Effective+Instructional+Models+-+week+4

=Effective Instructional Models= Did you know that over one billion readers are reading online today? Or that in the history of literacy, no other technology for reading, writing, or communicating has been adopted so quickly, by so many people (Leu, Coiro, Castek, Hartman, in press)? Recent data suggests that the "Internet is now the defining technology for reading in a digital, socially-networked, multimodal, hyperlinked, and multi-tasking world of information and communication (Leu et al., p.1)." These changes have inspired researchers to begin studying online reading comprehension, attempting to determine what new literacies are involved with online reading and how to best support our students in this new arena. The readings this week suggested several ways that this support and integration can occur. Through research and theory, a new literacies approach has come to surround online reading comprehension as “a problem-based inquiry process involving new skills, strategies, and dispositions on the Internet to generate important questions, and then locate, critically evaluate, synthesize, and communicate possible solutions to those problems online (Leu, Coiro, Castek, Hartman, in press, p. 5)." This research also indicates that online reading comprehension is not isomorphic with offline reading comprehension; proficient readers offline are not always proficient readers online (p. 2). Leu, et al (2004) presented four instructional models for teachers to use in supporting the acquisition of the new literacies in their classrooms: Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest. Each one of these instructional models can be used to support the acquisition of new literacies in the classroom while teaching content information (Leu, et al, 2004, p.99). Another instructional model we will discuss is Internet Reciprocal Teaching, which enables a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. Internet Workshop, the “easiest way to begin using the internet for instruction” (p.110), provides opportunities for students to exchange both content information and new literacies. Teachers usually model what they want to take place. Several types of topics for guiding discussions are appropriate: navigation, content, synthesis (p.114). Workshops can be used to develop important background information or a curricular goal. Internet Workshop usually begins with the teacher locating appropriate sites with content related to a specific curriculum unit and then providing bookmarks or URL'S for their students. Next the teacher develops an activity for students to use with the site(s) and assigns the activity to be completed during the week. Lastly, students share discoveries, questions, new literacy strategies, and a discussion takes place at the end of the week or during a short workshop session. When teachers have developed a certain level of comfort using the internet in their classrooms, they may try Internet Project. This model provides a collaborative learning opportunity with other classrooms, which may include Website projects or spontaneous projects. Website projects are permanent projects listed on a website and coordinated by an individual. To participate, teachers visit the website, find the project, and follow the instructions. Spontaneous projects are developed by teachers who find one another. After teachers coordinate their plans, students from each of the classrooms complete the project together. The benefits of this instructional model are that students develop an appreciation for diversity, which leads to respect of differences; students learn the new literacies of email; and learn effective communication skills. Internet Inquiry builds independent research skills and critical literacy strategies. There are generally five phases to Internet Inquiry. First students develop a question or identify a topic, which they want to explore within a unit of study. Then they search and evaluate the information they have located. During the next phase, students compose an answer to the question and prepare a presentation of their work. Finally, students share the answer with others. Overall, Internet Inquiry can be a motivating and exciting opportunity for students to pursue a particular question that they hold special interest in. Another instructional model is the WebQuest. This is an inquiry-oriented lesson in which most or all the information that students work with comes from the web (Dodge, 2007). A WebQuest provides a more controlled path for students because teachers generally choose the documents for them to read, instead of asking students to search for information on their own. This model does not help to build student searching skills, but it is beneficial if content teachers only have a limited amount of time to complete each lesson. Most WebQuests are modeled after tasks that adults are required to do as citizens or workers and require higher level thinking skills - including synthesis, analysis, problem-solving, creativity, and judgment, instead of just summarizing information found on the web (Dodge, 2007). An essential component of the WebQuest is making sure that students have the opportunity to share, exchange, and discuss their experiences (Leu, et. al, 2004). It is here that the teacher can assess learning, and allow for increased social learning opportunities. WebQuest's contain the following sections: an introduction, task definition, a description of the process, information resources, guidance in organizing information and a concluding activity. There are many ready-to-use WebQuests and create-your-own sites that can be found on the Internet, but teachers can also make their own WebQuest simply by adding hyperlinks in a Word document and sharing them with their students. In the article “//Research on Instruction and Assessment in the New Literacies of Online Reading Comprehension//”, Leu, et al, describe Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) in developing online reading comprehension skills. This model has evolved from the reciprocal teaching method initially designed for small group literacy instruction. This model is generally carried out in three phases. Internet reciprocal teaching is centered around the gradual release of responsibility from teacher to students. Internet Reciprocal Teaching begins with direct, whole class instruction of the skills and strategies for effective Internet use. It then moves to center around small group collaboration to foster communication of strategy use among peers. Key elements of this approach are that it takes place with online resources, usually informational texts, which support curricular content. During IRT instruction focuses on how students navigate through various texts. Through a process known as “think-alouds” (p.11), teachers and students model and discuss their navigational choices, critical evaluation of information, synthesis of ideas, and how to best represent the answers to their questions and communicate information on the Internet. There are clearly two major benefits of IRT. First, students often have impressive and innovative online reading comprehension strategies, of which the teacher may not know. Second, this approach can be viewed as a powerful instructional tool in that it leads these students to feel empowered, viewing themselves as experts with important and valuable information to share. In turn, they are usually more engaged in the learning process. Although it is not necessarily an instructional model, viewing online videos and creating video to post online are additional ways for teachers to use the Internet in their classrooms. In the article, //The Audience is Watching: Effectively Using Video in Your Classroom and in Online Spaces//, W. Ian O'Byrne discussed the integration of video into classrooms as a way for students to analytically and critically express themselves on a wide range of topics. "Today's students live in two vastly different worlds. Outside of school, they successfully and with ease comprehend significant amounts and high levels of text, video, media in general. They do this on their own initiative because they want to - without any encouragement from teachers, administration or parents" (O'Bryne, 2008,p.1). Our current students already on their own have a high degree of proficiency with technology. To successfully keep them focused and motivated we can not expect them to acclimate themselves to the traditional types of pedagogy. We need to recognize the new literacies that our students are learning on their own out of school and we should help construct opportunities for them to use and advance these skills. "The nature of literacy has been rapidly changing as new information and communication technologies (ICT's), such as the Internet and video, have entered our lives requiring new literacies from each of us (International Reading Association, 2002). As a group we agree that online reading comprehension is an essential component for success in this age of the Internet. Integration of online reading comprehension into classroom instruction and assessment should be a high priority. "In terms of beginning to tackle that problem, the first thing a teacher can do to ensure success is to be patient and try to leave all fear of failure at the door (O'Bryne, 2008). There are numerous models teachers can choose from when incorporating the Internet into their classrooms and teaching online reading comprehension. By incorporating Internet Workshops, Internet Projects, Internet Inquiries, Webquests, Internet Reciprocal Teaching, or using video creation in the classroom, teachers can begin to provide students with opportunities to effectively use the Internet for information acquisition, collaboration, and other new literacy skills. References Coiro, J. (2007). Exploring changes to reading comprehension on the Internet: Paradoxes and possibilities for diverse adolescent readers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut, Storrs. Dodge, B. (2007). //What is a WebQuest?// Retrieved February 20, 2009, from WebQuest.org: http://www.webquest.org/index.php International Reading Association. (2002). Integrating literacy and technology in the curriculum: A position statement. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from http://www.reading.org/downloads/positions/ps1048_technology.pdf Leu, D. J., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D., Henry, L.A., & Reinking, D. (in press). Research on instruction and assessment in the new literacies of online reading comprehension. In Cathy Collins Block, Sherri Parris, & Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices. New York: Guilford Press. Leu, D. J., Leu, D.D., & Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet K-12; New literacies for new times (4th ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon. O’Byrne, W. I. (2008). The Audience is Watching: Effectively Using Video in Your Classroom and in Online Spaces. SIGTel Bulletin.