Looking for an easy book about the Internet?

Web literacy goes beyond reading the content of a Web page (which is still an important step!). It also means becoming knowledgeable in the grammar of the Internet:

• Knowing how to read a URL
• Finding out who published a Web site
• Looking to see who is linked to a site

Being Web literate means you understand how search engines work and how information is controlled. It also means you have the skills to perform powerful searches that can potentially save time and frustration (November, 2008).

I just finished reading Alan November’s book Web Literacy for Educators (Corwin Press, 2008). If you are looking for an easy introduction to basic ideas about the Internet and how to share this information with your students, this is a great resource.

November covers all of the basic ideas a teacher might want to know about the Internet and its use by students. His topics include:

• What is the Internet
• What are IP addresses?
• What are domain names?
• What are URLs and how do you read them?
• How do search engines work and how can you teach students to effectively use them?
• What are blogs, wikis, podcasts and RSS feeds?

Not only is each topic explained clearly, but there are tips and worksheets to help a teacher introduce the ideas to students. The lessons are clear and adaptable to a wide range of students.

Especially helpful is his four-steps for validating web site information: REAL.

R = Read the URL

E = Examine the content

A = Ask about the author and publisher

L – Look at the links

Each step is clearly explained, again with ideas for sharing these steps with students. I found his explanations interesting and even learned some things myself about effective searching of the web.

So, if you want a quick, easy-to-read introduction to basic web ideas, along with ideas for sharing this important information with students, check out Web Literacy for Educators.

Classroom Blogging

I just finished reading David Warlick’s book Classroom Blogging: A Teacher’s Guide to Blogs, Wikis, & Other Tools that are Shaping a New Information Landscape (2nd Edition). (Landmark Project, 2007) While the title of the book does not allude in any way to reading/literacy instruction, I think this is a book that all reading teachers/literacy educators should take a look at if you are interested in pondering questions of literacy in the 21st century.

Warlick is quite clear in his book that Web 2.0 tools such as blogging, wikis, and podcasts are all about literacy – and inn this case reading & writing. For instance, he writes:

“Being a reader now requires skills in finding information within a global electronic library that is relevant to the task you are trying to achieve. It includes being able to decode the information regardless of its format (text, sound, images, video). It also requires the ability to evaluate the information to determine its value and to organize the information into personally meaningful and valuable digital libraries.” (18)

I like how his definition reconceptualizes the issue of decoding. Certainly it is essential for students to be able to decode traditional print text, but are some students “at risk” if we do not consider issues of “decoding” sound, images, video, and more?

As for writing, Warlick states, “…it has become possible, and a basic writing skill, to be able to process images, sound, and video for the purpose of adding value to the information.” (19) Again, an emphasis that goes beyond traditional printed textual words.

He sums up the link between blogging and literacy when he writes, “Blogging is about reading, thinking, writing, and reading some more. It is about communication.” (20) Isn’t this what we in the field of reading/literacy education are all about?

What makes his book so valuable to classroom educators is his clear writing style and explanations. But most importantly, he provides step-by-step directions for learning how to blog, create wikis, podcast, and more. After reading his book, I’m still processing how I can integrate blogging and podcasting into my instruction. I’m sure this will be fodder for future posts.

I’d encourage any literacy educator to check out this book. You can, of course, purchase through Amazon, but I’d like to put in a plug for contacting Reading Matters. This is a great small business that provides a lot of support to literacy groups, especially in Pennsylvania, and has been gracious enough to send me a number of publications to review.

Am I SMART enough?

Today we had training for the use of our SMART Boards, which were installed last winter. I must admit that I haven't spent enough time since our first training last year learning how to use all that it offers. Don't get me wrong, I love having a built in projector and can not imagine teaching anymore without it. It is just that I haven't quite grasped the excitement about the "SMART" part.  

When it comes to technology, what interests me most are the tech tools that help students learn. What can I teach students to use that will enhance their learning. So far, I can really see how teaching with interactive whiteboards can create engaging lessons. Yet the time I would expend developing "SMART" lessons and learning how to use all it has to offer does not seem as useful as time spent finding and learning how to use tools that students themselves can use - not only in my classroom, but when they leave me as well.
 
I know a lot of teachers love their interactive whiteboards. It is one of my goals to explore this teaching tool more this year. I'd love to hear others' thoughts on the value of this technology.

Why?

I've been pondering starting a blog for quite awhile now. As a new school year has begun, I have decided now is as good a time as any. So, you may ask, what will this blog be about. Glad you asked... What does technology have to do with teaching reading/language arts? Why should an English teacher worry about the impact of technology in her classroom and students' academic lives? While many in the literacy field recognize, at least somewhat, the value of word processing for writing, the changes in literacy and what it means to be literate in the 21st century are not as well understood or even accepted. That is what I plan to focus on in this blog. As reading educators we need to be in the forefront of learning about Web 2.0 tools and their value for our students' literacy learning. Web 2.0 has often been termed the "Read/Write Web." So, it has our name all over it! Let's explore what this can mean for us. All comments welcome!