1.
The readings have confirmed my thinking about the effects
of digital media writing on young people's abilities to read and
write. I determined this while reading the article "Can Texting Help with Spelling."In this article, it
states that students know when not to text (Scholastic, 2014). I agree and
disagree with this because even though texting might not be affecting students
school work NOW, that doesn't mean that in the future it won't. Kids are
now starting to get smart phones younger and younger. I feel eventually,
the texting lingo will start to show in their professional
writing skills because they have started using the texting lingo at a much
younger age then my generation or the generation before me.
2. The readings have also confirmed my thinking about the effects of school based writing instruction on young people's abilities to read and write. One of the articles that helped my confirm my thinking was "Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum."
I agreed with a lot of points that were made in this article. I feel that when you are learning to write feedback is the most important thing. "Some teacher response is necessary, but student learning can be enhanced by peer responses to writing, whole class discussion of student writing samples, students' reflection on their own writing, and brief one-on-one conferences" (Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum, 2011). While completing my student teaching I used a lot of these techniques with my students and it really did help their writing performance. Something that makes me angry as a teacher is when people think that is all up to the teachers to be the only ones to teach students how to read and write. "Young people learn to write outside of school as well as in it." (Writing Outside of School, 2009).
3. Some changes I feel educators need to make so that reading and writing in schools has a more positive effect on children's abilities to read and write are as following...
2. The readings have also confirmed my thinking about the effects of school based writing instruction on young people's abilities to read and write. One of the articles that helped my confirm my thinking was "Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum."
I agreed with a lot of points that were made in this article. I feel that when you are learning to write feedback is the most important thing. "Some teacher response is necessary, but student learning can be enhanced by peer responses to writing, whole class discussion of student writing samples, students' reflection on their own writing, and brief one-on-one conferences" (Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum, 2011). While completing my student teaching I used a lot of these techniques with my students and it really did help their writing performance. Something that makes me angry as a teacher is when people think that is all up to the teachers to be the only ones to teach students how to read and write. "Young people learn to write outside of school as well as in it." (Writing Outside of School, 2009).
3. Some changes I feel educators need to make so that reading and writing in schools has a more positive effect on children's abilities to read and write are as following...
- Give Students a Choice- Outside of school, children are free to pursue their interests. They learn how to play baseball or the drums; they learn ride a bike or play video games; they read comic books, graphic novels etc. But during a school day, how much ownership do students have of their learning? Letting students choose (age appropriate) books that interest them or letting them write about something they like (e.g. Journals, 10 minute free writing etc...)
- Let Students Create Things- People like to make stuff. Having control of our work and using our minds and hands to create something original give us a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Students can create many things across the curriculum; newspaper, magazines, brochures, stories, picture books, posters, PowerPoints, songs-- the list goes on and on.
- Show of Student Work- The walls of our classrooms should speak to people; they should say exactly what goes on in that space throughout the school day. You can show students favorite books, you can post some of their best writing--students can read their classmates work as well.
4. Here is a link to a video that supports my stance on the use of digital media to support reading and writing instruction in schools--- Think Time: Teens and Social Networks
References
Can Texting Help With Spelling? | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Scholastic Teachers. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/can-texting-help-spelling
Reading and Writing across the Curriculum. National Council of Teachers of English.
Think Time: Teens and Social Network. (2014, February 24). YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://youtu.be/qR21wvFzJsg
Writing Outside of School. National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from www.ncte.org
Vtoons. 2011, June 2). Jim’s Monthly Muses [Blog Spot].
Retrieved from http://monthlymissive-jimvtoons.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html
Great 3 points about how the education system can change. I really like these three points as they are easy to incorporate into any classroom for any subject area. I believe in hands on learning threw projects. I feel students are more engaged when they are doing a project.Also when the students are more engaged in a project I love when they get to share their hard work. Even if it is just hanging on the wall I know students feel some pride when they see someone looking at it.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteI am completely on board with you when you express the concern that texting lingo with filter into the more formal literary work students produce. I do however think that it is amazing how students can "flip" from texting language to formal writing depending on the context in which they are.
I also think your ideas for incorporating technology into the classroom are fantastic. I believe students will be more willing to write if they can choose the topics that interest them. To keep students engaged in reading and writing they should also be given the tools that facilitate learning and projects are the best to accomplish this. There are so many students that are kinesthetic learners and excel in "hands on" activities. Technology implemented in the classroom is great to encourage learning for these students
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts that texting may become a problem in formal writing in the future, but I also see it being managed by teachers stressing the importance of formal writing, audience, and purpose. I still think that news websites like CNN serve as a great example of how digital writing is still formal and has correct grammar and punctuation. I also like your suggestions for teachers about letting students create and then show their work. So often students are so proud of their work and it doesn't get displayed or showed. Sometimes the work is taken home to parents who don't value writing skills and so all that hard work and effort goes down the drain because the parents are not aware of their choices. I love the fact that creative teachers get their students involved more and display their work on bulletin boards or anywhere.
Great post!