Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers
Retrieved from Google.com on 12/5/12
In Ruth Sylvester’s article, Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers, she describes how digital stories can help students improve their writing. By using digital technologies, writers are able to scaffold traditional literacy and changing it to apply to a new system. Struggling writers sometimes have a learning disability that stops them from generating text. They are also less knowledgeable about writing and the writing process. Students with learning disabilities are also more likely to not revise their text after completing a first draft. Since students are now becoming more familiar with technology, this should be implemented into the writing curriculum to make it more interesting and relatable to students. Effective digital stories must contain these seven elements:
1. Point of View: Showing what message the author is trying to show
2. Dramatic Question: Setting up a conflict that will keep the readers interested throughout the story
3. Emotional Content: Relating these emotions to their audience so it is more relate able to all students
4. Economy: Using language that all of the students can understand
5. Pacing: Determining the rhythm of a story to keep the audience’s attention
6. The Gift of Voice: Picking the appropriate pitch, inflection, and timbre of a voice to narrate the story
7. Soundtrack: Using music to enhance the story
By creating these digital stories, struggling writers compose their writing more strategically. The narrations help students to correct their spelling and grammar issues. By using photographs, give another way of representing the information. If a teacher could implement this resource correctly, struggling writers could find internal motivation and enjoy their writing which eventually will improve it.
Click here to view the entire article.
1. Point of View: Showing what message the author is trying to show
2. Dramatic Question: Setting up a conflict that will keep the readers interested throughout the story
3. Emotional Content: Relating these emotions to their audience so it is more relate able to all students
4. Economy: Using language that all of the students can understand
5. Pacing: Determining the rhythm of a story to keep the audience’s attention
6. The Gift of Voice: Picking the appropriate pitch, inflection, and timbre of a voice to narrate the story
7. Soundtrack: Using music to enhance the story
By creating these digital stories, struggling writers compose their writing more strategically. The narrations help students to correct their spelling and grammar issues. By using photographs, give another way of representing the information. If a teacher could implement this resource correctly, struggling writers could find internal motivation and enjoy their writing which eventually will improve it.
Click here to view the entire article.
Retrieved from examiner.com
The Independent Project
The Independent Project is a program that was first implemented at a high school in Massachusetts that allowed them to have the independence and control over how they wanted their education to be and what they wanted to learn about. With the guidance of their teachers, the students were able to write their own curriculum and evaluate each other at the end of the semester. Not only did the students have to keep up with the current topics for their grades, but they also have to participate in a personal endeavor such as learning how to play the piano, write a novel, or something that peaked each students individual interest. "The students in the Independent Project are remarkable but not because they are exceptionally motivated or unusually talented. They are remarkable because they demonstrate the kinds of learning and personal growth that are possible when teenagers feel ownership of their high school experience, when they learn things that matter to them and when they learn together" (New York Times). The New York Times article about The Independent Project gives easy to read information about the program. The Independent Project website has a video, The White Page Paper, which is a formal document outlining every detail of The Independent Project, as well as a map allowing school officials to add their contact information and school on the map to get more information.
The Independent Project is a program that was first implemented at a high school in Massachusetts that allowed them to have the independence and control over how they wanted their education to be and what they wanted to learn about. With the guidance of their teachers, the students were able to write their own curriculum and evaluate each other at the end of the semester. Not only did the students have to keep up with the current topics for their grades, but they also have to participate in a personal endeavor such as learning how to play the piano, write a novel, or something that peaked each students individual interest. "The students in the Independent Project are remarkable but not because they are exceptionally motivated or unusually talented. They are remarkable because they demonstrate the kinds of learning and personal growth that are possible when teenagers feel ownership of their high school experience, when they learn things that matter to them and when they learn together" (New York Times). The New York Times article about The Independent Project gives easy to read information about the program. The Independent Project website has a video, The White Page Paper, which is a formal document outlining every detail of The Independent Project, as well as a map allowing school officials to add their contact information and school on the map to get more information.
Retrieved from educationalresearcher.com
Opportunities for Research on the Organizational Impact of School Computers
This article by Denis Newman, Senior Scientist with BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation talks about how the increase in the use of computers in schools and the impact they have on the social organization making it harder to anticipate research that is done in the schools. The article also goes into saying that schools use of technology make many unanticipated goals for researchers that they may not have be aware about without the use of the technology present in the school. Developments in the technology of computer-supported cooperative work provide researchers with models for organizational impact outside of education. For more information on this article click here.
This article by Denis Newman, Senior Scientist with BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation talks about how the increase in the use of computers in schools and the impact they have on the social organization making it harder to anticipate research that is done in the schools. The article also goes into saying that schools use of technology make many unanticipated goals for researchers that they may not have be aware about without the use of the technology present in the school. Developments in the technology of computer-supported cooperative work provide researchers with models for organizational impact outside of education. For more information on this article click here.
Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Programming participation in family activities for children with autism: parents' use of photographic activity schedules
Helping students who have behavior issues is a huge problem that many parents and teachers have challenges with. This article discusses how parents implemented the use of photographic activity schedules in their homes for their children that have autism. This program, however, could also be used for students with other disabilities other than autism or students who just need more help controlling their behavior. Not only can this program be used to help students with their behavior at home but it can also be used to help behavior in school and keep students on track with their school work. The use of pictures to help student with their daily activities will help the student become more engaged and participate more throughout the day because the student will know what to expect and what is going to come next in their daily schedule. For more information about this article click here.
Helping students who have behavior issues is a huge problem that many parents and teachers have challenges with. This article discusses how parents implemented the use of photographic activity schedules in their homes for their children that have autism. This program, however, could also be used for students with other disabilities other than autism or students who just need more help controlling their behavior. Not only can this program be used to help students with their behavior at home but it can also be used to help behavior in school and keep students on track with their school work. The use of pictures to help student with their daily activities will help the student become more engaged and participate more throughout the day because the student will know what to expect and what is going to come next in their daily schedule. For more information about this article click here.
Computer-Assisted Instruction to Enhance the Reading
Comprehension of Struggling Readers: A Review of the Literature
Retrieved from udh.edu on 12/10/12
Don't know if using computer assisted technology is right for you and your classroom?
Don't know if it really works?
Take a peek at this article. This article discusses the effects of computer assisted instruction on students that struggle to read and students with learning disabilities. The authors puts text and computer assisted technologies to the test to see which is more effective for student who struggle. They review various articles and studies that have discussed how technology can be used in the classroom. Technology in the classroom has expanded greatly but how it effects children has not been studied as greatly as the usage of technology. There has been many studies that have shown how to use assistive technologies and computer led instruction can be beneficial but no one has done the research to prove its effectiveness. The authors aim to find out what effects if any are made on the students. Read the article and decided for yourself. Click here to view the article.
Don't know if it really works?
Take a peek at this article. This article discusses the effects of computer assisted instruction on students that struggle to read and students with learning disabilities. The authors puts text and computer assisted technologies to the test to see which is more effective for student who struggle. They review various articles and studies that have discussed how technology can be used in the classroom. Technology in the classroom has expanded greatly but how it effects children has not been studied as greatly as the usage of technology. There has been many studies that have shown how to use assistive technologies and computer led instruction can be beneficial but no one has done the research to prove its effectiveness. The authors aim to find out what effects if any are made on the students. Read the article and decided for yourself. Click here to view the article.