This is our first week for #cyberPD. I am co-hosting with Laura Komos and Michelle Nero. Educators from a variety of places are reading and talking virtually about Digital Reading: What's Essential by Franki Sibberson and Bill Bass. This first week our focus is on the first and second chapter. If you'd like to join us stop by our #cyberPD Google Community.
Digital Reading for Primary Literacy Learners?
essential to learning conversations.
Franki and Bill's book is giving me a way to think more about the impact of digital literacy on the work I do daily sitting beside young learners. Though written for grades 3-8, I find much of their thinking affirming and applicable to primary students. Reading the first two chapters has made me ask a few questions. Is digital literacy important for primary children? Are they too young to gain meaning from digital text? In primary classrooms we work to create real world literacy experiences for students. Digital literacy is real world and our young students need to learn how to navigate this world much as their older peers.
In a primary classroom, we don't put away picture books that would be too challenging to read; instead we teach students to use the pictures to find meaning. We read aloud to them to make these texts accessible. We work to add books that students will be able to read either after reading aloud, because of supports within text, or due to simplicity of language. We don't put away informational texts they enjoy because they are too challenging, we teach them to use images, captions, and headings to start to determine meaning. We teach them to use the table of contents to find answers to their questions and to search for information. We stay focused on meaningful experiences with texts.
The same is true for digital literacy. I know I want my students to begin to understand how to navigate this digital world. For this reason, I look for sites appropriate for young learners. I create opportunities for shared experiences and adjust the support for learners through read aloud, shared reading, and shared writing of digital texts just as I would in using other print materials in my classroom.
As primary teachers we can't dismiss the play in the work students do in digital tools. Young children learn through play. Students like working in applications like Pixie, Educreations, and Voicethread to share their learning and thinking with others. Watching a classroom of young learners working digitally, it is easy to witness the playfulness and joy in these opportunities to create and make meaning.
"Students need specific experiences if they are to effectively navigate all types of texts and be digitally active readers (p. 8)." Franki and Bill remind me of the importance of the work we do as primary teachers in helping students in their first steps as citizens in a digital world, and in using digital tools in purposeful ways. Students using digital tools to practice letter formation or answer questions from a story are receiving very different experiences from those using tools to tell others about their reading using digital creation tools, writing on blogs to share their thinking, or interacting with authors of favorite books.
Finally, Bill and Franki remind us that the basic tenets of workshop remain the same: time, ownership, and response. Our structural components remain the same as well. As we expand our thinking to include digital literacy they focus the digital work discussion on three anchors: authenticity, intentionality, and connectedness. These are important to consider as a primary teacher in determining digital opportunities and planning appropriate support. I look forward to thinking more extensively about each of these in the coming chapters.
Favorite Quotes
"We can't wait until a child is competent with traditional literacy skills and then expect the child to transfer those skills to digital text." p. 8
"We don't want our students merely to be able to read and understand nonlinear texts. Instead, we want them to be intentional about when and how to choose which types of text will help them find and best understand the message and medium." p. 9
"Learning to read digital texts must be embedded in the ways we do our literacy work on a day-to-day basis." p. 11
"We cannot presume that students must become proficient with traditional texts before we give them opportunities with digital texts." p. 14
"But though reading workshop looks the same, there is a big difference in its inner workings because the digital tools available to readers today actually change what is possible in a workshop." p. 16
"Digital reading wasn't an additional part of the classroom; rather, it became integral to the nature of our work." p. 20
More #cyberPD Information
Please stop by the Google Community to read reflections of participants and find important links. If you'd like to join, it's never too late:
- Week of July 6th: Read Chapter 1 - 2, digital response by 7/9
- Week of July 13th: Read Chapters 3-5, digital response by 7/16
- Week of July 23rd: Read Chapters 6 - 7, digital response by 7/23
- Final Twitter Chat with authors Franki Sibberson and Bill Bass: Tuesday, July 28th at 8 p.m. EST
Glad that you showed some ideas from a primary teacher's POV, Cathy. These younger students already arrive with some background knowledge, so the teachers of the younger students need to decide where to go next, how it will aid the literacy of each child according to his or her needs. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a thoughtful post, Cathy. I loved this quote as well:
ReplyDelete"We can't wait until a child is competent with traditional literacy skills and then expect the child to transfer those skills to digital text." p. 8
It reminds me of Katie Wood Ray's book, Already Ready. We cannot wait until we think they are ready to engage in this sort of work. They already area. We can now help them envision the possibilities and see reading and writing in new ways.
Thank you!
Stephanie
I need get better at breaking down my classroom walls with Twitter, Skype, and public blogs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments! The big take-away for me is that digital literacy must be part of all we do in a purposeful way, not just an add-on apart from the "real" reading and writing.
ReplyDeleteNon-linear text...I like that description! In my province, out standardized test always includes a media literacy component. They were asked to read a menu one year, a garage sale flyer...I can't remember any others. (LOL) It made me aware of teaching them the skills one needs for these sorts of media, but there really are a set of skills that go with reading a web page. You are right...we shouldn't wait until it is easy, dismissing it as too hard just because they are only 8. I've been saving reading for the "outlier" kids...those at a high reading level who needed a challenge, and those at a lower level who needed the supports digital reading can offer. I shouldn't be saving it for those two groups.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, digital reading can be started in the primary grades. This would be a good conversation for our voxer group - digital tools for the youngers. I have found the teachers at my school simply use apps to reinforce skills in isolation. I would LOVE to get some new ideas!
ReplyDeleteCathy,
ReplyDeleteYour reflections are honest and thought provoking. I read your post twice to be sure I didn't miss any great thinking! Even though Franki and Bill added the specific grade level and discussed why they decided to address grades 3-8 in the text, I agree that digital reading and learning MUST begin in the primary grades. The beauty of most PD books is the mindset of the teacher reader -- a teacher reader can extend the thinking behind the book and implement ideas in their classroom.
I really want to continue this conversation and what it looks like in an intervention/small resource group setting. Lots to think about here ...
Wondering about this paragraph: ""Students need specific experiences if they are to effectively navigate all types of texts and be digitally active readers (p. 8)." Franki and Bill remind me of the importance of the work we do as primary teachers in helping students in their first steps as citizens in a digital world, and in using digital tools in purposeful ways. Students using digital tools to practice letter formation or answer questions from a story are receiving very different experiences from those using tools to tell others about their reading using digital creation tools, writing on blogs to share their thinking, or interacting with authors of favorite books."
I agree that practicing letter formation and creating to share their reading and writing are very different experiences. I'm trying to figure out what you are implying: Are you stating that the first experiences are still beneficial because it's what the student needs? Or that the apps/games do not have a place in the RW workshop because it doesn't help create digitally active readers? Looking for your thoughts and further explanation ... because I'm originally thinking that if letter formation practice is needed (especially in kinder), incorporating the use of a digital tool is a great motivator and an early introduction to digital devices and tools that will eventually lead to creating and blogging and a whole new world of opportunities. Thanks ... just trying to clarify in my mind. (And push you a little in the process too!) :)
I love that the book is framed around authenticity, intentionality and connectedness. Just smart thinking and what the digital world and learning is all about! My thinking is wrapped around those ideas.
Thanks Cathy! I enjoy learning with you through #cyberPD!
Michelle
Cathy,
ReplyDeleteI love your paragraph about not putting away texts that are too difficult, but instead focus on using them in meaningful ways. I feel this same way about easier texts in my 4th grade classroom! Just because Elephant and Piggie are very easy to read doesn't mean there isn't value in reading them! It made my heart so happy to see a group of students on the floor with the Elephant and Piggie basket in the middle, happily digging in. Of course, this is just one example. As we continue to hear more about "rigor," I think we also have to rethink texts, how we're using them, and remember to keep the joy in our classrooms.
So happy to be co-hosting with you again!
Laura
As always, your deep thinking and questions push my own thinking. You are so right that it's important to begin laying those foundations for digital literacy and digital citizenship in the primary grades. Giving students the support they need and then slowly releasing them to be more independent is key to fostering digitally literate students.
ReplyDelete