Voices from the Middle - Volume 11, Issue 3, 2004

Compelled by student interest and her search for more meaningful class discussion, teacher Elaine Insinnia found support from technology coordinator Eileen Skarecki for introducing chat room discussions about class reading. The results were more engaged students, deeper discussions, and more egalitarian participation. Along the way, Elaine learned useful ways to individualize instruction and develop new options for enthused learning.

In spite of the mountain of information and educational resources available on the Internet, there are plenty of dangers awaiting unsuspecting middle schoolers. Educating students and parents about these dangers can protect our students and put adults’ minds at ease. Through pamphlets, informative Web sites, and a series of exercises, Adelman offers students and parents strategies for staying safe and being responsible.

A team of seventh-grade teachers tailors their language arts and reading instruction to take advantage of the valuable resources available on the Web, as well as students’ natural enthusiasm for the medium. By designing lessons to activate prior knowledge, offering lists of relevant Web sites, and linking these activities to reading and writing, teachers found that students were more engaged, that they learned more material more quickly than through traditional print alternatives, and that they more willingly incorporated reading into their lives.

A self-proclaimed technophobe, Kuroly takes the plunge with his eighth-grade class. As a group, they learn PowerPoint, research poets on the Web, and record favorite poems, all of which results in a triumphant series of PowerPoint presentations on favorite poets.

Sifting through the myriad idea technologies (such as multiple intelligence theories or Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development) and product technologies (such as PowerPoint or digital cameras) can be overwhelming, but Bednar persuades us that it’s not about having the most recent technology, it’s about using what works for your students in your class. Her point is convincing when we see how an ideological ’blueprint’ and some low-tech support resulted in engagement with novels that led to ’reading beyond’ the printed page.

Two teachers reflect on their combined experiences in teaching middle school, teaching preservice teachers, and teaching online in order to adapt and apply strategies for bringing positive experiences in a computer-based environment to middle grade students. The result is five valuable lessons, each of which is explained theoretically and described practically through a writers’ workshop example.

The vast potential of electronic technology is often wasted; electronic worksheets are no more effective than paper ones. When that potential enhances an inquiry-driven curriculum, however, we can improve student literacy engagement and achievement. Begin by using the Web sites listed here to teach students to evaluate sites, and give them a tool that will serve learning throughout their lives.

Use a minilesson to help students refrain from blurting surprises from books being discussed in literature circles. Principles and monitoring techniques are explained in detail.

Technology is great, but it’s not always available where and when we want it. Every teacher, every student must learn to work with what they have. Rief reminds us how important it is to make sure that students understand that computers are tools to support meaningful writing and learning; without meaning, the rest doesn’t matter.

One flaw in the technology bandwagon is the subtle worry that we may be thinking more about the technology we use to do our writing than about our writing. Probst sends us a gentle reminder that our goals haven’t changed: getting kids to read good literature, reflect on their responses, discuss it, understand it, and ultimately, to understand themselves and their world.

Who succeeds in middle school? Why? Burke had identified 4 areas that seem to address the answer to that question: Commitment, Content, Competencies, Capacities. When formal standards appear unconnected or inflexible, ask yourself if your current activity is furthering a goal in one or more of these categories. The answer will either affirm your instructional decisions or give you the impetus to revise your plan.

Our use of technology is more embedded in our lives than we know–even when it comes to word study. Allen offers Web sites with word games, book talks, vocabulary, Magnetic Poetry–even a Periodic Table of Elements with a poem for each element! Rich resources for rich word study.

We praise the power of software that saves us from our own writing weaknesses, most notably spelling, yet we shouldn’t let our students use these tools without educating them about their limitations. In addition, we must wrestle with the impact of intentional misspellings so common in the world of e-mail and text messaging. Templeton offers some no-nonsense perspective and advice for dealing with these phenomena.

One cannot identify the elusive ’theme’ of a piece of literature or a poem without bringing something of one’s own experience and beliefs to the reading. Jago offers a sparkling example of an assignment that starts with the personal and expands to the universal while satisfying traditional educational goals.

Got computers? Here are sites filled with engaging lessons, background for lesson planning, and imaginative possibilities for using technology in the language arts classroom.

Reviewed: Technology for Literacy Teaching and Learning; The Tech-Savvy English Classroom; Computers in the Writing Classroom; Real ePublishing, Really Publishing! How to Create Digital Books by and for All Ages; Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change.

Getting books into the hands of young readers, especially young reluctant readers, is a challenge. The appealing books in this column are categorized by ’What would happen if . . .?’ books, and eye-catching books whose covers will attract even the most hesitant reader.