Theresa Nierlich Antioch Unified School District Technology in the Language Arts Curriculum (And Language Arts is part of every subject!) Theresa Nierlich Antioch Unified School District

The Plan Introductions Background Tech Pieces Activities- Ideas with Playtime

Why Technology? Engages students Provides background knowledge What does engagement look like? Provides background knowledge Can help create authentic tasks Prepares students for the reality of the work world (see Time magazine’s recent article on preparing students for the 21st Century.) Compare you need to write a rough draft and edit and revise and rewrite a final draft by hand versus on the computer or a word processor- engagement and effort for the typed one is higher. Many of our students come in with limited background knowledge, and unless we build the background knowledge, there’s nothing there to activate- activating background knowledge can’t happen unless there’s something to activate. (ED Hirsch) Authentic tasks allow teachers to provide a good answer to “Why are we doing this?” Make copies of Time article.

Language Arts Philosophy Reading and writing are an essential part of every facet of the curriculum. Reading and writing cannot be limited to “Language Arts Time.” We need to explicitly teach students to use AND how to use comprehension and writing skills in all learning tasks.

What Kind of Technology? Basics: Computer with Office, Internet access, a printer, and a way to project for all students to see. Extras: Individual word processors, Inspiration, digital camera, scanner Helpers: Scholastic books and others

So What Can it Look Like?: Building Background Knowledge Vocabulary Power Points- teacher or student created- any subject ESL connections- combine pictures or clips with words to build academic AND social vocabulary (BICs and CALPs) Go make one! Create one now.

So What Can it Look Like?: Building Background Knowledge BrainPop or United Streaming movies to build background knowledge ESL connection Find a movie that ties into something you are going to teach soon. How can you understand Akiak if you don’t know what mushing is? Check on using ed1stop account to have everyone experience brainpop or united streaming

So What Can it Look Like?: Ways to Engage Allow students the chance to type rough and/or final drafts and include clip art or other graphics Allows choice and critical thinking Thesaurus activity Vocabulary development Good for ELD By allowing students to choose a font, play with the size of their type, insert graphics, use art that they don’t have to create, you include choice and the motivation to do more. Many kids will type what they think is a good stiry, and see it on the screen and decide tp go back and add more. They have the freedom to make changes and additions and deletions without the penalty of rewriting the whole thing. Plus, ENCOURAGE the use of tools like spell check, grammar check, and thesaurus- in the “real world” students need to know how to use these tools. We all use them before we submit a “final product.” Why not the kids? It also requires students to use critical thinking- which font and size of font will best convey my message? Which pictures will strengthen my message? What can I include as support for my arguments?

So What Can it Look Like?: Ways to Engage Create final products that are showy, interesting, and informative Allows choice, critical thinking, higher level thinking skills ReadWriteThink.org Go play! Make examples of the different final products available. Have “class” make some examples of their own. Play with the site.

So What Can it Look Like?: Ways to Engage PowerPoint Stories Allows choice, engaging, good for ELD, requires critical thinking skills Example Go play! Show an example, make one. Maybe use Fortunately book or summer vacation. Bring in clip art- I hate to draw, no one can understand what I draw, so if someone else has already done the work… Or allow students to take pictures and import them to the stories or import their own artwork To include concepts of voice, have student practice reading with emotion, turn it into a play. ESL students- can take a simple story and use pictures to help tell it, can participate in class and show off their work Critical thinking skills- what helps tell my story? Prove my point? Support my argument?

So What Can it Look Like?: Ways to Engage Wikis and blogs in class Need to be aware of security concerns PBWiki is easy to use Two examples of current blogs in use Idea Exchange Mission Students Example of a wiki National Park wiki I am a recent convert to belief in wikis and blogs. I used to avoid anything to do with them. Add links to the blogs and wiki.

Blog and Wiki Resources Edublogs.org Learnerblogs.org PBWiki.com Wikispaces.com

So What Can it Look Like?: Authentic Tasks Authentic tasks improve engagement and motivation Authentic tasks make the learning more concrete Authentic task can address the real-world skills students will need in the future

So What Can it Look Like?: Authentic Tasks Explicitly teach web searching strategies Explicitly teach similarities between text structures in books/magazine and structures on websites

Great Search Engines KidsClick.org Yahooligans Google Advanced Search features I use Google and Yahooligans the most. Google lets you search for PowerPoints, very specific information, KidsClick has information about reading level and content, has been searched by librarians Google can let you search for sites in other languages, which might be good for ESL students- you just can’t always screen the content Share information about good googling

Wise Web Use PBS Driver’s License 4 NETS for Better Searching Evaluating Websites

Great Web-based Resources Ed1stop.net (or .org or .com) BrainPop.com UnitedStreaming.com Filamentality Scholastic.com Tiny URL

Favorite Websites Across the Curriculum ReadWriteThink.org CTAP IV Learning Resources- Information Literacy Houghton Mifflin “Accessories” Math Forum Yucky Kids Graphic Organizers Ben’s Guide Rubistar Jeopardy Games

Other Nifty Stuff http://lite.iwarp.com/weaveint.htm http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~djleu/fourth.html