Scott,+Christine+Lynn+-+Closing+Reflection


 * 1. Now that you’ve had this professional development experience, how are you defining “new literacies?” How do you think your definition has changed or evolved this week? **

I didn’t have a definition for “new literacies” before this week so it has definitely evolved. I would define new literacies as the ability to use technologies to read, write, and publish along with the ability to use and learn new technologies as they emerge.


 * 2. Describe some new literacies that you learned about this week? What did you know about these topics before the week began and how has your experience this week contributed to your understanding of these new literacies? **

Before this week began I had not really thought of technology in terms of literacy. As this week progressed and I had the chance to see it in action several times this week. Julie Coiro’s Online Reading Comprehension and question matrix really struck me. This was the beginning of bring ideas about literacy and technology together for me. Later in the week the Publishing and Sharing session extended these ideas with student examples and started a discussion about digital footprints and publishing. Several tools were shared this week that could be used by students and teachers to publish ideas. One of my favorites was Tricider. Some of the others I really liked were Sock Puppets, iRubric, and phET.


 * 3. In what ways are the new literacies prompted by technology? How do they affect one another? **

New technologies seem to be available every day. As these new ways to publish and share ideas become available it requires the skills to figure out how to used them and the knowledge of how to use them responsibly and effectively. They have a symbiotic relationship. As new technologies become available it requires new abilities and ways of thinking about literacy. As new ways of thinking emerge new technologies are created.


 * 4. How do new literacies affect the way we think about academic content? Describe an example of how some specific academic content is affected by changes in the ways we read, write and think (i.e. new literacies). **

New literacies make academic content more readily available to more people sooner. This is particularly true in science. Student textbooks were out-of-date by the time they were published. Now with digital textbooks, websites, interactives, and simulations my students can be up-to-date with cutting edge research and new discoveries. This affects the way we read, write, and think because information is now presented in so many different multimedia formats that it requires the ability to understand each format, determine its reliability, and write about it in a style appropriate for the situation and publishing format.


 * 5. How do new literacies affect the way we think about our teaching practices? How do they affect the development of new teaching practices or approaches to teaching? **

We have to change the way we think about teaching because technologies are changing our world so fast. What we used to do is not what the real world is like. We need to use the technology that is a part of our everyday lives in our teaching so that students can see that this technology can be used for learning.


 * 6. During the week, you learning about several conceptual / theoretical frameworks for understanding the new literacies including, project-based inquiry, TPACK, Bloom’s revised cognitive theory, online identity, and global literacies (i.e. cultural competence, cultural awareness, cosmopolitanism). Describe your personal perspective on new literacies as it is informed by these conceptual and theoretical ideas. **

I teach in a grade level content area that is not tested. This has given me more freedom and less pressure in my teaching then my colleagues have. Our school district decided over 10 years ago to buy lab based hands on inquiry materials and NOT textbooks for science. So I have never taught using a textbook. I also teach at an International Baccalaureate magnet school that focuses on global understand and intercultural awareness. So I found much of what we learned about were things that I was already doing, or familiar with. What this week has done for me is to make all of these things relate to technologies and how we communicate with each other together.


 * 7. How does the design process you learned about in your design studio work and the video digging deeper session support your understanding of the creative process? **

It has always been a good for me to work in the ways that I ask my students to. I found it enjoyable, frustrating, and useful. It was fun because I enjoyed working with someone on the project and we got very excited about our ideas. I also found the process frustrating because my partner and I approach a problem from a very different perspective. We also teach very different students, subjects, and grade levels. I have students who are 10-12 years old. They have every ability level, varying degrees of motivation, and many have a long history of disciple issues. Many of my students are high risk and come from low-income families without much technology at home. Her students are 14-16 and all classes they take are honor level classes. Most have access to technology at home. So with the difference in our students we see different needs and approach our students differently. This made creating a common lesson that we would both use challenging. With all of this I found the sessions very useful. They helped me see how to take “talk” and apply it. It gave me a practical experience doing a PBI so that I will be better able to understand what I ask my students to do.


 * 8. You learned this week about how to manage, and in some cases create, your online identity. What action steps will you take (are you taking) to manage and further extend your online identity? **

My personal experience with this is that if you have a common name, especially one that a somewhat well known actress has you need to dig and dig with many personal facts to get out of her online identity. This makes having a professional online presence that can be found by others hard. With searching very specific information I could find my website, school ties, Edmodo profile, and curriculum that I have written for WSFCS. As I continue to learn about new technologies and create Wiki pages and other online content for my students and colleagues to use I need to link these pages together somewhere. I think this will help strengthen my professional profile.


 * 9. If you had one more day in the Institute, what would you like to learn more about and why? **

I wish we had time to discuss either how to do this when there is extremely limited technology available at our school or ways to get more technology at our school. I don’t ever hear what to do when you don’t have enough technology. One very old computer for 17 students doesn’t work. The only solution I ever hear for how to get technology is to write a grant. That assumes I would be good at writing a grant and that I have the time to do it. I’m not and I don’t, but I’ve tried anyway and failed twice. This is a topic that makes me very angry and frustrated for my students. We are 2% below the level needed to receive extra funding and support and have been for as long as I have worked there. How can some schools have one-to-one ipads while other schools still have classrooms with one computer that is more than 10 years old? I have had several of my idealistic ideas about education, equality, and fairness shattered over this issue. Our school seems to be stuck or lost in the middle. Schools seem to get their technology from a strong PTA, grants, or Title I funding. We are about 2% too low to get extra funding – which also seems to be a requirement for most grants. Two percent gives us all the same problems without any help. We are located in the inner city in a low-income neighborhood. Our parents do everything they can but they can’t provide technology for us beyond what they have already done. Through this IMPACT grant we have had many opportunities to get professional development and all of it has been helpful. We now have the knowledge needed to use and effectively implement the use of new technologies and we continue to work toward this. But really, where are we going to get the technology? We are in a position that we can use it with our “have” it at home students. That is a wonderful step that breaks my heart for our “have not” students. It has given me a better understanding of what some of my students deal with daily. Not having. Sitting in a room when everyone else has so much more and talks to you like you do (or should) while you feel like you have no ability to fix it or work around it.