Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) II

As promised, I'd follow up on my earlier entry. I'm still typing this on my Ipad and by the time this has been posted, the internet should have been restored as I'm using Blogger in Offline Mode. 

I did say last week I'd discuss my thoughts a little further going by my experiences last term so here they are and yes the evaluation is right in front of me too to discuss a little further.

Last week I commented that they found it to be "positive" and they were "in control". I observed how relaxed they were when they read. Some achieved it by sitting on a lounge or lying on one of the oversized pillows. 

Technology has done favours to support the concept of DEAR. Some students prefer to read on an ereader or tablet or their smartphone. A student is enable to use the tools that they enjoy using in general to help them enjoy reading. A few opted for laptops. While this may not be the most comfortable tool to use because the size of laptops in general, still they were reading and felt happy to do so.

The overwhelming majority still went for printed books and that really says something about reading - Print is still in vogue. The demand is still there. Abolishing print collections like some schools are doing, are more than likely doing  a disservice to their students.

DEAR is not just about reading but also talking about literature. I promoted literature e.g. new releases to keep students informed on books that they could read. In fact if a student had already read the book, they were invited to share their thoughts and provide a recommendation to encourage students to share their reading. Some recommendations happened to become quite popular with a number of students forced to place a "hold" on the title of choice.

I even asked them to challenge themselves with their reading by doing litgym. litgym simply refers to setting challenges to improve how you read e.g. reading more challenging texts or alternative genres. At the end of the term, I asked my groups to look back at what challenges they had set, If they had met them, they gave their peers tips on how to meet it. Those who didn't meet their challenge got help from their peers as to how they could meet it.

With one group, we had an E-Book presentation and taught them how to access the Bolinda Collection which they found to be quite interesting. 

I also had a luminary (pastoral/roll call) group and the concept of DEAR had actually left the library. We had completed a pastoral care program focusing on girls, education and empowerment and had several sessions left for other activities. Many of them had asked for this time because they saw it as a simple activity to do in that time but also because it allowed for some quiet time admist the chaos of school life. This was chosen over a myriad of other activities that had been proposed e.g. public speaking, social justice issues, time management, meditation etc. I shared this with my house patron and she thought it was a good use of time. Even my co-luminary was backing it. When it came to evaluating the activities completed during Term 1, we actually proposed DEAR as a possible activity to do in that time across other groups (and perhaps) the school. 

Module 10 (Web 2.0) - Learning Communities, Constructing Knowledge Together in Wikis

Wiki's have proven to be quite popular for accessing information whether you are a student or a teacher. I try to avoid them because I question the accuracy of the information contained within them but I will often access a wiki such as Wikipedia to get a background on a topic of interest to me, and then head off to other well established websites or print resources.

They do have one advantage - the fact that you don't need any skills in web publishing and this works fine with many people who more than likely cannot be bothered learning the skills needed to make a website.

The focus is on the presentation of the information itself which is what people want to focus on when presenting their information. I like the fact you can update a wiki at any time from any location on any machine and that it can occur in real time. Groups of students can collaborate together to present information as it is sought and allow for input.

If I had to choose between students creating a web page/site or a wiki for a learning task, I'd favour the wiki. The focus should be on the presentation of the information as opposed to the layout of the site. Students don't need to get into the nitty gritty associated with creating web pages.


However the concern with Wiki's is that other students may "hack" into the wiki and wreck other students work. It might mean backup versions of text may have to be kept just in case the worst happens. Everyday on Wikipedia there are trolls that wreak havoc by changing information to cause trouble. I remember a Wikipedia entry for Ballina several years ago was changed to say that only one person lived there and that they were a "tool". The data and facts for the town had been removed. In fact according to the altered entry it was settled by the Balinese.

As for creating websites, I think they come in more handy where information may have to be presented in a variety of formats such as photographs or video. Websites are more personal as well. I'd use them where the task needs to be done individually and requires multiple formats to be used.

Being a casual teacher, I have found it quite challenging to engage as a member of a professional network because it is harder to meet and get to know other teachers. I feel encouraged by sites such as Ning that allow me to meet other teachers and share my ideas and thoughts on issues affecting the profession but also be informed on the latest happenings in teaching practice.