Blog Journal #4

ELA Technology Standards

ELA technology standards are designed to improve the literacy of students across all subject areas. Furthermore, these standards focus on ways to help students build skills (and knowledge) that will be of great use beyond the walls of the classroom. They also aim to teach students how to navigate technology and how to make the most out of Internet access.

Technology can be used to refine reading and writing skills, as well as any skills related to thorough analysis and oration. Hence, it is incredibly important for students to become familiarized with these tools as early as possible.

I selected 8th grade. One of the standards that stood out to me was LAFS.8.SL.2.5 because it pays special attention to visuals/multimedia. The purpose of this standard is to demonstrate to students that incorporating visuals can actually elevate the quality of presentations. Examples of technology that the standard provides include iMovie and and online poster makers.
I, personally, believe that I have the skill sets needed to create an effective presentation. Thus, I would be able to implement this standard. I feel confident in my ability to teach students how to add visuals, images, and even hyperlinks to better present text on a screen or projector.

I chose 4th grade English Language Arts. The resources I will be focusing on called "Read to Transform."
This resource seeks to teach students how to find specific details in a literary text - in this case, a poem - to subsequently make inferences about its meaning. Students are required to read the poem "Reading to Go" and determine what its meaning is (figurative). It is a collaborative activity, so students will pair up and examine the poem together. An "inference chart" will facilitate the analysis process and help students gather their thoughts on paper.
I would use this resource mainly because it pushes students to hone in on their argumentation and inference-making skills. Poems are typically more abstract and, therefore, I would want my students to do an activity that would be intellectually stimulating. Making conjectures and drawing conclusions about the message conveyed in a poem, in my opinion, is an ideal activity. Students would also be practicing their writing skills, which is very important.

As a teacher, I want to know as much as possible about smart, effective Internet searching. In our current digital age, technology has become an integral part of our lives. Hence, I know my future students will be tech savvy so I want to make sure that I am up-to-date. To me, having a clear understanding of how to search for information in a quick and smart way is key.
The skill that I believe I will use the most, moving forward, would be Google's advanced search. Especially because I am constantly writing academic papers, it is nice to know that the search engine can remove irrelevant information. It makes finding academic sources significantly easier. As an educator, too, I aim to teach (and show) my students how to use techniques like these, in order to maximize efficiency when completing an assignment.

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