Graphic Organizers

 


Here is my wordle!!  It is based on the literature genre of fables that the third grade classes are studying in art.

Text to Speech

Text-to-Speech & Editing

On your blog give some thought to the idea of using text-to-speech as part of the editing process.

A blog posting should include: 1) personal observations/feelings/preferences  2) Take a position  3) support with references

I used to the TextHelp! Screen reader in order to evaluate this type of tool and how it can be used to improve or assist students with the writing process.   I found that this was an extremely helpful tool to use in making the writing process more accessible to students who may be auditory learners, ESOL students or students with disabilities.  

As I am writing this, I am using the text help screen reader it really helps me to think about and informally edit what I am thinking and typing as I am writing. 

When I was teaching writing to third graders, during my editing conferences  as the students began to read aloud what they wrote they realized that it did not make sense.   Without prompting, students would not read back their writing on their own.  So having them use this tool as they are writing would have greatly helped them to make sure that their writing made sense and was understandable.

This tool can also help students with sounding out and trying unfamiliar words or vocabulary and by hearing them read aloud, they can ensure that they are using the word correctly in the context it was meant.

Research shows that this software when combined with word prediction can have a positive effect on student's writing.  In a 2010 study by Silio & Barbetta, they found that text to speech alone did not have a significant effect on ESOL student's writing and word fluency, but when combined with word recognition, it could be a powerful tool for writing instruction.

Reference:

Silió, M., & Barbetta, P. (2010). The Effects of Word Prediction and Text-to-Speech Technologies on the Narrative Writing Skills of Hispanic Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. Journal Of Special Education Technology, 25(4), 17-32.

USING DAILY LIT

This activity was a little less engaging for me for two reasons.  1. I am not that used to using RSS feeds and I usually use Chrome as my browser and it required a separate extension that I didn't have....so I switched my subscription to email.  2. My gmail is FULL of spam and I check it every other day at best.  So I had to specifically look for the Lit emails and it took longer than the 5 minutes I was hoping for.  However I see the value of it and if I can manage to schedule a time and day specifically for that, then I will start to incorporate into my daily routine.  I am going to have my daughter read it aloud to me, maybe at night or before dinner.

Listened to the third session of class yesterday and started giving thought to my Action research plan.  I did not think that the problems we could address included DIGITAL literacy as well as reading and writing literacy.  I was thinking I might be able to address the fact that many teachers at my school are not as literate or able to use their Mimio smart boards in their classrooms- even though every classroom is equipped with one.  This would not address student needs.  So I could also target first grade reading.  According to our first and second Accelerated reading tests, first grade is the only grade that has not met their projected
growth.

AUDIO BOOK observations:  I chose to listen to How Children Succeed by Paul Tough on my Audible account.  I began this account a couple semesters ago during one of my Ed tech classes that discussed using audio books with students as an accommodation  and I LOVE IT!  I listened to the first five chapters while I was running and in the car driving to work.  I noted before that it had mostly advantages and benefits but that I at times felt frustrated that I could not pause the reading and take notes on quotes, facts or data that I wanted to remember.  I was reluctant to listen while running because music helps me to maintain my pace and stamina, but listening to the book WAS EVEN BETTER!  I ran 8 miles one Saturday without even flinching because I was so engrossed in the case studies and research that Paul Tough was discussing about how parental attachment and lack of it affected students biologically AND academically.  It was so mindblowing to me- because it seemed that schools and institutions think they can solve the problem of school readiness in low income or impoverished students by exposing them to more vocabulary and knowledge when really the stress of their entire home experience affects them in ways that tutoring can not solve.   I love audio books and I think that they can be a powerful tool for students that normally do not enjoy reading because their lack of reading skills make it laborious and frustrating.