by W. Ian O'Byrne

How will living in a highly socialized, technologized global community ultimately affect the literate lives of our students? Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation has determined that students (8 to 18 years of age) devote an average of seven and a half hours daily consuming and interacting with digital media. Some believe this unfettered access to online information and media resources allows for new opportunities to empower students as readers and writers. Still others fear the risks and challenges that occur as we ask students to superficially think, read, and create when working in an online informational space. Recent research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project splits this debate in two.

The research report is titled “Millennials will benefit and suffer due to their hyperconnected lives.” This report is the latest from the series of studies conducted in a partnership with Elon University that seek to determine what the future of the Internet will look like. The study surveyed 1,021 Internet experts to determine whether this “always on” connection to information will be a net positive or a net negative by 2020. The results of the study are intriguing as 55% of the experts surveyed indicated that these “hyperconnected” lives of our students could ultimately be a positive as students are overcoming their own shortcomings as learners and utilizing “collective intelligence.” The results also indicate that 42% of the respondents indicated that this ultimately would prove to be a negative as we are hard-wiring our brains in “unhealthy,” superficial ways. 

The results of this work have been discussed on public radio, in the newspaper, and online. An examination of the results, and the design of the study indicate (for me at least) that there is a large amount of disagreement on parts of even the experts as to what the future holds. What is important is that we find opportunities to use online information authentically and effectively in our classrooms. Classroom instructors need to build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions our students will need as they interact in an online learning and informational space. We cannot begin to imagine what the text, or the tools will ultimately look like as these Internet and other communication technologies evolve. As literacy educators we can have a key role in determining how our students will interact when they get there. 

W. Ian O'Byrne is an assistant professor in the Department of Education at the University of New Haven.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

Technology Professional Development Sessions at the IRA Annual Convention

by Jen Donovan

The Investing in Innovation Fund, also called i3 Fund, provides eligible local education agencies and non-profit education organizations with the funding they need to continue their successful work with students. The i3 competitive grant, which consists of $150 million to be shared among different awards, has been of high interest among education agencies from all regions of the US. This year the plan is to broaden the range of applicants and award the newer promising programs with the funds required to enhance the resources and abilities and continue improving student results.

There are three levels of i3 grants that an organization may receive based on their application and merits of success:
1.) Scale-up, which awards individual grants of up to $25 million to projects with the strongest evidence and proven track records of success
2.) Validation, which awards individual grants of up to $15 million to projects with moderate levels of evidence

3.) Development, which awards individual grants of up to $3 million to projects working on new and high potential practices that merit further exploration and research

The US Department of Education has added a preliminary application for those interested in the i3 grant competition this year. This year special focus will be placed on programs and practices that apply for the $3 million Development grant which involves investing in untested, yet promising programs that display true innovation in education. With the shorter pre-application, smaller districts and organizations will have the chance to participate in the i3 competition. This new application will be more concise and require fewer documents than previous years, allowing a variety of institutions to apply.

The Department of Education is interesting in investing in all levels of educational potential, but the competitive edge is given to those applicants who focus on improving early learning outcomes, increasing college access and success, addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency, improving productivity, and the use of technology. 

Through the Development grant competition, the Department will include a special priority of improving parent and family engagement in the process. According to Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, “Parent and family engagement is a critical component of student success, but there are too few models with evidence of effectiveness. By using i3 to shine a spotlight on this need and on promising approaches, we hope to identify new solutions of national importance.”

Once the top primary applicants for the Development grant are accepted, they will be asked to fill out a longer, more in-depth application following up on the work they do and reasons why they should receive the grant. These applicants will also be given more time to complete the longer application. 

The 2012 Investing in Innovation Development grant aims to support successful overall student outcomes, especially within underdeveloped schools and rural areas. The competition is already under way with April 9 as the deadline for all pre-applications.  

Visit the website for the i3 Funds for the new Development application and more information.

by Terry S. Atkinson

With the upcoming advent of the Common Core State Standards, professional organizations such as NCTE encourage literacy professionals to share their opinions and expertise as CCSS implementation rolls out in schools across the US. While one might conclude that such collaboration results in literacy professionals helping content area teachers come to new understandings about reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and vocabulary, the opposite may be true as content area teachers take the lead, especially when technology serves as an instructional tool. One such model content area teacher/student technology collaboration recently took place at North Carolina State University.

Fletcher Arritt teaches NCSU Food Preservation and Food Microbiology courses in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences. During a recent semester, a Food Preservation student converted one of Arritt’s exam study guides into a Google Doc, sent the link to his course colleagues, and asked for their input. When Arritt arrived at an after hours study session, the student-created Google Doc was projected on the room’s LCD screen. While Arritt had heard student “buzz” about the document, his first encounter with the tool morphed into a collaborative exam study session that built on student understandings and led to further clarification and elaboration. Pleased with the outcomes of this initial Google Docs encounter, Arritt now suggests the study practice within his current courses and finds that students inevitably take his suggestion to create and share Google Docs study guides. He receives kudos for this practice from his students who note, not only, increased content understandings, but also additional engagement in the study process through virtual collaboration with peers. 

Marc Prensky makes a strong case for teachers learning with and from their students. Particularly when learning to integrate technology into instruction, Prensky questions the notion that Professional Development-PD- traditionally takes place without student involvement…“Let’s talk about how to teach our students our students better, but be sure that none of them are around to participate.” He further adds that few teachers like Arritt have the courage to learn from students who fill K-16 classrooms. Regardless of the subject or the grade level at hand, teachers who learn more about the power of technology from their students have the potential to create classroom spaces that move above and beyond the Digital Native/Digital Immigrant divide.  

Terry S. Atkinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

by Michael Putman

In looking at the subtitle of Larry Ferlazzo’s website/blog, a casual reader may just consider it to be a resource for teaching students who are non-native English speakers. However, to do this would be missing out on a variety of other resources, especially technology-related, that are available on the site that will benefit not only teachers who work with the aforementioned students, but also anyone interested in staying abreast of many of the latest trends in education.

The multitude of information available here becomes immediately evident when scrolling through the posts on Larry’s blog, the primary site linked to this article. The reader sees posts ranging from descriptions of iPad resources to a “'Round-up' of Good School Reform Posts and Articles.” Generally the information is provided as a series of links, but the interested reader can pick and choose which ones to access based on the brief descriptions provided.

As if the blog did not provide enough information, there are also several notable areas worth examining from the links on the website. Scrolling over the “About” link at the top of the page reveals a number of relevant links. Perhaps the most interesting is the “My Best of Series,” where the reader will find what Larry considers the best websites/resources for learning content or educational games or…you get the point. Name a topic and it’s probably there. Readers will also find links to several other websites/blogs maintained by Larry, including Larry Ferlazzo’s English website and another directed towards engaging parents in school. 

In short, whether you are a teacher looking for information on helping your students who are learning English or are simply looking for interesting, relevant information that is education-related, Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day is a great place to start (and finish) your search.

Michael Putman is from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Michael.Putman@uncc.edu. 

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG). 

by Julie Coiro

Do you have a classroom blog with lots of active writers, but wish there were more visitors outside of your local community? If so, Quadblogging might be just what you’re looking for! 

David Mitchell, a Google certified teacher and Deputy Head Teacher at the Heathfield Primary School in the United Kingdom created QuadBlogging two years ago after realizing that writers are so much more motivated to write when they know people are listening.

What is QuadBlogging? 

QuadBlogging (see http://quadblogging.net/) involves four schools from around the world that work in a partnership during a four-week cycle. Each week focuses on the blog at one of the four schools, and students from the other three schools visit virtually to ask questions, post comments, and share ideas. After that week, another one of the four schools becomes the focus and this is then repeated for the four-week cycle.  At the beginning of the fifth week, the quad can begin the cycle again with the same four schools, or jump back into the “pot” of other quad schools to join a different group.

In 2010, over 20,000 students from classes in 18 countries participated, and since September 2011, more than 40,000 students (ages 3 to 19) have become involved in this exciting collaboration.  Teachers have found that this unique blogging experience provides an authentic audience and a purpose for writing that motivates student writers of all ages.  In the process, children also learn about diverse cultures, religions, school practices, and daily life around the globe. The positive energy generated from the QuadBuddies, as they have come to be known, is impressive, and the website also features success stories, video clips, and tips for making the most of your own QuadBlogging experience.

The best part is that a new round of QuadBlogging was begun in January of 2012 and registration is still open–if you have a class blog already, simply fill in the form at the homepage and get started! The website also provides a link to Feb 29th–The World’s Biggest Blogging project at http://feb29th.net/–which will celebrate Leap Year with one day of posts from all over the planet. Don’t pass up these exciting writing opportunities for your students–join today and get involved!

Julie Coiro teaches in the School of Education at the University of Rhode Island. 

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).