Technology Education Trends- August 2014

2014 Aug 01

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2014

Summer Reading

Summer reading does not have to mean brain candy beach novels or drill sergeanting students through reading lists. There are some really interesting tools available for readers young and old.

Google Lit Trips are free downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. At each location along the journey there are placemarks with pop-up windows containing a variety of resources including relevant media, thought provoking discussion starters, and links to supplementary information about "real world" references made in that particular portion of the story. The focus is on creating engaging and relevant literary experiences for students.

Downloadable maps are available for many stories and characters including; Frankenstein, The Kite Runner, Anne Frank or the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Getting started guides as well as Integration strategies are available for teachers.

Tech Awards: 2010 Laureate

Lit2Go

We all love a good Disney movie, but the works of literary giants like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Shakespeare and Mark Twain do not always translate well to the large screen. These works can also be overwhelming for a reluctant reader.

Lit2Go is a free collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for classrooms. All passages on the Lit2Go site are currently available on iTunesU.

Reading Rockets is a national multimedia literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how adults can help. The 'Fun Stuff' page encourages the celebration of the joy of reading and writing with daily children's literature quiz, reading adventure packs, colorful bilingual doorhangers and other fun printables, e-cards, quotable quotes, and web widgets.

For adults looking for a holistic hands on way to support reading, we suggest checking out The Reading Adventure Pack: Robots.

What's in the reading adventure pack?

Parent information sheet with an introductory note that teachers can personalize, instructions about how to use the packet, and tips for sharing fiction and nonfiction books with children
Two book suggestions: one fiction and one nonfiction, selected by Reading Rockets for high quality and wide availability in school libraries
Creativity Activity: a hands-on craft project
Imagination Activity: encourages imaginative play, writing, or drawing
Get Real Activity: focuses on real-world experiences for parent and child
Bookmark: lists the featured titles and alternative titles
Parent survey