11/15 Readings

For my blog post this week I decided to first start with the, "A Game of Shark and Minnow", article 

by Himmelman. This reading stuck out in my mind among the others because I just recently was in 

the region of southeast Asia this summer (Cambodia and Thailand) teaching English and I have come 

to love this part of the world. It also stood out to me because I was completely unaware of this 

territorial dispute going on between these various southeast Asian  countries. They all want to claim 

the region of the Spratly islands as their own because of it's rich  benefits (oil natural gas) but all sides 

are un willing to give in. I had never heard anything about this battle going on in the South China Sea and the article was rich in information and provided all the necessary facts for me to understand the situation and what was going on without having any prior knowledge about it. 

Looking at this article through the lens of teaching in a digital environment, I was extremely impressed with the use of technology to make this article come alive. As a teacher this is the exact kind of piece that I would want my students to read. The graphics, video clips, and images provide an engaging element that would otherwise be lacking in a standard online article. Not only are the various digital add ons engaging but they are also very informative and will aid greatly in the comprehension of the article. To just read words on a page about the Spratly Islands and understand it is possible but how much of that are you really grasping? On the flip side to read about the Spratly Islands and then see a map of it's location and then which pieces are claimed by which country is going to make that information stick in your mind. Combining visual images, interactive clips, and words adds another dimension to the learning experience. By having students read this you are reaching out and helping all types of learners in your classroom ex. visual, auditory etc. All of the different types of learners in your classroom would greatly benefit from reading something like this and I would definitely use it in my future classroom. What do you guys think, would you utilize this type of article in your classroom? Did you appreciate the incorporation of the digital elements or do you prefer just standard articles?  

This doesn't really have anything to do with teaching and learning in a digital environment but did anyone else think the last paragraph from the reading was really ominous and kind of scary?? 

‘You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.’  

 “The Chinese expand like a forest, very slowly,” he said. “But once they get there, they never leave.”

The next reading I wanted to discuss was, "The Use of the iPad for Literacy and Learning". The article described how a "fourth-grade teacher explored the use of iPads to help her teach print-based 

literacy skills while providing students with the opportunity to learn digital literacy skills."  Before 

reading this article I wasn't aware how much of difference iPads make versus standard computers. I 

am not a tech type person so I didn't see what the big differences were between the two. To me they 

seemed interchangeable. In the article Hutchinson does a good job of explaining those benefits that an 

iPad has that a standard computer is lacking, "The iPad has unique capabilities...It has most of the 

capabilities of a desktop or laptop computer, but with additional unique affordances, such as a 

multitouch screen and a seemingly endless variety of applications, that promote previously unseen 

possibilities for mobile learning." This was eye opening for me and I now better understand why 

iPads are such a big deal in classrooms. 

Another thing I noticed while reading the article that  I wanted to talk about  is "digital, interactive 

books." Normally I would say that a digital book should never be replaced by a good old fashioned 

book. I strongly dislike reading from a kindle,iPad, nook etc. I prefer reading a standard book. But 

when discussing what is going to be effective for my future students I think digital books are a great 

resource! Now a days technology has taken over and most students have a cell phone among many 

other devices that they use each and every day. A standard book may not be enough to get these kids 

pumped and excited to read but if they get to read on a super cool iPad and the text is interactive they may actually do the reading and possibly enjoy it. 

Another thing the article points out about digital books is, "An advantage of digital texts, as other 

scholars have argued, is that they can support individual readers’ text comprehension and potentially 

engage struggling readers." This is huge! As a teacher your ultimate goal is to help your students 

learn and a digital text can do just that. "the iPad has numerous downloadable books that allow 

students to read text with audio support, word-by-word tracking, and picture animation, with options 

for the reader to further interact by recording and replaying their own voice with the text. Other 

features of these books also include the ability to acquire the definition and pronunciation of any 

word on the screen by simply touching it and to add notes or highlighting to any section of text by 

tapping the screen." Having all of these extremely helpful capabilities is going to make the reading 

process a lot easier and attainable for your students who may have learning disabilities, or who may 

be bored of standard reading, or who simply want to engage in something new. After reading this 

article I think having iPads in the classroom is a great thing but, unfortunately not all districts have 

the financial means to do this. How did you guys feel about this article? Do you see yourself using iPads in your future classroom? What's your opinion on digital texts?