From Pencils to Podcasts: Digital Tools for Tansforming K-6 Literacy Practices

by Lindsay Yearta, Katie Kelly, Katie Stover

Fully embedding technology into the curriculum is key to preparing students to meet the demands of the 21st century. The authors provide K-6 teachers with practical suggestions for incorporating technology into familiar literacy practices and illustrate ways technology can deepen students' literacy development. Each chapter includes information about easy-to-use technology tools, examples from real classrooms, and step-by-step instructions to get started. Use this resource to gain a comprehensive plan for incorporating technology into an array of literacy practices
About the Authors
Literacy in the 21st Century
Part Tools to Facilitate Comprehension and Analysis
Chapter 1: Digital Word Wall
Chapter 2: Digital Reader Response
Chapter 3: Online Literature Discussions
Part Tools to Facilitate Evaluation and Revision
Chapter 4: Collaborative Evaluation of Online Sources
Chapter 5: Online Book Reviews
Chapter 6: Digital Revision
Chapter 7: Reader's Theater Digital Movies
Part Tools to Facilitate Performance and Publication
Chapter 8: Informational Writing Using Infographics
Chapter 9: Collaborative Digital Story Retelling
Chapter 10: Published Writing
Part Tools to Facilitate Assessment and Reflection
Chapter 11: Reading Histories
Chapter 12: Conferences with Readers and Writers
Chapter 13: Digital Portfolios
Chapter 14: Digital Formative Assessment of Reading Comprehension
It's Not the End
Reproducibles
References and Resources
Index

Genres: Teaching, Education

192 pages, Perfect Paperback

Published August 19, 2016

Reviews

[Katie Kelly]

Shameless plug - I wrote it! Haha

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could be a useful book but also a book which will quickly become outdated as will be the fate of many books focused on digital tools. At times it seemed like some of the items discussed in the book had already become outdated even though the book was published last year. (This includes the large portion of a chapter that they dedicate to an app that is no longer supported by the developer. No person in their right mind would take up this app and the accompanying learning curve when the features will cease to function within a year, perhaps months.)
I also do not understand the obsession with QR codes. That one fact dated the book for me. I have never understood these codes since all you need to do is post the website and one can type in the website just as easily, in fact easier due to the fact that phones and devices do not come natively equipped with QR code readers. I downloaded an app once and only once.

That being said, I will hold onto the book for a little while longer to see if I can include any of these tools, some of which seemed quite good.