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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Current Topics in Instructional Computing

Reading, Writing, and Technology
CIGENRL 476/676

Three Credits

Winther Hall 3004, 1006 (the WITRC Center)
Tuesdays 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Instructor: John M. Zbikowski
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Winther Hall 3037
Voice: 262-472-4860
Fax: 262-472-1122

zbikowsj@uww.edu

http://facstaff.uww.edu/zbikowsj

Office Hours: Monday 9:00-11:00, Tuesday 3:30-5:30, Wednesday 5:00-6:00 p.m. and by appointment

Description (from the Graduate Catalog):  A topic or topics not otherwise accounted for in other computer education courses will be chosen as the focus of each course.  For instance, the use of multimedia in the schools could be one suggested topic. Each topic would be explored in a variety of ways: 1) what does the current research say about the topic?  2) what potential impact can this technology have in the schools?  3) are there special hardware, software, personnel, or other requirements necessary for successful implementation of this topic in the schools?  4) what potential does this topic have for integration into the curriculum?  5) whenever possible, a hands-on experience with the topic will be part of the overall experience.  This would be possible if the topic involved a particular computer application.

Requirements:

1.    Prepare a brief written response (about one page) to one of each week’s readings as a preparation for discussion (15% of grade)

2.    Interview a student about his or her use of technology in and out of school and present a written report of about your findings to class.  Estimate: 5-7 pages. (15% of grade)

3.    Report on the use of technology to promote literacy in some instructional setting from the teachers’ and/or administrators’ perspective. Estimate: 5-7 pages (15%)

4.    Participate in various in-class and online activities demonstrating the interaction of literacy and technology (15%)

5.   Participate in the construction of a collaborative class web site (Grads 10%, undergrads 15%)

5.    Build a web site, develop an online course, arrange a communications project, or complete some equivalent project that promotes student literacy (Grads 20%, undergrads 25%)

6.    Graduate students only: prepare an annotated bibliography of ten sources, including empirical research, on some aspect of technology and literacy discussed in class or related to your project.  8-12 pages. (Graduate Students 10%)

Course Texts:

Bruce, B. C. (Ed.) (2003). Literacy in the information age: Inquiries into meaning making with new technologies.  Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Gee, J. P. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy.  New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
 

Policies:

UNIVERSITY POLICIES REGARDING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT, STUDENT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND ABSENCES:   The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive, and non-discriminatory learning environment.  It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Academic Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events (for details please refer to the current UW-Whitewater Undergraduate Timetable, the “Rights and Responsibilities” section of the Undergraduate Timetable, and the “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures” (UWS Chapter 14)

For more details, see the Provost’s website at   http://acadaff.uww.edu/On-lineSyllabiMand%20info.html

Learning Outcomes: 

The course is designed to address ISTE standards for teachers related to literacy instruction, as well as related IRA standards  for professionals. 
 

Information for May 3 Class

Information for April 26 Class

Citing online materials in APA Style: UW-Whitewater library resource

Sources for information on games:

Next Week's Reading:

Gee, What video games have to teach us, Chapters 5-8

Information for April 19 Class

Review of Accelerated Reader: 

Pavonetti, L. M., Brimmer, K. M., & Cipielewski, J. F. (2002). Accelerated reader: What are the effects on the reading habits of middle school students exposed to Accelerated Reader in elementary grades?   Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 46, 300-311. 

Advertising for popular instructional software titles:

Thinking Reader and Thinking Writer (see also Tom Snyder Productions below)

Writer's Workbench

Read 180

Accelerated Reader

Plato Learning (look at Solutions-->High School-->Remediation for some sample applications)

Tom Snyder Productions (See Product Tours)

Riverdeep (requires registration; follow links to solutions/elementary school solutions/high school)

Next Week's Reading:

Gee, What video games have to teach us, Intro, Chapters 1-4

Information from April 12 class

The WebQuest Connection, presented by Anne Stinson

Information for March 29 Class

Sites visited in class

Next week's readings:

De Jong, M., & Bus, A. (2004). The efficacy of electronic books in fostering kindergarten children's emergent story understanding.  Reading Research Quarterly, 39, 378-393. 

Kim, L. (2004). Online technologies for teaching writing: Students react to teacher response in voice and written modalities.  Research in the Teaching of English, 38, 304-337.

Mac Gregor, S. K., & Lou, Y. (2004). Web-based learning: How task scaffolding and web site design support knowledge acquisition.  Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37, 161

Information for March 15 Class

Class online site

This week's Readings:

Bruce, Section 5 (pages 201-288), including

• Bruce's essay on Dewey's Conception of Learning and Luke's Response (202-207)

• Bishop's article on Using the Web to Support Inquiry (209-221)

• Leander's article on Online Writing Laboratories (223-231)

• Thakkar, Hogan, and Williamson's article on Chickscope (264-275). 

We will skim over Beach and Lundell's article because we've already dealt with the topic, and we will return to the article on the virtual classroom later. 

Note: No written response due this week. 

Next week's readings:

Bruce, Section 6 (pages 289-364).  Please bring a written response to ONE of the readings. 

Information for March 1 Class

Today's Links:

Jay’s Shark Page

Multimedia archives that can be used in instruction (samples):

Oyez (Supreme Court Audio)

HarperAudio (T. S. Eliot reading aloud The Waste Land)

Free Image Archives

at Wikipedia (The "Free Online Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit")

Historical image resource guide at the University of San Diego Department of History

Next Week's Readings:

(To Browse): JustThink.org.  View the samples of student-created media (Including Souls, Save Our Music, Consumer Unplugged, HipHop Is, The Mission, and BayView Is).  Also check the Programs, Curriculum, and Resources links for an idea of how this organization works. 

(To Browse): Kids Doing the Media.  Issue of Media Literacy Review [online].  Volume 1, Issue 1. 

(Traditional reading):

Copeland and Goering (2002). Blues you can use: Teaching the Faust theme through music, literature, and film

Information for February 22 Class

Today's Links

Next Week's Readings:

Grisham, D. L. (2001).  Technology and media literacy: What do teachers need to know?  Reading Online.

Scott, T. P., & Harding, D. (2004).  Splicing video into the writing process. Learing and Leading with Technology,  32 (1) 26-31.

Bull, G., & Kajder, S. (2005).  Digital storytelling. Learing and Leading with Technology,  32 (4), 46-49.

Information for February 15 Class

Today's Links

Readings for Next Week:

Bruce  (Ed.), Section 4 (pages 159-198)

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA; skim, at FTC web site)

Copyright information at the Library of Congress web site

Information for February 8 Class:

Kartoo Visual Search Engine: www.kartoo.com

Open Directory Project (Search service developed and edited by average users): http://dmoz.org/

Readings for Next Week:

Bruce (Ed.), pages 115-158 (Section Three)

Kajder, S., & Bull, G. (2003). Scaffolding for struggling students: Reading and writing with blogs.  Learning and leading with technology, 31 (2), 32-35.

Wollman-Bonilla, J. (2003). E-mail as genre: A beginning writer learns the conventions.  Language Arts, 81, 126-134.

Information for February 1 Class:

Next Week's Readings:

Bruce (Ed.), pages 59-98. 

Dalton, B., & Grisham, D.L. (2001, December/January). Teaching students to evaluate Internet information critically. Reading Online, 5(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/editorial/edit_index.asp?HREF=/editorial/december2001/index.html

Additional site to glance at:

Alexander, J., & Tate, M. A. (1996-1999). Evaluating Web resources. Available: http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm
 

Information for January 25 Class:

Class web site

Web template to download

Next Week's Readings:

Bruce (Ed.), Section 1, Section 2 to page 50

Eagleton, M.  (2001, August). Making text come to life on the computer: Toward an understanding of hypermedia literacy. Reading Online, 6(1). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=eagleton2/index.html