What knowledge and skills have I acquired as a result of participating in this course?

As a result of this course I have obtained an extensive amount of knowledge and skills that I did not have before participating in this course. For me, this course has been both challenging and exciting in that I have obtained vasts amount of knowledge on topics I was previously unfamiliar with and learned how to utilize many tools that are available in digital environments. From this course I completed many assignments and projects that helped me to meet the course objectives of this class. Although at times the information was overwhelming and I thought I would never complete my assignments on time I feel that I have met the objectives of this course to the best of my ability.

The first conceptual outcome for this class states that the learner will acquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century. I feel I did acquire knowledge on various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century through reading articles focused towards various aspects of literacy and completing tasks that required the use of literacy skills. For example, I learned that to be literate in our society today it is crucial that people are equipped specific digital literacy skills. Being a literate person no longer only includes being able to read and write, but also includes other components. This was learned by reading an article by Amichai-Hamburger and Eshet-Alkali’s titled, ”Experiments in Digital Literacy.” This article discussed five different components of digital literacy which included ”photovisual, reproduction, branching, information, and socioemotional skills.” (A8.3) From this article I learned that each of these skills aid a person in being successful in a digital environment. Without these skills it would be very difficult to navigate and comprehend information located on the web. After reading this article I feel that I am still currently developing these skills, but because of the work I have done in this class I am being more proficient at the components of digital literacy (A8.3). I was able to take the information that I learned from this article and apply it by completing tasks that focused on the use of literacy skills. One specific task that comes to mind is participating in a virtual classroom which is tool of the 21st century that is changing how classroom instruction is done. After participating in a successful discussion with my classmates this is something I learned from the experience. ”I learned how to use specific key strokes to tell emotions. For this you just have to type a colon before the statment you wish to say. For example, :is laughing out loud” (Week 7 memo). I also learned from this experience that virtual meetings are beneficial because they allow students to be exposed to speakers, professionals, and other students who may not live around their area. My knowledge of literacy is the 21st century has grown immensly. I never knew before this class about digital literacy or virtual classrooms.

The second conceptual outcome was that the learner would acquire knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century. I feel I acquired knowledge on this topic by completing an assignment in which I was required to critique a website located on the internet at www. betterdogfood.com. From this assignment I learned that when critiquing a website or article it is important to look at the accuracy, authority, objectivity,currency and coverage of the material. I learned from completing this assignment that it is very important to examine all information on a webpage before making a decision to buy a product or invest in something you do not know a vast amount of information on (A7.1). Aftering completing this assignment I now know how to critique a website which will be beneficial throughout the rest of my life as I research information on the internet.

The third conceptual outcome for this class is that the learner will acquire knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice. I feel I acquired knowledge on this topic because after completing a reading log on a piece of material I was required to answer a question about how the material I read could be related to the broader world of clinical practice. An example of an professional issue relating to literacy within the the ASHA Scope of Practice that I learned about was that as SLP’s we are required to use all the resources available to us to help treat our client. To do this I would be required to use my information literacy skills which include the ability to recognize the need for information, the ability to locate that information, and the ability to evaluate and effectively use that information. By having knowledge about information literacy skills I now know how to apply them. As an SLP I would use them to become a more knowledgeable clinician and be able to locate information for my client and use it to provide them with services that meet their needs.

The last conceptual outcome is that the learner will acquire knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice. I feel I have developed knowledge on this topic by learning about seeking knowledge on topics. As I have learned you can not just take information someone places on the internet as truth. It is important to make sure that the information is supported with research which also holds true in a clinical setting. In regards to evidence based practice it is important to back a therapeutic technique with evidence that states why that technique is appropriate for that client. I have learned that it takes a lot of time to find information that is valid and reliable. It is important to seek out information from various sources such as mailing lists, discussion groups, and journals so that you are coming to a full understanding of the topic.

I feel I completed the first technical outcome for this class because I did prepare for and participate in class discussions and activities. In order to prepare for out class discussion on copyright I read several articles on this issue so that I would have background knowledge going in to the discussion. I looked at copyright information on the websites http://fairuse.stanford.edu/ and http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm. From these sights I learned that “copyright laws protect many different mediums of expression including poetry, novels, recorded music performances, videos, and many more.” (A6.3). I then took this knowledge and applied it to the class discussion in which my group discussed the use of burning cd’s and downloading music. My group decided that in regards to copyright it is always important to error on the side of caution when using another individual’s information (A8.4).

I completed the second technical outcome of developing strategies for effectively planning and completing independent work (meeting both the letter and spirit of the work, not just the letter of the work) in a timely manner by completing all the assignments assigned to our class on time. I feel I evidence completion of this outcome in that all my work was turned in on time. There was never any assignments that were late. To ensure that I met this outcome I made it my goal every week to have my assignments turned in on  time. One specific strategy that I tried to implement was to spread out the work so that I was able to give myself enough time to spend on each assignment (Week 2). Although this did not happen every week I did find it to be a beneficial strategy.

I feel I completed the third technical outcome which states, the learner will use practical thinking (solve problems and make decisions), critical thinking (analysis and evaluation), and creative thinking (imagining and creating) to complete an inquiry project focused on a disciplinary issue relating to literacy by completing research on my research topic, writing a paper, and making a movie. I feel that I used practicaly thinking when deciding on what topic I wanted to research. I had to decide which area of literacy I wanted to study and what questions I wanted to answer. From this I developed an essential question of “How can teachers foster the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments?” I also used critical thinking when completing my research. I had to analyze numerous amounts of information and make sure that they were credible sources. From this I developed a list of resources which helped me to write my paper. A list of the work I did can be found on my weblog on the link listed resources. I used creative thinking when I created my movie. Creative thinking was used in that I had to first write a story line for my movie, add pictures and sound, and compile it all together to make the end product which was a movie.

The fourth technical outcome states the learner will demonstrate enhanced communication skills and strategies, using the discourse of the discipline, in both oral and written formats. I feel that I achieved this outcome in that I showed enhanced communication skills through the audio component of my movie. By developing the audio recording I had to have specifc abilities to articulate a complex subject to my group of peers. I also enhanced written communication skills which can be evidenced in my development of my I-Search paper. Again, I was required to articulate a complex topic except this time in written forms.  Both my movie and my I-search paper can be located on my webblog.

I feel I accomplished the fifth outcome which states the learner will participate and collaborate, synchronously and asynchronously, in online professional communities. My accomplishment of this outcome can be evidenced by the mailing group list that I joined which was called ”The Poverty, Race,  Women and Literacy Discussion List” povertyracewomen@nifl.gov. By joining this list I recieved numerous e-mails each day about various topics such as researched based approaches to teaching reading to adults, and also information about conferences that related to the topic of the mailing list. It also can be evidenced in my development of a webblog in which I have been able to share with an online community the information I have been learning throughout the semester.

Lastly, I can say that I did achieve the last technical outcome goal by demonstrating self-confident interdependence in multiple digital spaces and with multiple forms of media. I feel that my achievement of this goal can be shown in my successful development of a web blog, my discussion in virtual classrooms, and my creation of my movie. Each of these various domains presented challenges for me, but I feel I have come along way from where I first began in this class. It is hard for me to explain all the strides I have made from this class, but I know because of my hard work and effort in this class I have come a long ways. In the beginning of this class I utilized the internet for research and e-mail. I know utilized the internet for not only those things, but I not have learned about other tools on the internet. Some of the tools I have learned about include wikis, mailing lists, virtual classrooms, social bookmarking sites, blogs, etc. The list of information and knowledge I have obtained could go on forever, but I feel the most important thing I learned from this class is that our world is constantly changing and becoming more technologically advanced. In order for me to be successful I need to stay informed on the various technologies and tools available to me so that I can stay informed and so that I can inform others.

This video explains how teachers can foster the development of literacy skills in children from impoverished environments. It aims to provide teachers with general strategies to help students develop the literacy skills needed to be successful literate individuals.

Aims and Objectives: My goal for this week to turn in my I-search paper before the deadline on Friday. I wanted to make sure that I gave myself ample time for revisions on my paper so that I made sure I was turning in best work. In regards to the other assignmetns I simply wanted to them in a timely fashion. I really needed a break from school work so I didn’t put a timeline on myself. I wanted to work on the assignments at times where I felt I would be able to put forth my best effort.

Declarative Knowledge:  There is a lot of information that I learned this week by completing the last revision of my I-search paper. In regards to my paper I learned that teachers play a very important role in the development of literacy skills of children. Teachers are the ones who help equip individuals with the skills to be successful which includes literacy skills. I learned that it is important for them to help “all” students, but it is specifically important to provide help to children from impoverished environments because they typically have delays in these skills. There are specific things teachers can do to help these children which includes providing a curriculum that is specific to their needs and then continually going through professional development to learn more about how to help these students. By doing this teachers will be providing students with what they need to be successful literate individuals.

I also learned this week that the revision of papers is a never ending process. No matter how many times I looked at my paper I always found something that I felt need to be revised or changed. Eventually I had to make myself just stop and turn the paper in. I know that if I went back right now and reread my paper there would be things I would want to change which is why I’m not allowing myself do that. I do no that in the future though it may be important to change this paper as new research is developed on the topic.

Procedural Knowledge: I can not think of anything new that I specifically learned how to do, but I did enhance some skills that I already had. I used my writing and revising skills a lot this week to complete my I-search paper and the assignments. These skills are ones I use a lot and it is crucial that I know how to use them profitiently.

Conditional Knowledge: I can use the knowledge I obtained on my research paper as a citizen to help make people aware of the importance of literacy. There are many children who are lacking the skills necessary to be literate individuals which is why the public needs to be informed of the affects this can have on children. I could provide this information to other people by teaching them about programs that focus on the development of literacy. I could also use the information I learned from my paper as a future SLP in that if I ever worked with a children who had delayed literacy skills. I now know some techniques that could help improve this skills. I would also be able to inform this child’s teachers about things that could be down with the child in the school. Lastly, I could use the information I learned from completing the weekly assignments because I know now how to write a preface, about the author sections, and acknowledgement section which could be helpful if I ever decided to write a book.

Barone, D. (2004). Second grade is important: Literacy instruction and learning of young children in a high-poverty school. Journal of Literary Research. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3785/is_200301/ai_n9180275/pg_2 

Cooter, K.S. (2006, April). When mama can’t read: Counteracting intergenerational illiteracy. Reading Teacher, 59(7), 698-702. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Fillipoff, S. (2001, March). Inner-city schools: Canaries for the public school system. Teacher Newsmagazine, 13(5). Retrieved October 25, 2007, from http://www.learningexchange.ubc.ca/__shared/assets/canaries2047.pdf 

Klein, L.G. & Knitzer, J. (2007, January). Promoting effective early learning: What every policymaker and educator should know. National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health Web site: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_695.html 

Lanthrop, K. (n.d.). Critical early literacy skills: From research to practice. California Reading and Literature Project. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu/First5CAReadiness/Symposium/Kathy%20Lathrop.pdf

Lindjord, D. (2003). The start of a new school year: Research-based classroom practices for improving student achievement in children from high poverty and minority families. Family review. Journal of Early Education and Family Review, 11(1), 4-5. Retrieved October 18 , 2007, from the ERIC database.

Literacy in the early years of schooling. (1997). Primary Educator, 3(5), 10-13. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.

MetLife Fellows. (n.d.). What our action research tells us about how to improve literacy. Teachers Network Policy Institute. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from http://www.teachersnetwork.org/tnpi/recommend/literacy.htm

National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. (2007, May). Early Literacy Development. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from Clemson University Web site: http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effstrat/early_literacy_devel/overview.htm

Phillips, B.M., ( n.d.). Emergent literacy: What it is and why it matters. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.fcrr.org/science/pdf/Phillips/EmergentLiteracy.pdf

Rizopoulos, L. A., & Wolpert, G. (2004). An overview of the techniques used to develop the literacy skills of adolescents with developmental delays. Education, 125(1), 130-136. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from the ERIC database.

The reading skills pyramid. The key reading skills & the steps in acquiring them. (2004). Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.time4learning.com/reading_skills_pyramid.htm 

First and Foremost, I would like to thank my professor for this course, Mrs. Karen McComas for her guidance throughtout my research process. Her assistance in the developement of my essential and foundation questions helped provide the basis for my research. The encouragement she gave helped me tremendously when I felt like giving up. She always encouraged me to never give up even when it looked like I wasn’t going to find any research to help answer my questions. Also, I would like to thank her for providing deadlines for the research and rough draft of this paper. Without these deadlines I probably would have waited until the last minute to complete my research and write this paper. Again, thank you Mrs. McComas for always being available when I needed help and guidance.

I would also like to thank the researchers who took the time to complete research on what teachers can do to increase literacy skills in children from impoverished environments. Their research helped me tremendously in developing my own understanding of this topic. I would have not been able to complete this paper without their research to support my findings.

Finally, I would like to thank Linsey Cushing and Joy Piles for providing feedback about my paper. Without your peer reviews my paper would not have been the same.

Thanks again to everyone who provided me with support while completing research and writing this paper!

Traci  Girondo currently attends Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia where she is a senior majoring in Communication Disorders.  After graduating in May 2008 with her Bachelor of Science degree, Traci plans to further her education by obtaining a Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology. For her future work, Traci has high aspirations to work in a hospital and focus her skills to the area of neurogenics. At Marshall Traci is a member of the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA). Outside of school, Traci enjoys spending time with her family and friends, running, reading, and swimming.

My desire to learn about this topic came from a personal experience I had working with children from impoverished environments. In my sophomore year of college I participated in a Read Aloud program through an organization at Marshall University. For this program volunteers, including myself were assigned to specific schools in the area that were noted as being “at risk” schools.This label was placed upon these schools because they were recieving low test scores and very little federal fuding.The goal of this program was to enhance literacy experiences in school-age children. My role in this program was to be the facilitator of these literacy experiences.To do this, I would read aloud to a classroom of children twice a week. While I was reading to the children and observing in the classroom I noticed that many of the children had trouble with many of the basic literacy skills such as reading, writing, and phonemic awareness.I discussed this observation with the teacher of the classroom and she stated that she felt that many children in the classroom had delayed literacy skills because they had not received very many literacy experiences at home before they entered school. I knew that factors such as the environment a child lives in can affect literacy because children living in impoverished environments are not receiving as much stimulation and exposure to literature. Also, many of the children’s parents work constantly to provide for the family and have very little time to work on the development of the child’s literacy skills. From my experiences working with these children I decided I wanted to focus my research towards what an educators role is in the development of literacy in children from impoverished environments. I felt a personal connection to this topic because my personal belief is that all children should have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to succeed in life and no child should be left behind because of their socioeconomic status.

Aims and Objectives: My goal for this week was to complete all my work in a timely manner. I wanted to learn more about socio-emotional literacy by completing the assignment related to this topic. I wanted to complete this early in the week so that I could have the weekend to work on my I-search paper and provide feedback to fellow classmates on their papers. Overall, I feel I have achieved my goal for the week.

Declarative Knowledge:  This week I learned about the digital literacy skill of socio-emotional literacy. I found through my research this week that this literacy skill aids people in protecting themself and demonstrating appropriate manners on the internet. People who possess this skill are more likely to be able to differentiate information that is right, wrong, good, and bad. This is important because with all the internet scams that occuring on the web it is important for people to possess skills to protect themself. I also learned this week how benefitial peer feedback can be. I have done peer reviews before, but I never knew how helpful my comments were to another person’s work until I recieved feedback from my fellow classmates. The feedback I recieved was very beneficial. It made me aware of the strenths and weaknesses of my paper which helped me to revise it. I learned this week that peer review is a great way to have your work reviewed.

Procedural Knowledge: This week I learned how to complete a peer review. I learned how to do this by following an outline provided by my professor which helped me to focus on specific areas of the papers such as what person the paper was wrote in, blessings or good things about the paper, and areas of the paper the author could work on. By learning how to do this I was able to review two of my peers papers.

Conditional Knowledge: I will use the skills I learned this week to educate younger people about the dangers that lie on the web and the importance of being able to determine if something is true or a fallacy on the web. I think this will be beneficial in my future because children now-a-days are using the computer at a younger age which will me I will have to make sure I am educating my children on socio-emotional literacy skills. The knowledge of peer review will be beneficial in my career as a SLP in that I now know I good way to look at a person’s work to provide feedback on their papers. In my career I may have other SLP’s who want me to review their work, so now I know that I would be able to do this and provide beneficial information to make that person’s paper better.

Traci Girondo

November 8, 2007

What do you know/can you find out about socio-emotional literacy skills? 

Socio-emotional literacy skills refer to the sociological and emotional aspects of communication in a digital world (Alkali & Hamburger, 2004). Individuals who possess these skills have the ability to conduct themselves in a proper manner and are able to protect themselves from dangers on the internet. Alkali & Hamburger (2004) state that, “in order to aquire this skill, (socio-emotional literacy) users must be very critical, analytical and mature.” These skills are necessary because individuals working in a digital environment need to be able to discern between what is good and bad on the web (Aphek, 2007). The importance of these skills is that aid in the protection of individuals while communication in a digital environment. They teach individuals to use caution while using the web so that people do find themselves involved in an internet scam or in contact with an imposter.

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

In my opinion socio-emotional literacy skills are one of the most important digital literacy skills to possess. Since communication over the internet is not done face-to-face and is typically done through some sort of chat room or instant messanger it is easier for individuals to lie about their identity. Also, with the development of websites such as facebook and myspace anyone using these sites can be located by people they do not know. That is why I feel it is important that all indivduals possess digital literacy skills. Digital literacy skills equip people with skills to protect themselves  in these digital environments. It is important that people are educated on this topic. When I first began using the internet I remember my parents sitting me down and discussing with me that on the internet I’m going to find information that isn’t true and people are going to try to talk to me that I don’t know. They never told me I wasn’t able to use the internet, but they wanted me to be cautious. If my parents had not educated me on the topic I don’t know where I would have learned the socio-emotional literacy skills that I have. I feel that more education on these skills needs to be done.

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

I feel that this “new” literacy has already changed education and schooling. It is very common to hear about teachers or counselors speaking in the school systems and educating students of the dangers that are present in a digital environment such as the web. With the increase of internet scams and pedophiles targeting children on the internet I feel that this new literacy skill is going to be taught at an earlier age. My nephew is only 7 and he constantly uses the internet to play games. I don’t know if anyone has had a talk with him about being cautious on the internet, but I sure hope someone has. There is a lot of good that can be accomplished through digital environments, but there is also a lot of danger. It is the role of educators and parents that they make sure they are equipping children with the skills to be cautious users of digital environments so that there may be a decrease in all these internet crimes.

Aphek, E. (2007). Digital, highly connected children: Implications for education. Retrieved November 8, 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.  Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. 

Eshet-Alkali, Y., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2004, August).  Experiments in digital literacy.  Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.