Wilde Reading

I enjoyed reading this article. I think that this article helped me as a future teacher learn about the problems we are having with spelling, and how we can help to fix them. There is a large problem in schools of teaching kids how to spell. I remember having to look up words in the dictionary, and I found it annoying because my teacher knew the answer. Looking back on it now, she was helping me develop my own way to learn how to spell. I definitely want to incorporate these techniques into my future classroom, because I think they would help students.

One part of the article that I thought was interesting was the Placeholder Spelling technique. It is a quick spelling of a word, and the writer knows it is not correct. What is vital about this technique is that it is helping kids sound out words they are hearing. If they are sounding out the same sounds over and over again, they are going to be able to then learn the actual spelling of the word. By the teacher not giving the student the answer right away, it helps the student sound it out, and make them come to their own conclusion.

Overall, I really liked this article, and it was very beneficial to me as a future teacher.

Coffee Shop Literacy Dig

This assignment was an interesting experience for me. I am used to always being on the go, and sitting and just 'observing' for 30 minutes was a tough task for me. When sitting there watching peoples interactions with one another, I noticed that the vocabulary in this Coffee shop was different than in other gathering places. There was one interaction that I found interesting. A english teacher was having his office hours at the Coffee Shop. He was helping his students understand vocabulary in the text, and helping them understand the meanings behind the literature they were reading. Among the many people who were studying alone at tables, enjoying their coffee, there were others who were meeting up with friends. Their vocabulary was much different than those who were discussing items with their teachers. I could tell this due to their body language. The friends were more eager to share stories and talk with one another, but the interaction with the teacher and student was much more formal. The tables in the coffee shop were scattered, mostly individual, but you could move them together if you needed more space. The Coffee Shop was louder at times, but then would quite down and become a more intimate environment. The coffee shop had a very easy going environment, it put me in a relaxed mood while sitting there. Some places can be so harsh with their furniture and decorations, but this shop was definitely the opposite.

"That's online writing, not boring school writing"

After reading this article, I truly believe that computers have broaden the horizons of writing. It may be less personal, but children find writing with computers intriguing. The thought of instantly seeing someone's blog and what they are thinking at that time is extremely cool, especially to younger children. The article explained the students were "hungry for writing." As a teacher you have to be flexible to what works better for their students. If that is by renting the schools computers everyday during writing time, that is what you should do. Computers also allow you to read more literature that we used to. Instead of checking the book out of the library, children can read it online or download it and read it whenever they want. Merging technology and literature is beneficial, especially when teaching how to write.