Promoting
Social Justice
in a Digital Age
• Fostering empathy and equality
through digital projects
• Being responsible digital curators
and creators
• Using podcasts to hook readers
and support real-world learning
November/December 2016
Volume 34, Issue 3
LITERACY TODAY
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Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 34, Issue 3
November/December 2016
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors April Hall & Christina Lambert
Intern Samantha Brant
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye
2016–2017 BOARD MEMBERS
William Teale, University of Illinois at Chicago,
President; Douglas Fisher, San Diego State
University, Vice President; Diane Barone,
University of Nevada, Reno, Immediate Past
President; Gwynne Ash, Texas State University;
Donald Bear, Iowa State University; Julie
Coiro, University of Rhode Island; Catherine
Collier, Chesapeake Public Schools, Virginia;
Lori DiGisi, Framingham Public Schools,
Massachusetts; Rachel Karchmer-Klein,
University of Delaware; Stephanie Laird,
Southeast Polk Community School District,
Iowa; Stephen Peters, Laurens County School
District 55, South Carolina; Jennifer Williams,
Calliope Global Education Initiatives, Florida
ADVERTISING
For information, contact Megan Ferguson at
800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading
.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply
endorsement.
ABOUT US
Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership
magazine of the International Literacy
Association, a nonprofi t that strives to
empower educators, inspire students, and
encourage teachers with the resources they
need to make literacy accessible for all.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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© International Literacy Association
18
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
8
OUR VIEW
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
10
Using Professional Judgment to Avoid
Unnecessary Labels
DIGITAL LITERACIES
12
What Happens When Students Take the Reins in Technology
Troubleshooting
14
Leading Students From Responsible Consumers to Creators of
Digital Content
16
Moving Past Defi cit Views and Engaging Families in Digital Literacy
Practices
22
Purposeful Tech Integration for Vocabulary Instruction
24
Using Augmented Reality to Bring Lessons to Life
26
Making Education More Accessible for Bilingual Students
28
How Podcasts Can Hook Reluctant Readers and Promote
Real-World Learning
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
30
Building on Students’ Understanding Through Academic Conversations
32
The Importance of Reading to Learn Across the Disciplines
THE ILA NETWORK
34
The Virginia State Reading Association’s Award-Winning Initiative on
Informational Texts
GLOBAL IMPACT
36
A Marathon of Success in the Dominican Republic
38
EVENTS
40
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Promoting Social
Justice Through
Digital Literacy
EDITOR’S
NOTE
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
ocial justice became a prevalent and timely
theme at our conference in Boston, and we
are continuing the conversation here in our
Digital Literacies issue.
Discover on page 16 ways to engage families
in digital literacy practices to overcome deficit
views of marginalized students, and in our
cover story on page 18, examine how digital
literacy can intersect with promoting social
justice through storytelling. It doesn’t matter
what tools you have access to. All educators can
play a role in fostering empathy and tolerance.
You’ll also find articles on the role of lesson
design in app-integrated instruction (page 8),
using augmented reality (page 24) and podcasts
(page 28) in the classroom, using digital tools
to make learning more accessible for bilingual
students (page 26), and more.
But wait, doesn’t the Digital Literacies
issue normally come out in January?
If that thought went through your head,
then I’m very impressed you know our special
editions by heart. It’s more likely that’s not
the case, but I wanted to point out the change
because it was made for an exciting reason.
The next issue will feature our 2017 What’s
Hot in Literacy Survey results, marking the
21st annual ILA survey. The popular resource
was typically printed in the September/
October issue, but we decided to revamp
the survey by including hundreds of ILA’s
members, nonmembers, and literacy advocates
around the world. We wanted to take our time
with this reimagining and kick the next 20
years off strong.
But more on that in the next issue.
Warmly,
PROMOTING
EMPATHY
Use any ILA renewal notice to take advantage of this offer, or
log in and renew right now at literacyworldwide.org/renew.
RENEW NOW AND SAVE!
GET 3 YEARS OF RESOURCES
AND SUPPORT
As an educator and ILA member, you are passionate
about literacy and helping your students learn
and achieve. At ILA, we acknowledge, appreciate,
and applaud your dedication. We want to help you
continue on this positive path in the most cost-
effective way possible by providing the high-quality
teaching resources you trust—for less money.
In honor of your commitment to your students, and
to help you save on ILA membership, we are pleased
to offer a 10% discount on membership and journal
subscriptions when you renew for three years.
2
November/December 2016 | LITERACY TODAY
BROWSE ONLINE:
literacyworldwide.org/catalog
Explore our professional
development resources and
research-based publications
full of tips and strategies
for educators.
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSOCIATION
RESOURCE CATALOG
Back to School 2016
ILA
MEMBERS
SAVE
20%
4
November/December 2016 | LITERACY TODAY
The Literacy Scene
LIT BITS
The Human Development
Programme in Pakistan held
a walk in the Swabi District
to raise awareness about
literacy and enrollment in
school. At the end, children,
particularly girls, were
enrolled during a special
ceremony.
Students from Cayman Prep and High School and
Cayman Prep Primary School helped collect nearly 2,000
books for the nonprofit Literacy Is For Everyone (LIFE),
which is working with the Ministry of Education to set
up libraries in every government school classroom in
the Cayman Islands. Pictured from left is Brad Wilson,
ILA member and Ministry of Education literacy specialist,
with Marilyn Conolly, executive director of LIFE, Key Club
students, and teacher Allison Smith.
First-grade teachers, from left,
Natasha Ridge, Andrea Olert,
Alexia Fetterson, Christina
Stephens, and Heather Harrigan
celebrate International Literacy
Day at Oakdale Elementary
School in Charlotte, NC.
LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2016
ILA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post was in Paris on International
Literacy Day (ILD) for a UNESCO event that celebrated the 50th
anniversary of ILD and aimed to identify what needs to be done to
accomplish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
During the gathering, UNESCO’s Global Alliance for Literacy officially
launched, and ILA engaged in many discussions about involvement as
a lead literacy organization. This new global partnership aims to bring
governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and the private sector together
to advance literacy for all, specifically by looking at how technology can
increase access to quality learning and stimulate and promote collaborative
programs.
We will be sure to keep you updated on the work of this international
partnership and its efforts to advance literacy worldwide.
BY THE NUMBERS
5,747
Number of ILA’s International
Literacy Day (ILD) Activity
Kits downloaded to celebrate
ILD in September. It’s
not too late to get one at
literacyworldwide.org/ild.
68.8M
Number of new teachers
needed around the
world to achieve
UNESCO’s Sustainable
Development Goal
4, according to new
estimates released by
UNESCO
64%
However, a larger
percentage of
students took the ACT
test this year: 64%
compared to 59% the
previous year.
10,000
New books donated to
elementary students in
Detroit by the Ford Motor
Company Fund and First
Book
38%
Percentage of 2016
graduating seniors in the
United States who met
ACT College Readiness
Benchmarks in at least
three of the four core
subject areas, a decrease
from 40% in 2015
Editor
search
opening
soon
The application period
for the next editorship
of Reading Research
Quarterly opens this
month. If you are a
literacy researcher
interested in getting
more involved with
ILA and peer-reviewed
research, check out the
full details on page 41.
ILA Joins Global Alliance
for Literacy
Leaders
wanted
Do you know someone
who is dedicated to literacy
and has a passion for
service? We’re currently
looking for leaders to
serve on the ILA Board
of Directors, guiding ILA’s
direction and enhancing
value for members. Submit
a nomination for yourself
or a colleague by Jan. 13
at literacyworldwide.org/
elections. Voting begins in
late March.
Get Your Free
Journal Issue
A free virtual journal issue on literacy
across the disciplines, combining articles
from Journal of Adolescent & Adult
Literacy, The Reading Teacher, and
Reading Research Quarterly, is available at
literacyworldwide.org/journals. There are
also sample issues
and open access
articles added on
a regular basis, so
check back often
for new ideas,
perspectives, and
inspiration.
The International Literacy Association’s (ILA)
Board of Directors and executive leadership
are working diligently together to improve our
communication with you about all that we do
as an organization and to support you in your
everyday work to advance literacy worldwide.
In today’s age, that means harnessing the
power of digital technologies. Just as we
set the standard for how literacy is defined,
taught, and evaluated, we also strive to set
the standard for how association leadership
should communicate with each other and with
members.
It’s a constantly evolving process, but here are
four ways ILA is using digital tools to enhance our
communication and efficiency:
Using Technology to
Enhance Our Community
ILA UPDATE
2. Virtual meetings
During the last year, we held two of our Board
meetings as well as several committee and task
force meetings virtually. Using virtual meetings
does not hinder communication and it allows
the Board to reallocate the cost savings from
travel expenses to other projects that benefit
members. Virtual meetings also allow us to
assemble more frequently between quarterly
Board meetings for important conversations and
decision making.
We know that you are also using virtual meetings
more often in the work that you do. Through virtual
meetings, our work is more fluid, rather than waiting
for face-to-face Board, task force, or committee
meetings to conduct critical work.
3. Literacy Daily
Hopefully you’re already visiting our blog, Literacy
Daily, which is updated five days a week with posts
that support teachers, coaches, principals, and
district and state/country leaders. There are several
categories on the blog, including one about digital
literacies. In fact, I recently learned about apps that
connect literacy and special education thanks to a
blog written by Kristine E. Pytash, Richard E. Ferdig,
Enrico Gandolfi, and Rachel Mathews.
Along with its daily updates, new sections have
been added and new regular columnists have come
on board, which leads to the most important point:
The blog offers everyone an opportunity to join
the conversation on literacy rather than being just a
consumer.
6
November/December 2016 | LITERACY TODAY
1. An improved website
Our website, literacyworldwide.org, underwent a complete redesign and reorganization last year when
we introduced you to the new name and look of our organization. We hope you visit often, because it is
updated regularly.
In the last few months alone, updates have included a new, user-friendly marketplace, where you can
view and edit your membership information and access all of your ILA resources from Literacy Today to
journals; a new ILA Updates section on the homepage, where you can find important bulletin-style briefs
about executive announcements; and new resources such as our International Literacy Day Activity Kit
(literacyworldwide.org/ild) and our ESSA Advocacy Toolkit (literacyworldwide.org/essa).
When approaching the redesign, we took into account your feedback, which consistently told us
that locating resources was difficult. Improving the organization of the site became a priority of the
first revamp last year.
4. ILA resources
We also offer several online resources such as ILA
E-ssentials, which are quick-read articles offering
easy-to-implement tips, and social media offerings
that provide convenient outlets for teacher-to-
teacher professional development. Tap into our
virtual communities on Facebook and Twitter to
build your personal learning network and carve out
that much-needed time to talk to your like-minded
peers. Teaching can be an isolating profession, but
we’re here to help connect you through whatever
platform works best for you—whether it’s national
or regional conferences, blog posts or social media
discussions.
You can also find ways to get more involved
with ILA under the Get Involved tab on our website.
Learning how to become an author or blogger
or how to join our network of local councils and
special interest groups is easy.
Digital communication and supporting your
professional work are important to us. Please
share in the rich, digital community of ILA and
take advantage of all that’s at your fingertips. And if
there’s something you would like to see included
in our offerings, know that
your voice matters. E-mail
us at exec@reading.org.
Diane Barone
Immediate Past President of
the Board
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of ILA’s journals – for FREE!
� Sample issues of The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading
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LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2016
began systematically studying the relationships between literacy and technology
in 1999. At that time, only 63% of instructional classrooms in the United States had
Internet access.
However, by 2006, nearly 100% of classrooms were equipped with a range of
technologies and connectivity, according to the National Center for Education
Statistics. Furthermore, more than 13 million iPads have now been sold to schools
worldwide and more than 80,000 apps are identified as education-related in Apple’s
App Store.
Although access is becoming less of a barrier in developed countries, there are
some challenges that still impede curricular integration, such as technical assistance
and time. Perhaps the one I hear about most is how to use the plethora of tools
available to support student learning.
For instance, I collaborate with a local middle school in Delaware that is engaged
in a one-to-one iPad initiative and is fully equipped with SMART Boards, digital
cameras, and other technology tools. When we meet as a team, we often discuss the
critical role of lesson design. We agree that the educational apps themselves do not
benefit student learning. Instead, our meetings focus on ways teachers can design
instruction that leverages what apps have to offer.
What can apps do?
Before apps can be integrated into lesson plans, teachers must understand their
affordances. In other words, what exactly are they capable of doing to support
instruction?
First, educational apps are multimodal. They incorporate written and oral
language, moving and still images, audio, and haptic touch—the ability to move
objects around the screen. Second, many apps enable users to collaborate. Students
can connect their iPads to the same app and work in real time or asynchronously to
design collective work.
Interactivity is a third affordance. If leveraged effectively, it can increase
audience awareness by providing a wide readership. In turn, students invite critique
in ways that extend beyond classroom walls.
Types of apps
One way to make sense of apps is by examining the ways they foster interactions among
the learner, content, and technology. There are several frameworks that can be used as a
guide. The following are four categories I identified in my analyses of 50 apps used in the
school I referred to earlier.
1. Content. The purpose of these apps is to help students consume content.
Skills are typically assessed as levels of difficulty are completed. Many have
game-like interfaces requiring users to beat the clock, play against opponents,
or earn points. Additionally, some publishers create these as supplemental
resources. Khan Academy is an example of a content app. It is designed for
users to progress through sequences of instruction with teacher-led videos,
By Rachel Karchmer-Klein
The critical role of lesson design in app-integrated
instruction
Rachel Karchmer-Klein,
(karchmer@udel.edu), an
ILA member since 1998 and
a current member of the
ILA Board of Directors, is
an associate professor of
literacy education at the
University of Delaware.
Karchmer-Klein is the 2016
recipient of the Computers
in Reading Research
Award, awarded by ILA’s
Technology in Literacy
Education Special Interest
Group.
OUR VIEW
TECHNOLOGY-SUPPORTED
LEARNING
8
November/December 2016 | LITERACY TODAY