Teaching Literacy and Web 2.0

          The focus of this week was “Teaching Literacy and Web 2.0.” Each of the resources discussed the importance of utilizing Web 2.0 tools to enhance literacy instruction. The abundant Web 2.0 tools explored this week provide the “digital natives” present in today’s classrooms with opportunities for creating, collaborating, communicating, and critical thinking. Students participate as active learners, engaged in meaningful educational experiences. As we have discussed on numerous occasions, this active participation leads to increased student achievement, as students are more likely to retain and generalize information when they are involved in the learning process.

          “Building Schoolwide Literacy with Free Web 2.0 Tools- a Grade by Grade Elementary Model” introduced the idea of incrementally incorporating Web 2.0 tools throughout the elementary grades. Students are introduced to new Web 2.0 tools at each grade level, which allows students to gradually develop both literacy and technology skills in the context of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. For example, the article suggests incorporating Wordle and Bookemon throughout kindergarten literacy instruction. Teachers can use Wordle to create practice for sight words, word families, numbers, etc. Using Bookemon, the teacher and students can collaborate to create simple stories, books about classroom activities, and more. Although students at this age are not yet utilizing these tools independently, incorporating these tools into instruction is a great starting point for these developing “digital natives.” As students progress through each grade level, they begin to experiment with these tools and build their “literacy toolbox.”

          Creating a school-wide initiative to incorporate Web 2.0 tools throughout literacy instruction is an effective way to promote both literacy and technology skills in a meaningful context. In addition, this program creates a community of learners between teachers, students, parents, and administrators. It promotes communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital citizenship while encouraging students to become active learners. After reading this article, I was left wondering why more school districts nationwide have not taken the same imitative. “Building Literacy With Free Web 2.0 Tools” seems like common sense in today’s digital society; however, these programs are not as common as they should be. If more schools implement such literacy programs, students would undoubtedly improve their literacy and technology skills. As a future educator, this seems like a suggestion that could be offered within local school districts to improve literacy instruction.  

          “The 3 E’s of Literacy: Strategies to Nurture a Love of Reading” discusses the ways educators can create a love of literacy in the classroom. First, creating a positive, encouraging, and motivating environment for students is an important component of literacy instruction. Students should no longer be humiliated through “popcorn” reading experiences (as many of us can recall). Situations such as these are especially traumatic for shy, struggling readers. Instead, educators should encourage reading out-loud together, which provides opportunities for scaffolding and modeling and creates positive memories of reading. Another important factor to consider is engagement. Exposing students to higher-level literature and making connections to students’ interests are likely to increase their engagement and allow them to discover and understand new books. Finally, as educators we are responsible for setting an example for our students. This involves positioning ourselves as a reader in the eyes of our students, modeling reading behaviors, and taking advantage of school and/or community programs that promote literacy. By keeping the 3 E’s of literacy in mind, educators can create a love of literacy in the classroom and provide their students with abundant positive memories of reading.

          “A Web 2.0 Class: Students Learn 21^st Century Skills, Collaboration, and Digital Citizenship” discusses the efforts of educators from three high schools who have created a “virtual classroom.” This program is designed to teach Web 2.0 skills, digital citizenship, personal network building, and social media responsibility and practice. The use of Skype and Blogs allow students from these three schools to communicate and collaborate with each other. Through this virtual learning environment, students are developing valuable skills, including how to be efficient, effective, and responsible communicators. The students are being instructed how to be digital learners and understand the responsibility that comes along with the term. They realize that what they publish is permanent and are able to use proper judgment in choosing reliable, valid sources of information. This Web 2.0 class has allowed these students to connect with “strangers” to create a community of learners that stretches far beyond the classroom walls. It is safe to say that these students are benefiting greatly from this learning environment and are developing the skills needed to succeed in today’s digital society. As one student states, “You have to adapt to the world around you or progress can never happen. That is the ultimate goal of education, right? Progress. Continuous progress.”

          “Five Free Web 2.0 Tools to Support Lesson Planning” discussed the use of Pinterest, EdCanvas, LiveBinders, Storybird, and Voicethread to support teachers in lesson planning. These tools can be utilized to teach content, store data, create and edit videos photos, collaborate, and much more. This article was particularly useful because of the tools mentioned, I have only used Pinterest. However, after exploring the other resources discussed, I am definitely interested in incorporating some of these tools into my future classroom planning and instruction. I definitely see myself using EdCanvas to organize, create, and share online resources with colleagues and other educators. EdCanvas is a simple, quick way to organize lessons and materials and save them for future reference. Storybird is a great tool to encourage collaboration and creativity. Stories can be created as a whole-class or in small groups, published, and shared with other students, classes, and families. It’s a great way for parents to see, save, and share what their children have created. Finally, Voicethread is an interactive tool that can be used to deliver multimedia slideshow presentations. I think students would enjoy viewing pictures and videos while simultaneously receiving information from their teacher. Voicethreads can be used to supplement in-class instruction. Students are also encouraged to communicate by posting comments in response to what they have seen and heard. Each of these tools is effective components for lesson planning and literacy instruction. I look forward to exploring them more throughout this course. 
          Education must parallel the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Web 2.0 tools are widely available and abundant. Wed 2.0 tools encourage and develop the 4 C’s of literacy the digital natives must possess in order to succeed in today’s society. Through the use of such tools, educators can reform and enhance the education of their students. In return, students are able to communicate, create, collaborate, think critically, share information, and become active learners. As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that our teaching styles align with our students learning needs and styles.  Are we reaching our digital students? If not, these tools are a starting point to bridge the gap between education and 21^st Century technology. 


Check out Cool Tools for Schools to explore tons of Web 2.0 tools that can be incorporated throughout instruction to improve students' literacy skills. You're sure to find many tools you never knew existed!