Chapter 5 Readings

In the Literacy, Technology, and Diversity book I was intrigued by the fact that many schools have been participating in global learning since the early 1900s. I think a lot of times educators think that the "old" way of teaching was not effective and that finding new techniques is necessary. But, after reading this I have learned that in the past teachers had great ideas for teaching as well. I specifically liked the fact that students' home dialect or language is recognized and respected in the classroom. It makes students feel proud of their background and utilize that to build more knowledge or understanding. I also liked the idea of actually communicating with students from other countries. I have my students partake in learning about other countries, but we have never actually communicated with children that reside in another country. I think that this is an authentic learning experience and one that would produce great educational results.

In addition, I really liked the idea of creating digital yearbooks. I think it is necessary to have a hardcopy of the yearbook just in case something would go wrong with the DVD. But, I think this is a creative way to have the students record their memories. It is fun and interesting and allows the children to be critical thinkers on how to lay out the actual yearbook. However, I think that this may not be feasible in many school districts due to financial difficulties. This seems to be a recurring issue when it comes to technology. Creating this type of yearbook would require a lot of materials and also a director that was knowledgeable about technology. Therefore, even though I think it is a fantastic idea, it may not be possible in many districts.