Grades K-5 RED 6449: Literacy & Technology Ana Robins University of South Florida

 Highlights of the brochure  Uses of ICTs for Reading /Writing Instruction  Audiobooks  Digital Storytelling  Internet resources  Q & A

 Gap between children’s use of technology and media outside of school and inside of school.  2005: 40 hrs/week vs. 12 mins/week  Several barriers prevent teachers from incorporating technology in classroom activities  Lack of preparation/knowledge – seek it out!  Lack of time – make gradual changes  Access to technology  Technical support  Can ease into the process by modifying instruction with a few new ideas (Sweeny, 2010)  Needs to be meaningful

 Children who enjoy digital reading have stated that they would read more books for fun if they had access to books electronically (Lamb & Johnson, 2011).  Available on CDs, MP3 players and online  See Appendix A  Benefits:  Offer more time for students to read  Motivate/assist reluctant readers and ELLs  Serve as models of verbal fluency  Struggling students listen to grade level books

 At a listening station  CD players  MP3 players  At computers  Laptop attached to ELMO for whole-group instruction  Can be introduced as early as Kindergarten

 Definition: “a short, first person video-narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds” (storycenter.org)  Here’s an example:  Great for struggling /reluctant writers and ELLs  Workshops available through www. storycenter.org/public-workshops

Created by Kindergarten students!

 Students compose a story the traditional way  Will become script for voice-over narrative  Students then choose digital images or graphics, or create their own illustrations on paper (as in previous slide)  Compile the media – iMovie/ Movie Maker  Share! (Here’s an example:  With the class  With the school  With parents through school website  See Appendix B for resources

 Blogs, Twitter, Wikis & Cloud Computing  can be used in earlier grades as a whole group activity  Great for older elementary students: 4 th /5 th Blogs to post rough drafts for peer-edit feedback Twitter to write summaries or other responses to literature Wiki & Cloud Computing for collaborative writing projects GoogleDocs (

Choose one idea to implement. Add on from there. Soon, lesson planning for new literacies will become easier. Just take those first baby steps!

 Hett, K. (2012, Summer). Technology-supported literacy in the classroom: Using audiobooks and digital storytelling to enhance literacy instruction. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 40(3),  Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2011, October). Nurturing a new breed of reader: five real-world issues. Teacher Librarian, 39(1),  Sweeny, S. M. (2010). Writing for the instant messaging and text messaging generation: Using new literacies to support writing instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(2),