Technology Integration Unit

After several attempts (because Jing only allows a 5 minute video, and mine kept running over!), here is the link for my project:

http://screencast.com/t/GnyNdd3a

The lesson plan:

Article #3 Review

Morgan, H. (2013).  Multimodal Children’s E-Books Help Young Learners in Reading.  Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.

The article I chose was titled Multimodal Children’s E-Books Help Young Learners in Reading by Hani Morgan.  This article discusses how many young children lack motivation to read because of unpleasant experiences and how multimodal e-books can help them make academic gains in reading.  Multimodal e-books are also known as online storybooks, books on CD-ROM, talking books or e-book apps.  These options promote literacy through more than one format—illustrations, words, sound effects, music, and/or interaction.  Multimodal e-books were originally designed to promote literacy development in young learners.  This type of technological resource can help teachers differentiate instruction in students, encouraging them to learn through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic formats.   The article states that when teachers use multimodal e-books with struggling readers, their literacy improves, as does their comprehension.   Students benefit from the added tools and make progress in reading.  On the other hand, it says that some students might become dependent on the “help” and make fewer attempts to decode the words themselves.  Teachers must make sure that the multimodal e-books they implement do not have features that will distract the learner or have them become over-dependent on the resources.

I found this article to be great for my classroom.  I’m always looking for new ways to encourage my struggling readers and implementing multimodal e-books could be a great addition to my classroom. The article mentions how teachers can make their own e-books using PowerPoint and including sound, illustration or videos.  It also lists some websites and apps that recommended.   If we do not do everything we can to help students become better readers at a young age, it will prevent them from doing their best in all academic areas later in school and life.  I’m excited to try a few of these recommendations with my strugglers!

Article #2 Review

Northrop, L., & Killen, E. (2013).  A Framework for Using iPads to Build Early Literacy Skills.  Reading Teacher, 66(7), 531-537.

The article I chose to review discusses how to integrate iPads effectively in the classroom to teach early literacy skills.  The article, A Framework for Using iPads to Build Early Literacy Skills caught my attention because the teachers in my district were given iPads last year to use in the classroom.  I have struggled with how to use it effectively and found this article to have some good suggestions.  Many, if not almost all, of our students have access to tablets and smartphones at home and using them at school is a great way to connect the learning activities.  Integrating technology is an important part of an elementary classroom in the 21^st century.  The article states that using technology can increase student motivation and engagement.  But, it also states that students sometimes become distracted by the animations or enhanced content and do not recall as many details when reading e-books than when reading a paper book.  It also cautions teachers that just because a student can manipulate the app doesn’t mean they understand the content of the app.  Sometimes students just click and click until they get it correct and are not actually paying attention to the content. 

Reflection:
As an early childhood teacher, I like the framework they used for integrating the iPad into the classroom/student centers.   They begin with the teacher explaining/teaching the concept without the iPad.  Next, the teacher explains and models the app.  The teacher discusses the concept that is going to be practiced and then models how to use the app.  The students then do guided practice with the app.  The teacher asks questions to guide the students on the content and check for understanding.  The final step is letting the students use the app for independent practice once they have a solid understanding of how the app works and the content being practiced. 
The article also provided a list of recommended apps to use for practicing early literacy skills that I can’t wait to check out!