What do we mean by new texts for the 21^st century?

First of all, the addition of new text formats does not diminish the need for all of our students to be proficient readers. Our students will still read traditional print from textbooks, workbooks, newspapers, magazines, and other classroom materials. However, these same students will also be using texts delivered in digital formats whether as online text, audio files, or video files. We need to be sure that we prepare our student to interact with texts in any format. We also need to explore these new texts with our students.

One type of new text being used more and more in the 21^st century is the audio book format. Although we have had books on tape and even on compact disks for many years, with the advent of mp3 players like the iPod, many students have personal access to an audio player all the time. This means that they can take their audio books of texts we assign with them anywhere and have 24/7 access. Many students for whom auditory learning style is the most prominent can use this format to build better comprehension skills.

eBooks are books that are found online in their entirety. Most of these books are classics that no longer fall under US copyright law. There are a few authors, however, that publish eBooks and allow anyone to download them for free. This format allows students to download the texts they need and mark on them if necessary without defacing a textbook. These texts also allow students to cut and paste certain passages from books that they may want to explicate in an essay. These books save students’ money because they don’t have to purchase individual paperback novels for study. They can also help schools by preventing students from marking up textbooks.

Online picture books are great resources for students. They can be used as a reinforcement of skills learned in class, or by a special needs student who cannot hold a traditional picture book but who can use a computer. Many of the online picture books also have an audio component so these texts can be very helpful for struggling readers, too.

Why use blogs in the language arts classroom?

• Allows students to respond to what is being read in class even if they do not want to talk in front of their peers or teacher

• Allows students to polish their answer before responding

• Allows students to read the responses of others

• Gives students an audience, besides the teacher, for their opinions and ideas

Reading Revolution SlideShare

My name is Laurie Fowler from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the United States. This presentation is part of the K12 Online Conference 2008. In this session, we will be exploring new texts and new technologies that educators can use to support readers ages 5-18. The Internet and especially the tools of Web 2.0 offer teachers new texts with which to work. We must be comfortable with these texts ourselves in order to use them effectively with our students. We will focus on three main tools to allow our students to develop 21st century reading skills. First, we will explore using blogs as tools for literature response. Next, we will investigate using wikis to create online word walls to teach students new words and vocabulary in a dynamic fashion. Finally, we will use podcasts to respond to literature, do book reviews, and record other audio responses from students. Welcome aboard, let’s get this presentation started!