Incorporating technology within classroom literacy experiences

Educators are challenged to consider ways that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be included within classroom contexts. Such challenges often require the adoption of whole school, team and individual focus as technology is examined in connection with the needs of the learners within the school and the pedagogical understandings and beliefs of the educators. In this paper we describe an elementary school-based project that focuses on ways that computer-based technology and associated peripherals can be incorporated within classroom literacy experiences. As we examine the planning, implementation and our reflections upon this process some key findings emerged. The need for teachers to work towards shared goals as they refine their ability to manipulate technology in connection with their pedagogical understandings became paramount. So too, was the need to closely observe the response from the students to the experiences and the evidence of learning that emerged. Specific inquiries within the scope of this project will be examined. Journal of Literacy and Technology 79 Volume 11, Number 3: July 2010 ISSN: 1535-0975 Introduction Within educational research literature, educators at all levels are challenged to modify and modernise their practice to more accurately reflect work and leisure activities of today (for example, Labbo, 2005; Leu & Coiro, 2004; Dearman & Alber, 2005). Technology is identified as integral to the out of school lives of children and young people (Gee, 2004) and, combined with the ability to ‘multi-task’, many are exposed each day to the equivalent of more than eight hours of ‘media messages’ (Roberts, Foehr, & Rideout, 2005). This technology use is embedded within a user’s social context and fulfills their need for building networks and reaching new understandings, rather than existing outside their normal routines and activities a key understanding for educators to acknowledge. ICT increases the volume and sources of information available, forcing a change in literate practices and what is valued as ‘literacy’ and challenging the notion of ‘text’ and its associated language features (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000). In engaging students for deep learning in classrooms, Oblinger (2003) and Dede (2005) argue that teaching must be supported by the technology to which students are accustomed. In contextualising the task, teachers are challenged to design open learning experiences that authentically reflect real world problems (Lombardi, 2007) and that value their students’ cultural practices (Nixon & Comber, 2006) in an effort to develop in students the ability to flexibly apply knowledge and skills outside the classroom. The role of ICT in this classroom setting is to support the learning rather than to be the learning; ICT should not be an ‘add-on’ to the curriculum (Durrant & Green, 2000), but an integral part of a broader learning goal. Although it is recognised that many teachers have some way to go in incorporating ICT in their regular teaching practice, it is vital that they are acknowledged for the considerable Journal of Literacy and Technology 80 Volume 11, Number 3: July 2010 ISSN: 1535-0975 knowledge they have about their profession – what constitutes ‘good’ pedagogy, the nature of learning and ways to engage students in the classroom. Roblyer (2006, p. v) describes technology as “. above all, a channel for helping teachers communicate better with students. It can make good teaching even better, but it cannot make bad teaching good”. Technology is no substitute for informed lesson design and good classroom practice. It is vital, therefore, that educators articulate a clear rationale and purpose for the integration of technology to support learning in connection with curriculum goals, student learning gains and teachers’ personal philosophies. The literature focuses on the ways that technology can be meaningfully incorporated within the classroom (for example, Dede, 2005; Herrington & Kervin, 2007; Leu, Mallette, Karcher, & Kara-Soteriou, 2005) and teachers need to be supported as they develop professional understandings and applications of this to their professional identity and subsequent practice. School-based projects are identified as one way to challenge practice as new alternatives are considered. It is undisputed that teachers’ learning is continuous throughout their professional experience, with professional development and professional growth being interrelated, one unable to occur without the other (Danielson, 1996; Mevarech, 1995). However, to reconceptualise practice with the vision to transform it, change grounded not only within theoretical understandings but also classroom practice is critical (Larson & Marsh, 2005). Teachers need opportunities to test if something works through a carefully planned process of action and reflection. Embedding a project within the specific school context is acknowledged as a powerful approach (Beaudin & Grigg, 2001; Kervin, 2007). Identifying and responding to the specific contexts in which teachers and students work provides understanding of how literacy is shaped Journal of Literacy and Technology 81 Volume 11, Number 3: July 2010 ISSN: 1535-0975 as ‘literacy practices’ (Street, 1995) and ‘literacy events’ (Heath, 1983) are carefully considered. While our knowledge of schools and anecdotal evidence tells us that there are many schoolbased projects focused on technology and literacy, few are reported within the literature. Some examples we have located include:  Reid’s (2006) experiences of developing a whole school approach to information literacy,  Maugle’s (2006) description of the challenges for teacher-librarians in integrating ICT, and  Jeffrey, O’Bryan and Phelp’s (2007) description of learning experiences focused around virtual stories. Each of these examples identifies the importance of having a carefully defined project with opportunities for collaboration, sharing and ongoing learning. In this paper we examine a series of inquiries within a school-based project focused on ways that computer-based technology and associated peripherals can be incorporated within classroom literacy experiences. Methodology This article reflects data collected in an independent elementary school in metropolitan New South Wales, Australia. At the time of the inquiry, 230 students, most of whom identify English as their first language, were enrolled in the school. The school is classified as a onestream school (that is, one of each grade) with a ‘bubble’ of two streams in two grades, the result of a large residential development in the area. There are nine classes in the school. The school identified the regular and integrated uses of computer-based technologies in all classroom programs as a learning priority. At the time of the school-based project reported herein the teachers and students had access to: 15 iBook computers with airport connection to the internet and intranet, 3 or 4 desktop computers in each classroom, 7 digital cameras and 4 data Journal of Literacy and Technology 82 Volume 11, Number 3: July 2010 ISSN: 1535-0975 projectors (one for Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, Grades 5 and 6). Throughout the year of the project a number of different structures was tried as the teachers considered how equitable access to the technology could be provided to best support teaching and learning experiences. For example, initially the laptops were timetabled so that all students received equal access to the technology in their classrooms. This was then restructured to break the laptop bank into groups of 5, which were then distributed across the stages (Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, Grades 5 and 6). The classroom teachers met regularly to share ideas and teaching approaches in an effort to successfully integrate computer-based technologies into daily literacy learning experiences for their students. This paper reports on a school-based project that evolved over a school year. To explicate this project, three inquiry examples are analysed and reported on; these are summarised in Table 1. Our analysis draws these inquiries together as we comment upon the overarching themes within the project looking at how technology can support classroom literacy experiences. Table 1: Overview of inquiries with a School-based project Project focus Context Participants Inquiry