Seven Principles

In the article Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever, Chickering and Ehrman discuss Seven guiding principles when implementing the use of Technology into the classroom and Educational Process.

1. Encourages Contact Between Staff and Students

The frequent the interaction between students and the staff in and out of the classroom, the more motivated and involved some students become. They are more likely to share resources and ideas, especially those who are reluctant to ask questions. The time for response between assignment and questions answered is also dramatically reduced. According to the article, participation and contribution become more equitable and widespread.

2. Develops reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students.

Learning through technology now becomes a collaborative effort. This cooperative style increases learning and deepens understanding. It teaches skills such as problem solving and being able to synthesize large pieces of information.

3. Uses Active Learning Techniques.

The Web-2.0 technologies encourage active learning. The transfer of information and activity has shifted from teacher to student.

4. Gives Prompt Feedback.

It allows both the teacher and the student to identify what they know and don’t know. The technology can also be used to record students writing process/ journey for a budding writer or even help an athlete to look at video and criticize technique.

5. Emphasizes Time on Task.

The technology can save time with editing or have classes via pod casting or video conferencing. It can allow for easy data retrieval.

6. Communicates High Expectations.

When students are expected to deliver excellence, the technology allows the student to feel a level of creativity and accomplishment when their work is published.

7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Our students come with varied talents and pre-knowledge, the technology caters for their diverse learning styles and allows for dynamic forms of assessment.

Students as Lifelong Readers and Writers

As an educator it is our duty to ensure that our children become capable and even expert readers and writers. These skills are necessary for them to become literate citizens to survive in the 21st century. They are expected to be literate in areas other that the standard print writing and it is only when they can navigate print successfully can they weave through the other types of literacies which they will face later on. The challenge thus is for us to use engaging instructional strategies to capture the interest of the disengaged as well as the students who loose interest as they go into higher grades. As such motivation becomes an intrinsic part of creating Lifelong readers and writers. It is this motivation which makes the student want to know more to develop a sense of curiosity, to want to figure out what happens next. We can change our student’s attitudes through Reading and Writing Workshops which are authentic and where students have a choice about what they read and what they choose to writer about.
The Reading workshop allows for time, where the student has extensive time to read and write. Secondly it offers the atmosphere of choice and thirdly the response, whether it is a blog or a wiki or a journal. This workshop journeys the writing and reading process and the student and teacher can monitor their progress. The reading workshop is unconventional in that the student has choice over what they read and how they will present to the class. It is more individual in nature and because students read books of their own choosing their fluency is sustained and they enjoy what they are reading. This level of self efficacy encourages them to peruse more texts and over time challenge themselves to read books about their comfort level. As an English Teacher, I have adopted this approach in my Form one class, and I have found that it allows my students to feel more comfortable to discuss what they read and when they write they have a relationship with the text they choose and the writing they produce is sustained and descriptive. They are now excited as they want to share with their peers about the exciting books they are reading.

So You Have Computers: What you should know and be able to do.

It is all well and good to say that you have technology in your school. Computers alone cannot cause change in your school, it has to be integrated into the schools structure. The schools, students, teachers and administrators alike must all be willing to deal with the consequences and or possibilities of using technology. it can bring about a much desire change in the classroom. The transfer and delivery of knowledge changes from teacher to student; learning now comes from student inquiry, critical thinking and through problem solving.It is not only the quantity of computers that is important in the classroom, the key is to how the computer is being used by the teacher. The instructor must also have at their disposal high quality educational software. There is also the opinion for teachers to use programming to create their own personal creative instructional applications. One also has to consider the issue of time and I refer to setting a considerable amount of the teachers time to develop and customize lessons with the guided use of the computer as a multipurpose teaching tool.

In short:
1. Use software to facilitate instruction.
2. Use the Computer for instruction as an instructional medium and as a problem solving tool.
3. Use computer software to individualize instruction and increase student learning.
4. Use the technology to develop higher-order thinking skills.
5. Plan methods to integrate computer awareness and literacy into your existing curriculum.
6. Assess students needs for speific computer based instructiona applications.
7. Safeguard

Teachers Taking Action

The Ministry of Education is of the view that Teachers Educations is essential. Teachers must be masters of their content area in order to achieve the best results and give the best to their students. As professionals we cannot simply choose to be called professional because we have a Bachelors . We must make a conscious decision to take action and attend the many workshops and seminars being offered by the MOE. We complained that the workshops are for the new members to the service, that it took up too much school time and we lost time with our students. they have solved these problems by now offering them during the vacation period and yet we see it as an impingement on our time. Are we really concerned with learning what is new, the best practice?
Teacher training is essential in order to become experts in our areas. we must become Masters of our subject matter to be effective teachers. As (Wellglinski, 2000) has stated, teachers content knowledge is an important factor in student achievement. It is disheartening when there are teachers within the system who choose not to be educated. They are afraid of the restructuring of the system that now looks at ICT as integral in being a professional within the classroom. They hold the belief that they are already competent, they are on the way out, why bother to go through so much trouble. Some even express anxiety and fear that their lack of expertise will be embarrassing and undermine their classroom authority.
However one must take into consideration that the MOE does not compensate the teacher who make the effort to acquire additional qualifications, only those in administrative posts are meagerly offered a pittance. Which professional then wants to do the extra work? Should the MOE take legal action? What is there to sustain those who are already taking action? These are questions that face the teacher in search of professionalism.

Teaching For Diversity

As educators we must be cognizant of the fact that our classrooms are very diverse. No two students come with the same values, reading abilities, prior knowledge or even attitude to our specific Content Area. It is imperative that we ignore these differences when planning classroom instruction. We must become aware of the "ways of knowing", so that we can adequately present material using a variety of mediums with specific reference to the thechnology we have available to us. The method of presentation, delivery and assessment can allow us to capture the attention of the "bored" student.
The use of ICT can cater to the differing learners and the way in which they absorb information. the power point can be used to condense larg volumes of information into precise, succinct, statements. Added to which hypermedia can help create visual and interactive links to engage our demotivated and struggling students to become curious and want to investigate into the subject matter. As educators we must also give serious thought to not only our methods of delivery but our assessment procedures as well. We can no longer afford to be linear in our methodology as Reading Specialists.

Why Become A Reading Teacher

I will be honest in stating that this was not my original career path. I have always been comfortable in explaining that I became an English teacher, because i wanted to help all the children i knew who were having problems reading. They were additionally disadvantaged in that they did not have the support of the home. I came out of UWI and was placed in a school where I thought that i had the skills to help them become literate. This was simply doing more and more exercises and actually finishing an literature text. I failed to realize that my efforts were futile. I had not grasped what the concept of being literate in today's world really meant. I had not really helped them, i was only fostering the ability of those who had some skills.

My methodology needed to change. I needed to become literate in the concept and recognized the importance of the "Fabulous Five"; Vocabulary, Phonics, Morphology, Comprehension and Fluency. Teacher training and education was a must and as such I made the hard but conscious decision to sign up for the Masters in Reading Program.