Incorporating literacy into my content area

Blog Assignment:  How are you going to incorporate literacy into your content area? If you are an elementary teacher, how would you integrate literacy into science, math, or social studies? Detail a specific example, including an assessment strategy. Don't forget to think about your diverse learners and something you may need to do differently for below or above average readers.

Since I am a writing instructor, incorporating literacy into my content area is central to what I do each day. The program I work in is largely a self-directed online program from Pearson, where students log in and work through a series of modules on grammar and sentence structure that are custom tailored to their needs, based on their scores on a pre-test that evaluates what they already do well and what they need help with. My role is primarily that of a tutor. I track their performance and give one-on-one instruction in the content areas with which they might struggle. Often this involves going over the tests they have failed to pass and examining with them individual questions they answered incorrectly in an effort to help them understand where they went wrong. After this one-on-one remedial review, they can re-test and improve their scores.

The part of the program that I have a bit more latitude with is the writing portion of the class. In addition to the Pearson modules, they are assigned a series of writing assignments (descriptive, narrative, persuasive, process, etc.) I edit their writing and review them with the students to explain how they could improve their writing. These are community college students, quite a diverse bunch, and individual attention is needed to help them improve their writing. Some require very basic instruction in sentence structure, paragraph use, and organization. They are given almost unlimited drafts to get their essays up to acceptable levels. Assessment reflects not only their final draft quality but also the effort they expended in improving their work.

More advanced students are assisted in refining their writing. Their one-on-one instruction involves looking at options and alternatives in how to they express their ideas and organize their writing. Though their writing may be technically correct, it often can be improved with some editorial polish. Assessment for these above-average learners goes beyond mechanics to elements of style and personal expression.

Evaluating Wikis on Reading and Writing

I evaluated two writing websites developed by teachers for their students: Mrs. Badgley’s Wikispace (http://mrsbadgley.wikispaces.com) and Mr. Sheehy’s English Website (https://sheehy-english.wikispaces.com).  Mr. Sheehy’s students are identified as high schoolers; Mrs. Badgley’s are not specifically identified by grade, but I would assume by the content that they are middle schoolers.

Mr. Sheehy’s wiki is visually striking. It is clear and readable, with high contrast between the text and the background. Good use of graphics and layout (white space, columns, photos and captions, etc.) is appealing and draws the reader in. It feels familiar, like a magazine. The home page starts with a joke, which puts the student reader at ease, and provides learning goals as well as a block of quick access keyword links to tools and instruction.

The navigation bar is well organized and links to various readings, assignments, syllabi, extra credit options and a writing workshop. What the website does not seem to do is create a place for interaction and collaboration between students.  One is left with the distinct impression that this is Sheehy’s show and he is calling the shots.  His lessons are great. He has created some wonderful learning opportunities here, but it is very one-on-one oriented. I don’t get a sense that anyone beyond Mr. Sheehy can edit or expand the parameters of the wiki. While I enjoyed looking at his creative lessons, I wasn’t sure they were taking advantage of Web 2.0. Most of it could be just as easily done with traditional paper and pencil.

Visually, Mrs. Badgley’s wiki is lackluster. It is text heavy, with simple black type in one column on a white background. The boarder, where you find the navigation bar, is fuschia with purple lettering in a small type. Maybe younger eyes don’t have as much trouble, but I have a hard time reading it. There is very little in the way of graphics or pictures to liven up the page or make it more engaging. 

What Mrs. Badgley gets right from the start is spelling out her purpose for the wiki, “to provide a place for students (of all ages and needs) to collaborate to create useful collections of information.”  Her intention from the start is to get the ball rolling and get out of the way.  She defines what a wiki is and addresses how to join the site and post or make changes, leaving the impression that she does not intend to call the shots as much as to facilitate. Mrs. Badgley’s wiki navigator bar links readers to writing assignment pages as well as collections of useful links and tools for learning things such as creating HTML tags. The wiki encourages a lot of student writing but also emphasizes the importance of learning to edit. Searching through the editing changes shows that students have worked together to meet the objectives of the assignments.

Each of these wikis is a helpful example, both for what it does right and for what is lacking.  Ideally, I would strive to combine the attributes of both into my own wikis. Perhaps this serves as an example of the value of collaboration. If Mrs. Badgley and Mr. Sheehy would collaborate with each other, both their wikis would benefit from the strengths of each teacher.

Our class readings seem to be in agreement; new technology is here to stay and we would be foolish to ignore it.  As Nancy Frey, etal., say in Literacy 2.0: Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms, Literacy 2.0 does not replace Literacy 1.0. It builds upon it. We need a different mindset regarding what literacy is and how we teach it. Rebecca Anderson and her co-writers say much the same thing in Technology to Teach Literacy: a Resource for K-8 Teachers, "In one sense, computer technology is so pervasive at all levels of education that the question is no longer whether a teacher should use technology, but instead it is how should it be used to support literacy." 

While I agree with these writers, I think it is important to maintain a level of competency in reading and writing in the traditional sense and not lose track of it while we are redefining and rethinking how we define "literacy." All communication takes place through symbols, and even in the digital world, words are a big part of that lexicon of symbols. 

Introduction:

I'm Keith Osterberg, and I've created this blog for my Technology to Enhance Literacy course at Missouri Baptist University, where I am working towards a Master in Educational Technology degree. I teach at the Writing Lab of Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri, where I see the current state of literacy every day. There are students who are reasonably adept with language, and there are students who need considerable remedial help. 

My expectations for this course are many. As a writing teacher, I hope to learn ways that digital technology can be used to improve student writing.  Of course, the word "literacy" has several meanings, not all of which are about language mastery. There is also technology literacy. In today's digital world, we need to synthesize those two concepts: language literacy and technical literacy.

One article I was reading dealt with both. In "Leveraging Technology to Improve Literacy," Rick Allen reports on several classroom programs that combine teacher instruction with technological-driven instruction, with positive results.  Leveraging Technology to Improve Literacy.

I am hopeful this sort of synthesis of traditional and digital approaches will continue to yield successful results, especially in situations where the traditional approach alone has not.