Session 5 Blog Post

Online/ digital literacy activities can be integrated into the classroom as early as pre-k. Children growing up in the 21st century should be exposed to all the fascinating and powerful digital literacy activities at an early age because it will only benefit them as they grow up in this advanced, technological era. There are so many wonderful websites for young children to access. The kindergarteners and first graders at my school use a free website called Starfall. Starfall promotes phonemic awareness and is a very kid friendly website for students to use independently. Children can work on a specific skill, such as short a vowel sounds and even follow along to stories read aloud through audio. Another powerful website that I personally use in my classroom for students who need reading intervention is called Headsprout. Headsprout is a K-2 supplemental program that ensures reading success for every child. As a teacher, I am able to look up all my students’ profiles to track their progress. I also came across another free website for preschoolers to use called Jumpstart. On Jumpstart, children can access thousands of activities and games, practice hundreds of skills for school all while exploring a safe and secure online world. Birth to age 5 is such a critical learning stage in a child’s life so it’s important to expose them to valuable learning experiences to help aid them in the future, and why not start with digital literacy activities.

A 21st Century Learning Environment is “the support systems that organize the condition in which humans learn best-systems that accommodate the unique learning needs of every learner and support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning. (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 3).” 21st century learning environments address the multiple and interconnected learning needs of the whole child.

A 21st Century skill that I would like to cultivate in my classroom is, facilitating communication and collaboration through technology. After creating the website for class, I would love to use this in my classroom to effectively communicate and collaborate with both my students and their parents. Having this website to support the home-school connection would be essential for children’s academic success. On my website I would have links to the above websites I recommend for my students to access from home, as well as homework tips and suggests for parents to use to aid in their child’s reading development. I would also think it would be interesting to have a blog posted on my website for children to use, to respond to a reading question once a week. Rather than write their answer on a piece of paper, I think it might be exciting for them to respond on the blog. By doing this at home, their parents can assist with the typing, which too will be beneficial for the future. According to the NETS-T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, “Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments” (ISTE NETS, 2008).

References

 The ISTE Nets and Performance Indicators for Teachers (2008). Retrieved from http://www.itse.org.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. “21st Century Learning Environments.” Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/le_white_paper-1.pdf.