The day opened with a talk devoted to the shift in education to a more digital, technological realm. Some of the points were interesting, but I don’t agree that students will learn to read from cds. Nor do I think this should be the “shift” of the education world. Technology is an imperative factor in today’s world, yes, but if one doesn’t have the basic skills required to utilize that technology, what’s the point? Reading, in whatever form it may be, will always be a critical element in ALL areas (and not just English)…at least in my opinion. Thus, I don’t see reading from a disc as the ONLY source of developing reading skills…and I’m a technology person, too.
But now, onto one of my favorite sessions: Adolescent Literacy: What Works Best [with powerhouses P. David Pearson, Barbara Flores, Donna Alvermann, Ernest Morrell]. If you haven’t heard of these powerhouses, I suggest you look them up. Their work is amazing and they are incredibly knowledgable in their areas. I think it will be easiest to list the questions and the respective answers, so here it goes…
Question 1: What are the most pressing issues for educators building literacy plans for “problem” adolescents? Continue reading
English Teacher, too. 