Module 5 Reading Response

Gayl Bowser and Joy Smiley Zabala's article, "AIM For Digital Equity" focuses on the possibilities to make learning easier for students with digital media.  In the first section, they explain why some students have difficulty with printed materials.  In the second, they tell a story about a student who struggled with his math homework because he had difficulty reading the problems until his teacher introduced an online version of the text that he could listen to.  The third section describes possible strategies for teachers to implement digital texts to help struggling readers.

In world language classrooms, the use of multimedia in the classroom has been around for decades.  Students of language need to be able to hear, see and actively use the language in order to really learn it.  many students, not just those who struggle to read in general, find a language class with nothing but reading quite difficult.  I personally think that shy students are a group that can be helped the most by using technology:  it allows them to present their work without being up in front of the whole class.

On the other hand, the internet can also be used as a crutch (or to cheat outright) with translation software.  Even when they know how inaccurate it is, many students still try to use these programs to do the work for them.  In order to prevent this, teachers need to demonstrate just how ridiculously inaccurate these programs can be and we on guard for language use beyond what a student has learned in class.

Mod 4 Reading Response

Dr. Daniel Light's article, "Principals for Web 2.0 Success," is full of useful information for principals to encourage teachers to use more technology, specifically Web 2.0 resources, in their classrooms.  I think this is particularly useful for administrators who would like to encourage technology use among teachers who are reluctant to add new materials to their "tried-and-true" lessons.  I think that incorporating Web 2.0 tools into regular professional development is a great idea, because it lets teachers see firsthand how they work and what they can do.  Dr. Light also suggested providing positive feedback for teachers using 2.0 resources.  I know that I would be ecstatic if I got online one day and saw that my principal had left a positive message on my google site, or told me that they watched one of the funny German videos I posted for my students.  That would go a long way toward not only creating and maintaining good rapport with teachers, but also encouraging them to use technology to improve their classes.