Reading

Resource: 
I chose an article from Edugains that talks about content literacy in the classroom.
It explains that content literacy is the ability to read, write, create, etc. a range of media in various subjects. It also describes the challenges students can encounter when reading, how to read informational texts, and how to be literate in content areas.

Personal reflections:
I think this is a good resource because it has lots of good information. Not only does it have the main information, but it also has tips, images, and other facts along the sides of the page. This source is filled with lots of good information for teachers, and even provides resources on content literacy that teachers can use in the classroom.

Woolley, E. © 2015

Ontario Curriculum:

According to the Ontario Curriculum: Language under the Reading section, this resource relates to the first specific expectation applies with this article “Students will read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;” because students must read various media. This article is useful for teachers of literacy because it outlines how to teach content literacy to students. It gives tips for classroom practise and talks about strategies to use to help readers understand a text.

What now? 
I would use this resource as a reference in my upcoming literacy placement in order to help my students understand the content of the media that they are reading. I would use a few of the tips mentioned

Classroom Research Communities
The resource suggests using classroom research communities to encourage students to read, write, and think for themselves. This is a way to get students to ask their own questions about a text and share their ideas with their peers. One of these learning comprehension strategies that is called Jigsaw, which is explained further in this video:

Learning Logs 
After reading a text, students record their thoughts into a learning log. This is a good reflection tool for students to reflect on their own learning. This website elaborates on this tool. 

Balance between fiction and nonfiction readings

Most kids prefer to read nonfiction texts because there are generally more exciting. The goal is to have students ready a variety of texts, so as a teacher you must find the balance between fiction and nonfiction readings. I would create a list of reading materials from each category and allow students to select texts from both.

 

Concept map

After reading a text, to confirm that students have understood it by having them create a concept map. This way you can see what your students have taken away from the text and to show that they have actually read it. One of the sites that I think is beneficial for each student to create their own concept maps is called Popplet.

Media Studies

Resource
I chose to look at the resource “A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom”, off of the website, Edutopia. I discovered it by going on the Edutopia website and searching through media studies. This particular blog is easy to find and easily accessible for all educators to find. This resource is a how-to blog that can help teachers show their students how to properly use social media for educational purposes.

Opinion

I think that this is a really great resource because students are going to be using social media no matter what, so I think it is important for teachers to be able educate students on how to use it properly, and use it to their advantage. This article asks if social media is relevant, and then explains that it is, even if some people disagree. Personally, I agree that social media is relevant. Most students are interested by social media, so why not use this interest for educational purposes? I believe that using social media will keep students engaged in learning experiences and also get the information from the curriculum taught. 

Critic

This article is good because it is short and to the point. It is very straightforward and gets the information across easily. This article gives examples of real-life educators who use media in the classroom, to prove to other educators that students love using media in the classroom. It gives great suggestions and examples of different medias to be used in the classroom, and it even provides the links to these medias, which is extremely helpful. However, to make this go from a great article to an amazing article I have a few suggestions. I think if photos of the examples were included or perhaps videos of the examples, then educators could really see how to use these specific interactions. At the start of the article there is a quiz asking if social media is relevant. I think it’s a great idea, but what would make it even better is if the quiz was actually interactive, and those visiting this site could take the quiz and choose their answers.

Ontario Curriculum

According to the Language Ontario Curriculum, students are to “create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques”. This article highlights this point, since it gives examples of various medias to use for many different purposes. It also briefly explains the proper techniques and forms for using social media. It gives examples of what the students and teacher can create together, for example, tweeting updates as a class about what they have learned.

Ministry of Education. (2006). Media Literacy Expectations [Screenshot]. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf

W​hat now? 

There are 12 suggestions of how teachers could use social media in the classroom. I know that I will definitely use a few of the suggestions in my own classroom to keep my students engaged and to make learning fun. 

Davis, V. (2014, February 27). Suggestion list [Screenshot]. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis

I would allow my students to reflect their thoughts on blogs, or twitter. I would use online games for educational purposes, like the online quiz Kahoot, to ensure that students are retaining the information being taught to them. To conclude, here's an informative video explaining how to use Kahoot in the classroom:

Cross, J. (2014, July 3). Introduction to Kahoot for your Classroom Assessment [video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYfoRRtLXys