My reflection

This was a very exciting and interesting course.The introduction and exposure to the different web 2.0 tools brought home the point that we are really into the technological age and that we as educators have to 'move ' with the time. The children with whom we interact are into the technology and the chalk and talk no longer cut it. Some people may argue that the ability to text, interact on facebook, twitter etc. does not qualify you as being techno savvy but I beg to differ. They have the pre-requisite skill. Many adults are clueless about these simple tasks. When it comes to technology children learn quickly especially from their peers so we must tap into this.

My only sore point with this course was the issue of time. Too little time for the transfer of so much information. However, I must say thank you to Cherisse (my tutor), Murella and of course Aisha for the thrilling experience. God bless you all.

Pure pleasure!

Pure pleasure! That's what it is. In an earlier blog I wondered about my grandson's reaction to the e-book. Well, I got my wish. When I accessed and opened up one of the websites provided for us on mye learning he exclaimed, "Granny I love it" He was in awe. He was glued to the computer. He is also very observant and before long he was using the navigational buttons to change the pages. Whenever I attempted to intervene,he removed my hands saying, "Granny I can do It". One book after the next he listened to with interest and even indicated which book he wanted.

We were at it for about forty-five minutes (this includes the repeats) and he just wanted to go on and on.Well, this granny was tired and decided that he had enough for the day. I proceeded to sign off to the displeasure of my grandson.He was wailing and only stopped when I promised to repeat the exercise later. Now if this had such an impact on a four year old, imagine the reactions of the students in our charge especially our struggling readers. Pure pleasure, indeed!

That's it! I've turned it in

I have turned it in,the 2500 word paper and now I am physically,mentally and emotionally exhausted.The experience was challenging to me because of the inability to complete the assignment as planned.Resource materials were not as easy to access as I thought. At one point I almost threw up my hands in despair and was prepared for the worst.But I must say I have this uncanny ability to adapt to situations.

The web 2.0 technology I finally used was not the one I initially set out to use.I just could not source adequate literature needed to complete my assignment on time.In retrospect probably if I had started earlier things may have been different,but I had a plan.Sometimes plans fail because of these unforeseen occurrences.However, I proceeded with the technology for which I had the literature.In attempting to meet the deadline I spent many sleepless nights.Managing family and studies,at this time of year was really a balancing act and even though no one spoke about it outright,the looks and the body language spoke volumes.

Still my family was extremely supportive and I was able to successfully submit my paper.What an experience 'Turnitin' was for me!!!!.After my first submission I almost flipped when I received my originality report.The percentage was high.Some one mentioned that any percent beyond 15 was to high.So I was worried.But on chatting with my tutor she calmed my fears.I re-checked the paper and resubmitted. I finally turned it in and did not look back.

Reunion Day

Last Saturday was 'Family Reunion ' day.What a great time to practice what I learnt in class! So armed with my digital camera I was the photographer of the day. As I proceeded to take out several pictures the pointers Aisha shared with us came back to mind.Don't forget the thirds! One subject per picture! I was having a wonderful time. I started showing the photos to anyone who ventured by. Not only that, here I was imparting my new found knowledge. They were impressed. Some members agreed with me and tried them out.

My mother (God bless her) happen to pass by during one of these moments.She paused awhile to observe the photos and she agreed that they looked really well. After a few moments she exclaimed loudly, "Pictures, pictures, pictures you all always taking out pictures. I am fed up with all this picture taking because you all don't even print them". I was taken aback by her outburst but had to admit that she was quite correct.The images either remained in the camera or copied to some flash drive and stored in some place where we forget about them. I made a mental note to get these pictures developed because as you know these photos can tell stories that we sometimes we forget. Thanks to Microsoft Photostory 3 and Cherisse.

Photographer or not

Just as we completed our digital storybooks we were introduced to digital photo stories.Now don't get confused. There is a difference. In digital storytelling someone tells a story. It can be personal, historical and informative or instructional. On the other hand in digital photo stories the photos tell the story. Photos,I thought!

I then learnt about the 'correct way' to take a picture. What are they talking about correct way? Taking pictures is not difficult! Pose, aim then click! Well, that was what I thought. Aisha showed us differently. Admitting defeat I listened attentively as she went through each point.How I wish I had these pointers before I engaged in so much photo taking.Remember to use the following as a guide:

• one center of interest per picture
• Use the rule of thirds (to achieve balance, divide the picture area into thirds both horizontally and vertically).
• leading lines (use objects to lead viewer's eye to the subject)
• framing (use object to surround the subject and add depth)

It took us two sessions working in groups to complete our digital photo stories and even though our pictures went missing between the camera and the computer we were able to complete our assignment using some imported pictures. That was a good session.

Digital Immigrant or not

I was truly a 'digital immigrant' according to Marc Prensky (2001) and I was indeed intimidated by multimedia technology but after the last few sessions of the course EDRL 6004 I think I have past that stage, mind you I am not perfect (that all depends on the amount of time I spend practicing).I am getting there.

Digital storytelling! What an absolutely fabulous way to involve students who are normally quiet with low esteem.These children are usually very intelligent with great ideas but are not bold enough to express their ideas and thoughts orally in class or with others. Even those who may be exposed to some form of abuse,this technology may be vital in affording them an opportunity to express themselves.

The more I examine and reflect the more I have to agree with a colleague that indeed this technology provides for use of all multiple intelligences.This is a great tool for the classroom and indeed we budding Reading Specialist

E-books or Easy books

I have been very busy trying to keep up with all the assignments for the course EDRL 6004 that I neglected to do any blogging. Well I can breathe a little easier right now since I have 'turneditin'. Don't let me get carried away. That's for another day. Today e-books are part of my diet. I am truly fascinated by these e-books.The different websites posted by Cherisse and the team whetted my appetite.I was truly hungry to learn more.I can picture my grandson now.He has just turned four and he loves to read and be read to. He would be captivated by this technology. My work is cut out for me on his next visit.

These e-books can definitely assist in children's reading development. Even if they cannot read their listening skills will be sharpened and with the words visible as the book is being read children can make connections.The advantages are too many to mention in this post. As discussions continued in class the time came to make an e-book. Me! I can't make an e-book. But under the guidance of Cherisse and the support of my colleagues I was able to accomplish the task, voice et al. If I could do it then anyone could do it. The children can definitely do it. What an interesting technology for the classroom.

Delicious. com. Wow!

Delicious.com Wow! Using technology takes practice. I was browsing through on mye learning to ensure that I read all articles related to my course EDRL 6004 when I came upon a video on 'Social Bookmarking'. I viewed it once, twice, three times before I ventured into delicious.com. What can I say? I am hooked. This website is simply amazing. It can make the life of a Reading Specialist much easier in terms of accessing articles related to whatever topic you may be dealing with.

Delicious .com is a whole new world for me. It is like research made simple.I would recommend all of my other aspiring Reading Specialist colleagues to get on board as this site will be an asset to us not only in our classrooms but as an instrument to assist us in gathering needed literature for our upcoming research.This 'social bookmarking' is yet another useful tool which allows us and our students to share links and communicate with other global internet users

My Webspiration Inspiration

As I indicated before I was very excited to learn about the different technological strategies which can be used to assist and improve classroom teaching and when our tutor introduced the class to the my webspiration website I was all ears and eyes. However my concentration was broken for a short while when I turned to assist a colleague who was experiencing some problems and as such got lost along the way. I do not give up easily so I persisted until I was back on track before class ended for the night but in that brief moment I missed some vital information and as such had to do some experimenting at home.

How many times have we used concept mapping ( semantic mapping, brainstorming etc..)in our classrooms to assist in getting our students to think outside the box and to develop concepts.Call it what you may but it is by and large the same thing.Children learn in different ways and concept maps is a visual learning tool which does the following:

a.converts abstracts ideas into visible and concrete ones

b.provides a link between prior knowledge and new concepts

c.allows the opportunity for thinking,writing, discussing, analyzing, planning and reporting

d.places emphasis on thoughts and ideas which leads to understanding and interpretation

According to the article at http://www.inspiration.com/Parents/Visual-Thinking-and-Learning 'Concept maps are ideal for measuring growth of and assessing student learning. As students create concept maps,they reiterate ideas using their own words. Misdirected links or wrong connections alert educators to what students do not understand, provide an accurate, objective way to evaluate areas in which students do not grasp concept fully.'

This technology demonstrates the ease with which concept mapping can be done on an individual basis or as a group and that it also leaves room for collaboration. Another great asset for the reading specialist and guess what I know how to use it.

Technology and my school

I have always depended on my children or other members of staff at my school to show me how to use different programmes on the computer.Imagine my surprise when I began speaking about 'blogs and wikis' only to realize that they did not have a clue about what I was referring to. For the first time I have had to explain about seemingly new technology 'blogs and wikis' to my children and my colleagues and to demonstrate how to set up and create both. I must state however that these applications in the first instance were very challenging for me but persistence paid of in the end.I am gaining some some ground and the anxiety which prevailed in the beginning is slowly disappearing and is being replaced by excitement.

I cannot wait to start using this technology in my classroom teaching. But alas there are no computers at my school and the possibility of acquiring any in the near future seems dim. Computer room but no computers.How can change really occur if schools are not provided with the necessary equipment? How can I as a Reading Specialist achieve success if the necessary tools are not provided?

Can Music Improve Reading?

As a teacher of Music and Reading I have always been curious about the impact of one on the other.In my daily interactions with parents some have stated quite emphatically that they do not see the importance of music in the school's curriculum. As a result I have decided to do some research on this topic in this blog. Investigations into children's learning revealed that spatial-reasoning skills, memory, emotional and social skills and stress management can be improved if music is introduced at an early age. These skills are able to improve comprehension in mathematics and also in developmentally challenged challenged children such as those with autism.

In an article by Larry M. Lynch entitled 'Using popular songs to improve Language Listening Comprehension Skills' highlights the importance of music once more. He lists the following factors which contributes to Listening Comprehension through the use of popular songs:

1.use of new vocabulary,idioms and expressions

2.pronounciation accent of the singer

3.use of new grammar and structure

According to Professor Lynch there is also a criteria for song selection. These are as follows:

1.popular songs must be used

2.songs must have clear and understandable lyrics

3.songs must have an appropriate theme

This is further corroborated in an article 'Music Education can help children improve Reading skills' taken from the ScienceDaily (Mar.16,2009). In this article the authors Joseph M. Piro and Camilio Ortiz from Long Island University,USA conducted a study at two U.S. elementary schools 'to investigate the hypothesis that children who have received keyboard instruction as part of a music curriculum increasing in difficulty over successive years would demonstrate significantly better performance on measures of vocabulary and verbal sequencing than the students who did not receive keyboard instruction. The results did show that the music learning group had better vocabulary and verbal sequencing scores than the other control group.

Why I want to be a reading specialist?

I have been privileged to be exposed to books and reading at quite an early age. I emulated my dad an avid reader who collected materials from magazines newspapers etc. Quite frankly I just love to read. Reading came naturally to me and provided me with a getaway.When I read I become part of the written word and the adventures and experiences they provide. Words intrigue me and the realization that many of the children under my tutelage are unable to comprehend reading matter, identify simple words or even pronounce them brings a great sadness to me.

I have been a primary school teacher for many years and have taught infants to standard five. Throughout my career I have always encountered pupils with varying reading abilities but in recent times the number of pupils experiencing serious reading problems have increased tremendously. This has led me to investigate the reason for the problems and to search for possible solutions. I want to provide the weak pupils with the skills needed to survive and to encourage, enhance and widen the scope of those who are already able to read.