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Drost, B. (2023). Pedagogy Before Technology. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 80(9). https://lms.unb.ca/d2l/le/content/229966/viewContent/2530418/View

Gallagher, T.L.,  Di Cesare, D., &  Rowsell, J. (2019).  Stories of Digital Lives and Digital Divides: Newcomer Families and Their Thoughts on Digital Literacy. The Reading Teacher,  72(6),  774–778. https://ila-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/doi/epdf/10.1002/trtr.1794

Mantilla, A., & Edwards, S. (2019). Digital technology use by and with young children: A systematic review for the Children and Digital Technologies. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 44(2), 182-195. https://lms.unb.ca/d2l/le/content/229966/viewContent/2528674/View

McTigue, E.M., &  Uppstad, P.H. (2019).  Getting Serious About Serious Games: Best Practices for Computer Games in Reading Classrooms. The Reading Teacher,  72(4),  453–461. https://ila-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/doi/epdf/10.1002/trtr.1737

Plowman, L., & McPake, J. (2012). Seven Myths About Young Children and Technology. Childhood Education, 89(1), 27-33. https://lms.unb.ca/d2l/le/content/229966/viewContent/2528698/View

Tkach, R., & Gallagher, T. L. (2020). Sparking Reading Engagement through Tablets: An Early Intervention Reading Program and Parent Workshop for Tablets at Home. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 59 (3). https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol59/iss3/2

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Did you know that when supporting students’ skill in using games for literacy learning, a gradual release framework is optimal?

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Did you know that when supporting students’ skill in using games for literacy learning, a gradual release framework is optimal?

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This article is concerned with using computer games for learning and asks an important question:  “How can we adjust our expectancies and practices to make optimum use of this technology?” (McTigue & Uppstad, 2018, p. 453). They suggest using a gradual release model where skills are first taught explicitly without technology and only after students demonstrate competence in the skill should a computer game be introduced for practice and reinforcement. Then when the educator introduces the computer game, it is important to not only demonstrate how to use the game (i.e. the functions of the game) but also how it connects to the skills they are practicing. They also recommend embedding the computer game into the overall instructional framework instead of only at computer or iPad time. This could look like using computer games to practice reading and spelling in addition to shared/guided reading during a lesson.

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Did you know not having technology (e.g., a device, a program/application, etc.) isn’t the only barrier some people face when it comes to being able to access digital technology?

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Did you know not having technology (e.g., a device, a program/application, etc.) isn’t the only barrier some people face when it comes to being able to access digital technology?

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Families of students who require intervention with reading may ask the question “What can I do to support my child with reading at home?” or want to learn more about what methods educators will be using to support their child while at school. Since parent involvement is an important part of my program, I want to make sure that if I’m using digital technology in the classroom for reading instruction, families who wish to continue this learning at home with their child have equitable mental, material, and skills access to do so. Gallagher et al. describe mental, material, and skills access as:

Mental: Barriers for people who do not have the ability to understand and think through digital domains

Material: The ability to own or use technology

Skills: Skills and fluency with digital practices

Ensuring that families have the appropriate skills and materials to support their child at home can be done in various ways such as delivering workshops for parents demonstrating how to use digital technology to support reading at home, providing loaner devices for families who do not have access, and producing step by step guides on how to use the technology/apps for parents.

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Did you know that digital technology should directly relate to the learning currently taking place in the classroom?

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Did you know that digital technology should directly relate to the learning currently taking place in the classroom?

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Mantilla and Edwards’s review was looking at the appropriate use of technology in early childhood settings. Two of their suggestions for educators, parents, and other stakeholders were:

“Age-appropriate software and digital technology facilitates children’s independent use of technology alongside adult interactions” (Mantilla & Edwards, 2019)

“Digital technology use should relate to existing classroom themes, interests and activities” (Mantilla & Edwards, 2019)

This connects to Tkach and Gallagher’s article where they state the importance of educators being familiar with the technology students will be using in the classroom. It is also necessary to ensure that it is age appropriate and that students have the skills to be able to interact with the technology in a way that will make it meaningful to their learning. With reading instruction, Mantilla and Edwards’s suggestion to connect digital technology to current activities in the classroom further reinforces the need for me to explore each application I intend to use and match it with a specific skill that I’ll be working on with students (e.g., ABC Genius for letter sounds, Little Writer for letter formation), and disable parts of the game or functions that are not relevant at that particular point in time.

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Did you know that the repetition of learning games on the tablet can lead to students becoming bored?

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Did you know that the repetition of learning games on the tablet can lead to students becoming bored?

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In this study, students who needed intervention with reading worked with a tutor using both tablets with various reading & writing applications (e.g., ABC Ninja, Phonics Island, Little Writer, etc.) and traditional methods (e.g., word/letter games, writing activities, etc.). Some of what they observed while students were interacting with the tablets were that:

Students figured out that if they continue swiping, they will eventually get the right answer

Repetition of games led to boredom

Some students were nervous about answering questions incorrectly (i.e., losing the game) which could lead to increased anxiety about learning to read for some students

They also noted that “At times a user might have seemed to be working independently, but was actually racing through the app, not paying attention to the reading content, and clicking to try to get the right answer” (Northrop and Killeen, 2013, as cited in Tkach & Gallagher, 2020). This is important for me to remember to pay close attention when observing students as they interact with reading apps on tablets because just because it may seem that they are on task (eyes focussed on the screen, tapping/swiping), they may be off task which defeats the purpose of using the technology in the first place. Tkach & Gallagher also include that “This study suggests that it is important for educators to familiarize themselves with apps in order to understand their limitations and identify which features they would like to deploy and which features they would like to disable (Northrop & Killeen, 2013, as cited in Tkach & Gallagher, 2020). I think it’s worth exploring each application I intend to use with the students carefully to identify which ones would be better to work on specific skills, and if it is better as a small group,  one-on-one or independent activity.

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Did you know children interacting with technology doesn’t guarantee an educational outcome?

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Did you know children interacting with technology doesn’t guarantee an educational outcome?

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There are many applications available to young children that claim to help them learn how to read. I have seen technology being used in the kindergarten classroom to help with reading instruction or reinforcing concepts learned (e.g., using the iPads at the reading centre to listen to and/or read books, interactive whiteboards for word/letter play, applications for letter and letter sound recognition, etc.), but what I am interested in is how can I assess the impact these applications are making on student learning and is there a best practice for using these applications (e.g., during small group with an educator, students working independently or in groups, etc.). According to Plowman and McPake, “Technological interactivity does not guarantee an educational encounter” (Plowman & McPake, 2013, p. 30). They suggest that these learning applications and products provide motivation for learning at the beginning, but on their own, they cannot replace human interaction. With that being said, I think it will be important for me to assess the impact of whatever technology I choose to use with my students on a regular basis and use technology in conjunction with traditional teaching methods and practices.

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Did you know pedagogy comes first and technology integration comes second?

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Did you know pedagogy comes first and technology integration comes second?

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According to Drost, “Districts that thrived during the pandemic focused learning on pedagogy first and technology integration second” (Drost, 2023). He goes on to describe four elements of success which include having an instructional framework, determining a clear pedagogical function, connecting technology to the pedagogical function and capitalizing on the formative assessment cycle. Although all of the elements he listed are important, the one I thought was important for me to remember was determining a clear pedagogical function. A pedagogical function is described as “the way that a teacher wants students to go about learning the

material during a particular part of the lesson” (Drost, 2023).  He wrote “In my

experience as a teacher, administrator, and professor, when I lose sight of the pedagogical function because I'm too busy trying to get familiar with technology, my instruction suffers” (Drost, 2023). This resonated with me because I find that whenever I’m learning something new to bring into my practice (e.g., using new technology, learning a new art technique, etc.), I tend to get really focused on the new learning instead of the pedagogical function. Instead, I should be focussing on the pedagogy first, then working on integrating technology second.

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How can educators use different forms of technology to aid direct and systematic reading instruction in the K-3 classroom?

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This is a question I have been thinking about for a couple of months now, since the Ontario Ministry of Education’s introduction of the Effective early reading instruction guide for teachers and new mandates that come into effect this fall. I plan to work with kindergarten students this fall in a primarily play-based program. I have been thinking about how to comply with the new government/school board/school level requirements, without compromising the rich, purposeful play-based program that already exists. One of the suggestions I’ve come across is to use technology to aid direct and systematic reading instruction. As a result, I think it is necessary to identify what skills I need to acquire to efficiently combine technology with direct reading instruction in the early years (K-3) classroom. My experience using different forms of technology for reading instruction in the K-3 classroom is not very extensive, so I welcome the opportunity to investigate this inquiry question and other sub-questions that arise along the way.