by Janice Friesen

One of the most prevalent buzzwords in education today is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). In the United States, many argue that schools are not turning out enough people, especially women, who are equipped with STEM skills. To address the issue, educators at the University of Texas Elementary School decided that STEM was so important that they actually created a position called the STEM teacher. The students go to STEM class just like they go to any special classes such music, art, or PE.

But when STEM becomes so important, one begins to wonder what happens with reading or text literacy? Does instruction in literacy skills fall by the wayside in the wake of the growing emphasis on STEM skills? In this post, I share two sets of observations about interesting practices that lead me to think that when STEM skills are taught correctly, they may actually help foster success in reading as well.

1. SCRATCH

At the University of Texas Elementary School, STEM class students in third and fourth grade are creating programs using SCRATCH. Scratch is a program created by MIT to help children learn computer programming skills. The application is very powerful and yet very simple for children to use. Students write sections of code designed to tell a cartoon character what to do on the screen. While creating these projects, the students practice many reading skills that appear to transfer to their practices when picking up a book.

The most obvious of these reading skills is sequencing. When students use programs like SCRATCH, they learn to think carefully about what needs to happen first, second, and third – often by writing out or drawing a storyboard that shows what they are planning to create. In turn, these sequencing skills transfer over to aid reading comprehension using similar processes.

2. TO GOOGLE, OR NOT TO GOOGLE

Another class at this school is working on a very interesting year-long project. Second grade math and science students are learning that although just about everything can be “Googled,” this may not always be the best strategy. These students are discovering that sometimes reading a book or talking to an expert is a better way to find out something. To inform their decisions, students use a bulletin board divided into two sections: one side is labeled “Googleable” and the other side is labeled “Not Googleable.”

During the school year, students begin each of their thematic units by learning about a problem, asking questions, and trying to find answers. They start out by writing their question on sticky notes and then they place their question on what they believe to be the correct side of the bulletin board. Once they have specific questions, they begin looking for answers. Sometimes their search involves finding a book and other times it involves doing an experiment or talking to an expert.

This is another example of STEM teaching that leads to text literacy. While engaged in these activities, students become fascinated with non-fiction books because they are curious about what they can find out from them. They are motivated to read articles online and in journals and newspapers that are too difficult for them. They are actively reading for meaning, so they eagerly seek help when they need it. They do not skip past words they do not understand, which might cause them to gloss over the big ideas. Often, they read with a parent or other adult who can bring things to a level that they can understand.

Recently, students at the school performed quite well on their mid-year benchmark tests in reading. Their performance caused me to wonder: Could the emphasis on STEM skills have anything to do with that? I think the question is worthy of further consideration as we move forward with a focus on developing STEM skills as part of the elementary school curriculum.

To learn more about what is happening with second graders at The University of Texas Elementary School, read their blog.

Janice Friesen is a self-employed teacher. Her business I’m not a Geek.com helps people to be successful using technology. Her searchable blog http://helpimnotageek.blogspot.com offers tips for successful use of technology.

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

by Clarisse Olivieri de Lima

Part of being a global citizen is being able to articulate and take positions regarding one's role and responsibilities in the world. Global citizens need to be aware and concerned with what is happening not only in their nation and geographic region but also throughout the world. Global citizens need to develop a voice to promote social and economical justice for themselves and their fellows by demonstrating care and respect for other’s welfare.

Promoting a meaningful and socially valued use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is a crucial task that 21st century teachers may pursue in order to cope with their students' education. The set of basic skills needed to fully operate and participate in a globalized society include the new literacies needed for using Internet-based information.

The Travel Buddies Project is an intercultural exchange project where students from different countries select mascots to go on a journey as a visitor in a foreign culture. In an edition of this project, students in the United States and Brazil participated by sending their buddies to each other's location. As guests, the mascots were involved in activities with the children both inside and outside of school. Students kept in touch throughout the exchange by recording events and activities using photographs, blog posts, email exchanges, and diary/journal entries.

Many subjects from the curriculum can be reinforced in a project such as this one. Connections to reading, writing, the Arts (e.g. music, dance, artistic expression) and Humanities are inherent in all the learning activities that were developed as part of this exchange. Students engaged regularly in shared reading and writing activities using the blogs to register their visitor's activities. They also developed their own individual writing and technical skills through journal entries and the use of software products to create graphic images. Many of the lessons were interdisciplinary in nature and provided opportunities for collaboration between classroom teachers.

Blog posts were used as the central mode of communication between the classes and often initiated spontaneous lessons based on the content that was posted by the partner class. All the activities done by the classes and the mascots that were posted on the blog were done so according to safety and ethical rules established by each school in order to preserve the students’ identities.

Some additional skills that are essential for children to develop for success in today’s world were also emphasized during this project. First, students learned the nuances of acceptable technology etiquette essential to forging respectful social interactions and good citizenship. While the Brazilian and American children interacted through the blog postings, they also practiced examining how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence their beliefs and behaviors. Additionally, the students learned how to effectively apply more appropriate expressions and interpretations in diverse and multicultural environments.

Telecollaborative projects such as this one provide an opportunity for participants to develop global citizenship skills that are indispensable for their living in a globalized, diverse, and flattened world.

This project was coordinated by Dr. Clarisse Lima (EdTech Consultant, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Dr. Laurie Henry (University of Kentucky, USA) and was held during the year of 2009. 

For complete information: 

Henry, L. & Lima, C. (2012). Promoting global citizenship through intercultural exchange using technology: The Travel Buddies Project. In Kelsey, S. and Amant, K. (ed.) Computer-Mediated Communication across Cultures: International Interactions in Online Environments. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. (pp. 100-119).

To visit the blogs:

Brazil: http://tbteresiano1ano.blogspot.com.br/

USA: http://graytravelbuddies.blogspot.com.br/?zx=4889ea4916054b09

Clarisse Olivieri de Lima is an educational technology consultant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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

by Terry S. Atkinson

Children born this year will graduate from high schools in the year 2030. With this fact in mind, TVO has launched Learning 2030, a special on-the-road series canvassing citizens and experts about the future of education. Recently featured in this series is Douglas Thomas, co-author of A New Culture of Learning. Through his lens as a cultural historian, he argues that game-changing technologies including Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, smart phones, and YouTube have transformed the way that students think, learn, and make sense of the world. Thomas argues that university instructors must make radical shifts in their teaching to reach today’s students and challenge them to address tomorrow’s yet unknown problems and questions. While Thomas makes many points based on what he claims are the best historical tenets of education, several ideas are particularly intriguing for university instructors. These include:

• Shifting the teacher’s instructional role from dispenser of content to that of guide and mentor;
• Rethinking learning so that student passion, imagination, inquiry, collaboration, and a quest for greater understanding are foregrounded; and
• Valuing the notion of honing student intellect through challenging and substantive questioning, rather than providing right answers to teacher-generated questions. Such questioning may reveal no definitive answers and, therefore, has the potential to foster long-standing student interest and engagement.

Traditions in the academy often undermine such radical shifts in university teaching and learning. Perhaps no one understands that better than Roni Jo Draper, who launched an innovative cross-campus action research project among engineering, English, history, mathematics, music, science, theatre, and visual arts colleagues at Brigham Young University (BYU). In her quest to better understand her own role as a content-area literacy educator, this collaboration has led her to question a fundamental tenet of content-area literacy. She no longer imagines that she can suggest a body of cross-content literacy strategies appropriate for all teachers and disciplines. Participation in action research with her BYU colleagues has led her to conclude that participation in the intellectual discourse of specific disciplines must be the focus of content-area literacy instruction and can only take place in collaboration with content-area specialists.

Draper and her Brigham Young University colleagues offer one innovative model for collaborative professional development among university faculty. In rethinking their own roles and practices as teacher educators, their efforts offer inspiration for other higher education faculty to envision and create new cultures of learning within their own classrooms, departments, colleges, and universities.

Terry S. Atkinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education at East Carolina University.

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

by Elizabeth Bleacher

At the time of its release 50 years ago, Ezra Jack Keats’ Caldecott award-winning book The Snowy Day was embraced by children across ethnic and cultural boundaries. Keats’ spirit of diversity was celebrated and remembered in November at an event organized by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi, and the Society of Illustrators.

Among the authors, illustrators, and educators who attended, was Floyd Cooper, a noted illustrator of children’s literature, who presented the keynote speech for the event. Also in attendance were Don Weisberg, President, Penguin Young Readers Group; Richard Peck, Newbery award-winning author; and Paul O. Zelinsky, Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator, as well as numerous others.

Marisabina Russo, author and illustrator; Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the Foundation and co-host; Floyd Cooper, author and illustrator, and keynote speaker; and Richard Peck, author

New Writer and New Illustrator Awards Submissions Due December 30

To further commemorate Keats’ legacy, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation annually honors the achievements of up-and-coming children’s picture book authors with their New Writer and New Illustrator Awards. The submission deadline for this year’s award is December 30. To be eligible authors and illustrators must have published no more than three books, and the submitted book must be copyrighted for 2012 and showcase childhood in our multicultural world. Winners will receive the Keats’ medallion, a $1,000 stipend, and a golden seal featuring Peter from The Snowy Day that publishers may affix to the winning book.

Minigrant Applications Due March 15

Teachers and librarians are encouraged to apply for the Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program. This program awards public school teachers and librarians direct funding for a specific program, campaign, or workshop that they wish to develop. Educators should apply for funding with a specific program in mind, and the program is expected to encourage creative learning for students. Minigrants are awarded annually with the submission deadline being March 15 of each year.

General information about the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation can be found at their website. Specific information about the book awards and the minigrants is also available.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by S. Michael Putman

As you read the title of this post, I am sure many of you immediately noted the implicit reference to Pinterest, a website that has quickly gained a tremendous following, especially among teachers. However, my goal is to actually introduce you to a new website, called Learnist, which has been referred to as the “Pinterest for education.” In what follows, I’ll provide a brief overview of the tool as well as describe a few potential benefits and uses of this social learning platform.

Identified as a multimedia learning platform, Learnist represents a tool that allows users to gather or examine multiple digital resources about a topic (tag) in what’s referred to as a learning board. The advantage of Learnist over other similar tools is that content resources presented on the board can consist of more than just a series of pictures or links. In fact, Learnist is capable of displaying imbedded resources in diverse formats, such as text, audio, video (including YouTube and Vimeo), and Google maps and books. Extending this flexibility, the resources can also be ordered, thus creators can provide a presentation-like environment, progressing users through a specific set of materials in sequence. Taking advantage of the communicative function of the platform, users can follow specific people, comment on and “like” boards as well as share boards through other outlets, including Facebook and Pinterest. The interface is very much like other social networks, but rather than trying to explain how it looks, I would suggest going directly to the site and examining the learning board that offers a quick tour. Not only will you see what a board looks like, but you’ll also be able to examine a number of videos and text-based sources that introduce the website in more detail and explain how to complete some of the common actions necessary for active and productive use of the site.

Learnist has great potential for use by educators, both as an instructional tool and as an informational resource. In regard to the former, teachers can “send” their students to a learning board on a particular topic that offers a finite set of resources organized around a particular topic. In essence, the website offers the opportunity to minimize the need for students to search the Internet for resources or information, potentially saving instructional time. Utilizing the flexibility of formats for content resources, teachers can also potentially meet multiple learners’ needs as concepts and materials are introduced and reinforced in several ways within a board. As a professional development tool, Learnist provides access to a wealth of information on a variety of educational subjects. For example, there are multiple learning boards with content addressing instructional methods to meet the Common Core State Standards. Other boards function primarily as resource centers about particular topics, e.g. how to use iPads within instruction or 21st Century Learning.

I feel Learnist offers some new and exciting possibilities for educators, beyond simply getting ideas from pictures pinned on walls. Hopefully you’ll take a look and find multiple ways to use it as an instructional resource as well as one for professional growth.

S. Michael Putman is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

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