Course Impact
During the past two years I have taken several courses that have impacted my professional learning, instructional decisions, and improved my students' learning outcomes. Her are just a few of the course that helped strengthen my creative synthesis delivery and outcomes.
New Literacy & Media
In the beginning of this course we had to use various multimodal tools to complete assignments, and then we had to choose a multimodal tool to use with our students that helped them improve on a literacy objective. "Rather than beginning with technology, The TPACK framework asks teachers to begin with content or the curriculum goals...teachers should consider whether technology can support these goals and instructional strategies." (Johnson, 2014, 15). The TPACK model was the driving force for our project. First the model focuses on determining what goal you want your students to accomplish. Next, you have to decide how you will implement and assess the students' learning. Finally, we had to select which technology tool can be implemented and used to enhance learning outcomes and accomplish our overall goal.
This course helped create a better understanding of the purpose of using multimodal tools which I now know is ,to enhance, motivate, and improve students' learning outcomes. As a teacher, I had to understand that using technology just for the sake of using it, was not benefiting my students or my instruction. However, if I started with the end in mind, I was able to transform my instruction, increase my students motivation to write and read through digital tools, and most of all improve their learning outcomes. "TPACK provides a framework for thinking about the intentional integration of technology that is a "just right" fit in the literacy curriculum." (Johnson, 2014, 23).
In the beginning of this course we had to use various multimodal tools to complete assignments, and then we had to choose a multimodal tool to use with our students that helped them improve on a literacy objective. "Rather than beginning with technology, The TPACK framework asks teachers to begin with content or the curriculum goals...teachers should consider whether technology can support these goals and instructional strategies." (Johnson, 2014, 15). The TPACK model was the driving force for our project. First the model focuses on determining what goal you want your students to accomplish. Next, you have to decide how you will implement and assess the students' learning. Finally, we had to select which technology tool can be implemented and used to enhance learning outcomes and accomplish our overall goal.
This course helped create a better understanding of the purpose of using multimodal tools which I now know is ,to enhance, motivate, and improve students' learning outcomes. As a teacher, I had to understand that using technology just for the sake of using it, was not benefiting my students or my instruction. However, if I started with the end in mind, I was able to transform my instruction, increase my students motivation to write and read through digital tools, and most of all improve their learning outcomes. "TPACK provides a framework for thinking about the intentional integration of technology that is a "just right" fit in the literacy curriculum." (Johnson, 2014, 23).
Teachers as Writers
"Learning to write is a complex journey, requiring long apprenticeship with increasing level of difficulty..." (Fitzgerald, Graham, &MacArthur, 2013). In this course we learned that writing can be a daunting task for students. They have to learn different skills and demonstrate to a teacher or an audience, that they are learning particular skills associated with writing. But, what happens when students lack motivation that influences their ability to show they are proficient in the area of writing? What if spelling and grammar prevented them from having the confidence to compose work they believed was worthy enough to share with peers and their teacher? "Together with bellies about writing, students also develop self-perceptions and beliefs (expectancies) about themselves as writers, that is, about their writing competence an ability to manage writing tasks." (Fitzgerald, Graham, &MacArthur, 2013). So how do we change this as educators?
Throughout this course we learned practices that taught us how to motivate our students to be willing to not only write but to see the potential and power in their writing. We were encouraged to journal, video tape writing strategies, use best practices, and reflect on their effect in our classroom. This course taught us that writing with our students has to be an authentic process. I used this course to see what motivated my students to not just produce writing but also improve their overall writing process through each step when using the writer's workshop model. After learning that it wasn't the fact of my students disliking writing, it was that they hadn't learned about authentic and interesting writing tasks. By discovering this, I decided to see how using multimodal tools would not only motivate but improve my students' writing.
"Learning to write is a complex journey, requiring long apprenticeship with increasing level of difficulty..." (Fitzgerald, Graham, &MacArthur, 2013). In this course we learned that writing can be a daunting task for students. They have to learn different skills and demonstrate to a teacher or an audience, that they are learning particular skills associated with writing. But, what happens when students lack motivation that influences their ability to show they are proficient in the area of writing? What if spelling and grammar prevented them from having the confidence to compose work they believed was worthy enough to share with peers and their teacher? "Together with bellies about writing, students also develop self-perceptions and beliefs (expectancies) about themselves as writers, that is, about their writing competence an ability to manage writing tasks." (Fitzgerald, Graham, &MacArthur, 2013). So how do we change this as educators?
Throughout this course we learned practices that taught us how to motivate our students to be willing to not only write but to see the potential and power in their writing. We were encouraged to journal, video tape writing strategies, use best practices, and reflect on their effect in our classroom. This course taught us that writing with our students has to be an authentic process. I used this course to see what motivated my students to not just produce writing but also improve their overall writing process through each step when using the writer's workshop model. After learning that it wasn't the fact of my students disliking writing, it was that they hadn't learned about authentic and interesting writing tasks. By discovering this, I decided to see how using multimodal tools would not only motivate but improve my students' writing.
Reading in the Elementary School
During our time spent in this course, we learned about the power of literacy across all subjects. "Cambourne (1988) suggests that authentic engagement accompanied by immersion and demonstration result in learning." (Gambrell and Marrow, 2014). When a student learns to read, they also learn to write, even if they don't yet know it. This course taught us that as educators, it is important to support student writing through the exposure of reading, and that using mentor texts can improve student writing, and increase their ability to see the relationship between reading words (oral language) and writing. "Writers need direct intentional instruction in strategies for becoming better writers as well as time to write." (Gambrell and Marrow, 2014).
My realization was that if students read a variety of text they should also write a variety of genres. Students need to write across the curriculum and understand that writing is not just something they are expected to produce during writing; they have to use it during science, math, and social studies. Because of this new understanding, I had my students read digital text and respond on our Google Classroom to peers, as well as write summaries, share their opinions, and retell text that was then shared with teachers and peers. It was also important for my students know that in order to write genres like opinions or fairytales, they had to read text that would help them understand the structures and skills for those specific genres. My students were instructed to read digital articles or listen to varies fairytales; this helped my students produce ideas and create purposeful writing.
During our time spent in this course, we learned about the power of literacy across all subjects. "Cambourne (1988) suggests that authentic engagement accompanied by immersion and demonstration result in learning." (Gambrell and Marrow, 2014). When a student learns to read, they also learn to write, even if they don't yet know it. This course taught us that as educators, it is important to support student writing through the exposure of reading, and that using mentor texts can improve student writing, and increase their ability to see the relationship between reading words (oral language) and writing. "Writers need direct intentional instruction in strategies for becoming better writers as well as time to write." (Gambrell and Marrow, 2014).
My realization was that if students read a variety of text they should also write a variety of genres. Students need to write across the curriculum and understand that writing is not just something they are expected to produce during writing; they have to use it during science, math, and social studies. Because of this new understanding, I had my students read digital text and respond on our Google Classroom to peers, as well as write summaries, share their opinions, and retell text that was then shared with teachers and peers. It was also important for my students know that in order to write genres like opinions or fairytales, they had to read text that would help them understand the structures and skills for those specific genres. My students were instructed to read digital articles or listen to varies fairytales; this helped my students produce ideas and create purposeful writing.
Practicum (601)
During the practicum experience I had to co-tutor a struggling reader. We assessed the students reading level, spelling and fluency. After determining skills our student needed to improve on, we used the Wolfpack Readers model to guide our instructions. Our instruction was driving by a data but also by our students interest in an inquiry topic. As our student read books based on their interest they had to demonstrate their understanding of the topic through a digital presentation. Through the use of digital texts and a multimodal tool to present their learning, my partner and I were able to assess our students learning.
During the practicum experience I had to co-tutor a struggling reader. We assessed the students reading level, spelling and fluency. After determining skills our student needed to improve on, we used the Wolfpack Readers model to guide our instructions. Our instruction was driving by a data but also by our students interest in an inquiry topic. As our student read books based on their interest they had to demonstrate their understanding of the topic through a digital presentation. Through the use of digital texts and a multimodal tool to present their learning, my partner and I were able to assess our students learning.
Gambrell, B.,Morrow, M., (2015). Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (5th ed.). New York: Guilford.
Graham, S., MacArthur, C.A., & Fitzgerald, J. (2014). Best practices in writing instruction (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Johnson, D. (2014). Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0: Teaching with online text, tools, and resources k-8. New York:Teacher College Press.
Vacca, L.,Vacca,R.,Mraz,M.,(2016). Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum (12th ed.). Pearson.
Graham, S., MacArthur, C.A., & Fitzgerald, J. (2014). Best practices in writing instruction (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Johnson, D. (2014). Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0: Teaching with online text, tools, and resources k-8. New York:Teacher College Press.
Vacca, L.,Vacca,R.,Mraz,M.,(2016). Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum (12th ed.). Pearson.