Fun With Technology Integration in Schools

“Its not often we start from scratch to build background knowledge about a topic.  But when we do, sharing information and encouraging student questions is the simplest route to teaching content” – by Stepanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis.  This sounds very simple, yet it is a very powerful tool to be used in the classroom.Making connections is the best way to build the background knowledge.  It can be the connection from new to the already known knowledge and experiences or it can be from known to the new.  

Reading beyond the bold print (nonfiction), characters (fiction) and white space (poetry) is very important.  We as teachers need to help our young readers to make connections while using different literary elements.Different strategies need to be used while teaching different contents.  Technology to use during this process: 

• SMART Board – for labeling the thoughts, ideas and questions.
• Word processing – to write a story or experience, to express ideas·       
• On line research – to connect text to the world events·       
• Pixie – to illustrate what is written·       
• SMART Board – again to share with the class and add to ones thoughts 

Connections can be made in two different forms:

1.  Content Based Connection: (Knowledge – who, what, define, relate)·   

• • Between snippets and Real Life    
  •  Text-to-Self     
  • Text-to-Text 
  • Text-to-World

2.  Connections to the nature of the text and the literary features: (Comprehension – compare, contrast, demonstrate, interpret, explain, show, classify – how, what, which etc)· 

• • Genre (variety, kind) – familiarity with the special characteristics and conventions of each genre·       
  • Format – differences among the format of the books (picture books, novels, nonfictions etc)·       
  •  Form – distinguishing among essays, manuals, articles, editorials etc·       
  • Author –  understanding each author’s style, issues, topics and themes.·       
  • Text Structure –  Understanding the differences between narratives and expository.·       
  • Cue words –  Learning to identify cue words that alert the readers about what to come. (Ex: ‘but’ – suggests a coming change, ‘in other words’ – means a definition is being followed)·       
  • Writing Style –  Recognizing, understanding and identifying different writing styles of the authors to make connections between different works of the authors.
  • Literary Features – The students make Literacy Connections when they look for themes and settings.  They also identify and discuss the problems while they read.

Building background knowledge by making connections is a collaborative learning process between the teacher and the student/students.  It’s the responsibility of a teacher to lead the student’s thought process from thinking in a tangential way to a more sophisticated way.  Active learning time (in the LEARN model) will enable the teacher to have individual conference time with each student to initiate and help explore the advanced thinking skills. This can happen during the differentiated learning process.  Connection making process is followed by descriptive, relational and casual questioning.  Questioning is yet another new world to explore!!!  

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