Dropbox

I have discovered a tool called drop box. I like it because it offers the opportunity to access your files from anywhere. You can synchronize your devices so that you can access your files from anywhere in the world and from any technology such as a cell phone or laptop. Drop box offers a free two gig space with the option to purchase more space if needed. I am encouraging everyone to go and check it out and see the various features. I am sure that you will find it useful and relevant to your field of work. http://cdn.dropbox.com/Dropbox%200.7.110.exe.

Networking

The networking aspect of Wikis is amazing, it is so easy to coordinate events or share information via this web page. For example i was able to link with my classmates to find out about class schedules and changes to our program. The responses came quickly and other members of the group were able to benefit from the responses. So apart from sharing vocabulary words, building word walls, and developing comprehension and constructing pieces of writing students can use wikis as a very effective tool to network or communicate and work on projects which will benefit their literacy development.

ebooks

Well we learnt how to crate eBooks and i must tell you that we were all excited about what we learnt. The use of navigation nubs and the adding of sound to the project was exciting for us as we were able to create an eBook which we did not know how to create before. I am just thinking that if we were so excited and motivated by our experience creating eBooks and our students are more technology based than us, then what will happen when we begin to teach them to do this. I can picture the excitement and the motivation they will have to learn to create through Web 2.0 technology. We can teach phonics, phonemic awareness, letter sound co-relation, comprehension, listening skills and much more. This tool is surely a winner in student literacy and the mastery of reading.

Blogging-Creative expression

One advantage of being able to blogs is the ability to be creatively expressive. Students can use expression and explore emotive language which is essential for human development. Students can express as well, how they feel about the technology they are using. In this way the teacher can gage the students attitude toward the task they are doing and the medium they are using to do it. Teachers can then adjust tasks and select more appropriate technology to meet the needs of the students. The creativity of the student can then be brought out as they will have a space to express themselves in writing. When they read their peers work they can comment on it as well as get valuable reading practice from a medium with which they are comfortable. Web 2.0 offers students the ability to improve their reading and writing fluency through interactive tools which allow them to confidently express themselves in both reading and writing.

A picture Tells

It is said that a picture tells a thousand words and this is true as pictures can capture a memory in an instant. Whats even better is that they can be used with Web 2.o technology. Cameras today take pictures at high mega pixels giving high resolution. These pictures can be automatically taken with the correct adjustment in light and focus. Pictures are useful as they can be used in eBooks and slide shows and are effective in bringing to life stories which can be used in comprehension and vocabulary. Videos have become common now as live content can be used to record and examine student fluency in reading. Students can publish themselves and create power point presentations and slide shows to build portfolios and promote reading. Images give students the added advantage of learning to scan, download, and print non copyrighted pictures to use in presentations and build confidence from creating their own product.

Interactivity

Now, you know what i like about blogging, its interactive. Other people can interact with you and give their views on a variety of topics. Together we make each other more knowledgeable, we become a part of a creative work. ICT offers us other interactive options such as hyper-links and action buttons. Other ICT's like Google docs can actually allow you to edit other people's work. The potential for interactive learning, expression,building self esteem, vocabulary and comprehension is enormous as students can use a medium which they are familiar with to learn and teach others.

Wikis

I wonder who invented wikis? They remind me of word walls, only they contain meanings, definitions and hyper-links. What is interesting about wikis is that it is a cyber space word wall which allows you to add content. So instead of just using your classroom word wall students can create a wall where there can be greater input as it it exposed to editing by others. This will of course improve the quality of the product. I like wikis because of their participatory nature, they allow for interaction and students can learn from others as well. Most of all they function like a dictionary which means that students will be able to find words at the click of a button. Improving their vocabulary will therefor be at their fingertips.

Motion

Motion utilizes videos, custom animation, cartoons, and window transitions. With the use of motion students can create their own reading material and experiment with words and reading with the use of motion. Imagine a student who wants to explore the word 'bend', and has the technology to create an object such as a small thin tree which he can make bend in the breeze. The student can make a relationship between the word and the action or motion it represents, thereby fostering deeper meaning, cognitive reinforcement, and practice in reading fluency as the student repeats the word while bending the virtual object and making associations which make it easier to etch vocabulary words into memory. Since most students already like cartoons it will be easy to get them to be motivated to create and learn.

Sound

Sound plays a major role with ICT. In this modern world when our students are familiar with music, artistes, and different genres of music, we notice that our children can sing songs word for word from an early age. We can use this to our advantage, as most phonic programs do now. Most phonic programs come with a musical background. Would it not be inspirational to use a program such as' fruit o loops' and have them create their own background music for their phonic program. I am sure that they will feel that they are a part of something special which they helped to create. ICT and sound is our friend,lets use it.

Media Power

It is said that there are five basic media objects that we must take into consideration. Images, Text, Motion, Sound and Interactivity. Images can be pictures, maps, illustrations, drawings graphs and much more. It is a tool which can be used in text books, and in e books. Images open the mind of children and so we encourage them to create their own as well as observe others. From their formative years children doodle images before formal writing develops. Technology has hinged into this great medium of human stimuli and we should therefore go to the technology to re-awaken what is inherent in us humans, the use of images to make connections with the world and develop literacy.

Struggling Teachers

Thinking carefully about the process of using ICT to assist in reading development has brought to the fore front the key element of teacher training. The training of teachers will be crucial in assisting students in their use of this technology. The reading specialist alone cannot interact with the students. Teachers have a key role to play as well. In so doing every effort must be made to assist teachers who struggle with technology. Workshops will have to be planned in the context of the available resources which schools have. How we address the struggling teacher is a key component of how we assist the struggling reader. Some teachers may want to embrace the old methods only, however teachers must be motivated to try new things and improve their knowledge base. Since everyone now has a cell phone it is evident that the technology cannot be stopped and it is here to stay. We must therefore embrace it and show our colleague the relevance of ICT's and its benefits to both the teacher and the struggling reader.

I am still grappling with the role that the parent has to play with the use of technology and the learning outcomes we desire from our students. If parents are not technologically inclined then how will this affect the student in terms of assistance with the use of the technology and the supervision of students. I can clearly see the usefulness of blogging for example as we are currently using it ourselves. For the student it is further reaching as they can gather information from other students around the world. This will encourage their curiosity which will then fuel their learning and motivation process. How then can a reading program which incorporates I C T, incorporate some aspect of parent learning and participation? The education process is a partnership between parent and school, therefore we must find a way to not only expose children to the technology but to have the knowledge trickle down to technologically illiterate parents.