A11.1: Branching Literacy

What do you know/can you find out about branching literacy skills?

I knew very little information about branching literacy before beginning my research on this topic. After concluding my research on this topic this is what I have found. Branching literacy is having the ability to use non-linear navigation skills to navigate through hypermedia environments without getting lost or confused. This skill came about after the development of hypermedia enviroments such as the internet where people were required to revert from obtaining knowledge in a linear way to obtaining knowledge in a non-linear way. Non-linear navigation skills must be implemented in hypermedia environments because users are required to pull information from various resources and databases and then combine the information to develop an understanding of a specific concept. The use of non-linear navigation in hypermedia environments has brought about this “new” type of digital literacy called branching literacy. As quoted from the EURODL, ”Branching-literate scholars are characterized by good multidimensional spatial orientation – the ability to remain oriented and avoid getting lost in hyperspace while navigating through complex knowledge domains, despite the intricate navigation paths they may take (Daniels et al.,2002; Horton, 2000; Piacciano, 2001). They also have good metaphoric thinking and the ability to create mental models, concept maps, and other forms of abstract representation of the web’s structure, which help branching-literate scholars overcome problems of disorientation in hypermedia environments (Lee & Hsu, 2002). Branching literacy skills are becoming very important as the internet continues to grow. In an article by Yoram Eshet-Alkalai he states, “branching literacy is increasingly becoming a “survival skill,” a necessity for learners  who are meant to perform knowledge-construction tasks in the information era.”

What are your reactions to the idea that there are such skills?

I am not surprised that individuals are now saying that there are branching literacy skills. I believe this because our way of obtaining knowledge has completely changed with the development of the internet. Before the internet individuals typically obtained information by searching through books. This required them to use linear navigation skills in which they pulled all the information they needed from that specific book. Now, with the development of the internet information can be found on various different sites and databases on the web. This requires non-linear navigation skills to obtain information and pull it all together. The internet can become very overwhelming for someone who does not have the ability to navigate around the web. I have seen first hand how the lack of branching literacy skills can become frustrating for individuals. For example, my dad grew up without the internet it was only until a few years ago that he began using the internet. At the time that he began using the internet he would become very frustrated if he could not find what he needed immediately. He did not have the skills to search and navigate through the internet to find what he needed. If he found a site on the internet that he found benefitial he would have a difficult time getting back to that site. He did not have the branching literacy skills to navigate through the “navigation paths” and “knowledge domains.” Since he has always lacked these skills he always creates shortcuts to ever site he feels in beneficial and may need to reference another day.

How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling?

I feel this “new” literacy will change education/schooling because I feel that teachers are going to see textsbooks being phased out as resources. I feel that all the information a student will need will eventually be located on the web. We even see this now as whole books are being published on the internet. Since I feel this will be occuring, teachers will then be required to teach students a more non-linear approach to navigation skills. Students will be required to have branching literacy skills to be successful in navigating through the internet to find information, solve problems, and conduct research.

Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Amichai-Hamburget, Y. (2004, August). Experiments in digital literacy. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.

Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Aviram, A., & Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (n.d.). TowardsTowards a Theory of Digital Literacy: Three Scenarios for the Next Steps. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Aharon_Aviram.htm

A10.4: Week 10 Participation Memo

Traci Girondo

October 26, 2007

Aims and Objectives: My personal goal for this week was to continue to learn about the literacy skills that individuals need to posses to be successful in a digital world. I also wanted to continue researching information on my research topic so that I could begin writing my I-search paper.

Declarative Knowledge: This week I learned about reproduction literacy. What I learned is that reproduction literacy skills are something that I possess and have been required to use, but never knew there was a specific name for them. I learned that reproduction literacy is the ability to take various forms of media and transform that material to create a new idea or meaning. I learned that this is something I have done numerous times when writing research papers and I paraphrase information I have found. This shows how reproduction literacy skills can be used in writing, but these skills can also be used in art. In art images, videos, and photographs can be transformed to create a new visual image. A good example of this is a painting of mona lisa with a mustache. Basically, I learned that reproduction literacy skills are skills that I possess and will be using throughout the rest of my life.

I also learned this week about myself and my work skills. I have become very accustomed to having specific readings and assignments that are due on a specific day. Since our work in this class is becoming more focused on our personal research I found that I have been putting off researching my topic since I wasn’t being required to do research and turn in an assignment on my research. Now that the due date is approaching I know I need to focus my time on completing this projet. I learned that my time management skills are going to become very important to complete my paper and movie on top of my work for other classes.

Procedural Knowledge: This week I did not learn how to complete a specific process, but I did learn that reproduction literacy skills are something that I will be using very soon as I begin to write my I-search paper for this class. From my research on this topic I will now know how to use these skills when writing my paper and creating my movie.

Conditional Knowledge: The information I learned this week will be something that I use both in my career as a student and as a future speech language pathologist. In both of these I will use reproduction literacy skills to create new ideas, meanings, and interpretations of pre-exsisting material. As a student I will use these skills when writing research papers and completing projects. I will use these in my future career in that I will constantly have to take information and transform it in to my own words so, that when I talk to parents and clients they will understand the material I am talking about. In my own life I will use reproduction literacy skills when I scrapbook as I take various forms or images and words and transform them in to a page that will help me to remember special times in my life.

A10.1: Reproduction Litercy

What do you know/can you find out about reproduction literacy skills?

Before researching reproductive litercy I new very little information on the subject. After completing very limited research on this topic I have a better understanding of reproduction literacy. Reproduction literacy the ability to take exsisting art, text, or sounds and manipulate it to create something new. A transformation is made to create new meanings and interpretations of pre-exsisting material. Specifically, reproduction literacy is important in the domains of writing and art. In writing, words can be rearranged and manipulated to change the underlining meaning of the original words. By doing this individuals can express how words can be manipulated and changed to develop new ideas. For the domain of art, various images can be pulled together to create a new work of art. An example of reproduction literacy skills being used in art would be when Salvador Dali put a mustache on a painting of Mona Lisa. Reproduction literacy skills are being more widely used as the use of the web is making it easier to recreate words and images.

What are your reactions to the idea that there are such skills?

I am not surprised that there are reproduction literacy skills. It takes a creative individual to manipulate words and images to create something new. I feel that it takes enginuity to take a someone elses words or art and then reproduce that material in to a new form that is your own. I can see where reproduction literacy skills could be important skills to possess because these skills are another way for a person to express themselves and showcase their creativity. These skills could be very influential in the development of new ideas and materials that would never have been developed if a person did not possess these skills. Personally, I use reproduction skills when writing papers. If I do not use a direct quote from a person than some of my ideas may be another individuals, but I paraphrase what they have said in my own words. I then give credit to the person who first had this idea, but I have now made it my own by reproducing it in a new form.

How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling?

I feel that this new literacy will change education/ schooling in that students will now more educated on taking material and manipulating it to make it their own. I think more emphasis is being placed in school systems on what constitutes plagiarism and what is considered paraphrasing. I feel that since this new skill is being used more readily because of computers and internet that teachers will have to educate students more on not only how to simply use computers, but how to manipulate information on the computer to create new ideas and materials. I feel that reproduction literacy skills are very important for students to have because we are constantly being challenged to take ideas of other individuals and make them our own and create new material from this. In all actuality this is the basis of research. Researchers take an idea that is shared among many individuals and they study that subject and they search for information and ways to make that idea their own. This is how words, images, and ideas are improved. A person has reproduction literacy skills and is able to take those materials and create from it something that is even better than the original version.

Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Amichai-Hamburget, Y. (2004, August). Experiments in digital literacy. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.

Aphek, E. (2007). Digital, highly connected children: Implications for education. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/aphek/digital-literacy.html

Eshet-Alkai, Y. (2004).  Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era.  JI. of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. 

A10.3: Revised Project Prospectus

Traci Girondo

October 26, 2007

1. Research Question/Foundation Questions:

In what ways can teachers foster the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments?

1. What literacy skills are common among all school-age children?

2. What literacy skills are unique to children from impoverished environments?

3. What is the teachers role in fostering the development of literacy skills?

2. Tentative point:

Through my research, I plan to make the point that teachers can be influential in fostering the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments by focusing on the areas of literacy these children struggle with.

3. Discussion:

Before beginning my research on this topic I knew that poverty had an effect on a child’s literacy skills. My knowledge on this came from a Read Aloud program that I participated in at Marshall University. In this program we were assigned to specific schools in the area that were noted as being at risk schools. These schools were recieving low test scores and very little federal funding. The goal of this program was to get the children actively involved in reading. In this program I came to the school once a week and read aloud to the class. The children were encouraged to ask questions about the book. Typically, after I read the book then the children participated in a reading activity with their teacher. I noticed while at the school that many of the children struggled with reading. I discussed this with the teacher and she noted that many of the students did not have family at home to encourage literacy skills such as reading. Factors such as this can affect literacy because the children are not recieving as much stimulation as other children and have less literacy experiences. Since I am aware of how impoverished environments and parent interactions can affect literacy I wanted to focus my research on an area I was unfamiliar with. I want to specifically look at an educators role in the development of literacy in children from impoverished environments.

The information I am learning on my research questions is giving me a better idea of how a child’s environment can affect their literacy skills and how teachers can help in the development of their literacy skills. From my research I am learning a lot of new information that I was unaware of before. I am finding many differences in the literacy skills of children who are raised in an impoverished environment as compared to other children’s literacy skills. The implications in research are that children who are raised in an impoverished environment fall behind their same aged peers when it comes to reading skills. Children from impoverished environments have more difficulties with reading comprehension, phonemic awareness, and word recognition. These problems seem to stem from the lack of stimulation and literacy experiences the child is recieving outside of school. These limited experiences set the child up for delays when they enter school which is why it is important for teachers to be aware of how to remidiate these delays. The research I have found in regards to ways teachers can increase literacy skills in children is for them to chose reading materials that are age appropriate for the child. Also, it is important to incorporate visual images until the child is more comfortable simply reading text.

From what I am learning I developed 3 research questions to help me focus my research so that I would be able to answer my research question. When coming up with these research questions I wanted to focus specifically common literacy skills among all school age children, literacy skills specific to children from impoverished environments and what a teachers role is in the development of literacy in students. I felt that these questions would allow me compare and contrast children from impoverished environments to their fellow school age peers and see if there are any spevific literacy skills that are only common among children from impoverished environments. If there is I then want to determine how teachers can help to develop these skills the children are lacking. I feel the most important thing for me to accomplish by answering these questions is to find relevant information that will help me answer my research questions. I feel that the questions I have developed will give me a well rounded view of the topic and help me to focus my research to answer my research question. I am sure as I continue my research these questions will expand and change.

There are many challenges I foresee when thinking about the research to answer my research question. I am having a difficult time finding information that looks specifically at children from impoverished environments and their literacy skills. There is a lot information available on literacy, but literacy itself is a very broad topic. I have also found a lot of information on adult literacy, but limited information on children. I feel that I will just have to spend a lot of time searching for articles that pertain to the subject matter I am researching. I need to make sure that the research I am finding is valid and reliable. I know it is going to be a lot of work searching for information that helps me answer my research question, but I am up for the challenge. I think the end result of this research is going to be vast amount knowledge on a topic I feel is very important. There is no reason why children should not have every oppurtunity to succeed.

Baydar, N., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Furstenberg, F.F. (1993, June). Early warning signs of functional illiteracy: Predictors in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 64(3), 815-829. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the PsychINFO database.

D’Angiulli, A., Hertzman, C., & Siegel, L. S. (2004). Schooling, Socioeconomic Context and Literacy Development. Educational Psychology, 24(6), 867-883. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Kainz, K. & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2007, May). The ecology of early reading development for children in poverty. Elementary School Journal, 107(5), 407-427. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Leavy, J., Masters, A., & White, H. (2003, November). Comparative perspectives on child poverty: A review of poverty measures. Journal of Human Development, 4(3), 379-397. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Nancollis, A., Lawrie, B., & Dodd, B. (2005). Phonological Awareness Intervention and the Acquisition of Literacy Skills in Children From Deprived Social Backgrounds. Language,Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 36(4), 325-335. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

A9.4: Week 9 Participation Memo

Aims and Objectives: My goal for this week was to begin sorting through all the information I have obtained for my research project. Up until this point I have just been collecting information that I felt related to my topic and the amount of information I had was becoming overwhelming. This week I wanted to sit down and read all the articles and pull out the resources that I felt contained valid and reliable information and would help me to answer my research question. I also wanted to become more familiar with the delicious site and how to tag sites that I felt were important. I feel that this site can be confusing at times. I haven’t quite figured out how to navigate my way around the site.  As always I wanted to have all this work completed by the due date and not let it be 11:55 when I was turning in my work.

Declarative Knowledge: This week I learned that when researching a topic you should chose a topic that is interesting to you. The topic I had chose to research before my meeting with my professor was a topic I did not have a lot of interest in, but felt was a topic I could find a lot of information on. After discussing with her I realized just how much information I actually knew about my previous research question. The information I had been finding on the question wasn’t interesting to me because I already knew that information. From this meeting I learned how to develop foundation questions that will help me answer my research question. I also learned that the research question I really wanted to research was imbedded in my previous research I just need to find a way to word it to make it in to an actual research question. This week I also learned about photo-visual literacy which was a very interesting topic in that it is a skill I use every single day and never knew I had or never realized there was a word that defined these skills.

Procedural Knowledge: This week  I learned how to narrow my essential question to make it a researchable question. Before this week I had a topic that was very broad and poorly worded. I also learned how to develop foundation questions that will help me to focus my research to answer my essential question. These questions are very important in that they will be what my research is based off of to answer the essential question. This week I also learned how to create and I-search paper which is different from any other research paper I have wrote in that it is wrote in first person.

Conditional Knowledge: I can use the information I learned this week as both a student and as a future Speech-Language Pathologist. In both of these professions it will important to be aware of visual literacy in that this is a skill that is required for us as individuals to be successful. As a professional I need to realize that just because a person can not read or write does not make them an iliterate person. In all actuality this person my be very literate in another form of literacy. They may be able to tell you what any sign or photograph means because they are visual literate. I am also going to use the information I recieved from my professor in our meeting to help me develop an I-search paper and movie that will describe to people how a child’s impoverished environment can affect their literacy and what a teachers role is in fostering the development of literacy skills.

A9.3: Revised Project Prospectus

Traci Girondo

October 18, 2007

1. Research Question/Foundation Questions:

In what ways can teachers foster the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments?

1. What literacy skills are common among all school-age children?

2. What literacy skills are unique to children from impoverished environments?

3. What is the teachers role in fostering the development of literacy skills?

2. Tentative point:

Through my research, I plan to make the point that teachers can be influential in fostering the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments by focusing on the areas of literacy these children struggle with.

3. Discussion:

Before beginning my research on this topic I knew that poverty had an effect on a child’s literacy skills. My knowledge on this came from a Read Aloud program that I participated in at Marshall University. In this program we were assigned to specific schools in the area that were noted as being at risk schools. These schools were recieving low test scores and very little federal funding. The goal of this program was to get the children actively involved in reading. In this program I came to the school once a week and read aloud to the class. The children were encouraged to ask questions about the book. Typically, after I read the book then the children participated in a reading activity with their teacher. I noticed while at the school that many of the children struggled with reading. I discussed this with the teacher and she noted that many of the students did not have family at home to encourage literacy skills such as reading. Factors such as this can affect literacy because the children are not recieving as much stimulation as other children and have less literacy experiences. Since I am aware of how impoverished environments and parent interactions can affect literacy I wanted to focus my research on an area I was unfamiliar with. I want to specifically look at an educators role in the development of literacy in children from impoverished environments.

The information I am learning on my research questions is giving me a better idea of how a child’s environment can affect their literacy skills and how teachers can help in the development of their literacy skills. From my research I am learning a lot of new information that I was unaware of before. I am finding many differences in the literacy skills of children who are raised in an impoverished environment as compared to other children’s literacy skills. The implications in research are that children who are raised in an impoverished environment fall behind their same aged peers when it comes to reading skills. Children from impoverished environments have more difficulties with reading comprehension, phonemic awareness, and word recognition. These problems seem to stem from the lack of stimulation and literacy experiences the child is recieving outside of school. These limited experiences set the child up for delays when they enter school which is why it is important for teachers to be aware of how to remidiate these delays. The research I have found in regards to ways teachers can increase literacy skills in children is for them to chose reading materials that are age appropriate for the child. Also, it is important to incorporate visual images until the child is more comfortable simply reading text.

From what I am learning I developed 3 research questions to help me focus my research so that I would be able to answer my research question. When coming up with these research questions I wanted to focus specifically common literacy skills among all school age children, literacy skills specific to children from impoverished environments and what a teachers role is in the development of literacy in students. I felt that these questions would allow me compare and contrast children from impoverished environments to their fellow school age peers and see if there are any spevific literacy skills that are only common among children from impoverished environments. If there is I then want to determine how teachers can help to develop these skills the children are lacking. I feel the most important thing for me to accomplish by answering these questions is to find relevant information that will help me answer my research questions. I feel that the questions I have developed will give me a well rounded view of the topic and help me to focus my research to answer my research question. I am sure as I continue my research these questions will expand and change.

There are many challenges I foresee when thinking about the research to answer my research question. I am having a difficult time finding information that looks specifically at children from impoverished environments and their literacy skills. There is a lot information available on literacy, but literacy itself is a very broad topic. I have also found a lot of information on adult literacy, but limited information on children. I feel that I will just have to spend a lot of time searching for articles that pertain to the subject matter I am researching. I need to make sure that the research I am finding is valid and reliable. I know it is going to be a lot of work searching for information that helps me answer my research question, but I am up for the challenge. I think the end result of this research is going to be vast amount knowledge on a topic I feel is very important. There is no reason why children should not have every oppurtunity to succeed.

Baydar, N., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Furstenberg, F.F. (1993, June). Early warning signs of functional illiteracy: Predictors in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 64(3), 815-829. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the PsychINFO database.

D’Angiulli, A., Hertzman, C., & Siegel, L. S. (2004). Schooling, Socioeconomic Context and Literacy Development. Educational Psychology, 24(6), 867-883. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Kainz, K. & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2007, May). The ecology of early reading development for children in poverty. Elementary School Journal, 107(5), 407-427. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Leavy, J., Masters, A., & White, H. (2003, November). Comparative perspectives on child poverty: A review of poverty measures. Journal of Human Development, 4(3), 379-397. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Nancollis, A., Lawrie, B., & Dodd, B. (2005). Phonological Awareness Intervention and the Acquisition of Literacy Skills in Children From Deprived Social Backgrounds. Language,Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 36(4), 325-335. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

A9.1:Photo-Visual Literacy

Traci Girondo

October 18, 2007

Before taking CD 315 I had a very limited idea of what I felt literacy encompassed. For me, literacy included reading and writing. I felt that to be a literate person these were the skills a person needed to possess. My view on literacy has expanded and I no longer have this narrow viewpoint. Research has shown me that it is now crucial for people to possess specific literacy skills that will allow them to be successful in a digital enviroment. In an article by Eshet-Alkali and Amachai-Hamburger they discuss literacy skills which will allow people to be successful in a digital enviroment. Some of these skills include branching literacy, information literacy, and photo-visual literacy. For the purpose of this assignment I am going to focus of photo-visual literacy.

As stated by the International Visual Literacy Association the term “visual literacy” was coined in 1969 by John Debes and is defined by the Oakland Museum of California ”as the ability to understand communications composed of visual images as well as being able to use visual imagery to communciate to others.” The idea behind visual literacy is that it is important for people to be able to interpret and communicate through visual images. This is important in that we live in ”an increasing visual culture.” We run in to visual images in everything that we do, so it is important we develop skills to be successful in such an environment. Some visual images may include photographs, movies, computer games and road signs. I feel that I am a visual literate person because of the experiences I have had using visual literacy skills.

My experiences with visual literacy can be traced back to when I was just a child. I remember we had a nintendo gaming system that my siblings and I used to play. The games that we played required us to interpret the images on the screen to determine how to complete the game. For example, when playing Mario I knew that if a mushroom was walking towards me that it meant I would lose a life if I did not jump over the mushroom or kill it. Visual literacy skills then became very important as I learned to drive. It surprises me how many times a day I have to interpret a visual image on a road sign. I know that the bright yellow sign with an arrow facing to left means that there is a sharp let turn ahead that I should prepare for. I also use visual literacy skills in public places to determine which restroom to use. If I was not a visual literate person this would be a difficult task. I feel that I knew a lot about visual literacy before reading these articles, but I did not know that there was a specific name for this skill I possesed.

 I feel that visual literacy skills are a skill that individuals need to possess to be successful in day to day tasks, but also in a digital environment. I am not surprised that more forms of literacy our being developed because simply knowing how to read and write will make a person successful in a culture that is becoming more centered around visual images. What does surprise me it that the term visual literacy was coined in 1969, but only recently has an emphsis been placed on its importance to society. I feel that this may be correlated to the development of the internet. As digital literacy becomes more prominent I feel that as a society we will see changes in our education and schooling.

I feel that a change will occur in education and schooling because I have seen some of those changes taking place. When I was a student in elementary school a lot of emphasis was placed on a students ability to read and write. Now, when I look at my nephews schoolwork and what they are doing, there is a greater emphasis on the use of images. Teachers are using more charts and graphs to describe concepts. I feel that this change is going to take place because teachers will realize that visual literacy skills are skills that individuals need to have to be successful. I feel that we are going to see more use of images such as graphs, powerpoints, photographs, and many more images being included in the curriculum because they are going to enhance the child’s learning and help them to develop new skills. As stated by the Oakland Museum of California, visual literacy skills will help to develop and improve observational skills and  increase critical thinking skills.”

Sources:

Amichai-Hamburger, Y. & Eshet-Alkali, Y. (2004, August). Experiments in digital literacy. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.  Retrieved October 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Avgerinou, M. (n.d.). What is Visual Literacy. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from http://www.ivla.org/org_what_vis_lit.htm#definition

Visual Literacy Activities (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2007, from http://www.museumca.org/picturethis/visual.html

A8.6: Participation Memo

Aims and Objectives: My goal for this week was to have my work completed by Friday night, but it is now Sunday night and my work is just now being completed. I have found it very hard to complete my work this week because my internet has been done for most of this week. I also have found myself procrastinating this week. I hope to stay on top of my work next week so, that I do not find myself in this same situation again.

Declarative Knowledge: This week I learned more about virtual classrooms and online discussions. In this discussion I learned more about copyright and all that it entails. While discussing with my group I learned more about what can be classified under copyright laws. From the group discussion I learned that it is important to always ask permission before using copyrighted material and if a person is unsure whether or not the material they are using could be considered copyright infringement then this material should not be used. I also learned this week a lot about APA citation style. This study on APA was very helpful in that I found there were many things about APA style that I did not know. For example, I learned that before the name of a database the word “the” should preceed the database. Also, I learned that the word “database” should follow the actual database itself. From this study on APA style I learned that it is important to make reference to an APA manual to make sure the citation style a person is documenting is correct and follows the APA format.

Procedural Knowledge: This week I learned how to correctly cite articles from the internet. I learned how to do this by making reference to the 5th edition of the APA resource manual. I learned that with APA citations a person must list the word the before the database and the word database after the actual name of the database. For example, retrieved from the ERIC database. I also learned how to create my own classroom on the TappedIn website. This will be important for this class in that I can now hold a discussion with my group in my own classroom.

Conditional Knowledge: The information that I learned this week will be helpful to me both as a student and as a future SLP. I can use the information I learned about APA citations with both of these professions in that I will be required to cite many sources as I complete research. It is also important that I take the knowledge I have gained on copyright laws so that I make informed decisions about material I am using that has been created by other people. I feel that the information I have learned this week is information that I will use for a lifetime. I am glad that I took the time to learn more about these topics. I now feel that I have a better understand of both of these topics.

A8.2 Project Prospectus

Traci Girondo

October 9, 2007

1. Research Question/Foundation Questions:

How does poverty affect literacy in school-age children?

1. What is the correlation between low socioeconomic status and poor literacy skills?

2. What types of literacy are effected by poverty?

3. What are the lasting effects of poverty on literacy skills?

4. Does the underprivleged enviroment of the child effect literacy skills or is it other factors such as, malnutrition?

5. Are school-age children from underprivleged backgrounds lacking literacy skills that children from middle-class families are not?

2. Tentative point:

The point I plan to make is that poverty adversely affects a child’s development of literacy skills and factors such as growing up in an impoverished environment and malnutrition lead to the child’s decreased literacy skills.
3. Discussion:

Before beginning my research on this topic I knew that poverty had to some degree an effect on a child’s literacy skills. My knowledge on this came from a Read Aloud program that I participated in at Marshall University. In this program we were assigned to specific schools in the area that were noted as being at risk schools. These schools were recieving low test scores and very little federal funding. The goal of this program was to get the children actively involved in reading. In this program I came to the school once a week and read aloud to the class. The children were encouraged to ask questions about the book. Typically, after I read the book then the children participated in a reading activity with their teacher. I noticed while at the school that many of the children struggled with reading. I discussed this with the teacher and she noted that many of the students did not have family at home to encourage literacy skills such as reading. Through my research I am finding that this does play a role in a child’s development of literacy skills.

The information that I am learning on poverty and literacy skills is emphasizing a lot of the information that I already knew on the topic. From my research I have found that malnutrition can effect literacy skills in that children have difficulty attending to tasks when they are hungry. In regards to the literacy skill of reading you must be able to first read the material, but also comprehend it. In order to comprehend what you are reading to need to be able to attend to the subject matter. If a child is hungry they become focused on the fact that there stomach is empty and hurting and it is hard for them to block out these feelings and focus on the task at hand. Also, I have found that a parents education level can affect literacy in that there is a correlation between how much work is being done with the child at home on literacy skills. Typically, children who live in an impoverished environment have parents that work constently to provide for the family that little time is left to focus on the child’s school work. There becomes a breakdown in that the child is recieving a lot of instruction during the 7 hours they are at school, but during the other 17 hours of the day there is little instruction or time being spent on literacy tasks.

From what I am learning I developed 5 research questions to help me focus my research so that I would be able to answer my research question. When coming up with these research questions I wanted to focus specifically on what aspects of poverty affect literacy, what aspects of literacy are effected, and what are the lasting effects on the child. I felt that these questions gave a rounded view of how exactly poverty affects literacy. I feel that the most important question that I have to determine is whether there is even a correlation between poverty and literacy. From my experience I have noticed a correlation, but I feel it is important for me to back this up with research based evidence. I also feel it is important to look at how poverty is going to affect a child’s literacy skills throughout the rest of their life. I feel this is important in that this questions examines the long term effects of illiteracy. I feel that the questions I have developed will give me a well rounded view of the topic and help me to focus my research to answer my research question. I am sure as I continue my research these questions will expand and change.

There are many challenges I foresee when thinking about my research. From the research I have found there has been a lot of information on how teachers can remediate poor literacy skills in children, but not a lot of information on how poverty can affect a child’s literacy skills. I have also found a lot of information on adult literacy, but limited information on children. I feel that I will just have to spend a lot of time searching for articles that pertain to the subject matter I am researching. I need to make sure that the research I am finding is valid, reliable, and is helping me to answer my research question. I am excited about this topic so, I think the research will be exciting as well!

Resources:

Baydar, N., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Furstenberg, F.F. (1993, June). Early warning signs of functional illiteracy: Predictors in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 64(3), 815-829. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the PsychINFO database.

D’Angiulli, A., Hertzman, C., & Siegel, L. S. (2004). Schooling, Socioeconomic Context and Literacy Development. Educational Psychology, 24(6), 867-883. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Duke, N. K., & Purcell Gates, V. (2003). Genres at home and at school: Bridging the known to the new. Reading Teacher, 57(1), 30-37. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Espinosa, L. M. (2005). Curriculum and Assessment Considerations for Young Children from Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Backgrounds. Psychology in the Schools, 42(8), 837-853. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Kainz, K. & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2007, May). The ecology of early reading development for children in poverty. Elementary School Journal, 107(5), 407-427. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Leavy, J., Masters, A., & White, H. (2003, November). Comparative perspectives on child poverty: A review of poverty measures. Journal of Human Development, 4(3), 379-397. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Mcgee, G.W. (2004, April). Closing the achievement gap: Lessons from Illinois’ golden spike high-poverty high-performing schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 9(2), 97-125. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Miles, S. B., & Stipek, D. (2006). Contemporaneous and Longitudinal Associations between Social Behavior and Literacy Achievement in a Sample of Low-Income Elementary School Children. Child Development, 77(1), 15. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Nancollis, A., Lawrie, B., & Dodd, B. (2005). Phonological Awareness Intervention and the Acquisition of Literacy Skills in Children From Deprived Social Backgrounds. Language,Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 36(4), 325-335. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Perkins, H. J., & Cooter, R. B. (2005). Evidence-based literacy education and the African American child. Reading Teacher, 59(2), 194-198. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

A8.1: APA Review

After completing a review of my resources located in my library searching assignment I realized there were some common mistakes I made in all of my sources. One specific mistake I made was a careless mistake on my part. On one of my sources I had listed the page numbers from 379-97. This mistake was corrected by verifying the correct page number and changing the page number to 397. I found specific rules on page numbers on  page 227 of the APA resource manual. Another common mistake I made was not putting the word “the” before the name of the particular database I was using. As stated by the Publication Manual of the American Pychological Association- 5th Edition on page 231 under the heading “4.15 Retrieval Information: Electronic Sources” the word “the” should be located before the database. Another citation rule that I had failed to follow was also located in the same section of the manual. This rule stated that the word “database” should be listed after the name of each specific database. Altogether the mistakes I made were careless mistakes on my part or my failure to make reference to the APA resource manual. I now see how important it is to make reference to a resource manual when citing information.