Chapter 9

Chapter 9 discussed technology usage in English and Language Arts contexts. At first I thought that this chapter would be useless for me since I am going to be a math teacher, but I think that it had some good points for any teachers. It is important for all teachers to realize that the definition of literacy is expanding with the addition of many forms of technology. Gathering information, creating projects or works of writing, and communicating are all being greatly enhanced by new forms of technology. Teachers need to be aware of this, and they should be up to date with these changes because it is so important for teachers to provide students with the opportunities to integrate this new technology into the learning experiences.
Technology has added many benefits to English classes that can also be touched upon in other classes as well. First, technology allows the classroom to become more of a social learning environment involving others in new ways. Also, the classroom has the capability to become more diverse though Internet resources and communication possibilities.
I think one of the most important benefits is that interactive and visual software is helping to increase student motivation. There are new ways to spur students' interest in reading and in writing. Some websites teach decoding skills by offering interactive speech support and reinforce letter recognition and formation. Some websites offer exercises that may seem more fun to students because they are on the computer or because they engage the students more. Many of these types of websites provide instruction in phonics, decoding, comprehension, and vocabulary without the students really thinking that they are learning or doing "school work". The book offered a few interesting ways that teachers can integrate technology into everyday activities with the class. The text mentioned keeping vocabulary lists in spreadsheets, creating flashcards with electronic presentations, etc.
Technology is also important in improving reading and comprehension development. I think that interactive storybooks and talking books really engage students and allow students who have difficulties reading to still comprehend. Digital storytelling also seems like a great way to help students comprehend stories better. I think that having students read a story and then maybe create a digital story summary, or their own digital story on a certain theme would greatly benefit them. It is also something that they would probably be interested in, so they would be more motivated to do it.
I think that blogs and discussion boards are great ways to motivate students writing skills. These allow students to use the computer and the Internet to post their own ideas or opinions about topics. Not only can they share their own ideas, but students can read and comment about what others have to say.
Finally, the text talked about the generally new idea of writing as a process. I completely agree that writing is a process and there are many steps to generating a good piece of writing or literature. I think that technology plays such an important role in making these different steps much easier for the writer or creator. First, pre-writing, brainstorming, and outlining can be done on the computer or on paper. Ideas can be jotted down, concept maps can be created, and even outlines can even be easily organized on the computer. Drafts can be typed up, and I think most importantly, computers have revolutionized the way we revise and edit our drafts. Due to word processors, revising is so easy. Students can see their work, read over it, make corrections, move things around, etc. Spell checking and grammar checking is easily aided by the computer. Also, it is easy to send documents so that others may proof-read them. Finally, the publishing process has also been greatly enhanced. Students can create works that seem extremely professional. Not only can students create typed papers, but now it is much easier to create brochures, cards, newspaper articles, stories, etc. Also, there are new ways to electronically publish works on the Internet so that others can view them. Technology has truly enhanced English and Language Arts education.