourth grade are required to create multimedia presentations to report on a topic. Students in fourth grade are asked to report on a topic or a text.5 They are asked to tell a story or narrate an experience in an organized manner, with appropriate facts and details to support their main ideas or themes. Students are also required to use multimedia, such as audio recording and visuals, in their presentations to enhance their ideas and themes.

A lesson coinciding with these standards was a 9th grade human geography lesson. Students were asked to analyze how megacities (10+ million people) are transforming the world. They

5 “New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy.” EngageNY. 10 Jan 2011: 33. Web. 19 Jan 2016

18

were required to research, evaluate, and document their findings using visually compelling and interactive 21st Century tools. The ability to include multimedia such as links, cited images, videos, PDFs, and recorded audio clips allowed the students to better understand the project objective, the real world connection, and the role that each piece of content plays in telling the entire story.

The skills of information literacy and information presentation help students as they work to build their digital footprint. It is inevitable that students will leave behind a digital footprint as social media becomes more and more ubiquitous, and instilling in them the thought that they can produce their own content through blogging and social media can help ensure students leave behind a positive digital footprint. With the help of intuitive, student friendly creation tools and platforms, this idea can be instilled at an early age.

(Continued on the following page)

19

Information literacy and the presentation/explanation of information are skills that will help students in every area of their lives. Additionally, lessons enforcing them will build confidence in students as they grow and are required more and more to call upon these skills. A confident student will feel empowered and ready to share their voice with the world, offline and online.

Francesca Arturi has been with eduBuncee since the company's inception. With a passion for making learning fun and a personal connection to the foundation eduBuncee supports, Francesca is instrumental in building relationships with educators around the globe, and supporting those relationships by providing professional development and student workshops.

Claire Cucchi is eduBuncee's COO. She is responsible for the daily operations, procedures and compliance.  She also plays a role in decisions regarding the website and future projects, and is involved with establishing and facilitating relationships with members of the educational community.  Claire currently serves on the Eastern Suffolk Boces School Library System Council. 

Website - www.edu.buncee.com

Twitter - @buncee

Blog - www.buncee.com/blog

20

Wonderopolis® as a Versatile Digital Learning ToolBy Brittany Howell and Lindsay Sainlar

Digital and personalized learning is steadily revolutionizing teaching and learning, both in and out of the classroom. Technology changes rapidly, requiring agility among educators and content providers to remain relevant to the learner. Digital learning tools facilitate access to an unprecedented number and variety of educational resources that allow students to explore topics that interest them at their own pace and place. The best online learning platforms do not just provide students access to materials in digital form, they ensure the content is high-interest and relevant to students’ lives as well as learning needs.

This is where Wonderopolis® comes in. Created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), Wonderopolis is an interactive, free, award-winning learning platform that ignites the natural curiosity in all of us to deliberately and simultaneously address skills-based learning and the “Four Cs” of 21st century skills (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity)—both in and out of the classroom. By framing learning around the notion of wonder, Wonderopolis is a resource capable of evolving with technology while remaining true to its core function of helping people learn through real-world relevance.

Using Wonderopolis not only helps build critical skills, models good questioning skills, and expands vocabulary and background knowledge, but it also spurs excitement for learning and creates organic “a-ha” moments that lead to more wondering, more exploring, and more discoveries. Wonder is a universal springboard for learning and reading. By aligning our Wonders to today’s leading education standards, including Common Core, the STEM Educational Quality Framework, and higher order questioning, our content also supports the goals of schools, school districts, and education policy makers. Further, Wonderopolis provides educators and parents with ideas and strategies to improve student achievement in a variety of ways, including through differentiated instruction, teaching writing, addressing informational text requirements, adopting inquiry-based learning, and creating school-home connections. While aligning to the standards, informational text is presented in an engaging way that captures students’ attention and inspires them to ask new questions and further explore a topic.

The Wonderopolis approach both informs and encourages new questions, sparking paths of curiosity-driven discovery in the classroom and beyond. The open-ended questions and informational texts are crafted to extend the conversation long after the formal lessons have ended. Using Wonderopolis’ inquiry-based activities, instructional staff, students, and families are able to make knowledge connections, learn, and grow together.

Digital Reading

With an increasing amount of digital text becoming available for students, teachers are finding themselves searching for informational resources that are authentic and appropriate for their students. To help educators find “meaningful and engaging” texts “with ease,” the Teaching Channel recommended “Five sites with high-quality informational texts” and included Wonderopolis on its list of digital resources.

21

With more than 1,600 archived Wonders of the Day®—and a new one released each weekday—Wonderopolis provides a wide-range of high-interest nonfiction texts and ready-to-use content for lessons across disciplines.

Maria Caplin, a fifth-grade teacher in Dublin, OH, quoted the following about Wonderopolis in Digital Reading: What’s Essential in Grades 3-8, “I was happy to find a website that is perfect for all students because it meets the needs of most and also can be read aloud to them, which is especially important with English language learners.”

Students need to be exposed to a variety of texts in a variety of ways, especially as they begin honing digital reading skills. Wonderopolis eases the concerns of readability with the read aloud feature, making the text accessible for learners of all levels. Wonderopolis’ digital nonfiction texts provide students with intentional choices and opportunities to practice reading and searching for supplemental information online. Users have an authentic experience that allows them to have choice and ownership within their learning. As reading and searching for information online becomes more prevalent, Wonderopolis can be a great tool for educators to use when modeling digital reading habits—and extending that reading to digital devices at home and on the go.

Digital Composition

When students are able to connect and interact with a community of peers and share what they are learning, they are simultaneously developing valuable digital communication skills. Educators of all levels applaud Wonderopolis for the interactive and interpersonal discussion boards found on each Wonder of the Day. Each comment left by students and lifelong learners receives a personalized response from Wonderopolis, which often leads the user to further his or her study and create a more challenging curriculum. Some teachers even make commenting a writing assignment, which is a great way to incorporate digital writing and model digital netiquette skills for students.

22

Wonderopolis in the Classroom

Educators are using wonder to unlock teaching and learning potential. There are many ways to incorporate wonder and inquiry inside and outside the classroom to engage students and their parents in real-world learning. Inquiry-based learning is advantageous for learners of all ages and can be incorporated in all grade levels while still maintaining rigor and meeting today’s education standards. Wonder is the source of all learning, and it is essential for students to have opportunities to be curious and find deeper answers through their own exploration and discovery. Only through wondering and asking questions are we able to add to what is already known and grow our collective knowledge base. This basic principle applies to learning in and out of the classroom.

Educators have shared many ways Wonderopolis is used to extend learning in and outside the classroom. Some of our favorites include the following:

Digital Wonder Journals: Using technology, students create their own learning journals using Wonders of the Day to guide their own thinking and reflections. Especially useful for writing and vocabulary exercises, Wonder Journal work can be tailored to students’ individual needs while keeping the class engaged in a unified content source. Teachers can encourage students to take these journals home to use as a conversation starter with their families. Digital Wonder Journals can range from Microsoft Word® documents, blog posts, producing a story using the My Story app or creating a Wonderopolis inspired student site.

23

My Story by Mrs. Wilson’s Grade Ones

Student blog post from Ms. Freedman’s class

24

Wonderopolis student inspired site by Abigail in Ms. Rubin’s class.

Digital Wonder Walls: Some teachers or entire schools provide walls or bulletin boards where students can write down their own curious questions and even respond to what others are wondering about. With more emphasis being placed on incorporating technology, teacher and schools are now creating digital Wonder Walls using Padlet, Twitter themed Wonder Walls, and more!

(Continued on the following page)

25

Twitter Themed Wonder Wall by Mrs. Johnson

Mrs. Ciampa’s Class

Wonder Jars: Wonderopolis offers users a digital and Interactive Wonder Jar. By choosing a “wonder” from the Wonder Jar, students and families will be able to share and explore their questions, ideas, and knowledge with each other. The Wonder Jar and its wonder entries, both pre-written and created by families themselves, is meant to create opportunities for humorous discussion, serious discussion, and general outside-of-the-box thinking! We also encourage students, classes, and families to create their own Wonder Jars and fill it with their own Wonder questions and even items they collect that spark their curiosity.

26

Social Media: Social media has opened the world of possibilities for teachers to share what’s happening in and outside the classroom, student learning, and best of all, collaborate with each other, other classes, and authors from all around the world. Author and teacher Kristin Ziemke often refers to her first-grade classroom’s “tweets from the rug.” Eleventh-grade teacher Paul Hankins’ students submit their “Wonder reflections,” and he shares many secondary applications and cross-disciplinary uses of Wonderopolis on Twitter using #WonderopolisHS. Educator and Educator Collaborative Book Ambassador JoEllen McCarthy started #WOTDP (Wonder of the Day Pairing) where she posts picture books to pair with the Wonder of the Day. The opportunities on social media continue with Twitter chats that educators can participate in to collaborate and participate in online professional development. On the first Monday of every school month Wonderopolis hosts #WonderChat featuring well-known educators who discuss and share ideas around Wonder in the classroom.

(Continued on the following page)

27

More ideas for using Wonderopolis in the classroom and beyond are in NCFL’s free Wonderopolis Educator Guide online. You can also follow @Wonderopolis on Twitter and join the Wonder Ground (launching March 1, 2016) for free.

Brittany Howell, Literacy and Family Learning Specialist at the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), uses her experience as a certified elementary classroom teacher to provide support to several current projects at NCFL, including Wonderopolis. She provides training and technical assistance for NCFL funded initiatives. She specializes in elementary education and literacy.Brittany Howell: BHowell@familieslearning.org       

Lindsay Sainlar, Communications Coordinator at the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), uses her journalistic training and love of education writing to bring NCFL’s stories of success to life and to help spread its mission and resources. Lindsay Sainlar: LSainlar@familieslearning.org

Website: wonderopolis.org

Twitter: @Wonderopolis

28

Level Up Literacy!By Shawn Young

By the time the average American student reaches the age of 21, he or she will have played 10,000 hours of video games and developed a cultural mindset around gaming. As educators, we can tap into these tendencies and use them to promote positive habits and skills, like reading. Using a gamified learning environment, we can foster engagement and collaboration in learners.

Overview of the Game EnvironmentFor the purpose of this article, we’ll be using Classcraft as the game engine. Classcraft is a free online gaming platform for education that transforms the classroom into a role-playing game for the whole school year. For the teacher, the point is to foster desired behaviors in students. For the student, the goal is to gain levels so they can make their avatar progress and support their team.

In Classcraft, students are placed in teams of four to six members and play as Mages, Warriors, and Healers. Based on their character class, they gain access to powers, which are privileges that have an impact on players’ real lives (benefits like getting to eat a snack in class, listen to music, hand in an assignment a day later, etc.). In order to acquire powers, the player must demonstrate behavior that is expected of them by the school, such as participating in class, helping other students, and so forth. These actions are rewarded with Experience points (XP), which the teacher, or “Gamemaster,” distributes at their discretion.

These Experience Points enable players to level up and acquire powers and Gold Pieces (GP) to customize the appearance of their avatar. However, if a player exhibits behavior that is inappropriate, such as arriving late to class or not doing classwork, the teacher can remove Health Points (HP). If a player loses all of their HP, they acquire a “sentence” and all of their teammates also lose HP. The sentences are real-life consequences, such as learning and reciting a poem or copying a text.

When players use their powers to help teammates, they automatically earn XP. Thus, students are rewarded for supporting teammates and penalized when their fellows behave inappropriately too often.

Games as Internalizers for MotivationIn the case of literacy learning, one of the main challenges is to give learners meaningful, short-term objectives. Indeed, reading a book is a long, sometimes arduous process, especially for 21st-century learners who are used to immediate and rewarding feedback from video games.

The dream of any language arts teacher is for their students to be self-motivated to read — that is, to read for the pleasure of reading. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. However,

29

according to modern theories of motivation (see self determination theory), games hold the special role of being able to internalize motivation. What starts out as an external motivator (the game rules) quickly becomes internal. As players start to have fun, they want to play the game for its own sake, thus complying voluntarily to its rules and restrictions.

This is where using game mechanics can help give students short-term rewards. For example, teachers have been using Classcraft to reward students for reading pages – 1 XP for each page read (see more here). For students, reading becomes a way to help their avatar progress in the game and earn them real-life powers. Their progress has direct meaning for them and for their team. A teacher using Classcraft in this way reported that he was able to strongly increase the number of pages read by his 7th grade students – within the game, students were reading an average of 95 pages per week!

Make It a Team EffortWith the rise of online gaming, we’ve seen multiplayer games become more and more popular. Players work in teams to accomplish objectives within the game. They develop strong social ties to other players.

We can use the same types of mechanics to make students mutually responsible for their success in literacy learning. Award XP for pages read by the entire team or for producing great interconnected stories. Students will work creatively with one another and put in extra effort to make sure their team succeeds. You can reward collaborative writing behaviors such as peer reviewing. All of these tasks give students powerful, positive incentives to help each other develop literacy skills in a way that has personal meaning for them. By helping others, they further their progress in the game.

Give Students OwnershipAnother strong component of video games is the freedom you get as a player to make your own decisions and control your destiny. This aspect, called autonomy, is very empowering for students and is one of the core aspects of internal motivation.

Why not give students the possibility to choose different reading/writing challenges? Harder challenges reward more XP or even GP, which they can use to customize their avatar. Students will choose challenges that are appropriate for them and sometimes will push extra hard to complete activities beyond their own perceived level because they’ll want to level up.

When playing video games, kids feel a sense of empowerment. If they work hard enough, they can surmount any obstacle, no matter how hard. As they have more success, this feeling only grows, allowing them to take on increasingly difficult challenges. This is the exact sentiment we

30

want to give literacy learners using Classcraft: that they can read and write better if they only work at it. So don your Gamemaster’s cap and help your students reach new levels!

Shawn Young is a co-founder and CEO of Classcraft, a platform that helps teachers manage, motivate and engage their students by transforming their classroom into a role-playing game. Since its launch in August 2014, Classcraft has gained incredible traction with educators worldwide, having been used in over 20 000 schools in the US alone. With a unique background in physics, education, gamification and web development, Shawn’s interested in how we can create community in the classroom and how games can make learning fun and interactive. At Classcraft, he leads product development, education and game design, leading the development team in building out the tech that drives the game, designing new features and coordinating educational research projects.

Shawn taught 11th grade physics for 9 years, where he implemented innovative approaches such as flipped classroom, project-based and game-based learning. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s in education from Université de Sherbrooke. Shawn is also a seasoned web developer working for clients such as Chanel; The Future of Storytelling Summit; Carnaval de Sherbrooke, Hydo-Quebec; and The Feast Social Innovation Conference and often teaming up with his brother Devin. He is also world-class speaker, having had speaking engagements across North America and Europe.

Web: classcraft.com Facebook: facebook.com/classcraftgame Twitter: @classcraftgame

31

Listening to the Dead and Famous: How English and Social Studies Teachers Can Make Speaking and Listening Come AliveBy Dr. Rose Reissman

As a reader intently sweeping through the pages of a book you couldn’t put down, did you fantasize about what your author’s voice would sound like? If Roald Dahl were reading aloud Mr. Fox, what type of voice you hear? Was his speaking voice mellow or sonorous or soothing or ominous?

You’ve seen a movie or documentary on Women’s Rights, ever wonder how historically accurate the actress was who portrayed Emmeline Pankhurst? Did she sound like her or base her performance on photos and footage? You know Woodrow Wilson played a key role in envisioning a League of Nations and made a speech about it. But he’s dead and gone for almost a century, how other than reading about his ideas can you, as a teacher, gain insight into his vision for the League? Walt Whitman expressed many interesting ideas about American workers, immigrants, himself, and transcendentalism in the late 19th century. You, as a reader and a teacher, are willing to take on his challenges and believe he is as good as looking at you crossing Brooklyn Ferry, as you are at him. But can you hear the voice of dead and gone since 1892 Walt Whitman? All of the captivating literary stars and historical personalities are dead and gone, so obviously getting the opportunity of hearing them speak at an event or digitally streamed live is not possible for you or your students; or is it?

Yes, actually it is. You can include the “living dead” as well as the truly alive and talking famous political and literary figures in your classroom as student resources any time, any period during the school year. You can assign students to check out how these writers or political figures sounded and what exactly they said by having the students research and identify their speeches available on line as audio files. That sounds like a new component for short research papers and demonstrating how students can (and should) include audio, as well as video files in learning displays (Power Points, research summaries for posters, documentaries, etc.) But beyond the value of using these archived audio files of personalities studied in secondary English and Social Studies classes, do these audio artifacts offer teachers, students, and audience listeners a chance to connect online in a meaningful way with these personalities beyond reading transcripts of their speeches and ideas that are the stuff of traditional print texts?

Yes. Some of the archived audio recordings can be found online at 100 Top Speeches of the 20th Century (www.americanrhetoric.com), Ten Famous Speeches (www.learnoutloud.com) and Great Speeches of the 20th Century (http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/series/greatspeeches)

This provides an opportunity to make Common Core Speaking and Listening come alive for students by asking them which? Speeches they have heard that? They felt could be called great. Most likely, this question without a sampling of recent political or local speeches about elections or perhaps award speeches at a popular teen award event will come up dry in the classroom. The

32

teacher will have to use an audio tape (so that the students can focus on speech and its elements alone) of one of these famous speeches from any of the above web sites or from television coverage of a local state or national high profile election campaign. It is best to use at least two short (under 3 minutes) examples, one of a highly effective speech and one of a glaringly ineffective speech. The teacher can even Google “gaffe” and teach students what that terms means. Challenge the students to listen. Have them take notes on the differences between the two sample audio files. Once they’ve taken their notes, get them to explain with reference to voice, wording, inflection or audience, why one speech was far more successful than another. With this foundation discussion, ask them how they think web content managers or organizations such as The Guardian and American Rhetoric determine speeches to be among the best of a particular time period. Encourage them to list a set of criteria and elements that would need to go into such a speech. With teacher support, students might include on their list:

- catchy short phrases,

- jokes/humor,

- repeated phrases ,

- opening questions,

- closing questions,

- invitations to audience to participate ,

- inclusion of significant content fact details/revelations,

- asking audience to compare and contrast,

- juxtaposing two opposing situations,

- confident, optimistic speaker wording,

- use of foreign language phrases,

- repeated use of numbers, appeal to audience character ,

- use of varied speaker voice and intonation,

- Speaker deliberates audience connection (for example Roosevelt fireside chats) and references to specific individuals.

Students, for research as fits with their social studies or English Language arts curricula, can review the sites to determine whether the speeches selected display these characteristics or not. Students as producers and researchers of a given historical time period can do further research to identify other period speeches which may not have made the cut for the website “Top” listing,

33

but which they feel are also worthy speeches and deserve to be studied. They can create their own student for student web resource of speeches or develop if their city or state is involved in a heated election campaign or a controversial issue (say gun control, racial equity, police community relations, email server access) a web resource or a blog commenting on the quality and content of these speeches. Students engaged in a particular campaign can take it a step further and even suggest on their blog, or write to candidates directly sharing their ideas for effective ways of speaking about issues or presenting them to the public or defusing, using words alone, “hot” issues/speaker gaffes. In doing so, they become immediately involved as citizens in issues. This focus on speeches beyond the tenets of their success, in terms of audiences, content and purpose, engages students now as informed citizens in analyzing with a focus on words only what the candidates or commentators are actually SAYING and ARGUING about a given issue versus how they look when they say it, which, of necessity, is so much part and parcel of television/video coverage. This not only authenticates listening skills but properly uses them as crucial citizenship habits of evaluating data presented before making electoral or referendum choices. These skills are rarely taught or practiced in schools, but need to be part of explicit training for citizenship.

Beyond citizenship, focus on an author’s actual “voice,” beyond his verbal printed voice on paper can be used as powerful tool to enchant student readers into becoming lifelong readers. Once students have read authors such as Walt Whitman, ee cummings, Roald Dahl, WH Auden, William Faulkner, , Robert Frost, Walter Dean Myers, Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald, all also long dead and gone; it is surefire to engage them in speculating on how these authors might have voiced or nuanced readings of their own work. They can discuss and anticipate the sounds, tones, accents and nuances these authors might use in reading their works or in talking about the works.

Many sites allow these DEAD AUTHORS/POETS to be heard reading aloud in your classroom or on demand elsewhere by you and your students. Among them are: www.americanrhetoric.com (includes Martin Luther King, Faulkner Nobel Prize speech), www.nobelprize.org (includes John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway), www.loc.gov/collections/archive-of-recorded-poetry-and -literature/about-this-collection/(library of congress recordings of poetry and literature by American authors- Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur, ), www.waltwhitmanarchives.org (an actual recording of Walt Whitman’s voice!), www.poetsfoundation.org, www.mysoonerspace.com (free audio recordings including ee cummings, Vonnegut, Richard Wilbur, Ray Bradbury and more), www.learnoutloud.com (Roald Dahl reading Fantastic Fox for free), and www.openculture.com (W.H. Auden recites aloud a 1937 poem).

Students, who have studied these literary works and had the anticipatory discussion about how these writers SOUND, will be blown away when these audio recordings are rightfully termed

34

LIVING DEAD speeches. The teacher can add another level of engagement to this by having the students “pre” read and record their own versions of the text the actual author recites and then compare and contrast that with the style of the author’s presentation. Students can work on personal favorite authors and blog their responses to those authors’ voices and styles of recitation (regional speaking qualities will weigh in and countries of birth of course also figure in author voices). It should be pointed out to students that when many actors at are asked to “play” an author or a historical figure, they do this type of research online and then play and replay audio files to get the author’s voice and style of speech correct as the author presented in real life or does present. As part of a literary Expo, students might want to identify a given author and become that author in terms of period or contemporary dress and style of talking. Therefore, beyond using audio recordings for Speaking and Listening, a real world connection can be made to acting and reenacting, there are numerous and growing enactment recreation and historical/literary events abounding. It should also be noted that most author sites for living authors include podcasts and audio file interviews so student researchers and teachers can hear their voices loud and clear whenever they log in to the sites.

Why not leap frog immediately to You Tube videos, which are much more readily motivating for students then voices alone? Precisely because focus on the audio files minus the admittedly visually captivating images, forces the students to focus solely on the voice, oral presentation, style of speech, tone, word use, and content of the LIVING DEAD or LIVE TAKING author/personality, not his/her diverting physicality. This close focus on words and speech alone is the essence of literacy and the thread which can and should be part of every reader’s lifelong reading. In the beginning are the words voiced by the speakers and heard/read by the audience.

Dr. Rose Reissman is the founder of the Writing Institute, now replicated in 138 schools including the Manchester Charter Middle School in Pittsburgh. She is a featured author in New York State Union Teachers Educators Voice 2016 and was filmed discussing ESL student leadership literary strategies developed at Ditmas IS 62, a Brooklyn public intermediate school.

Jannatul Yesnin won the Writing Institute Award at Ditmas and is currently a junior at John Dewey High School. She developed a peer social action group at her school focused on local efforts. She implemented the approach discussed in this article and sent me this description of her experience (below). How better to validate the ways in which the voices can enhance reader text engagement than

35

having a student leader of mine from three years back, now a junior in high school, check out how her favorite authors "sound" ? Jannatul was excited to anticipate their voices and then actually "hear" them speak within minutes of going online. Her response sets the stage for more student and "adult" readers (why should this treat be for students only) to access the open audio file online road to engaged literacy, even if they are listening to those long departed from the virtual world.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Author Inspirational Voice

By Jannatul Yesmin

There have been many authors that have written and published books based on inspiration, based on the political or economical problems that were being faced in this world. Whether or not they are still living or have passed away, they have been inspirations to many of their readers.

As readers are reading these authors’ books they have many questions as to what the meaning of the novel is and what inspired the authors to write such elaborate novels. However, there is one question that many readers stumble on, as well. What do the voices of the authors sound like when they read other people’s books or even their own?

As a reader, I have decided to explore and determine the answer to this question that everyone ponders often while reading. Two of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck and Suzanne Collins, have written books that have been quite influential. I searched the internet for their voice recordings; their tone of voice while reading, or just talking in general. This impacts my thoughts and views of their books I have read.

The quality of their voice is indeed realistic. By realistic I mean they make the words that spill out of their mouth something you are interested in; that you actually want to listen to. It is one thing to hear, but to actually listen to what someone is saying shows how much you pay attention. So, as I listened to them I was actually paying attention to what they were saying and how persuasive yet realistic they sound.

36

From John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, I learned many things; but the one main thing that I truly learned from that book was that plans like those of mice and men, even the best laid plans, go awry. This book taught me a life lesson that I have kept as a rule as to how I live. It helps me deal with many things in reality and accept the facts of why things couldn’t go my way in life. Before listening to John Steinbeck’s voice I thought he would have a monotone, that it would sound dull. However, despite my thoughts of his voice before hearing him, it still wouldn’t change how I felt about the book and how his novels are inspiring to many lives. When I heard his voice the first time while watching a video on YouTube, a video of him receiving the Nobel Prize, it changed the way I would read his books. It was his tone of voice that really impacted me to think twice about how I read it, and how inspirational he sounds, I would try to read it now in the same tone as he read his Nobel Prize speech. I would try to read it with the inspirational tone he had. His voice sounds deep, clear, and very articulate.

As a student, I studied some of his work during my years in junior high school. It was interesting to learn about how he wrote the story Of Mice and Men and described the economic problems in society during the 1930’s. He also uses many literary elements to bind the story together to create an amazing work of literature.

In Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games, I also learned many things; like learning to never let my guard down, making decisions is really difficult, only you yourself can determine what’s better for you, and that life can take unexpected turns. Overall, it teaches many things about life. Which leads me to my number one rule in life: expect the unexpected. This rule also helps me accept many things that have happened to me throughout my life so far. If you don’t prepare yourself for the worst, or even for the better, you won’t be able to make the best decisions for yourself or survive; like how the strong female named Katniss does in Suzanne’s book. Listening to Suzanne’s voice the first time was inspirational, yet very realistic. Like everyone else I bought the books myself and as a reader I read the book with interest. When I read the trilogy it wasn’t exactly me reading it in a tone that was expected to be read in, I read it in the way I visualized the character would sound. After, hearing Suzanne’s voice, it didn’t change the way I viewed the character, it just changed my thoughts on how, when I read her books, to read it in the same tone as her. She has a strong, southern-like, high voice that projects to the readers and grabs their attention in such an inspirational way.

Whenever I read these stories they inspire me ever so much and hearing their voices while reading their books has helped to visualize things better while I am reading their novellas and gives me a sense of better enjoyment. Authors’ voices do inspire many people, like me for instance, and gives me a sense of personality too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKEODtaQUU –John Steinbeck gives Nobel Prize Speechhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYC1954VJfg - Suzanne Collins reads from the first chapter of MOCKINGJAY

37

Using “Just Right Books” to Enhance Early Literacy InstructionBy Kristi Meeuwse, Dr. Diane Mason, and Dr. Kaye Shelton

Teachers are enhancing early literacy instruction through a student-centered approach while using tablet technology. Even more important is the impact in educational reform student centered practices and incorporating technology is making (Palak & Walls, 2009) while offering students opportunities to learn in meaningful ways with tools targeting needs and interests (Barr & Sykora, 2015). Having one-to-one iPads in the kindergarten classroom allows teachers, such as Kristi Meeuwse, who teaches in Charleston, SC, to implement teacher-created e-books, or Just Right Books, to meet students’ individual reading levels, which are based on interests and classroom thematic unit topics. Kristi coined the term, Just Right Books, to better personalize instruction for Kindergartners in her classroom. In fact, she created a collection of books that are organized by difficulty levels ranging from emergent reader needs to more complex texts appropriate for advanced readers (Meeuwse, 2014). Any early literacy teacher could create these e-books on an iPad with the Book Creator app or on a MacBook with the iBooks Author program. In the classroom, students have access to the e-books all throughout the day and are used, at times, in classroom Reading Workshop time.

Why Use Digital Texts?

Digital texts on tablet devices, such as the iPad, engage students’ interests and motivate them to read more (Thoermer & Williams, 2012). Moody (2010) observed that e-books provide scaffolding for young readers as they build reading skills, and e-books stimulate a higher persistence rate in students reading digital texts versus students reading traditional texts. Having books on the iPad device allows for “on-demand” reading. With the ability to read and re-read electronic stories on demand, students have demonstrated increased phonological awareness, which is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success (Callahan & Madelaine, 2012).

Bus and Smeets (2012) discovered e-books increased student vocabulary skills. Further, the multi-modality features of e-books, when used in guided reading allowed for accessibility for all students as well as strengthened vocabulary and reading fluency (Caputa et al., 2011). In the classroom, Kristi uses modeling and teacher think-alouds in Reading Workshop mini-lessons to go along with the e-books on student iPad devices. For example, in her I Am A Citizen e-book, she first reads a page to the students. Then, as a think aloud activity, she says, “I wonder how a police officer helps our community?” As children share responses, Kristi models by writing their responses on the interactive whiteboard. Then, she turns the page and reads the page describing how the police officer helps the community. The class then works together to discuss the accuracy of their predictions.

38

Beschorner and Hutchison’s studies (2013) found the iPad increased student achievement and engagement in early literacy skills. With higher engagement and increased interest, students will read and re-read texts, and repetition leads to greater fluency. Lastly, digital texts give students options. They may choose to either read the text themselves or have it read to them. Digital texts have a read-aloud feature, which give students multiple opportunities to hear a text read to them. This function serves as a fluency model as well as supports students in vocabulary development and reading inflection. This is important since some students may not have anyone at home to read to them.

Teacher Created E-Books

The existing research on teacher created texts is scant at best. The existing body of research focuses on commercially created e-books which can be both useful and distracting. Korat (2010) found many e-books were distracting with numerous animated features. Quality e-books have a specific skill focus, fewer digital distractions, and produce higher gains (Moody, 2010). When teachers create their own e-books, they control the text complexity, the subject matter, the desired learning objective, and the level of animation desired

Teacher created e-books allows for content to be aligned with standards and while giving the teacher control of text complexity to reach the needs individual students. Also, teacher-created e-books give the teacher freedom to create books with geographic, situational, and academic context. For example, one South Carolina social studies standard (2011) for kindergarten is, “Students will identify his or her personal connections to places, including home, school, neighborhood, and city or town” (p. 9). Kristi Meeuwse created an e-book called “I Am A Citizen” in iBooks Author. This book used personal photographs taken around the city and incorporated leveled text. By using local images and content, the students were able to learn about their city, not just any city. Bringing local context into the e-book increased engagement as students pointed out various sites they had visited.

Another feature of teacher-created e-books is the ability to scaffold and support students as they read. iBooks Author has a built-in digital dictionary students can access when they need one. Teachers may use the definition provided or they may create their own with the desired text complexity. A key reason Kristi Meeuwse incorporated teacher-created texts, as a student resource, was to supplement the existing informational text library. While she has many informational texts for thematic units, she had very few on student emergent reading levels. Students will interact with informational text in their natural and social world as well as in their future workplaces (Duke, 2004). By strengthening the classroom collection of informational text, students learn that reading helps them gain information. Creating texts on their emergent reading levels allows them to read and re-read a text of interest. Having these texts on the iPad devices allows them to have choices for reading at their fingertips. Certainly, young children are curious about their world and about nature. Teacher-created e-books can motivate students and engage

39

them while meeting state standards. Of note, South Carolina reading standards (2015) state students will, “with guidance and support, engage in daily explorations of texts to make connections to personal experiences, other texts, or the environment (p. 1), and “with guidance and support, explore informational text structures within texts” (p. 4).

In order to increase engagement, Kristi creates books based on students’ interests. The students love super heroes, princesses, cheerleading, dirt bikes, soccer, Star Wars, Legos, and the list goes on. By finding out what her students enjoy and creating short books on these topics, she is developing a love of reading for a variety of purposes. Certainly, reading for information is important, but teachers want students to enjoy reading for entertainment purposes as well. By creating these “interest” books, Kristi found that her most reluctant readers are particularly engaged. They read the books to themselves and to each other. Engaging readers and getting students excited about reading helps to create life-long readers. It is important to note since implementing Just Right Texts on student iPad devices in 2011, 100% of her students have gone to first grade reading above grade level. This is attributed to the ability to personalize reading instruction for each student.

Making Your Own Teacher-Created E-Books

The prospect of creating books can seem a bit daunting. Kristi has a free step-by step guide in the iBooks store here (Meeuwse, 2014). First, it is necessary to know the individual reading levels of students. This can be obtained through a simple running record. Next, take an interest survey to gain insight into what your students enjoy as well as take stock of your informational text collection. Once you have a topic, curate resources for the book. What images will be used to accurately convey textual meaning? A suggestion is to gather all of the images in a folder first. Photosforclass.com and Morguefile.com have royalty free images available. Finally, the writing requires a basic knowledge of text complexity on emergent reading levels and the use of text patterning. Level A books, consist mostly of high frequency words, high repetition, and quality picture cues. For example, a Level A book would have one sentence on each page, with a repetitive format. “I see the dog.” “I see the rabbit.” “I see the bird.” “I see the cat.” “I see my pet.” Books created in both Book creator and in iBooks Author allow for voice-over of text so students may have the text read to them. This supports students and builds fluency. iBooks Author has multi-touch features and built in widgets that increase functionality of the book. Comprehension widgets can be inserted to check student understanding as they read. Video may be inserted to introduce a concept in both Book Creator and iBooks Author. Once the book is created, the information is pushed out to student iPads using the Showbie app. Showbie allows for the creation of a shared folder in which resources can be added for all students to access. The students have learned how to go into the shared folder and download the book into the iBooks app on the iPad. The teacher can assess student reading of the books through the recording function of the iPad.

40

By immersing students in literacy activities, including having Just Right Books on the iPad devices, Kristi’s students are developing strong literacy skills as well as an awareness of the role of technology in literacy development. Their excitement and engagement with these books keep her writing more of them. They are definitely her audience and strongest critics!

Kristi Meeuwse is a kindergarten teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator in Charleston, SC. She is a doctoral student at Lamar University in Education Leadership with an emphasis in Global Educational Leadership. She is a literacy specialist with a focus on enhancing literacy instruction with iPad devices. Additionally, she provides teacher professional development and support for her

district colleagues in a variety of capacities.

Dr. Diane Mason is an Associate Professor at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX where she teaches in the fully online doctoral program in Educational Leadership. She is a past ISTE Affiliate leader, K-12 teacher, administrator, technology integration professional development coordinator, and Christa McAuliffe Fellow. Her research interests include leadership, technology integration, and online

learning to support change and innovation in K-12 and higher education practice.

Dr. Kaye Shelton is an Associate Professor at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX where she teaches in the fully online doctoral program in Educational Leadership. Much of her research is in quality online education and technology use to support

change and innovation. She is a co-author the book An Administrator’s Guide to Online Education and developed the Quality Scorecard for the Administration of Online Education Programs.

References

Barr, D., & Sykora, C. (2015). A comparative look at the ISTE standards for teachers and UNESCO ICT competency framework for teachers. Learning, Teaching, Leading, ISTE White Paper, Retrieved from https://www.iste.org

Beschorner, B., Hutchison, A., & Schmidt-Crawford, D. (2012). Exploring the use of the iPad for literacy learning. The Reading Teacher, 66(1). 15-23. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01090

Bus, A., & Smeets, D. (2012). Interactive electronic storybooks for kindergartners to promote vocabulary growth. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 112, 36-55. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2011.12.003

41

Callahan, G., & Madelaine, A. (2012). Leveling the playing field for kindergarten entry: Research implications for preschool early literacy instruction. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 13-23. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Caputa, F., Fugett, A., & Wright, S. (2011). Using e-readers and internet resources to support comprehension. Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 367–379. Retrieved from http://www.ifets.info/journals/16_1/32.pdf

Duke, N. (2004) The case for informational text. Educational Leadership, 61(6), 40-44. Retrieved from www.ascd.org

Korat, O. (2010). Reading electronic books as a support for vocabulary, story comprehension and word reading in kindergarten and first grade. Computers and Education, 55, 24-31. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.014

Meeuwse, K. (2014). Just right books at their fingertips: Authoring for primary readers. Apple Distinguished Educators, iBooks. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com

Moody, A. (2010). Using electronic books in the classroom to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 11(4), 22-40. Retrieved from http://www.pathstoliteracy.org

Palak, D., & Walls, R. (2009). Teachers’ beliefs and technology practices: A mixed-methods approach. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 417-441. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org

South Carolina Department of Education, (2011). South Carolina Social Studies Academic Standards. Retrieved from http://www.ed.sc.gov

Thoermer, A., & Williams, L. (2012) Using digital texts to promote fluent reading. The Reading Teacher, 65(7), 441-445. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01065

42

The Bronx Book Blog: Blogging to Develop and Support Writing TeachersBy Erica Newhouse

My approach to teaching writing centers on having my students, who are teacher candidates, focus on their own writing as a way to better understand the writing of their own students. I’ve been interested in bringing blogging into my course, EDUC 590: The Teaching of Writing and the Writing Process, for some time. One approach to that would be to have my students write something for one another and their colleagues, something that would serve a real function in the world. Having these teacher candidates write book reviews to share with other teachers and their students, I felt would be a perfect rationale for making blogging part of my course.

Thus, The Bronx Book Blog was created as a space for my students to have an authentic writing experience. This involves choosing a culturally relevant book, writing a review and posting it on the blog. The blog’s landing page further explains that my course encourages a balanced approach to literacy instruction, including the use of reading and writing workshops, mentor texts, and mini-lessons. Research demonstrates that students’ reading and writing skills can be improved through the use of culturally relevant texts and scaffolded writing instruction.

This site is called the Bronx Book Blog because the campus for this course is located in the Bronx. However, the teachers and students in this class live and work throughout the New York City area. Therefore, this site features culturally relevant books for students living in mostly urban areas in New York City, including the five boroughs (Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, & Queens), Long Island, Yonkers, and Westchester County.

The books being reviewed in this blog are written by local authors. The majority of the books being reviewed are appropriate for students in upper elementary grades and higher. While many of the books are fiction, there is a variety of genres and non-fiction. (https://bronxbookblog.wordpress.com/ )

Why a Book Blog Makes Good Sense

I have been teaching The Teaching of Writing and the Writing Process for several years. Over time, I have recognized patterns in students’ attitudes about their own writing and the teaching of writing. Through class discussions, working with my students and teacher candidates on creating mini-lessons and developing end of the semester writing units, I recognized a gap in their knowledge of children’s and young adult literature. In addition to these concerns, there were external pressures to increase the knowledge and writing skills of teacher candidates that would assist them in passing certification exams. This project involves teacher candidates using contemporary, technology-supported literacy practices that allow them to come together as a community to build and share a resource, a body of books and discussion about them, that will be valuable for both themselves and their own students, emerging writers. This course has always included a technology component. However, this is the first time I have found a purpose

43

for the use of a technology-based resource that strongly supports a key facet of my own teaching, as well as providing such deep support for my students’ learning.

There are some advantages of blogging for teaching writing instruction that prompted me to incorporate the Bronx Book Blog into this course. Previously, the teacher candidates did not have the opportunity to focus on the writing process with a piece of their own writing. Before the blog, the writing and revising was more about constructing a teaching unit than exploring the writer’s craft or the strategies that the teacher candidates would be teaching their students about writing. Before adopting blogging, although my students were encouraged to create units that they would use in their classrooms, the emphasis was teacher-centered, and they focused on meeting my own requirements and expectations in order to receive a good grade. There was little of the type of student ownership that I now see coming from their understanding that what they are doing in my course is something that will directly make a significant difference in their own classrooms and their own teaching.

Therefore, the Bronx Book Blog is intended to accomplish the following goals for the students:

To develop their own identities as writers To develop positive attitudes about writing and the teaching of writing To improve their writing skills To engage in the writing process through authentic writing for an

authentic audience To become part of the larger community of teachers that would continue

after the completion of the course

Rather than simply teach about writing, the inclusion of blogging in the course offers a more experiential approach. This asks teacher candidates to take on the roles of students, teachers, and writers simultaneously. When they are working on the blog project—doing the reading and writing—they are students. When they are reflecting and connecting this knowledge to how they will approach the instruction of writing in their own classrooms, they are teachers. As they refine their writing through the writing process and make choices based upon the audience for the blog, they are “real” writers. Through this process, I wanted the teacher candidates to re-connect with what it feels like to be a student of writing and use this knowledge to influence the decisions they will make as teachers of writing.

My course is designed to model the writer’s workshop in order to assist teacher candidates in learning how to implement this approach in their future classroom. “Teachers use modeled writing, shared writing, and guided writing, gradually shifting responsibility to students” (Tompkins, 2012, p. 52). The writing workshop is an approach to teaching writing that emphasizes authentic writing activities, writing as a process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing), and encourages student choice and independence. This approach

44

focuses on developing positive attitudes about writing in order to empower students through the process of becoming a community of writers, building on what students know, and by recognizing and honoring the backgrounds of students. Writing lessons are taught through the use of mini-lessons, using mentor texts, and teacher modeling.

Teacher Candidates

Many of the students in this course are “non-traditional.” They have varying amounts of experience teaching (from none to several years). The majority of the first group of teacher candidates involved in the Bronx Book Blog project are receiving certification in TESOL. Several students are not native English speakers and/or grew up in areas such as the Caribbean where non-standard English is dominant. None of the students had previous experience with blogging.

NOTE: Quotes below are drawn from the course, student writings in writer’s notebooks, and the Bronx Book Blog. Therefore, I will refer to students by the name that they chose for publishing their book review on the blog. keronieblake, writer590, eliza2016, mblackwood29 , Tanya D., and Mike D. For those that did not post their reviews on the blog, I have used pseudonyms: Lainey, Sonia, and Wanda.

Authentic Writing Experience

Instead of merely assigning my students another writing exercise to turn in to me, traditionally, I assigned them to write a book review to be posted on the Bronx Book Blog, shifting focus away from an assignment-for-the-teacher driven approach, and creating a bigger sense of responsibility. For the Bronx Book Blog, teacher candidates write to their peers and colleagues--other teachers.

Having this public venue had a tremendous impact on the time and effort my students spent on this piece of writing. In class, they participated in peer reviews of the drafts. Many of them turned their papers in three times, eager for my comments and continuing to make revisions. I also know that several students worked with writing tutors outside of class.

Mblackwood29 wrote, “The book review is very valuable because others can read the review and decide whether or not this is a book they want to read… A book review…can prove to be very useful to students discovering the perfect book and teachers deciding what book to introduce their class to and how they can form activities to accompany this book.”

45

Writing as a Collaborative Process

In addition to thinking of writing as being something “final,” many teacher candidates saw writing as solitary, frustrating, and isolating. However, through peer reviews and discussions about writing, they discovered collaboration can contribute to a positive writing environment. A student shared her plan for incorporating this approach into her own writing instruction. Writer590 wrote that she would, “Get to know the students to have a feel of how they feel about writing. Address any concerns in a very supportive way. Have students share their reservations about writing so that they can help each other. Design peer groups so students could help each other.”

Strengthening the Reading and Writing Connection

Although mentor texts are an important component of the writing workshop and this course, the book review and blog assisted students in better understanding how to choose texts for students and how to create better assignments for texts. Instead of merely choosing texts to illustrate elements of writing, the teacher candidates became more critical of how students might respond to those texts.

In many ways, the issues that were obstacles for my students mirror the problems that many literacy educators encounter in their classrooms. The students who were the most enthusiastic about the project were those who really enjoyed the book that they chose to review. Writer590 stated, “Although I appreciated the classics American novels I have read, I am now happy to read books that are culturally relevant.  In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson is probably one of the most culturally relevant books I have read that I could truly identify with.”

eliza2016 wrote, “Through the book (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents) I can remember myself leaving my own country and then starting over a new life and culture in another country that it is not mine. This is my first experience reading this type of literature, but I found it to be valuable as an example for those students or young readers who are going through similar experiences.”

The topic of technology arose in one of the book reviews. A student stated that she chose Goodbye Stranger because, “ Students are able to relate to the challenges the characters faced, not wanting to change who you are to fit it, how the use of technology can affect one’s life if not used responsible.”

46

Developing a Writing Assignment

Throughout the course, I provided scaffolding for students as needed. In response to problems or issues, I conducted mini-lessons, modified the assignment, shared models of my own process, etc. I initially introduced the project as a book review when the teacher candidates were choosing and reading the books. As the students learned more about culturally relevant texts, I explained that this would be an expectation for them to discuss in the review. While initially disconcerting, the students liked an assignment that was more focused and required more depth of thought. They also recognized that teacher models impacted their own writing and final drafts. These became common themes in class discussion and writer’s notebook entries as the teacher candidates realized the importance of finding a balance between student choice and creating guidelines and expectations for students. Lainey wrote, “The step by step directions was helpful because I was able to focus in one area at a time. Since this was my first time doing a book review, I found the assignment steps clear and helpful. Also, the examples for the drafts gave me an idea on how I should start my book review and what needed to be included.”

Giving Feedback

Using the Bronx Book Blog also helped shape students’ attitudes toward receiving feedback on their writing. In addition to responding to student writing in a number of ways, students were able to share their expertise through peer reviews before the final publication.

Tanya D wrote, “I learned how to positively give feedback of student writing. Dr. Newhouse gave many examples of this through her feedback on my own writing, which I thought was a great model of how to reach students.”

Future Directions of the Bronx Book Blog

The Bronx Book Blog continues as a work in progress. While there are many areas for improvement, watching the teacher candidates grow as writers and teachers of writing has convinced me that this project and approach to instruction is worth pursuing. In the future, I hope to move beyond this just being a publishing space to being a discussion space. This will be easier to do in upcoming semesters because teacher candidates can respond to the posted book reviews and have these models to build upon.

Another key goal is to build a community around the Bronx Book Blog. I would like to invite guest bloggers to share their book reviews or recommendations. I am sharing this blog with my other classes to use as a resource when they are developing lessons and making curricular decisions. I also plan to encourage other professors to use and further develop the blog in their own classes. I have also begun working with librarians to use this blog when considering what books students/teachers might want or need. Finally, it would be a perfect celebration to have the

47

teacher candidates publically present their book reviews to other students at the college, colleagues, and family members.

I will end this article with a quote from one of my students, Lainey. “Creating and drafting the book review was an excellent way of learning how to analyze and engage readers. This is my first time using a book blog, and I feel very good about it because it was something new I learned about writing.”

References:

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N J: Pearson Education.

Erica Newhouse is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Literacy and Multilingual Studies at Mercy College, New York, USA. She earned undergraduate and masters degrees from University of Kentucky. She was a high school English teacher for five years in Kentucky before attending University of Wisconsin, Madison and completing her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Literacy Studies. She presents and publishes, locally and nationally, on a variety of educational topics. She can be contacted at enewhouse@mercy.edu

48

This article appeared previously in The English Record. It was originally published there, and is reprinted here under permission, by the New York State English Council.

Engage Me! Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling

Family, Student, School, Community

Engage Me!

Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling

   

49

By Blanca Duarte, Toni Kinnear, Carol Varsalona, and Kris Yturraspe

Introduction

Current research notes that a strong literacy foundation and parent involvement are key factors in student success. Yet, for parents of English Language Learners there are challenges that interfere with their ability to stay connected with the school. “Realizing that schools and families do not communicate effectively prompts the need to regroup and work together to meet the needs of America’s children.” (Edwards, 1999)  Influenced by research on the impact of family engagement in literacy, the West Babylon School District’s ESL Department offers a district wide, after-school, interactive learning opportunity, Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling, for English Language Learners. The effort, led by the Director of Language Arts and Testing, Carol Varsalona, West Babylon ESL teachers, Toni Kinnear and Kris Yturraspe, and an educational technology consultant, Blanca Duarte, provides an authentic, standards-, and project-based learning experience that emphasizes the value of language in various formats and the importance of home-school relations.

In a suburban district on Long Island, where three percent of the population is comprised of English Language Learners who speak nine different languages, the goals of the family literacy program are clear: to make a connection from school to home and to increase students’ academic success. Important to the endeavor is the creation of a culture of learning through ESL Family Tech Camps that provide opportunities for students and their families to learn ways to become more literate in a relaxed, social environment. While a dinner invitation and presentation of new technologies lure families to the event, the engagement in high quality educational experiences leads to a sense of empowerment between student and parent. Learning comes alive as students work collaboratively with their families and each other to produce an original work of literature. The hands-on program provides English Language Learners and their families the opportunity to develop positive self-esteem, academic skills, and technological skills so as to compete competitively in a changing world.

50

Research in the Fields of Literacy and ESL

Effective programs of family and community involvement ensure that activities and practices are linked to important goals for students; goals need to be purposeful and productive (Epstein and Sheldon, 2006). In our program, Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling, activities center around the improvement of literacy skills through purposeful interactions with family and community. Students and families listen to read-alouds of culturally-relevant texts ranging from the simple to complex, engage in meaningful discussions about family history, and document family stories under the direction of the educational team, consisting of the language arts director, technology consultant, and ESL teachers.

To add to the purposeful nature of the activities, networking opportunities for families to get to know one another are offered. Early studies of Latino families illustrate that schools, through family literacy workshops, can play a significant role in creating strong networking opportunities. These networking opportunities, in the form of Family Tech Nights, provide families of English Language Learners time to interact with and learn from each other. Underlying these interactions are research-based activities to improve literacy.

But, what is meant by 21st century and how does the program address it? As defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), literacy is the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. It involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.” It is during ESL Family Tech Camp nights that families come together to learn English and improve language proficiencies. The educational team engages with students and their families to educate and promote literacy. While traditional methods of reading and writing are employed throughout the workshops, the use of digital storytelling tools extends the experience to one that can be captured and shared with the world. At these events, students and parents immerse themselves in the experience using technology, such as portable on-demand digital devices and video cameras. They conduct interviews, take pictures, and capture film footage. Parents are also given opportunities to assist their children in the storytelling process by engaging with them online, using collaborative tools. The ultimate product, the digital story, is the result not only of learning how to build plot and inform an audience, but of learning how to produce digital literature. This shared family experience is a collaborative effort to improve family literacy using 21st century resources.

Vgotsky’s early 20th century research (later published in 1978) focused on socio-cultural theory that emphasized the connection between cognitive development and social interaction. Many researchers have been influenced by his early work, much of which is the foundation for today’s Social Development Theory. This theory states that the community plays a central role in the process of “making meaning”. In noting Vgotsky’s work, researchers Ortiz and Ordonez-Jasis also refer to Bakhurst’s (1990) and D’Andrade’s (1955) studies of literacy development as a socio-cultural activity:

51

“As it relates to education, learning is shaped by a mutual exchange of views and experiences by all parties involved; that is, children, parents and teachers engage in the process of constructing their thoughts, ideas and beliefs about school and learning through social activity within and outside the classroom context.”

Families come to the Family Tech Camp program to participate as a community, to learn about new technologies, collaborate with each other, and support their children. Social interaction and cognitive development intersect.

The National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, developed by the National PTA® using Epstein’s work on school, family and community partnerships, stresses the importance of family involvement in student success. The standards guide the evening activities to make sure the goals of the community events are purposeful and productive.  Throughout the Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling program, strategies to help students and families increase their proficiency of the English language are employed both in the after-school and evening programs. Families involve themselves in the process of critical thinking during the read-aloud/think-aloud process. They are given time to listen to unfamiliar, challenging texts and reread them. They are encouraged to recall their own family stories orally and later transfer these into digital formats. Time is also allocated to sharing strategies that improve reading and writing. During the evening programs, families are provided information about community programs involving the local library, adult literacy and summer programs for children, and even information about social services. Guest speakers are asked to attend to explain these services more thoroughly. These evening workshops are more than just a meet and greet. They are used to connect school to home and also home to community.

Anchoring the program even further, the activities that students and their families partake in is carefully developed using best practices. In addition to using research to guide its family literacy program, educators look to Stephen Krashen’s work as author and consultant, who notes that language acquisition is the first step in developing learning that leads to increased fluency, and later comprehension, to guide instruction. The learning community setting is an optimum forum to increase reading, writing, and language. Teachers can provide language models and comprehensible input as they observe and interact with families and students. In this informal school setting, students are encouraged to read from preselected text but also to explore other texts they feel comfortable trying. As Krashen notes, students can acquire language when they understand messages with language they are ready to acquire. Because the text is centered around family journeys, the message to the families is one that is recognizable.  

From Theory to Practice

In Rudolfo Alfonso Anaya’s Censorship of Neglect, he writes, “Our challenge is to incorporate into the curriculum all the voices of our country…” The Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling program, honors the diversity of the community while providing an environment where socio-cultural dialogue takes place. It is during the evening workshops that families are encouraged to share their voice and learn new ways to express themselves through the use of digital age tools. Similar to learning a new language, technology instruction requires

52

scaffolding and time to make connections. Family Tech Camp provides the venue for parents and children to converse about family stories from native lands while developing competencies in spoken English. The sessions are facilitated by qualified educators who can guide the dialogue and provide opportunities for language acquisition and fluency in an informal setting outside of the classroom.  Such structured activities for collaborative parent-child talk promote a flow of conversational language that not only celebrate cultural diversity, but promote literacy as a means to success as a life-long learner. Through the after-school tech camp and ESL Family Tech Camp programs, home and school are connected and increased language acquisition and fluency, the outcomes.

District-wide, technology is used to motivate students to learn differently. In the seven building level ESL classrooms, devices such as iPods, iPads, and MacBooks, and software are available to help students practice skills to acquire language.  Before students begin to use these new technologies in ESL Tech Camp, teachers are provided professional development on the use of technology tools to improve literacy. Eight ESL educators joined their director for a half-day workshop, run by an educational technology specialist. The initial session focused on the iRead program (I Record Educational Audio Digitally), a project documented by the Escondido School District in California to help students acquire language using audio tools. This first session centered on how to use digital tools like iPads and Garageband to help students acquire language. Facilitated discussions, focused on the importance of language acquisition and fluency as building blocks to reading, were embedded in the pull-out training and subsequent push-in, hands-on work with ESL students and teachers. Soon after the first professional development session the teachers, the Director of ESL, and the staff developer engaged in a brainstorming session to design a project-based approach to language acquisition. The project selected for the first year was Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling, an approach to reading and writing that provided students the opportunity to reflect upon their journeys to the United States and ponder connections to American life. This professional development program for teachers was followed by a ten-week, after-school, ESL tech camp program for ESL students in grades 3-8. Student tales and first person narratives were collected through oral and digital recordings that ultimately unfolded through a digital storytelling experience.

This fall, the project, entitled Making Hardwired Connections in Grandma’s Attic, pairs grades 3-8 ESL students with peers in the S.A.I.L. program (Students Accelerating in Learning). Students, as young historians, curators, and technologists, will explore family life in 20th century Long Island through the examination of vintage and antique 20th century artifacts. In keeping with the focus of informational text in the new NYS Common Core Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy, works of literature will consist of informational texts about the World War II era. Professional development will be facilitated by the educational technology specialist using best practices around online research and information fluency. Using the latest technologies, students will research and catalog artifacts, and document their findings in an online wiki. Students will also record conversations, Skype with peers about their findings, videotape the process of creating a museum collection for public viewing at the Van Bourgondien Farm House Interpretive Center, a local historical landmark, take virtual field trips, video conference with students in the eastern part of Long Island, and produce digital stories.  In

53

keeping with Anaya’s call to action, the district will continue to incorporate student and family voice in its curriculum.

Student Work

Throughout the writing process, students, guided by their teachers, immersed themselves in various steps to achieve success as digital storytellers. Student work created as a result of the Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling project consisted of writing pieces in various formats. The process began as a traditional lesson. Students were asked to reflect on the culturally-relevant stories they had previously read with their families during the initial Family Tech Camp. They brainstormed topics for stories, using a web map on the SmartBoard and shared their different experiences verbally. This was followed by the creation of a rough draft of family stories based on their family journeys. After this initial process, students engaged in the process of editing and revising their work until a final draft emerged. While some students preferred the method of typing their stories in an online collaborative tool called Google Docs, other students, particularly younger students, used notebooks to capture their thoughts. This process took several weeks to complete. As students finalized their stories, they engaged in the process of reading the stories out loud to one another. Primary school children created audio recordings of their stories. They practiced their oral reading and pronunciation skills. Teachers checked for fluency, intonation and comprehension throughout. As stories were finalized, students, using Storybird, an online digital storytelling tool, illustrated their text with artists’ work from around the world. The student-created books included stories in English, and at the junior high school translations into native languages. This process from prewriting to the publication of an original book, Our Family Journeys, took about eight weeks, culminating in an authentic presentation session. Student authors shared their stories at the final ESL Family Tech Camp.

54

Student Work Samples

  Example of Storybird entry, Luis, age 8

   Luis’ text shows the development of sequence, fluidity in thoughts, and a summation.

55

Example of Storybird entry, Jessica, age 10

Jessica’s used When I Was Young in the Mountains as a mentor text. The illustration chosen and thoughts voiced show creativity and alignment but edits are needed to refine her writing.

56

Example of Storybird entry, Buse, grade 7

Buce’s story is a recollection of a memorable day in her family’s native country. She utilized the pictures found on Storybird to illustrate her thoughts. This story is succinct and filed with appropriate transition word. Errors with mechanics will be addressed at the next Tech Camp so that Buse can grow as an editor.

Translated Stories

Hindi and English versions of When I Was Young in India based on the mentor text, When I Was Young in the Mountains

Timeline for the Implementation of ESL Tech Camp:

Teacher Planning Session

Selection of culturally-relevant picture books for the read-aloud experience is made by the committee.

Student Planning Session

Students brainstorm list of questions for parent interviews. Questions relate to an experience from their native country.

Week 1 Students and parents attend first ESL Family Tech Camp.

Week 2 Students review parent responses.

57

Week 3-4 Students brainstorm topics for stories, using graphic organizers and concept maps.

Week 4-5 Students share their experiences through oral storytelling.

Week 5 Students create rough drafts of stories and start the editing process.

Week 5-6 Students choose artwork to reflect their personal stories.

Week 6 Students use digital literacy tools to construct their stories.

Week 7 Teachers and students edit work together.

Week 7-8 Stories are printed and published online.

Week 8 Students and parents attend the 2nd ESL Family Tech Camp. Student authorship is celebrated.

Culturally-Relevant Mentor Texts For Family Read-Alouds 

Abuela

by Arthur Dorros

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse

by Walter Dean Myers

58

I Go with My Family to Grandma’s

by Riki Levinson

The Relatives Came

by Cynthia Rylant

When I Was Young In the Mountains

by Cynthia Rylant

Alignment of Learning Experiences with the NYS P-12 CCLS for English Language Arts and Literacy and the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students

Learning Experience Connection to CCLS for ELA and Literacy

Connection to ISTE NETS-S and Performance Indicators

Listen attentively to read-alouds about family journeys to America

Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12

Comprehension and Collaboration e.

Prepare interview questions based upon the read-aloud to generate family stories and document process

Writing Standards 6-12

Responding to Literature 11.

Research and Information Fluency 3a

Critical Thinking , Problem Solving, and Decision Making 4b

Read picture books about family stories to Reading Standards

59

parents and siblings

for Literature 6-12

Responding to Literature 11.

Use basic conversational skills to interview parents for family stories using digital recorders and video

Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 6

Communication and Collaboration 2a,b,c,d

Research and Information Fluency 3c

Create written responses based upon family conversations

Writing Standards 6-12

Responding to Literature 11.

Listen and follow directions

Speaking and Listening 6-12

Comprehension and Collaboration b.

Digital Citizenship 5a,b

Technology Operations 6a,b,c

Share information and stories in a public forum

Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4., 5., 6.

Communication and Collaboration 2a,b,c,d

Digital Citizenship

Use various forms of digital tools; including hardware and software, such as word processors, dictionaries, digital recording tools, story writing software, laptops, iTunes, iPods, iPads, etc.

Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 5

Research and Information Fluency 3c

Technology Operations and Concepts 6a,b,c,d

Create texts in print and digital formats, using both digital photos and videos

Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 5

Creativity and Innovation 1b

Communication and Collaboration 1a,b,c,d

60

New Literacies and Technology Integration 

Craig, Hull, Haggart & Crowder’s 2001 research on storytelling shows that the act of preparing stories prepares students to understand the complex components. Using technology as a motivator, is one way encourage even the most resistant student to write. Both literate and non-literate parents and children can engage in technology-integrated activities that provide a common experience so, during ESL Tech Camp, students collected oral interviews with iPods and iPads using an APP called iTalkRecorder. They also utilized flip cameras and digital cameras to collect video footage.  A flexible approach to the use of technology allows students to select available tools that are most comfortable for them. It is important that the focus remains on the product and not the device because the tool is just a means to an end, not the end itself.

Miramontes (1991) suggests that many teachers regard the language environments of ESL students as a limiting factor to literacy acquisition and academic success. Therefore, it is essential that carefully designed learning experiences outside the home are created to improve language acquisition, fluency, and academic skills that lead to new pathways to literacy. Proficiency in 21st century literacies requires students to be able to communicate in various ways. The integration of technology tools to improve literacy acquisition is embraced by students and parents for several reasons. The different tools allow for students of varying abilities to participate in the act of reading and responding to text both orally and in writing. In addition, the technology provides tools that students can use with their families to build   stories collaboratively. The end result is a shared community experience (the digital story) that is available online, viewable and able to be commented on, by all. One ESL parent commented that it was great to come to the program because one of her children who has shy tendencies in crowds spontaneously spoke with family members and peers. Another felt positive about the experience because she wanted to learn English better. Varsha, an advanced ESL junior high school student agreed. “ESL Tech Family Night was very good because my family came with me. I enjoyed recording my voice, reading the book to my mom, and asking the interview questions. My parents learned a lot about new technology. They felt excited about being there because they don’t get to go out many places.” ESL Tech Camp not only recognizes but honors the digital natives’ need for engaging, multidimensional, social learning experiences that are technology-based.

By providing our ESL students with academic skills and exposure to technology, we engage them in simulated real world experiences that foster language development and fluency. Varsha noted, “I enjoy using technology to share my stories.” Designing multidimensional learning opportunities empower students to connect their outside world with the classroom in an engaging way. The engaging features of new technologies, allow for students and families to work on academic skills in an innovative way. Mrs. G, a mother of an elementary ESL student, felt positive about the integration of technology into the after-school program and was pleased that her child received addition instruction. Linking the digital natives with the classroom makes 21st century learning come alive.

61

A Trusting Environment is the Key to Success

Creating opportunities that are meaningful to family while respecting family together time should be taken into consideration when creating parent / family literacy programs. ESL Tech Camp Family Night sessions are designed with this in mind. It is important to the project designers to provide a trusting, environment where parents and children engage in literacy activities while interacting with educators in a non-threatening environment. It is equally important to afford the families opportunities to increase their language proficiencies and exposure to new technologies.

One of the reasons a community forms is to establish a common purpose. In Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling, the common purpose is to help students acquire language proficiencies. The families who attend the literacy program already share several commonalities. They are members of the community in which they live. Their children might be friends and may share a class. At minimum, their children share a distinction; they are English Language Learners. While their family journeys may be different, each family has a story to tell. The goal, they are told at the beginning of the workshop, is to help them establish a community. In this community it is important to acknowledge that each family has a story to tell; that each one of them has, a “voice”.

One of the most important outcomes of the ESL Family Tech Camp was the emergence of a small learning community as evidenced by two elementary ESL children from different backgrounds who spontaneously chose to engage in a peer reading. Other, anecdotal evidence was the observation of children excitedly sharing family pictures and videos with each other. Arguably, the most important piece of evidence that a community had been established came at the final ESL Family Tech Camp workshop. The workshop had been established as the culminating activity - students would be presenting their bound book stories about their family journeys. Just before the presentations began, as children were getting ready to read formally in front of the audience, a circle began to form. Instead of presenting in the front of a room, children chose instead to sit in a circle, beside their families and friends, and read aloud to one another. Because the stories had been published in book format, copies were distributed to the families so that everyone could read along. Parents, children, siblings and teachers became active listeners. When a child whose story was included in the book was not present, their story was read by their peers, so as not to be overlooked. When a child needed support, peers came to their aid and surrounded them as they read to the group. Parents hugged their children and recalled the memories that had been conjured.

62

The natural progression of the small learning community in the program Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling took form as experiences were designed with a purposeful goal in mind. At the end of the program, parents surveyed indicated a sincere commitment to engage further in the family tech camp experiences. This enthusiasm for furthering literacy experiences proved to project leaders that an environment that allows flexible grouping and is designed with opportunities for sharing “voices” cannot be built in the absence of trust.  

Assessment of Student Work

Ongoing informal and formal assessment is essential in determining whether innovative techniques and methodologies are valid. While academic and technology-related work within the small group structure promotes hands-on use, assessment is needed to determine the effectiveness of these on the advancement of the English Language Learners’ academic skills. For instance, students may be eager to use a microphone to record their digital stories, but a determination on whether the text is spoken clearly and fluently is critical. It is during the ESL Tech Camp, that students assess project work. Several self-evaluation tools are used to help students reflect on their progress. These include questionnaires, rubrics, and checklists. Children write reflections in order to show progress toward the attainment of the learning standards. Teachers collect evidence of student progress toward meeting the ELA and ESL learning standards through informal teacher observations (kidwatching), post-it note commentaries on student work, rubrics, checklists, and task logs.

Formal assessment measures allow the project team to reflect on student growth and determine next steps.  Imagine the surprise of the educators when the NYSESLAT scores were released. All three elementary boys who participated in the ESL Tech Camp scored a proficient level, as did the majority of the junior high students. Six advanced students exited the ESL program this fall, but will continue to receive transitional services and attend ESL Tech Camp and Family Tech Camp for additional support. Two junior high school girls who were beginners progressed to the intermediate level. Academic and parental support were found to be important factors in the development of the English Language Learners in the Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling program. It is essential for English Language Learner to be exposed to rigorous learning experiences. In the ESL Tech Camp program learning involves a variety of engaging, relevant, and rigorous experiences that promote conversational English and language proficiency while providing real-world opportunities to succeed. Current research in the field of literacy supports language development and fluency as essential building blocks for comprehension. The formal results support the idea that home-school connections are essential, as is the small group model of providing instruction. Technology integration is a factor when developing innovative programs aimed at impacting learning.

What is Needed to Support the Program

Several components need to be in place in order for this program to be successful. At a minimum there must be a concerted effort to design a family literacy program that will be sustained over time. District leadership is essential in moving the initiative forward. A district team must be in

63

place to locate resources that support the learning community. This includes applying for grant monies, allocating monies for planning and resources, and dedicating time to meet with youngsters and their families. The alignment of ELA and ESL curriculum with the Common Core Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy and educational technology standards is also important. Technology should be embedded in the learning experiences to support the teaching and learning.

To properly implement the Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling project teachers must be given time to plan and if needed, professional development to ensure an understanding of how the tools can help students address learning objectives. Infrastructure that allows connectivity to the Internet is a necessity. At a minimum, classrooms need to be equipped with technology that allows for the recording of voices and the creation of digital stories. At the inception of our program, ESL teachers were provided with one of each of the following devices: a MacBook Pro, MacBook computer, iPad, iPod, splitter, headphones with microphones, and a wireless router. Digital cameras and video cameras, useful in the collection of narratives and for documenting the process, were shared among teachers. The combination of these tools allowed for student engagement in the interactive writing process. Technology was essential in facilitating student learning. Not only did it allow teachers more time to concentrate on assessment and giving feedback, but it became the means of communicating family stories to the world. In addition to professional development on the use of technologies, an experienced educational technology specialist will provide guidance on addressing 21st century literacy. She can share research-based approaches around the use of technology to facilitate learning and help locate resources to implement the initiative. This combination of leaders, teachers, students, and community members collaborating to develop a hands-on, project-based approach provides the foundation for a deeply embedded and connected, learning community.

Benefits

The ten-week ESL Tech Camp and ESL Family Tech Camp programs have its merits. They encourage parent-child collaborative talk that promotes conversational skills and the development of vocabulary.  The programs provide a trusting and comfortable environment for public reading of oral stories, reflection, and commentary in the presence of an audience. Students learn to create good quality, audio and digital stories using a range of equipment and software. Academic success is also noted. Language proficiency levels increased as evidenced by the 2011 NYSESLAT scores.

Program Results  

Student ESL Tech Camp

ESL Family Tech Camp

2010 NYSESLAT Level

2011 NYSESLAT Level

Ece - Grade 8 x x Intermediate Proficient

Earhle - Grade 8 x Intermediate Proficient

64

Gianella - 8 x x Beginner Intermediate

Maria - Grade 8 x Beginner Intermediate

Varsha - Grade 8 x x Intermediate Proficient

Varun - Grade 8 x Intermediate Advanced

Buce - Grade 7 x x Advanced Proficient

Tania - Grade 6 x x Advanced Proficient

Bradley - Grade 3 x x Intermediate Advanced

Kacper - Grade 3 x x Intermediate Advanced

Luis - Grade 3 x x Advanced Proficient

Of a total 11 students who began the program, five junior high and one elementary school student exited the ESL program with proficient scores. Three junior high students and two elementary students advanced one proficiency level. Further data shows that of the five elementary ESL students who did not attend the Tech Camp program or Family Tech Camp program three advanced one level; one child exited the program; one child remained an advanced student. Because the children were not able to attend the tech camp programs, the teacher provided the same activities and exposure to the new technologies within the ESL day program.

Parents benefited from the program as well. Not only were they privy to increased exposure to the English language during ESL Family Tech Camp but they increased technological proficiencies and expressed pride in their children’s written accomplishments.  Some parents used the technology during the program and collaborated with their children. Due to the positive outcomes of the ESL Tech Camp program, ESL parents and their children have agreed to present to the Board of Education this year about the benefits they have experienced. The outcome of such a presentation will be to encourage a cross-cultural understanding of the diverse ethnic backgrounds in the ESL program while connecting school and home in a unique way.

Importance of Home-School Connections

Language development is a foremost challenge for English Language Learners. Therefore, best practices in literacy education and successful home and school partnerships need to be created to assist ELLs develop 21st century proficiencies. Believing that networking opportunities for

65

school-home connections are important, Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling, will continue to be implemented on the premise that “Parent involvement matters for any kind of school program success and for any individual child’s school achievement, especially in reading and language arts…The common wisdom suggests that schools work better when parents are actively ‘involved’ in their children’s education, both at home and in the school building.” (Edwards, 2009) In support of home-school connections, Mrs. Gonzalez commented on the ESL Tech Camp experience. “I’m so pleased that my child is able to use technology.” Mr. Batmaz replied,  "I really liked it.  I thought there were interesting stories and I was happy to hear our stories (his daughter’s stories).  Thank You."

In an age where there is a disconnect between home and school, providing students with the tools to succeed is paramount. In response to Anaya’s call to action, project leaders recognized the need to  honor the different voices of the community and to incorporate the students’ words into a collection of published works. To illustrate the power of the spoken word Ece, a faithful participant of the tech camp programs, stated, “My father cried when he read my story!” Literacy matters to Ece’s family.

The Best Day of My Life is a poignant memoir of a young girl’s reunion in a new country.

66

67

Connections are Essential for Student Success

At a recent book signing, Patricia Edwards noted, “Home and school must work together!” Family literacy programs are an essential component of a learning community. To promote literate environments for English Language Learners, educators need to think outside the box and find the means to connect home to school. Building Family Connections Through Digital Storytelling is a viable means to link families and schools to bring about positive change in student achievement. Providing purposeful, productive ways for parents and children to connect is one way to address the challenge of literacy for English Language Learners. In a 21st century world we need ALL our students and their families to be active participants in the learning process. “Engage Me” is not only a call to action for educators but for parents as well. It is an innovative approach to promoting literacy for:

 “Literacy is at the root of a person’s ability to succeed, and the family is at the heart.”(National Center for Family Literacy)   

References

Anaya, Rudolfo A. (1995). The Anaya Reader. New York: Warner Books.  

Bellmer, Stacey (2005). Digital storytelling: Examining the process with middle school students. Literature Review for Iowa State University.

Dragan, Pat Barrett. (2008). Kids, Cameras, and the Curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Edwards, Patricia (1999). A Path to Follow. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Edwards, Patricia A. (2009). Tapping The Potential of Parents. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Epstein, J.L. and Sheldon, S.B. (2006), “Moving forward: Ideas for research on school, family and community partnerships” in C.F. Conrad and R. Serlin (eds.), SAGE Handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 117-137.

68

Family-School Partnerships - PTA. National PTA®. 2011. Web. 11 July 2011. <http://www.pta.org/family_school_partnerships.asp>.

Freeman, David & Yvonne. (2007). English Language Learners, The Essential Guide. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Henderson, Anne T. and Mapp, Karen (2002) A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL): Austin, TX.  

Krashen, S. (2008) Language Education Past, Present, and Future. RELC Journal, 39 (2), 178-187.

Krashen, S. & Terrel, T. (1983) The Natural Approach-Language Acquisition in the Classroom. Oxford: Pergammon.

Miller, Lisa C. (2010) Make Me a Story - Teaching Writing Through Digital Storytelling. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.

Morrissette, Rhonda. "What Is Effective Technology Professional Development?" Web log post. 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 July 2011.  

Ortiz, R. & Ordonez-Jasis, R. (2005) Leyendo Juntos (Reading Together): New Directions for Latino Parents’ Early Literacy Involvement. The Reading Teacher, 59 (2), 110-121.

Paratore, Jeanne R. (2005) Approaches to family literacy: Exploring the possibilities. The Reading Teacher, 59, 394–396.

Prabhu, Maya. "iGeneration Requires a Different Approach to Instruction." eSchoolNews.com. 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Aug. 2011.

Rasinski, Timothy V. (2003) The Fluent Reader. New York, New York: Scholastic.

Strickland, Dorothy. (2010). Essential Reading on Early Literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Created by Blanca Duarte: LogicWing and Toni Kinnear, Carol Varsalona, Kris Yturraspe: West Babylon UFSD, October 2011.

………………………………….

69

Blanca E. Duarte, has been an educational technology consultant for close to ten years. She has held numerous positions in her 15+ years in education as technology coordinator, professional developer and adjunct professor. In 2007, focused on bridging the gap between those who had access to technology and information, and those that did not, she embarked on a journey to learn how Maine's one-to-one program impacted learning. Her experience with children, educators, administrators and parents in schools that demonstrated a transformation of learning experiences spurred her passion to find ways to help others design programs that did the same. She began LogicWing in that year and partnered with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills as a professional development affiliate. In her role as Chief Enablement Officer, she leads a team of educators with over 100 years of teaching experience who help schools leverage existing technologies and adopt new ones in order to find new and better ways to collaborate, communicate and invoke creativity in the classroom.  Blanca is a co-moderator of #NYEDChat, a professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter, board member of Variety Child Learning Center, a preschool for children with special needs, and has held various leadership positions in organizations supporting literacy and education. Together with her team she helps schools and districts implement technology in meaningful ways and presents at national, state, and regional conferences. 

Carol Varsalona, an ELA consultant, has had extensive experience as an administrative leader, literacy specialist/reading teacher, national/state conference presenter, grant writer, and a staff developer in multiple Long Island school districts. In addition, she is a blogger and co-moderator of #NYEDChat, a professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter where she communicates with various state PLNs and global educational leaders. Varsalona’s credits include membership in the NYS Academy for Teaching and Learning, statewide peer review facilitator, NYS Network team member, Long Island Educator of the Month, recipient of numerous state/regional grants,

70

Board Member/Newsletter Editor of Long Island Language Arts Council, and presenter at national, state, and regional conferences. She has designed and curated eight global galleries of artistic expressions that can be found on her blog site: Beyond LiteracyLink. She has a Professional Diploma in School District Administration, a CAS in Reading, MS in Developmental Reading, and BA in English Education. Varsalona is a lifelong learner dedicated to energizing and impacting K-12 teaching and literacy learning through the blending of theory and research with best classroom practices and reflective strategies, the development of thinking skills, integrated technologies, writer’s voice, and professional development opportunities. She is ardent about inviting vigor and engagement into education to redesign the literacy landscape. Through the blending of theory and research with best classroom practices and reflective strategies, I am ardent about inviting vigor and engagement into education to redesign the literacy landscape. 

Blog: beyondliteracylink.blogspot.comTwitter: @cvarsalonaeMail: cvarsalona@gmail.com

71