Research Journal Page 14

While doing research for my Literature Review, I came across a very interesting article that wasn’t applicable to my particular topic, but could possibly be a springboard for a future research topic.  Written by Eileen Honan (2008), the title of the article is Barriers to teachers using digital texts in literacy classrooms.  I found that it explored a few different topics that were relevant on how to infuse technology into today’s classrooms.  This research study took place in Australia and was hoping to not only see what the current digital literacy practices were in one particular school, but if the study results could help teachers improve their teaching practices concerning the use of technology.  What was found out was that many of the teachers were quite unaware of the experience that their students had with digital texts.  Instead of just periodically using the digital texts in place of the regular texts, when the digital text was used, there seemed to be more of a focus on the use of technology rather than the content of the digital text that was being studied.  Instead of students using technology (digital text) to write or engage in skill building, there was more concern with the technical aspect of technology, such as typing, cutting and pasting, etc.  (p. 39):

“The teachers’ lack of awareness of students’ knowledge of digital technologies also had an impact on classroom literacy practices.  When they described their existing classroom practices involving digital texts, a theme, noted by others, predominated:  a focus on teaching students the technical operational skills needed to use the technology, rather than the literacy resources needed to create or make meaning from the texts”  (Honan, 2008, p. 39).

Obviously, this is a huge concern.  The lesson objective needs to recognize technology as a tool or vehicle to attain certain literacy skills.  Technology itself should not be the objective.  I think that the problem is that teachers are not realizing that their teaching objectives need to stay focused on the skill building or knowledge that students need to learn, but that technology should be used in order for students to display application of that knowledge.  Of course, as stated in the study, the digital texts that students use at home are always changing and are far removed from those that they are using within the classroom.  It is very difficult to keep up with the constant evolution of technology anywhere, much less within the classroom.   Honan (2008) makes a point about this in her article as well:

“Of course, technological changes are rapid, and systems do find it difficult to keep up with the latest, but it is not necessarily the equipment that needs updating.  It is the thinking around pedagogical practices when using digital texts, so school-based encounters with new technologies are not restricted to the depressingly familiar activities of producing slide presentations, publishing of paper-based ‘stories’ using word processing software or repeated learning of basic technical skills” (p.  42).

Honan makes a few important points when she states how classrooms need to be able to have the type of accessibility that is necessary in order to infuse digital texts into the classroom on a regular basis.  Have computer labs within a school does not promote the daily use that she feels is necessary in order for teachers to make the best use of digital texts.  So, in order for teachers to successfully use digital texts within the classroom, it is necessary for them to reorganize their thinking as well as their teaching.  In order to be able to move forward in their teaching, changes need to be made.  Teachers can have the experience and motivation to do this, but without the tools that they need to implement changes, it will be very difficult for them to use digital texts to provide a successful learning experience for their students.

Honan, E. (2008). Barriers to teachers using digital texts in literacy classrooms. Literacy, 42(1), 36-43.

Research Journal Page 13

After reading Mary Ann Zehr’s (2010) article, “Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers,” I decided that I wanted to research this topic a bit further and got my hands on a copy of Jim Trelease’s book, The Read~Aloud Handbook.  I have always been a supporter of reading aloud to kids of all ages (even my 8^th grade students when I was still teaching), and still read aloud to both of my children, ages 8 & 10.  Trelease’s book is one that really must be read not solely by teachers and librarians, but by parents.   It is a how-to book on reading aloud, and most importantly, stresses why it is so important for children of all ages to be read to, and documents and supports his claims with letters from teachers and parents.

I think that the other reason that I really enjoyed Trelease’s book is that he talks about one of the reasons that parents are reluctant to require their children to read, “The reason parents avoid forcing reading is fear that the child will grow to hate reading and eventually stop” (p. 90).  He equates the task of reading with other tasks such as the brushing of teeth and changing of underwear.  These are things that children must do.  So why the hesitancy in requiring reading? Trelease also compares learning to read with learning to ride a bike without training wheels.  He asks, if your child falls down once or twice and then wants to give up, do you let them?  No, you insist on practice, practice, practice!  It is the same with reading.  The more you practice, the better and more fluent you become.  Why should reading be treated any differently?  Trelease simplifies this cycle:  “The more you read, the better you get at it; the better you get at it, the more you like it; and the more you like it, the more you do it” (p. 3).

Trelease’s book covers so many questions and concerns beyond reading aloud.  Not only does he define stages of reading aloud, but he offers dos and don’ts, connects it to silent sustained reading, and answers questions about reading in general.  Trelease also shares the many letters he has received over the years from parents who attended his speaking engagements and how they really listened to him and followed his suggestions with their own children.  The success stories are too many to list.  The Read~Aloud Handbook also offers a “Treasury of Read-Alouds” that spans over 100 pages that includes information on each book as to its type, the designated age group, and a description.  This alone is an excellent resource.  I guess this post is turning out to be more of a book review than anything else, but I think that Trelease’s book is an important handbook that should be read by teachers, librarians, and parents.

Trelease, J. (2006). The Read~Aloud Handbook 6th edition. New York: Penguin.

Zehr, M. A. (2010).  Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers.  Education    Digest, 7
(1), p. 4-7.  Retrieved from EBSCO

Research Journal Page 12

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education/epals-integrates-lms-provides-dell-connected-classroom-with-a-total-e-learning-platform/4543?tag=nl.e623

BrainHoney!



While doing some research for my other course, I came across BrainHoney~a site that can be used for teachers to design and implement lesson plans, both online and within the classroom. I  spent some time exploring the site, which is quite easy to use and can definitely be useful in aiding the creation and/or organization of lesson plans for teachers.  Lesson plans can be directly linked to State standards, depending what subject area you are teaching.  There is also a gradebook that helps to assess whether or not students have successfully reached the standards that your lesson is focused on.   BrainHoney refers to their site as a way to achieve "Blended Learning."  Allowing students to access course materials online from home in order to review and keep up with the class (also if they are absent), as well as a tool for giving students immediate feedback and recognizing individual student needs.

It's pretty interesting and you can organize your lessons in any way that you wish-there are a lot of options and tools to use to fit each individual teaching style.  Check it out!

Research Journal Page 11

Update! 

I was able to track down the webinar by Michael Cart and listen to it since it was archived.  I found it at the following address:  http://infopeople.org/training/teen-literature-update-2011/webinar-0

Michael Cart starts his webinar by taking viewers on a tour through the decades of YA Literature, pointing out popular titles such as S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, and other titles that have stood the test of time.  He discussed current trends, which include what he calls Speculative Fiction and include Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror.  He also sees that there are more Romance titles, more Series, and more Retail Titles.  Cart points out that current trends also include very long YA books-and he feels that books are way longer than they need to be.  He claims Harry Potter is the cause of this, along with Twilight.  He also calls these books “unedited.” ?  He also uses the term “product” when referring to books-saying that books are being written so that they can be turned into films. 

So far, this webinar seems to have a negative vibe as if Cart isn’t happy with current YA trends.  He also discusses what he calls “Genre Bending and Blending” with a sort of obvious disdain for the topic.  Cart describes finding an entire section in Barnes and Nobel that was called Paranormal Romance-blending zombies and romance, vampires and romance, werewolves and romance, etc.    I ask ~what’s wrong with that?  Cart also negatively discusses book awards & prizes, stating that there are too many, which causes publishers to publish more books in order to make money. 

On a more positive note, Cart discusses in length the various awards and what books can receive them.  He also explores many books that he promotes as YA realistic fiction.  It is worth listening to just for this section-Cart does a great job of reviewing these books and sparking interest.  I know that I would like to read some of the titles that he mentioned that I haven’t gotten to yet. 

Now at the end (within the last 8 minutes or so), Cart finally gets to the topic that piqued my interest at the start, which asks the question:  Is Reading Online Reading?  Reading, but a different form of reading is what some say.  Others say this type of reading could impact the development of the mind?  According to Cart, we will have to watch the evolution of this topic.

That is basically all that is said about reading.  Ok, big disappointment in that sense, but otherwise worth watching for the book reviews.  :)  Take a listen if you want to learn about some new YA titles.

Research Journal Page 10

I just stumbled upon a webinar that I would definitely have been interested in attending, had it not already happened on April 12th.  I was reading through some of the publib postings and found that this webinar looked quite interesting and planned on addressing some questions that I have actually been researching and thinking about.  The webinar was conducted by a well known YA author, Michael Cart, and it was called Teen Literature Update 2011.  I thought that the questions mentioned in the promotion of the webinar were quite interesting-they were as follows:

• What the latest thing in YA literature is?
• Who are the emerging authors, and the ones falling out of favor?
• What are the best resources for evaluating books for YA?
• If graphic novels are just comic books in disguise?
• If reading online is really reading?

I would really be interested in the discussion surrounding the last two questions and would add some questions of my own, such as - even if graphic novels are comic books in disguise-are they not considered reading?  And why not?  I guess with all of the current technology trends, these issues are going to be debated again and again.  I think that it all comes back to the same thoughts that I explored in my literature review, which recognize that we have to redefine what reading is along with our definitions of literacy.  Evolving and adapting is necessary!

Research Journal Page 9

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/uk-publishing-ebooks-idUSLNE73004820110401

To App or not to App??  This article explores the ideas of NY publisher Nicholas Callaway and the changes that have impacted publishing over the last 30-40 years and even more recently with the explosion of technology.

Yes, we are being introduced to new forms of storytelling, but does that necessarily mean the death of the book must occur?

Research Journal Page 8

Reading Aloud is for all ages, not just elementary school kids!

While doing research for my Literature Review, I came across this article that didn’t really fit into my particular topic, but it’s something that I think is very important.  In Education Digest, Mary Ann Zehr (2010) published an article, “Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers.”  In this article, Zehr explores the positive feedback received from teen students when their teachers read aloud to them.  The particular quote that caught my attention was something that was said by Jim Trelease, author of the Read-Aloud Handbook, "If the only thing a teacher shares is from a textbook, how are you going to get students excited about reading?" he said (p. 1).  Trelease really hits the nail on the head with this statement.  We want students to be excited about reading, but then why do so many teachers assigned Acts and Scenes from a play for students to read on their own?  These writings are meant to be read aloud with drama and feeling!  When I was teaching middle school English, I regularly read aloud to my students.  I would read poetry to them, various picture books, and we also would take turns reading novels together-I would allow the students to take over, read a bit, and then pick someone else to continue.  I have personally found that picture books can sometimes be the link to getting students interested in reading more about history.  When working with the other teachers on my team on a unit on the Holocaust, for example, there were plenty of picture books that we read aloud together to introduce students to the topic.  It’s a good starting point, and Zehr discusses some examples that teachers have shared with her regarding their uses of picture books with older students.

Part of the problem is that teachers seem to shy away from reading aloud once students hit an age where sitting on a colorful rug in a reading corner doesn’t always seem appropriate.  Just because students aren’t eager to gather on the floor at your feet while you read doesn’t mean that they don’t like to listen to someone else read.  The other part, according to Zehr, is that reading aloud hasn’t really been sufficiently studied beyond the elementary level.  Zehr refers to a study that was done by a Lettie K. Albright, a professor at Texas Women’s University, “In that article, she summarized research showing that the practice builds middle school students' knowledge in content areas, helps them have positive attitudes toward reading, and helps increase their reading fluency” (p. 2).  I think that reading aloud to students is a good way to get them started on whatever unit or theme the class is planning to study.  If it is introduced this way, it helps to prepare students for whatever type of reading they will be doing independently-whether it’s a textbook or a novel.

Zehr, Mary Ann.  (2010).  Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers.  Education Digest, 76 (1), p. 4-7.  Retrieved from EBSCO