Discussion: Does Technology = More Knowledgeable Other?
Yes |
No |
|
|
Why?
- Authenticity of Literacy Experiences: During Istation®
instruction, students wore headphones, were generally quiet, and did not
interact with the teacher or each other. Students did not produce or respond
verbally to any texts—they simply clicked on the right answer when prompted by
the program. There was little variability in the presentation of the
content. On the other hand, during large
and small group instruction with the teachers, students interacted socially,
responded to texts in a variety of ways (including writing), and there were a
variety of texts and contexts presented.
Early literacy research supports social interaction and variability
during instruction (Blair, Rupley & Nichols, 2007; Hall, 2003; NELP, 2008;
Ponitz & Rimm-Kaufman, 2011).
- Flexibility and Adaptability of Instruction: As an adaptive sequence system, Istation® is based on the concept of mastery learning. If a student masters a skill, the student progresses to the next skill. If the student fails to master a skill, Istation® adapts and presents remedial information, reassessing until the student achieves mastery of the skill. Istation® adapted to individual students based on their responses; however, the program was not as flexible or responsive as the classroom teachers were during similar activities. For example, many of the teachers were observed quickly adapting instruction based on individual students’ interests, backgrounds, and specific needs. The teachers often revised their approach based on social interactions that occurred during instruction. One adaptive strategy that many of the teachers used that Istation® did not was metacognitive instruction. The teachers explained, modeled, and used reading strategies during instruction, thinking aloud as they did so. This metacognitive layer of instruction is vital to creating strategic readers (Afflerbach, Pearson, & Paris, 2008; Ankrum, Genest, & Belcastro, 2014; Pressley et al., 1994).
- Emotions Related to Instruction: As Cambourne (1995) asserts, children are more successful when their learning is supported by “those to whom they are bonded” (p.185). Students appeared motivated to work on Istation® and were generally engaged with the program; however, there was no “bond” observed between the students and the computer. On the other hand, students often seemed emotionally connected to their teachers, and they were observed smiling, laughing, and socially engaged during instruction. These strong emotions and bonds during instruction have been shown to lead to increased learning in students (Jensen 1998; Ponitz & Rimm-Kaufman, 2011; Wolfe, 2010).
So What?
- While Istation® is interactive with and provides feedback, students’ participation with the computer is usually restricted to those interactions determined by the computer.
- Humans are able to respond immediately to children’s approximations of literacy behaviors and tailor their responses in complex ways that a computer does not seem to be able to emulate.
- While technology can serve as a more knowledgeable other in some interactions with students, teachers are still very much needed to scaffold students’ learning and provide balanced and complete early literacy instruction for students.
References
Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P.D., Paris, S.G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills and reading strategies. The Reading Teacher, 60, 364-373.
Ankrum, J., Genest, M., & Belcastro, E. (2014). The Power of Verbal Scaffolding: 'Showing' Beginning Readers How to Use Reading Strategies. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42, 39-47.
Blair, T.R., Rupley, W.H., Nichols, W.D. (2007) The effective teacher of reading: Considering the “what” and “how” of instruction. Reading Teacher, 60, 432-438.
Hall, K. (2003) Effective literacy teaching in the early years of school: A review of the evidence. In N. Hall, J. Larson, & J. Marsh (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood literacy (Vol. 1, pp.315-326). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Jensen, (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
National Early Literacy Panel. (2008). Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Ponitz, C., & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (2011). Contexts of reading instruction: Implications for literacy skills and kindergarteners’ behavioral engagement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 157-168.
Pressley, M., Allington, R., Morrow, L., Baker, K., Nelson, E., Wharton-McDonald, R.,...Woo, D. (1998). The nature of effective first-grade literacy instruction. The National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/pressley1stgrade11007.pdf
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating researching into classroom practice. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Ankrum, J., Genest, M., & Belcastro, E. (2014). The Power of Verbal Scaffolding: 'Showing' Beginning Readers How to Use Reading Strategies. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42, 39-47.
Blair, T.R., Rupley, W.H., Nichols, W.D. (2007) The effective teacher of reading: Considering the “what” and “how” of instruction. Reading Teacher, 60, 432-438.
Hall, K. (2003) Effective literacy teaching in the early years of school: A review of the evidence. In N. Hall, J. Larson, & J. Marsh (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood literacy (Vol. 1, pp.315-326). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Jensen, (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
National Early Literacy Panel. (2008). Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Ponitz, C., & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (2011). Contexts of reading instruction: Implications for literacy skills and kindergarteners’ behavioral engagement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 157-168.
Pressley, M., Allington, R., Morrow, L., Baker, K., Nelson, E., Wharton-McDonald, R.,...Woo, D. (1998). The nature of effective first-grade literacy instruction. The National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/pressley1stgrade11007.pdf
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating researching into classroom practice. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.