EDLA615 Language Arts and Technology

Second life is a great online environment that can be used to enhance ELA instruction. Its 3D multi-user virtual environment engages students in the learning content and motivates students to explore concepts more deeply. There are endless ways educators can use SL to provide their students with meaningful learning opportunities. Students can visit and explore various landmarks, museums and places they learn about. They can then reflect on their experience and collaborate with other learners to share their thoughts. When reading about complex ideas educators can help students understand what they are learning about using the SL platform. Students can also get to communicate with others around the world to learn new ideas and broaden their knowledge. Another great way to use this tool is having students act out a text they are reading. The teacher can select an appropriate setting with various objects. Students then join that meeting – using their avatar as characters. Students c...

Theories and Practices of Multimodal Education In this article Hassett and Curwood explore and analyze the use of multimodal texts with literacy learning in the classroom. It is understood that today children’s literature and text in general has expanded to include multiple modes of representation beyond the written word. Text features, interactive narration and images are a source of creativity and deeper knowledge construction. The alphabetic print is no longer the primary carrier of meaning and representation. Each element of a picture book signifies something and can have many possible meanings. Educators must assume new roles such as: resource manager, co-constructer of knowledge and design consultant in order to facilitate children’s navigation of multimodal texts.   Students should learn to decode and comprehend alphabetic print in conjunction with other forms of representation. With the right support and proper engagement in multimodal and socio-cognitive experiences ...

Edmodo is a secure educational learning network educators can use in their classroom to enhance their ELA instruction and help develop student’s literacies skills. It enables educators to share content, distribute quizzes, assignments and manage communication with students, colleagues, and parents. Students get to present their work, access homework and safely connect and work with their pairs and teacher from anywhere and at any time. Edmodo offers an abundance of features that will capture students’ attention and will facilitate learning in the classroom. Using Edmodo, educators can upload assignments in an orderly manner and ensure that students don’t anymore lose worksheets, forget when assignments were due and what the requirements were. By simply clicking on the assignment tab teachers can upload assignments, add a description and set a due date for each assignment posted. Assessments are also made easy using Edmodo. The poll feature can be used as a pre-learning ass...

The rapid advancements of information and communication technologies make it essential for educators to reevaluate their instructional practices and to think of new ways to integrate technology in their classroom. Many teachers use technology as a digital version of learning resources and fail to integrate technology in a way that facilitates inquiry learning and develops student’s new literacies skills. Education programs should provide professional development opportunities to enhance teacher’s ICTs integration skills. Teachers, of their own volition, should also make sure to learn and be equipped with new literacies skills in order to effectively educate their students in today’s digital era. Students today use technology in their daily lives and are more motivated and engaged in the learning when technology is integrated in the lesson. Educators should take advantage of the opportunity and should incorporate technology in their classroom to support student’s cognitive skill...