Thursday, July 21, 2011

Computers for writing

I have read several posts and articles lately about how cursive is on its way out and keyboarding is on its way in at younger ages. It is an interesting debate.

Being able to legibly handwrite seems like it should be a basic skill for everyone. However, I do know for many of my students, that goal may never be attained. With those with dysgraphia or fine motor weaknesses, legible handwriting just may not be a reasonable goal.

In relation to cursive, there are several schools of thought. One local independent schools requires their students to completely use cursive by third grade, while other schools are phasing cursive instruction completely out. Those in the field of Orton-Gillingham general feel that cursive handwriting can support decoding skills by mimicking the connection of sounds. Does cursive still have a place?

The comes word processing. I personally am a much better writer when I type, as was duly noted by a professor in graduate school. It allows for my ideas to flow much more clearly, as well as provides for fast and easy editing. In writing classes, I have utilized word processing units such as AlphaSmarts and Fusions. These have opened the door for several of them to express their ideas with greater ease and no distractions of other programs. Taking away the physical task of handwriting is all that was needed to allow them to fluidly develop their writing compositions. Some devices additionally can provide audio feedback directly to the student which gives them increased control in the process. Computer programs, additionally, allow for easier editing, and visual support for when errors are made, as well as easy access to dictionaries and thesauruses to build word choice.

However, as I worked with a group of students recently, I saw how at young ages, the use of word processing could actually hinder the process. The act of typing slowed them down as they were unfamiliar with key placement; so not only were they sounding out words, they were trying to find keys. When given audio feedback through read-backs, or visual feedbacks with underlined errors, they were caught up fixing the error immediately rather than continuing with idea development. With older students, I have seen that the bells and whistles of fonts, colors, and other easily accessed programs at their fingertips can provide an easy distraction to those with a propensity to move off task.

That all being said, there are wonderful ways to account for these difficulties and make computers are wonderful tool for students. For younger students, I feel, handwriting drafts is still a crucial point of development, if reasonable for that student. Having students fully write out initial brainstorms and drafts, then using word processing for final drafts ensures that they do not get caught up with the typing skill at the expense of idea development. For older students, establish set standards for typed pieces such as font size and color. We generally utilize 12 point Times New Roman font so there is no need to play with those tools. Additionally, dictation software is a wonderful choice for many students for whom both handwriting and typing are a difficulty.

So should it be print, cursive or keyboarding? Each student will thrive with one and not with another, and all tools should be taught and experienced so that when the student chooses what is their best mode for communicating in writing, they have a full set of skills to choose from.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

To tech or not to Tech

The school I teach at is specifically for students with learning disabilities. We focus on skills rather than curriculum, and have a low student to teacher ratio. Overall, we make a great impact on may students who were struggling in traditional classrooms.

When I started working there, technology was a few laptops (those old clamshell Macs with OS9!) and some AlphaSmarts. Today, we are a few more laptops (Macbooks) and Fusions, with a smattering of Elmos (document cameras). We do use Accelerated Math, Accelerated Reader and Lexia to support skills. (Note no interactive whiteboards.)

As a self professed technology geek, I love using it when I can. However, in my daily teaching of skills, I utilized tried and true methods that are quite successful without a lot of techie bells and whistles. A few years ago we explored the idea of implementing interactive whiteboards. They are being implemented everywhere, so figured maybe we should go that route. I do have to admit that I am awed by them and would love to have one in my room. However, I am skeptical as to the impact it will have on my students.

I do have to say some of my students are definitely more engaged when I utilize the Elmo, but I also have some that cannot attend to a brief movie. They love throwing a squishy brain into a box when they read a sentence correctly, or throwing a sticky ball or Nerf dart gun at the board to pick a word to read. They are awed when they can use dry erase markers on their desks for spelling practice. These simple tools engage my students at least as much as a lesson from the internet would.

In a meeting with our Smart-board rep recently, he noted how a local school district that is socio-economically disadvantaged has these boards in all their classrooms due to a Federal grant. Yet, the state test scores came out this week and there was no improvement in those schools.

I am not against the use of interactive whiteboards or any technology in classrooms. We will be implementing one for me to utilize and train staff on for the upcoming year. Additionally, I am exploring apps to utilize in the classroom on my iPad. I am just curious about the automatic placement some school districts are doing at such a great cost. Towns budgets are in dire need, yet the technology going into schools is astounding. Does the technology really increase students building their skills, or is it just another expensive tool to use during instruction?

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Social Networking and Inferencing

As I think about the students in our school and the use of social media, there are areas that concern me for some of them. These concerns can really extend to any student navigating the online world...inferencing and implied meanings.

There has been much written about how misunderstandings can easily occur with online communication. Without the facial and physical cues to read, meanings of humor, sarcasm, and truth can be missed by anyone.

Take a student who has difficulty reading meaning with face-to-face interactions or with meanings implied in books, and put them in the sea of social networking...it is an area for great concern. If a student cannot grasp concepts in an age-appropriate book, I cannot imagine how they can navigate all the information easily accessed from opening a simple web browser, sent in a text message, or posted on FB.

As adults, we need to be mindful of how we expose children to this great world of information. There is much to be learned, but there is also a great vat of misinformation at the touch of our fingertips. It is no longer as simple as keeping the computer in the main room of the house to be aware of what children are doing.

Information is easily accessed from the latest and greatest devices that are readily in the hands of most students today. Unfortunately, cognitively whether having a learning disability or not, they do not understand all that is involved reaching out into the web. I know I have addressed with my students to beware of what they post; however, I still hear about pictures and words that they FB or text that come back to haunt them.

What can be difficult for many educators and parents is that the kids have a better understanding of technology than they do. Even if you don't understand it, you need to be aware of how your kids understand it. It is about being involved and having discussions. Just because they want the technology, does not mean they are ready to handle it on their own. Be involved with your students and children as they utilize it, don't let them infer their way through it on their own.

diving in

Writing has never been my forte...Just ask Mrs. Loungo my writing tutor in middle school. I often wonder in this day and age, I myself would have been diagnosed with a learning disability. My mother, a former teacher, used all the techniques and tricks to get me back on track...hated her for it then, but appreciate it now. Maybe that is why I gravitated to working with kids with learning disabilities. I cannot imagine doing any other job. Each day is a new and wonderful adventure.

Yet here I sit taking on a new challenge of writing about travels in learning.

I am not an adventurer nor leader by nature, yet I find myself in a place where I need to push beyond that and venture out.

A few years ago, I was given the position of technology coordinator at my school...a position that began as the person in charge of introducing more technology to the students. Simple enough as we are a skill based program and my job was to build technology skills. Yet, as with the nature of technology, skills required to go into the world have been rapidly changing. It is not just about word processing and web researching; it is about navigating this ever developing world of social networking, engaging with new forms of technology, and utilizing new ways to create and share information. So this position of basics, led me to realize I had to understand more. Thus the adventure begins.

I dip my foot into the pool of what more is out there to learn and I find it is an Olympic size pool! A trip to the last TRLD conference in San Francisco in 2009, opened my eyes to that greater possibilities out there. I had so much ground to cover.

So I took on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and just the whole nature of information sharing that is out there. I quickly saw possibilities, although daunted by how much I have to learn. Developing my PLN and reconnecting with old friends, while making new ones, all became a new world. Luckily in the time consuming nature of this, I have a husband who is just as geeky as I am and who supports my adventures with vigor and love.

I seek to know more about learning and technology both personally and professionally. I hope to document these travels, forcing myself to take the lead and share with my colleagues the whole world that is out there to understand and interact with.