Persistent Pondering http://persistentpondering.posterous.com Where do social action, art, music, technology, media, pop culture, and most importantly, student needs intersect? posterous.com Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:29:23 -0800 No Literacy Left Behind: Why use digital tools in literacy instruction? http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/no-literacy-left-behind-why-use-digital-tools http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/no-literacy-left-behind-why-use-digital-tools

It's common sense. We have to meet our students where they are. We have to know our students and the cultural wealth they bring to our schools. Using what they already know as a method of mediating new learning is just good teaching. So why not meet our students in a mileu that they already know?

Using digital tools, thus, capitalizing upon a student's digital literacy, will facilitate literacy instruction.

How do we do this? How can we make this a campus-wide practice? How do we sustain it?

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1385196/Photo_on_2011-07-24_at_11.26__3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzEg0n9lkIx Janelle Bence Janelle Janelle Bence
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:26:34 -0800 A Whole New World: Addressing the Literacy Needs of the On Demand Generation http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/a-whole-new-world-addressing-the-literacy-nee http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/a-whole-new-world-addressing-the-literacy-nee

"That's how I was taught, and I turned out okay." 

Who hasn't heard that before in schools across the country? Well, that's not going to work. Or more truthfully, it might work for some, but teachers will lose multitudes of teachable moments with that type of mantra.

Instead, we would better serve today's students by really considering their cultural wealth. What differences and simiarities do they bring with them to the classroom that can be supported by learning? What types of practices do they have in other areas of their lives that may need addressing and mediating for meaninful learning to take place? What role does identity play in literacy instruction?

 

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1385196/Photo_on_2011-07-24_at_11.26__3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzEg0n9lkIx Janelle Bence Janelle Janelle Bence
Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:54:00 -0800 Creating a Community of Readers and Writers http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/creating-a-community-of-readers-and-writers http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/creating-a-community-of-readers-and-writers

Digital Learning Day is February 1, 2012. Although I will also be exploring the best way to get my students to write/read digitally for that day, it dawned on me that we, as educators, need to continue to learn in the digital milieu. In response, I have decided to take a step back and blog about what literacy instruction means to me in hopes that these posts serve as resources for other classroom practitioners. 

This activity has also enabled me to revisit what I believe in as an educator. I have been able to reflect what pieces contribute to the whole of my teaching. In doing so, I am able to become reacquainted with some of the principles that keep me motivated. I'm able to articulate what I do, not only to refocus my practice but to also share it with a wider audience. At the very least, this may invite others to revisit what shapes their teaching.

Enjoy!

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1385196/Photo_on_2011-07-24_at_11.26__3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzEg0n9lkIx Janelle Bence Janelle Janelle Bence