Abstracts

Kaylene Johnson
EDSC 3250
Suzy Cox
November 14, 2007
Research in Technology Integration
Reference List

Moran, Charles, & Selfe, Cynthia (July 1999). Teaching English Across the Technology/Wealth Gap. English Journal. 88, No. 6, 48-55.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8274%28199907%2988%3A6%3C48%3ATEATTG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P

Teaching English Across the Technology/Wealth Gap
In this article, three related points are made. The first is that, when bringing technology into our schools, we may be emphasizing the advantage that students from wealthy families have over students who are less fortunate. Second, when we bring technology into our schools, we inevitably push something else out: Technology is expensive to buy maintain, and learn to use. Third, when we bring technology into our schools, we need to understand that we may be fulfilling not only our goals for our students learning, but also the commercial and political goals of those who have their own interests, not those of our students, at heart. Te authors also argue that if your school does not have affluent and white students, then they will have less access to the Internet, to multimedia equipment, to CD-ROM equipment, to local area networks, and to videodisc technology than do schools primarily serving more affluent and white students (Coley, Crandler, & Engle 3).
My use of this article will be to show an example of a backward and pessimistic attitude toward resources that can propel students forward.

Thompson, Nancy (Jan. 1980). Multi-Media: Expanded Language. English journal. 69, No. 1, 87-89.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8274%28198001%2969%3A1%3C87%3AMEL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N

Multi-Media: Expanded Language
Thompson's 1980 article emphasizes that printed verbal language is no longer the dominant language of our culture. New multi-media communication technology has introduced an alternative "language" for recording, storing, transmitting, discovering, and exploring information. This article, published at the beginning of universal computer use, s makes arguments for communication through technology that cut across the twenty some years to now.The value of having a means of sharing information through technology will constantly open new territories to students and their teachers. Learning with Technology

Gruber, Shelly (Jan. 2002).Learning with Tchnology: Working With Hypertext. The English Journal. 91, No.3, 122.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8274%28200201%2991%3A3%3C122%3AWWHWP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-T

WORKING WITH HYPERTEXT WRITING PROJECTS
English language arts teachers use technology to work with each other on a special project, or use new technologies as a stepping stone for a writing exercise with students, every day brings new possibilities, new opportunities, and new ways of language learning. Teaching students how to use hypertext successfully is a challenge but for the language arts curriculum, it can have several advantages. It provides teachers and students with new ways of teaching and learning, but it also incorporates already known strategies. For many years, teachers have created interactive environments by emphasizing group work; and they have encouraged students to explore the connections between visual materials and written texts. Now, with an increasing focus on new technologies and com-
puter literacy, teachers and students transfer already known skills, expand on these skills, and learn new skills when creating and worlung with online texts. The design of hypertext documents encourages students to create pieces that move beyond the essay format and that incorporate text, graphics, links, and sound. Furthermore, students' engagement with the production of their own document moves them from being passive receivers of Web
information to becoming critical creators of such documents.

(October 9)

Hassett, Dawnene D, & Schieble, Melissa B. (2007). Finding space and time for the visual in k-12 literacy instruction. The National Council of Teachers of English Journal, 97, 32-42.

Dawnene D. Hassett and Melissa B. Schieble contend that literacy instruction must include attention to the multiple ways in which print and visual images work together. They propose ways to update accepted reading strategies “with visual texts and new literacies in mind.” Using examples from picture books and graphic novels, they expand our understanding of how readers extend three cueing systems―graphophonic, semantic, and syntactic―to negotiate multiple levels of meaning in visual texts.


Merkley, donna J., Schimdt, Denise A., & Allen, Gayle (2001). Addressing the English         Language Arts technology standard in a secondary reading methodology course. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(3), 220-229.

Describes efforts to integrate technology into reading in secondary English. Links between technology and learning are made through the use of e-mail responses, multimedia in the classroom, distance video conferencing, and online discussions. Other formats for student reading response work are shown such as a class newsletter, short story records, and story mapping.

Webb, Allen. (2007). Digital texts and the new literacies. The National Council of Teachers of English Journal, 97, 55-59.
When the literature anthologies did not arrive, Allen Webb turned to the Internet, where he found a wealth of classic and contemporary e-texts. Using these online resources opened up possibilities for new ways of teaching and learning traditional skills of close reading and critical analysis. Students created blogs of poems and commentary, compared versions of The Odyssey and a controversial news story, and manipulated the language and structure of texts to question the cultural and historical contexts of the work. Non traditional teaching can be beneficial to non traditional learners opening up new options for response to reading.

WebQuest Ideas:

When we looked at the avaliable WebQuests I found that only a few were really engaging and they were the ones with really intersesting links to use for study and information. The supporting pages and sites are what entice and make you want to find out more. The WebQuest element that is diffucult to endure is the part where you pretend something has happened or you are an imaginary participant, most just want to know what the task is and what the expectations are. When we are pleasantly surprised by the information or insight provided by great pages, then we want to learn more. If the tasks are clear, even printable, I will use other's created WebQuests. I will create some to introduce topics or provide more information for research but I will probably not use them from start to finish for any big project or presentation. They are valuable to get kids thinking outside the normal 'worksheet' mentality and they love anything online to work with, so WebQuests would definitely enrich any topic.
Our group could see that a lot more time would be needed to really make a worthwhile teaching tool, but it was good practice. Creating a rubric is hard for an online activity because not all their work can be monitered or evaluated. The activities have to be meaningful and show the level of WeQuest interaction time.
Working as a team is difficult because we want to pull the project in the direction that we individually find important. Once everyone had submitted work we could start to see similarities running through our work and knew where to cut or modify to make it gel. The value of a team is bringing in other perspectives and ways to learn. Just like the students' needs to learn in different ways, different developers will emphasize those different syles and make it a better project for all students.
My next WebQuest will follow an outline better. When students are used to a format they recognize they can get to work faster instead of taking so much time trying to figure things out. I know that a tutorial where you create it as you go would best help me next time.