December 11, 2007

I signed up for the CD 315 class after speaking to my advisor and viewing the recommended courses sheet for my major. I looked in the course catalog and read the description for the class, because I was unsure exactly how computers/computer networking related to the field of communication disorders. The description in the 2007-2008 Marshall University Course catalog describes the course as an ”introduction to adaptive technology for computers to augment communication skills; evaluation of and authoring of software for diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders.” I went into the class unsure of possible topics for class discussion, and possible assignments or focus of the class. At the first class meeting,Mrs. McComas asked us to do a free writing about our literacy practice. We wrote for about ten minutes and then shared our work with the class. I felt like my interpretation of literary practices was much different than others. I focused on the things in my life that relate to literacy, stating, ” I enjoy reading magazines, surfing the internet, and I enjoy writing as well.” Most of the other students in the class focused on defining what literacy was to them, or how literacy is important. After that first class, I had a pretty good idea that the class would focus on literacy. I will say that looking back, I was extremely overwhelmed with the workload. The first few weeks of the class were spent reading articles by authors that defined and discussed different types of literacy skills and their implications.

Objective may be defined as “the goal to be attained” (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=objective), and often provide a basis for structure and guidance in terms of a course plan or outline. One way of making class goals clear is to list them on a class syllabus, in this course they were referred to as learner outcomes. Like I said before, when reading over the syllabus and course outline that first week of class, I was overwhelmed and still unclear as to the layout and structure of the class. However,the learner outcomes helped me to shape my understanding of the process I was about to participate in. In the following statements I will list learner outcomes and provide my evidence to my completion of each goal. The syllabus describes the class by providing two themes, literacy and professionalism. There are a total of ten learner outcomes, or objectives provided on the syllabus for the course, each one relating to either professionalism or literacy and each one also being described as either conceptual or technical.

“…acquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century.”

I feel like this objective was met through the simple completion of assignments in the course each week. Beginning with the assignments in week one I realized that the topic of literacy was much more broad and inclusive than what I had first thought. In an assignment for week one I stated, “I am able to: maneuver through a program I am unfamiliar with,summarize a paragraph in a word processing document,decipher fact from fiction in a news article, uncover bias in a supposedly neutral review, and navigate through hypermedia successfully. However, by no means am I an expert in any of the above categories. I think I still have a lot to learn when it comes to being digitally literate.” I feel like that statement evidences my inclusion of digital literacy as a component of the broad definition of literacy. Another statement I feel sums up my experience about the various conceptions of literacy is, “I feel like literacy is much more than I once imagined. I thought that too be literate one had to be able to read and write in various mediums. After reading the article by Eshet-Alkali, Y., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. I have realized that literacy includes things like sending email, and even understanding the complex navigation system involved in using the internet.”

“…acquire knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century.”

 In week four of the course I read about wikipedia and its implications as a resource for professional work, stating “Since wikipedia is ever-changing an actual wikipedia article itself should not be referenced for student use. The reason being that after a student finds all the information in the particular article credible it is possible that the information could be changed to inaccurate information.” That statement was the beginning of my journey of evaluating resources, and continued to week seven, in which I completed two web evaluations, critiquing two websites for both reliablity and validity. The statement “I think that this week’s website evaluation techniques will prove very helpful to me in the coming weeks when it comes time for me to sort through resources as they relate to my research question,” evidences my understanding of the different techniques and process involved in evaluating resources in the 21st century.

“…acquire knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice.”

As usual, the class began with the traditional reading of the code of ethics. I feel like ethics are important to consider in all aspects of the field, but are especially important in terms of literacy and research. This semester we viewed the creative commons website and two informational websites regarding copyright. The statement “Copyright and fair use guidelines can be difficult to understand and make sense of, but when you are not sure about copying, or using a portion of someone else’s work it is best to check with a copyright expert, or not use the material,” besu t outlines my understanding of ethical practices as they relate to literacy.

 “…acquire knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice.”

The statement “This week I learned about:the three R’s of Inquiry, evaluating sources on the web, searching for reliable sources as they relate to my research questions,and more about mailing lists,” provides evidence of my understanding of inquiry. I feel like my knowledge of evidence practice gained in CD 468 played a large role in my understanding of inquiry and practice as they relate to literacy.

“…prepare for and participate in class discussions and activities.”

I attended every class meeting,including those which were held online using Tapped-In. I feel like I participated in discussion in both F2F and online meetings and contributed to both class and small group discussions.My evidence of this is best displayed by the following statements: “My main contribution to the group was to present the questions to the group and respond to my other group members’ comments. I also contibuted by asking follow up questions which were relevant to the topic.”

“…develop strategies for effectively planning and completing independent work (meeting both the letter and spirit of the work, not just the letter of the work) in a timely manner.”

I feel like I can best evidence the completion of this goal by the overall quality of my work on both my weblog as a weekly journal, and my final project. I spent numerous hours completing the reader response logs, searching for resources and completing the movie along with my I search paper. I feel like the following statement which appears several times in the memos I wrote each week sums up this fact: “This week I intended to complete all of the assignments on time and to the best of my ability.”

“…use practical thinking (solve problems and make decisions), critical thinking (analysis and evaluation), and creative thinking (imagining and creating) to complete an inquiry project focused on a disciplinary issue relating to literacy.”

I feel like the completion of the coursework, including the I search paper and movie presentation best evidence my abilities to use practical,critical and creative thinking skills. The statement, “this week I wanted to take a more serious look at my I-search paper and review the critiques of my paper that my peers provided. I was excited to see that as an assignment because I feel like it is very helpful for all of us,” showcases my reflection of our skills as a class in these three areas. I think it is also important to note the shift of the class from question and collection to publication,regarding the final project.

“…demonstrate enhanced communication skills and strategies, using the discourse of the discipline, in both oral and written formats.”

I feel like this objective is another which I demonstrated throughout the course of the semester. I formulated a research question, and completed both a paper and movie presentation about it. All of those tasks required enhanced communication skills and discourse in both oral and written formats. My best evidence may be accessed through the class email archives(http://listserv.wvnet.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=MU-CD315-L), paper(http://amanda777.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/i-search-paper-final-draft/) and movie(http://amanda777.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/do-adults-who-developed-emergent-literacy-skills-as-preschoolers-achieve-more-in-adulthood-a-movie/).

“…participate and collaborate, synchronously and asynchronously, in online professional communities.”

I was able to join a mailing list and participate in it, create a weblog and update it frequently, participate in online class and group discussions and most importantly complete a final project in regards to literacy.My work and continuous effort and participation evidence my abilities to participate and collaborate in such communities. The entry on my weblog (http://amanda777.wordpress.com/2007/10/13/a84-reflection-on-discussion-of-10-8-07/) best describes my experience as a member of a professional community.

“…demonstrate self-confident interdependence in multiple digital spaces and with multiple forms of media.”

This sentence is the end result of the class. After completing all of the assignments and final project I feel like this statement truly describes my experience as I complete the course. I have participated in online communities, demonstrated enhanced communication skills, used practical, critical and creative thinking, and most importantly developed a more clear and complete understanding of literacy as it relates to the field communication disorders. My weblog  (http://amanda777.wordpress.com/)as a whole best documents my completion of this objective.

November 25, 2007

Aims and Objectives: This week I wanted to complete the bulk of my assignments over the weekend before Thanksgiving break so that I could focus on developing my movie over break. I wanted to take some pictures for my project, and begin working on putting it all together. I also wanted to try to find some suitable music for my project, and look up information about the program Audacity, to use to merge audio files for it. I feel like I have accomplished my goals and I am excited to finish up my project and see the final result!

Declarative Knowledge: I learned that finding suitable music for my movie may be more difficult than I first thought, and putting it all together is going to take some serious time. I learned about the photo sharing application PicasaWeb, and about using my digital camera to upload photos to the program.

Procedural Knowledge: To upload photos onto the Picasa Web application, you must have a google account and pictures on your computer.

1. Sign into your google account, and go to the photos section. 

2. It will prompt you to download the application.

3. After it is finished downloading, open the program and click on “upload photos.”

4. Follow the instructions to select the file name and then click upload.

5. After the pictures are uploaded you can edit them using the photo editor and choose whether or not you would like to make them public or not. Then, photos you make public are available on your Picasa Web website. Mine is http://picasaweb.google.com/starra04

Conditional Knowledge:I will be able to use everything I learned this week to complete my project for CD 315. I will also be able to use my digital camera and photo uploading skills in the future for fun or to complete another multimedia presentation. I feel like I have learned to complete some valuable tasks, and every minute I spend on this movie is adding to my skills as a digitally literate American student.

http://picasaweb.google.com/starra04

Denton, Kristen & West,Gerry.(2002) Children’s reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and first Grade.U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Washington, DC, 2002 Ortiz, R. (2000). The many faces of learning to read: The role of fathers in helping their children to develop early literacy skills. Multicultural Perspectives, 2(2), 10-17. Retrieved November 4, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.

Webster, Bruce H., Jr. & Bishaw, A. (2007).U.S. census bureau, american community survey reports,ACS-08,income, earnings, and poverty data from the 2006 american community survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

November 16, 2007

I would like to think my mother, she is my role model and a huge inspiration in my life. It was her that encouraged my emergent literacy skills and encouraged me to choose this topic because of its importance to her. I would not be who I am today without her words of wisdom and guidance throughout my life. I would also like to think Mrs. McComas, Katie H. and Marissa S. for their support throughout the drafting of my project.

November 16, 2007

I chose this topic because it interested me so much and I had so many questions about it. I am a child of educators, from a family of educators and I feel like that background has also inspired me in making this topic decision. My mother is a reading specialist, and works at a local elementary school. In her daily work she assists students in reading and math, focusing on basic skills like the individual sounds different letters make, and how to read a title page. These skills are ones that should be learned prior to learning to read, usually in kindergarten or even preschool.

November 11, 2007

 Introducing/Questioning

The point I intend to make is that the more literate someone is, the more likely they are to achieve due to those literacy skills. I feel like children who were read to and those that developed other early literacy skills are more literate and therefore achieve more than those who were not read to and did not successfully develop early literacy skills. For this reason, I think it is necessary to answer my question: Do adults who developed emergent literacy skills as preschoolers achieve more in adulthood? If my question yields the answer I expect, content standard objectives, laws, and the overall curriculum of early childhood education could all be affected. The foundation questions I am asking to lead to my essential question are: What are emergent literacy skills? How are emergent literacy skills encouraged and developed? What constitutes achievement in adults? How many adults developed emergent literacy skills as preschoolers and are considered to be at a high level of achievement?

Searching

 Emergent literacy skills are those skills that a child needs to be successful in reading and writing. “Considerable research has shown children’s emergent literacy skills- the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are necessary for the development of reading and writing…are important for later reading success” (Roberts, J., Jurgens, J., & Burchinal, M.,p.345,2005).Emergent literacy skills are those skills that children develop before learning to read and are also referred to as early literacy skills, early reading skills and emergent reading skills.

There are hundreds of ways that parents, educators and caregivers can encourage the development of emergent literacy skills, and children develop emergent literacy skills in a variety of ways, as well. Some ways of encouraging emergent literacy skills are: reading to the child, naming objects in the presence of the child, repeating things the child says, encouraging the child to tell stories and basically interacting with the child(Roth, 2006). Emergent literacy skills are developed through the use of early literacy activities, reading experiences, and the modeling of literacy skills by both caretakers and educators (Ortiz, 2000). Often times the encouragement and development of such skills is incidental and occurs naturally in healthy home environments.

In 2006, approximately 13% of Americans were found to be living in poverty (Webster,2007). Poverty does not constitute achievement in adults, so I will assume that the other 87% of Americans are successful, or at high levels of achievement. Achievement is difficult to define universally because of its complex nature; however, I chose to define achievement based on the distal factor, Socio-economic status (SES).Achievement is defined as “a result gained by effort [and] the quality and quantity of…work” (Achievement, 2007). There are many different methods of measuring achievement; consequently, choosing one method to determine a factor so complex it is not feasible. “High achievement is a function of three categories of factors: (a) opportunity factors (e.g., coursework), (b) propensity factors (e.g., prerequisite skills, motivation), and (c) distal factors (e.g., SES)” (Byrnes, J., & Miller, D.,p.1,2007). For the purposes of my research I decided to use the poverty guidelines provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to measure achievement. I understand that using only one factor of hundreds is not the most accurate representation; however, due to limited time and the nature of this project I have chosen to do so. The U.S. Census Bureau uses family income and measure of need to determine poverty thresholds and in 2006 approximately 13% of Americans were determined to be living in poverty.

Denton, Kristen & West,Gerry.(2002) Children’s reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and first Grade.U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Washington, DC, 2002 Ortiz, R. (2000). The many faces of learning to read: The role of fathers in helping their children to develop early literacy skills. Multicultural Perspectives, 2(2), 10-17. Retrieved November 4, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.

Webster, Bruce H., Jr. & Bishaw, A. (2007).U.S. census bureau, american community survey reports,ACS-08,income, earnings, and poverty data from the 2006 american community survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

November 9, 2007

I am reviewing the I-search paper of a peer; it can be accessed here:

http://courtneyrnelsen.wordpress.com/category/i-search-paper/ 

Voice:  This is written in first person, by Courtney a student researcher.

Audience: This piece is written for parents and others who are interested in the effects of television on children’s reading skills and literacy in general.

Say Back: I think you are saying that there isn’t one answer to your question, and that research shows a variety of different information. You did point out that it is true that television affects emergent literacy in preschoolers.

Bless: I really like how you bolded the main point in your searching section, it made it very clear and easy to read.

Address: 

•  The first sentence you need to fix where it says “As a future speech-language pathologists”

•  I think your concluding section could be a little stronger, like summing up your main points.