EDLA615 Language Arts and Technology Fall 2020

 The article, The Impact of Using Blogs on College Students’ Reading Comprehension and Learning Motivation, discusses the positive impact that blog use has had on college students. By implementing the use of blogs into developmental reading courses the professors have seen that the students who performed in the study had higher retention rates. The study taught the participants to use blogs but did not help technology integration. The conductors of the experiment strongly believe that for educators to have technology integration in their classrooms they have to be trained, and therefore wanted to teach college students. However, there were many glitches in the experiment and therefore the college professors did not get over their fear of technology integration. Also, technology has to come with pedagogies and not as a task.

  Second Life can be incorporated into an ELA lesson when teaching instructions, coordination, or as a great break from the regular class and sheets. It is made with plenty of reading incorporated and is great practice for EVERY student. It also encourages students to be critical in technology.

 Article 1:   Theories and Practices of Multimodal Education: The Instructional Dynamics of Picture Books and Primary Classrooms Multimodal texts require new roles for the teacher, the readers, and the writers. Using current theories is not enough for the electronic world. Although teachers must keep the traditional roles as facilitator, instructor, and model with multimodal reading and writing they must do more. They must also be a resource manager, co-constructor of knowledge, and design consultant. It is important not to skip implementing these methods in the classroom since this is what gives the students the ability to be critically oriented in evolving technology. Article 2:    Using the ADDIE Model to Design Second Life Activities for Online Learners Second Life like all other parts of technology can be a facilitator or a distraction. Especially when implementing technology in the classroom it is important to know the pros and cons of the selected website...

Successful technology integration in the classroom can only happen with the teachers' confidence and access to technology. The first article,    Middle School Science Teachers Confidence and Pedagogical Practices of New Literacies, concludes a study that teachers do not have confidence in advanced ICT skills as well as having limited access to practice new literacies. The second article, Using Social Networking Sites to Enhance Teaching and Learning in the Science Classroom, agrees that a successful technology integrated classroom is dependent on the teacher's skills but goes into detail about how easy social networking sites are. Although it can be overwhelming to switch over, the positive effects are worth the effort. I agree with the articles and appreciate that the school I worked for gave us access to the technology use we request as well as workshops to enhance our understanding and skills.

  The messaging allows teachers and students to communicate with one another or as a group. Under classes, a teacher can view in the What’s Due section which assignments still need reviewing, which have been reviewed and what is scheduled. The discover option allows for browsing different teacher’s videos and games that are educational and user friendly in the classroom. The notification button allows for easy access and updates on messages and submissions from teachers and students. The last that I have explored is the planner which allows for a neat and organized schedule and reminders. With these tools and ELA teacher can have communication with other educators and students, efficiently review assignments and messages as well as have a clear schedule planned.

 Article This article describes the benefits of the use of e-portfolios. First, this article gave me an appreciation of why NYIT wants each of its students to have an e-portfolio. Also, it clearly explains from a teacher's perspective why they should encourage their students to have one. Happy reading!!