The Reading Specialist

We were able to hear back from some experts regarding our collaborative project. Check out what Dr. Julie Coiro said….

From: jcoiro@snet.net > Subject: Re: We’d like to have your expert opinion on our project

Hi Omer and Nicole, > Good to hear from you! I would say you are off to a > good start with many interesting ideas! I wasn’t sure > if your project purpose was to help you learn or for > you to teach others what you learn, but here are a > few initial thoughts I had as I read your project > description: > > 1. You wrote “We want to know how individuals use the > multimedia > resources to express their individuality to others as > in Myspace.com and how educational resources like > Starfall.com are using multimedia to teach reading.” > > To make your project compelling to others, I would be > interested in knowing more about why you selected > those two particular uses of technology (e.g., (1) to > teach reading and (2) to create personal space) rather > than others (e.g., constructing responses to > literature, for example, or playing online video games > as another). > > I would also be interested in knowing why you decided > to focus on both of these issues (rather than just > one) in your project. Is there some way these two > ideas are connected? > > In your description, you also mention using technology > to extend content area curricula (other than reading) > as opposed to just “teaching early reading” and you > mention issues of multiple modalities and overlaps > between language, symbols, and multmedia in the > context of Myspace. > > After thinking a little more, I realized that you have > identified lots of interesting issues, but unless you > have a reason for exploring all of them as a group > (technology used to teach reading, foster identity > spaces, explore multiple modalities, and enrich > content area learning), you may wish to select just > one and focus all of your attention on that for your > project. This will give you the opportunity for more > “depth” rather than “breadth” in your project. > > HOWEVER, if your goal, as your title might suggest, is > to better understand the many ways of “reading across > the media”, you may be able to restructure your > explanation a little to say your purpose is to explore > a sampling of the many ways technology is being used > in schools (or in and out of school – since Myspace is > rarely allowed in-school) to enhance an individual’s > knowledge and identity. > > I hope that helps gives you some ideas about where to > head with things. Whatever you choose, be sure to > provide an explanation for why knowing about that > topic is important – this will help you provide a > summary of what you want your audience to walk away > with. > >

Good luck! > Julie

We know that new technologies are quickly becoming the norm for people of all ages in the Information Age. They are used in schools to teach reading (e.g., Starfall.com) or they are used by young adults to create personal space (e.g., myspace.com) to express themselves and interact with others.

There is an increasing trend in schools to incorporate technological resources within the curricula. These resources include websites, software programs, and intra-networks which are used for pedagogical purposes across content areas. One such program is Starfall.com used by teachers to teach and supplement beginning reading skills.

            Websites, like Myspace, allow individuals to communicate creatively using newer literacies which mesh language, symbols through the use of multimedia. A growing number of young adults are taking advantage of the affordances of such websites to express their unique individuality.

We want to know how individuals use the multimedia resources to express their individuality to others as in Myspace.com and how educational resources like Starfall.com are using multimedia to teach reading.

To do this, we will conduct content analyses on the websites, noting the symbols, graphics, texts, video clips, audio clips, and their intended interaction to create meaning for the users.

We will draw from our class readings as well as outside resources. Mayer’s article about the effect of multimedia on cognitive learning, Miller and Borowicz article on digital authoring project, and O’Donnell’s reading on blogging as a pedagogic practice have contributed to our thinking throughout the project.  

We will also solicit commentary from three experts in the field; for example, some of the authors that we are utilizing.

We will use a variety of media from these websites in our presentation to the class.