3 Digital Reading Challenges for Summer

Being a Better Online Reader Soon after Maryanne Wolf published “Proust and the Squid,” a history of the science and the development of the reading brain from antiquity to the twenty-first century, she began to receive letters from readers. Hundreds of them. While the backgrounds of the writers varied, a theme began to emerge: the more reading moved online, the less students seemed to understand. There were the architects who wrote to her about students who relied so heavily on ready digital information that they were unprepared to address basic problems onsite. There were the neurosurgeons who worried about the “cut-and-paste chart mentality” that their students exhibited, missing crucial details because they failed to delve deeply enough into any one case. And there were, of course, the English teachers who lamented that no one wanted to read Henry James anymore. Certainly, as we turn to online reading, the physiology of the reading process itself shifts; we don’t read the same way online as we do on paper.

Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment - Assessment of Student Learning: Introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy Action Words for Bloom's Taxonomy (PDF) Historically, discussions about student learning have been guided by a taxonomy of learning that has come to be known as Bloom’s taxonomy (Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956). This taxonomy is a hierarchical structure representing six levels of thinking and learning skills that range from basic learning objectives such as knowledge of content through higher-order learning such as synthesis, evaluation, and creativity. More recently, emphasis has shifted from instructional objectives, which describe what instructors do and the content of material presented during classroom instruction, to student learning outcomes, which describe what students can do as a result of their educational experiences. Note: A useful collection of action words for Bloom’s taxonomy (PDF) The careful reader will note that the same action words appear at multiple levels in the Bloom taxonomy. References Anderson, L. Bloom, B.

Technology Up to Speed: Movie Shorts and Reading Strategies Hello friends! Monsters University, what a great movie. But, the short, "Blue Umbrella" really affected me. Not only did it make me feel sad for inanimate objects, but it also made me do some metacognition. I realized I was predicting and inferring the entire time. I realized this was a gem for introducing and practicing important reading strategies. This first google doc link is to a list of animated shorts. The second google doc link is to a list of graphic organizers to use with each short. Are You Reading The Wrong Books? What Science Is Saying About Fiction Readers Proper LIT literacysite_belowtitle posted By Will S. Will S. For most, the love of books starts in childhood. For others, this love blooms later, eventually revealing the vibrant colors of a true bibliophile! I bet all of those are copies are Harry Potter! What has science concluded? In 2012, Standford University did research into why this is. “The right patterns of ink on a page can create vivid mental imagery and instill powerful emotions.” Your brain does amazing things while you’re reading, the breadth of which researchers are still defining. This compassion was notably detected in children reading Harry Potter. The conclusion of the study was that children who identified with Harry as a character reacted to his sympathy for marginalized groups (such as “mudbloods”) by becoming more sympathetic towards similar groups in contemporary society (such as the LGBT and immigrant communities). What does this all mean? In 50 Shades Of Grey, for example, the characters are laid out.

14 Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers 14 Brilliant Bloom’s Taxonomy Posters For Teachers by TeachThought Staff Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool for assessment design, but using it only for that function is like using a race car to go to the grocery–a huge waste of potential. In an upcoming post we’re going to look at better use of Bloom’s taxonomy in the classroom, but during research for that post it became interesting how many variations there are of the original work. While a handful of the charts below only show aesthetic changes compared to others, most are concept maps of sorts–with graphic design that signifies extended function (power verbs), detail (clear explanations), or features of some sort (Bloom’s Taxonomy tasks by level). See also 10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking The follow simple, student-centered Bloom’s graphics were created by helloliteracy! The following “Bloom’s pinwheel” comes from Kelly Tenkley and ilearntechnology.com:

34 Smart Ideas For Using Smartphones In The Classroom 34 Ways Ideas For Smartphones In The Classroom By Category by John Hardison first appeared on gettingsmart.com In continuation of last week’s article, Part 1: 44 Better Ways to Use Smartphones in Class, here is a new list of thirty-six additional ideas to help leverage the power of these tech gadgets in the learning environment. In this blog post, I have attempted to avoid any redundancies. Please join me in helping educators everywhere creatively use smartphones by contributing any overlooked uses and supportive responses via this survey. 34 Smart Ideas For Using Smartphones In The Classroom To Collaborate 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. To Communicate 6. This method encourages educators to abandon the time-consuming and inefficient task of periodically calculating the data. 7. 8. To Create 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. To Curate/Coordinate 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. Still not convinced? Image attribution flickr user davelawler

- Upgrade your KWL Chart to the 21st Century 0 Comments July 22, 2011 By: Silvia Tolisano Jul 22 Written by: 7/22/2011 12:39 AM ShareThis One of the take aways from the Curriculum Mapping Institute this past week was that it brought an upgrade to THE trusted KWL (Know, What to Know and Learned) Chart to the forefront. An “H” snuck into the Acronym! What does this “H” stand for”? I started out by searching Google, which immediately wanted to correct my search term and showed me the traditional “KWL chart” results. The top search results turned out mostly downloadable files for templates, which was quiet interesting as there were several explanations in these tutorials what the “H” could stand for: HOW can we find the answers to these questions? In direct relation to our quest to bring Information literacy in the 21st century to our teachers and students, the “HOW will we find the information” sticks out right away for me. My Twitter network was much better in helping me extend my search for KWHL.

Brainstorming Games Help You Generate Problem Solving Ideas Brainstorming games is well known as a way to break up old ways of thinking, get your team into a creative mode, and come up with some new and useful ideas. However, most people can't just jump into it cold, without any kind of structure. If you've ever been in a brainstorming session where everyone just waits for someone else to speak, you've seen what starting without a framework can be like. That's why there are brainstorming games online. These games provide a useful and often entertaining framework to help you start generating your ideas. Start your brainstorming session off with one of these games. General Brainstorming Games Guidelines Set a time limit for the brainstorming.All ideas are good ideasDo not judge an idea when presented to the groupDo not talk during the silent brainstorming session Record all Brainstorm ideasTake turns when presenting the ideasAssign a monitor to keep the brainstorm focused. SWOT Manager lets you manage and quickly create your brainstorm SWOTs.

Story Starters: Creative Writing Prompts for Kids If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts. Perfect for overcoming writer’s block or even starting a brand-new short story in a different narrative, creative writing prompts can help students begin a new piece with confidence. Plus, these story starters can also encourage students to explore different genres while honing their writing skills. There are a lot of ways you can use writing prompts in your classroom. Try: Reading a book in a genre, then having students use a story starter in that same genre. Take inspiration from classics like Treasure Island and newer popular series like The Bad Guys to explore how to write thrilling adventure stories. You’re part of a pirate crew in search of a long-lost storied treasure trove. Get students excited about adventure stories with these great books: If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts.

How to Mind Map a text book How to Mind Map a Text Book is often asked when having to learn large volumes of information. Mind Maps in Education started with "Using Mind Maps for note taking as an alternative to Linear Note Taking. Using Mind Maps as part of a study method is still one of the most popular applications of Mind Maps and Mind Mapping. By using Mind Maps for notes, you can reduce volumes of writing to a single page. The main idea behind the use of Mind Maps as study notes, is not simply to make notes on the subject, but to actually organise the notes. We will look at how to Mind Map a Text Book, as an example. You can use this method to Mind Map most non fiction books, as they normally have a good structure, with a table of contents. We will use the Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Maps as our sample book. Get Every Issue Free! Get Free Access to the Best Mind Mapping Tips, Tools, Techniques Resources and Opinions. 1. Now flip through the pages. Take a short break. 2. 3. 3. 4.

7 Reasons Why We Fall for Fake News The concept of fake news is nothing new. It refers to a story that isn’t true or is not entirely true, taking the form of, for example, accidental misinformation or deliberate disinformation. But what makes it problematic now more so than ever is its abundance and the fact that people keep falling for it. In a recent piece, "10 Ways to Spot Fake News," my purpose was to provide tips for identifying it; however, perhaps just as important is our understanding of why we fall for it. article continues after advertisement 1. Confirmation bias refers to our favoring of information that confirms our existing beliefs. 2. We engage the news in order to inform ourselves, generally because we weren’t there to witness events unfold first-hand. 3. We want our information fast because we have been primed to get it fast. Moreover, we need to ask ourselves: Are we really attending to what is being said or are we just looking for a quick answer? But, let’s not go off on a tangent! 4. 5. 6. 7.

University of Victoria - Counselling Services Choose a section preferrably not longer than 25 or 30 pages - perhaps one chapter, or a section of a chapter - that you can handle at one sitting. Step 1. Read the title, the introduction, and the conclusion (5 minutes). Step 2. Read the title, the introduction again, all sub-headings, and the conclusion, again. (5-10 minutes). Step 3. (Force yourself to do steps 1 to 3 in less than 25 minutes.) Step 4. Step 5. When you are finished, you should try to figure out how all the material you have remembered fits together - not necessarily as it is presented in the book, but as it is organized in your own thinking. Step 6.