As I sat in the lab waiting to create my e book using Microsoft PowerPoint I was filled with some excitement at the thought of creating a book. I have ,at times, fancied the thought of writing a book. I guess this is the first step. The exercise revealed the need for the development of certain skills in order to produce an e book. Of course one must be familiar with the Microsoft Power Point or some other relevant technology. Therefore, as an instructor one must first develop the skill before passing it on to the student. I know most of us believe that this generation is so techno savvy that little instruction maybe needed. However, this is not always the case. Assumptions must not be made when it comes to incorporating technology in the classroom.
The process of creating the e book still required actual storytelling skills. As was mentioned in the TPACK article (Harris & Hofer,2009) the technology must always remain the tool and not become the main focus of the lesson. For students to create an e book they still need to be taught the elements of a story. There must be planning, usually through story-boarding, before they even reach to the computer. Other writing skills still need to remembered since e books can be used in other forms of writing beside that of narratives.
Expository and even Persuasive writing can be accomplished via the e book. Rhodes and Milby (2007) point out benefits such as enhancing students' retelling skills, developing sequencing and even identifying main ideas as some of its potentials. There is also the added advantage of giving disabled children greater access to classroom materials. It is seen as a vital scaffolding tool which can also be used to model fluency. Of course the fact that it is interactive allows for student engagement and supports student-centered learning. In the Reading classroom the e book should definitely be utilized.
Hi Trumanne.
ReplyDeleteI echo your sentiments regarding the excitement of creating e-books! I thought this very interesting, I was eager to learn and more so to create my own!
There are noteworthy educational benfits of integrating this new technology in our classrooms.
They are: Motivational, they can aid in the improvement of fluency, assists in vocabulary building,and strengthens comprehension skills.
Within our real classroom settings the these types of resources may not be readily available but where they are, I would encourage any teacher to make good use the technology.
I am glad others share the excitement I hold towards E books. I particulaly love them for the ease in which they can be created and the availability of the technology which is at most, basic - a laptop, even a desktop and a flash, and a multimedia.I especially like the creativity it allows in the imports we can make, the voice overs and the animations.
ReplyDeleteI used to use the lack of accessibility of the technology in school as an excuse and I do know for some it might be a reality. But in this 21st century we have to do something, as educators and parents. The time for cop outs is over.I once read somewhere (a poster on a wall without citation) that 'Success is doing what you can where you are with what you have." I since then make every effort to work with what I have in innovative ways.
As for the assumptions on students' know how, that is so true. Perhaps we need to take the first two weeks when the students first come to us and walk them through proper research methods and introduce them to appropriate search engines etc., to help them navigate better - online and in traditional texts.
Regards
I too believe that eBooks are fascinating. For the struggling adolescent reader, this can prove to be one of the more motivating tools. Ebooks offer the reader independence in that what ever words they do not know they can click on them to see its meaning and to learn their pronunciation. The reader can also listen to a story as many times as he or she wishes. This tool can be very liberating in deed.
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