February+7,+2012+-+HALR+Ch.+11+reflection

HALR Chapter 11 “Digital Literacies in the Classroom”

Technology plays a tremendous role in literacy. Today’s students prefer to use their technology skills from simply typing up their writing to creating a movie trailer for the latest book they are book talking. With their enthusiasm for using the computer and the limited time available for my class to use our one and only computer lab, I oftentimes grow frustrated with not having the funds available to equip our school with another computer lab or a rotating set of laptops on a cart.

With all their tech savvy ways of communicating, they still need instruction using some basic Microsoft Word practices. But it is all worthwhile because it makes a huge difference if we are typing our papers instead of hand writing them. They will get more involved in their writing, because they know they can change it as they go without having to handwrite it over and over. As Clark & Invanic would say, this allows them that “writing as a thinking process” (81) through the assignment. The results listed, on page 164 in Chapter 11, were definitely in favor of using technology: “(1) students wrote more; (2) students’ writing was of a higher quality; (3) students made more changes to their writing; (4) students engaged in more collaboration; (5) the writing process was used in a less linear way and was more integrative; (6) students were more motivated; (7) students improved their literacy skills, attitudes, and higher-level thinking skills” (164).

In my classroom, the multimedia book talks that the students can do get the audience excited about the book, so much more than the traditional oral presentation. The students teach each other how to use Moviemaker and PowerPoint incorporating sound and images. According to the research by Reinking and Watkins “found that students who were involved in creating multimedia book reviews became more engaged in literacy-related activities and that these projects especially increased independent reading” (165).

As I am in the process of trying to persuade our principal and corporation, on behalf of our middle school students, to provide us with another computer lab, I can add Chapter 11 to my argument.