3. Read to Write and Speech to Text

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While this type of technology is usually targeted towards only specific students, it is quite an effective tool for an entire classroom. Many students are opposed to the traditional essay writing and reading. By allowing students to use either one of these technologies, you are opening them up to a whole new understanding. In my experience, many students have great ideas, but they don't want to write or they would be much more elaborate if they didn't have to write. As well, having students write a verbal test or assignment often takes the anxiety and stress associated with those events.

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http://readwritetechnology.com/

https://www.texthelp.com/en-us

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_xenom_apps.SpeechToText&hl=en

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4. Thinking Aloud

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This was a strategy I used in several of my practicums. It was something that I didn't even realize was a a strategy at first, but the more I had students use it the more valuable I realized it was. Kids like to talk constantly If you let them. They talk to their friends, they talk when they aren't supposed to be, and theye talk to just communicate their voice. Often when we give students class work we make sure that the environment is quiet. However, we should be doing quite the opposite. In order for students to put information on paper, they have to read the question, think about a response, and then write the correct response in the correct way on the paper. This is a lot of processes that are involved. Many students have difficulty performing any one of these functions which actually inhibits the fluency of this process quite easily. Using the strategy, "Thinking Aloud", students can "speak their mind" which often gets more of the correct information out quicker. As well, I have found this process particularly helpful for students who are completing exams or big assignments. When a student can speak the answer, I know that they understand something. I still usually have students practice writing it down, but when I get the work in. I determine more clearly where students are struggling because I know that they are aware of the correct information in their head.

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There are many software programs out there that target this type of learning. One program that does this is VoiceThread which helps kids express their thoughts easily and record their, feelings, emotions, and understanding. It also allows students to add images, audio, and voice to slide show software so that students can complete full projects and have all of the information that they spoke available to them. This software also lets students share common phrases in dozens of languages which is really helpful or ESL students.

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5. Writing Technology Integration

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Miguel Guhlin blogs, "We need to thrill our learners to be readers and writers. To be successful in life, what kind of writing will help children in their life? If you're like me, you're writing persuasive writing. In K-2 classrooms, 95% of writing experiences were with personal narrative and story. By 6th grade, children will have spent 84% of writer's workshop composing personal narratives, stories, and writing from prompts. Kids wrote a brochure and dedicated it to everyone who is scared of bats. For the us, the use of technology is  to get online and find out about stuff. With every book, there's a web site. Kids went to batconservation.com. Bats Conservation said, "If you send us the information and produce it and send it to all 1000 of our members." Those kids were screaming with absolute joy. All day, all they want to do is write persuasive brochures. Our kids sit in those classrooms and do what they're told. They write and read without every understanding why. "

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• E-mail Pen Pals

  • E-mailing to be an exceptional way of improving the writing skills of her students by partnering up with pen pals from a different school. Through his pen pal activity student not only improve their writing skills, but also gain exposure to new students from different regions of the country and globe. http://k-6educators.about.com/od/languagearts/l/aa090201.html

  • This does not only apply to younger grades, I think there is an equal place for this type of writing in the older grades. Treate pen pals as a way of teaching other students about topics. This idea would have interesting value in a distance learning or independent learning classroom. Students who don't always have access to a teacher could benefit a lot from having consistent access to a student. As a bonus, students who explain the concept to others have a better time understanding it as well.

  • Email conversation is an important skill that students should learn by the time they graduate from high school. Instead of practicing it on an assignment students could practice it in real life. Far more meaningful and extremely easy.

• Illustrating Writing

  • Give each student a digital camera as part of essay writing assignment and have them include digital photos that illustrate their writing.

• Using A Tablet PC In The Classroom

  • Educator Joseph Manko who teaches at Rosemont Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, Maryland uses technology for his students to see good writing modeled, critique the writing of their peers, and evaluate what can be done to improve written responses. Using a tablet PC hooked up to a multimedia projector, Mr. Manko allows students to come to the front of the class and enter examples of their written responses onto the tablet PC for the class to see. Afterwards, students have the opportunity to evaluate the piece of writing and edit or make any changes that would help improve the written piece. The tablet PC will also allow for the saving of each written response, thereby leaving a means to assess progress in writing for each student overtime.

  • While, the tablet PC provides a unique educational tool, similar strategies can be effectively implemented with lower technologies like an overhead projector and separate transparencies which the students can compose their written responses or evaluate and edit the work of their peers.

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