Parang

Parang is centred around the christian belief of the birth of christ. This art form is practiced by many other religious groups. Parang music is played especially at christmas time. I believe it is the most joyous time of the year.

To my students, I suggest you post your comment in not more than 150 words about the history of parang and remember to mention dates, people in parang and places. Also tell me what are the things you thought about during the sessions.They could be about what would you like about parang or not like.

Reflections

What an experience and yet not finished. This is my twelfth blog in so many years. While I have been communicating on messenger, face book, emails etc, this has been my first time blogging. The level of academic and literary engagement is astonishing. I have been browsing through other blog sites and reading the commentaries. It is amazing the number of persons one is able to connect with just sitting behind a screen. I have within a few months revolutionised my use of ICT and is looking forward to greater involvement with the technology. Just imagine I have not used any manuscript in any of my assignments; I made use of Microsoft word all the way. The five lesson plans are surely going to test how well I can integrate the web 2.0 technology into instructional programmes for literacy development. While I do anticipate some challenges I feel confident that with time I will become very proficient in the use of the technology. I sincerely thank my lecturer and tutor for the time and effort in making this course a meaningful experience and a great success. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process.

So you are a Reading Specialist!

I am just reflecting on my future role as a reading specialist. With my advanced degree in reading, what would be my new position? You would be entrusted with the responsibility to prevent reading failures in schools! A little voice inside my head is telling me that. What a tremendous task! I "google" the term to enlighten myself further on the role of a reading specialist.

Teaching all children to read requires that every child receives excellent reading instruction and that the children who are struggling receive additional instruction from professionals specifically trained to teach them. Teaching all children to read also requires specialist in every school because the range of student achievement with inclusive secondary education requires different educational models from those of the past.

To provide effective reading services, schools must have reading specialists who can provide expert instruction, assessment and leadership for the reading programme. If reading specialists have responsibility for readers in general and struggling readers in particular, then we need many more reading specialists than ninety.

According to The International Reading Association, the reading specialist supports and extends classroom teaching and works collaboratively to implement a balanced reading programme that is research-based and meets the students' needs. I wonder, how many schools can a reading specialist work with effectively? Assessment and diagnosis are vital not only for developing, implementing and evaluating the literacy programme but also in designing instruction for individual students. In addition to teachers and parents, would specialized personnel such as psychologists, special educators, or speech teachers work along with the reading specialist?

Wanted: Knowledgeable and Dedicated Teachers!

The framework for computer capabilities that can be used in the classroom to assist children read is based on one critical assumption: knowledge and dedicated teachers are the critical element in successful reading instruction programmes. While technology can support teachers and help them be more successful with all children, it can never replace qualified teachers because teaching children to read is too complex. Teaching reading requires insights into children's cognitive abilities and emotional needs, and it is dependent upon the type of reinforcement guidance and support that can only be provided by caring, knowledgeable teachers.

The technology framework comprises four key components that computers can provide to support student learning to read. Computers can present information and information to students; assess students' work; respond to students' work; and provide scaffolds such as access to word pronunciations and definitions that help students to read successfully. Reluctant readers may struggle in one or more of the crucial areas of reading or merely lack motivation to read. Teaching with technology allows teachers to better meet the needs of student with diverse abilities while at the same time increasing motivation in all students.

Many teachers view multimedia technology as contributing to a reduction in the amount of time children spend reading books. Teaching in the Information Age requires that teachers modify their view and transform their instructional practices to utilize the power of technology to improve the reading ability of students. Today's students must be guided in developing the ability to utilize the internet and multimedia technology to increase critical literacy skills. Inquiry-based instruction in a collaborative classroom setting enables teachers to do just that. Students are motivated to read not only to find answers to their questions about their world, but also to read for pleasure.

The MOE and ITC

 

The Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago, Policy for Information and Communication Technology – Pol. No. 01 Issue Date: 30/09/05) points to "developing our students into critical thinkers, problem solvers and lifelong learners using ICT as a tool/vehicle" (p. 6) and "to establish a technology centred infrastructure focussed on enabling the education system to be responsive to the dynamic social and economic environment" (p. 11). As an administrator at a secondary school I am concerned about the integration of ICT as a teaching tool in the classroom. This seems to be the real problem. The MOE has incorporated ICT in the schools in several policy documents and has also put in place several training programmes for teachers. This present course (EDRL6004) has exposed the mammoth task of getting teachers motivated to use the technology. I believe it can be done but the technology must be a good fit to overall instructional programme, complementing and extending the existing curriculum. Technology requiring changes in approaches by teachers generally do not succeed in improving students' learning. The critical issue is arriving at a shared vision for the integration of technology in the classroom that will impact on teachers' attitude towards implementation.

 

 

Digital Story

At one time I considered myself to be a very literate person, being able to read and write well. Now I accept with great humility my limited acquaintance with the new literacies expected of our students. However, the old literacy has equipped me with enough skills to navigate through the web of literacies to the extent that I can make sense of this new dispensation. I speak of digital literacy, global literacy, technology literacy, visual literacy and information literacy. These literacies have been discussed in an article "the educational uses of digital storytelling" (Bernard R. Robin). According to the writer "digital story telling" involves the art of telling stories using digital multimedia. My analysis suggests that the real value of using digital story telling in the classroom might be increasing motivation among students. The writer notes that it can serve as an anticipatory set or hook, to capture the attention of students and increase their interest in exploring new ideas. My first attempt and creating a digital story was very time consuming and I wondered about the consequences for using it in the classroom situation. It would seem that this technology should not be attempted if you are pressed for time. In addition and of equal importance is who will be creating the digital story whether it is the teacher or the student.

Dreaming Blogs

 

 

Hi Bloggers, I am actually dreaming blogs now. How do I interpret this dream? I am overwhelmed by the possibilities for teaching instruction using web 2.0. The use of the technology seems to suggest that the teacher would be operating from a transformational position – aiming at personal integration and social awareness of the curriculums. The teacher at this stage is quite willing and ready to employ creative thinking strategies, cooperative learning, guided imagery techniques and whole language learning in their teaching. I can just imagine the possibilities for blogs, wikis, ebooks, etc. As an administrator I am in a unique position to be able to attempt to infuse the use of Web 2.0 in the classrooms. I am being challenged to digest a great deal of technological skills in a short time so as to be better able to guide the transformation. The production of the lesson plans I believe is (apart from being a summative evaluation of this course) necessary practice that could allow me to be better able to assist in the introduction of web 2.0 in the classrooms. I will appreciate any assistance in this change process at our school even during and after the course.

Distraction Galore

 

Hi colleagues, today I browsed through Reading Rockets and found it to be a quite educational and interesting site. Reading Rockets is national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. I was interested in the term widgets and was informed that they provide webmasters with a quick and easy way to provide new content to users. As usual I was heavily distracted and almost forgot that I still had a few lesson plans to complete. For a moment I reflected on the challenges of keeping our students focussed when they use the computer. I am aware of the article in the New York Times that discussed whether when kids get on the computer, do they spend more time surfing the internet and less time doing assignments and studying. The data from students in North Carolina and Texas (two different studies) suggest that Internet access had a negative effect on student test scores, and ended up "widening achievement gaps between socioeconomic groups." I am of the view that apart from managing screen time students must be held accountable for misuse of time. Values related to trust and respect must be emphasised since they can guide actions in times when screen time is not managed.

Early Intervention is the Key to Reading Success

Intervention programmes are designed and formulated to help students who are at the most risk of failing to read and write appropriate to their age. One intervention programme that is well-documented to be successful in helping struggling readers the United States is "Reading Recovery". The focus of this programme is early intervention, once a problem with reading is detected. Students need to feel successful as early as possible before feelings of frustration and discouragement toward reading step in. Within this programme, daily thirty-minute sessions are conducted between the teacher and the student on a one on one basis. The students read, write and are involved in a variety of decoding strategies to assist them in comprehension and retention of the reading material. Most reading programmes are focussed on early intervention for students who are having trouble with reading comprehension. The federally mandated No Child Left Behind act was designed by the department of education to meet the goal of having all children as successful readers by the end of third grade.

What is the Ministry of education's goal for our children? Why are so many of our struggling readers in the secondary schools? Effective programmes stress that students be provided with reading materials that are appropriate to their individual grade level. If students feel pushed to a level above what they comprehend, they become frustrated and discouraged by not understanding the material they are forced to study. My view is early intervention strategies involving the use of ICT in the elementary schools would decrease the prevalence of struggling readers at the secondary level. The idea has been expressed that the technology used can be very motivating.

Changing Technology and Literacy

Educational researchers and practitioners alike assert that the potential of new technologies for learning is likely to be found not in the technologies themselves but in the way in which these technologies are used as tools for learning. However almost every six months there is a new programme on the market, a phenomenon (described as a "moving target" (Valdez et al., 1999), p. 1). What then are the consequences for researchers and professionals who engage these programmes? Even as researchers begin to describe empirical evidence supporting the effects a particular technology has on an educational practice, that technology itself is changing and in some cases even becoming obsolete. In addition, teachers are faced with the burden of constantly adjusting lesson plans to accommodate the use of newer educational technologies. Leu (2000) notes as newer technologies of information and communication continually appear, they raise concerns about the generalisations made based on research from earlier technologies. Reading specialists therefore need to be cautious about generalizing findings from traditional texts to different forms of hypermedia because each technology contains different contexts and resources for constructing meanings and requires somewhat different strategies for doing so.

Using Wikis in Teaching and Learning

 

 

The underlying philosophy of using wikis in teaching and learning is constructivism. This involves the empowering of students as they work cooperatively and learn from others. Teachers should be mindful of their changing roles. Their roles shift from providing information, managing learning and controlling students to creating contexts or posing problems to motivate and engage students. Although it is the teacher who will initiate interactions, it is the student who achieves autonomy over his work. For many teachers, this lessening of control is difficult but the more control that the teacher gives up the more effective is the student engagement and interaction (Lamb, 2004). Although wikis are an efficient tool for teaching reading, they are not automatic success or a panacea for all problems. There are limitations to their effective use ( Ebersbach, Glaser and Heighl, (2006). Wikis can work wonders as a tool for reading strategies. Teachers must understand their limitations and know how to use them effectively. Advantages in one context can be disadvantages in another context. A major disadvantage of using wikis is that all users must have internet connection. However, the benefits of using wikis to enhance vocabulary development are significantly greater when compared to the disadvantages.

 

Vocabulary Development and ICT

 

 

 

Vocabulary development is a foundation for literacy development. The difficulties struggling readers experience with literacy is related to a variety of skill - related issues such as phonology, syntax, morphology and semantics. Even striving readers have difficulty with text because they might not have fully mastered the necessary skills associated with reading. Many readers become frustrated at not being able to make relevant connections to new ideas while reading because they also lack the necessary cognitive and meta-cognitive skills. Strategies aimed at developing a wide vocabulary are essential in order for students to comprehend what they hear and read. While many traditional strategies are available for instruction in developing vocabulary, the integration of (ITC) to support this process must not be underestimated. However, traditional literacies are insufficient if as teachers we intend to use the technology to support vocabulary development. The new literacies require new skills for using the internet an integral aspect of ICT. Students must develop skills to navigate the internet in which there about 17 billion web sites; must now interpret icons and graphic displays; sort information and been able to use the Web 2.0 technology. How then do we prepare students to use this technology?