Wikis

We'll discuss both student and teacher uses of wikis.

• Here's an example of a wiki as an online textbook.
• Here's an example of a wiki as a student collaborative writing project.

We'll use a wiki in a similar way. Form workgroups and collaborate on writing about supported text. The result will be a wiki with definitions and examples of supported text written by YOU.

You'll need to create an account at Wikispaces.com to get started. Once your account is set up, then go to the Supported Text Wiki and join.

Locating, Adapting and Storing Digital Text

Many resources for finding e-text can be found on the HIAT website. Links to support teaching are arranged by subject area. On the e-text page, you'll find links to books, poems, and fables. The best place to find e-text across topics is on the curriculum page.

Finding leveled text is important for differentiating reading material based on your students' level. Some subscription sites are netTrekker or SIRS Discoverer.

When you don't have text that is already leveled, you can use some tools to gauge readability. Try Okapi, Amazon's book statistics, or the stats you can see in MS Word when you run the spell checker.

Now that you have found some sites, you need a way to organize your links. There are many free online tools to do this, but we like Diigo.

• Our links in Diigo: http://groups.diigo.com/groups/CTGlinks
• Sign up for your own Diigo account

Sometimes it makes sense to save your e-text as a document that you can store and retrieve later. Create your own e-library, but be sure you know the basics about e-text formats!

Supported Text

What is supported text?

“Electronic text that is modified or enhanced in ways that are designed to increase reading comprehension and promote content-area learning”
--Anderson-Inman and Horney (1997; 1998)

Eleven forms of supported text

• Presentational resources
• Navigational resources
• Translational
• Explanatory
• Illustrative
• Summarizing
• Enrichment
• Instructional
• Notational
• Collaborative
• Evaluative

Read an article with examples of supported e-text.

Text Reader Software

There are three types of readers:

1. Strategic readers use reading strategies and read at or above grade level
2. Reluctant readers can read any material but have text comprehension difficulties and few reading strategies.
3. Remedial readers read several grade levels below peers, limited vocabulary and few reading strategies

"Text readers help students attend better to their reading, reduce reading distractibility, read with less fatigue, read for longer periods of time, and read faster to complete reading assignments in less time."
--Hecker, Burns, Elkind, Elkind & Katz, 2002

Text Reader Software:

• Kurzweil 3000 by Kurzweil Education Systems

• Read&Write Gold by TextHELP

What is Digital Literacy?

Some definitions:

Today’s technology driven society requires digital literacy, which means that an individual can read and write digitally in order to “access the Internet; find, manage and edit digital information; join in communications; and otherwise engage with an online information and communications network...”
--From International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, Leigh Blackall

Digital literacy also includes an ability to “identify…integrate, evaluate, analyze and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process”
--From Digital Literacy Needed in an "E-permeated" World - Progress Report of DigEuLit 2006

“Accessing information in an increasingly digital and networked worked world requires a range of skills of which decoding is only a small part.”
--The New Literacy in Technology and Learning by David Warlick and Sarah Armstrong (2004)

UDL and Flexible Strategies

During this portion of the morning, you will learn about universal design for learning and the three hallmark principles of UDL:

In a universally designed curriculum, teachers provide:

1. Flexible ways of presenting lesson content which means that students have options for how they learn
   
2. Flexible options for student engagement which means that students have choices which will engage their interest
3. Flexible methods of expression, and assessment which means that students have choices for how they demonstrate their learning
   

The CAST website is a great resource to learn more about UDL.

How does your district address UDL and flexible strategies?