Roblyer, M. D. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. 4th ed. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson, 2006.

 After reading the texts prescribed for the ENGL 7741 class, I cast around for something that might be immediately relevant to an MAT candidate like myself who will actually be teaching an ESOL 9^th grade lit. class in August. Naturally, overwhelmed by the surfeit of information about integrating technology into the classroom, I thought this book would be a refreshing change. I actually picked it up because it has one chapter dedicated to “English and Language Arts Instruction” and one to “Technology in English Language Learning and Foreign Language Instruction.” I was hoping to find some useful information for integrating the two disciplines.

Having been of two minds about some of the things we’ve learned this semester, due in large part to my sympathetic reading of the “push back” text, I was extremely interested to read the following, which I quote in full because it has so much bearing on this course’s syllabus:

According to the IRA [International Reading Association], students have the right to:

·      Teachers who are skilled in the effective use of technology for teaching and learning,

·      A literacy curriculum that integrates the new literacies of technology into instructional programs,

·      Instruction that develops the critical literacies essential to effective information use,

·      Assessment practices in literacy that include reading and writing with technology tools,

·      Opportunities to learn safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies, and

·      Equal access to technology.

This text turned out to be more general and broader in scope than I expected and its content does not lend it easily to cover to cover reading. But it is filled with ideas that reinforce the syllabus and information to help teachers access technology for classroom use, although the content is somewhat dated, like the Richardson text. But I was extremely impressed by the ideas quoted above. They reinforce the philosophy that I have reached at the end of this course and which I express in my course reflection as follows:

In class, we have examined different modes of expression that now permeate society and which students themselves also need to access and respond to. Videos on YouTube, and web sites calling for attention like sirens, amongst others, now feature prominently in the mindscapes of teenagers, and as a teacher I recognize that I have to join my students in navigating visual and digital texts and negotiating meaning across contexts in a manner that would not only have been impossible just fifteen years ago, but also meaningless. However, my readings during this semester have presented me with a significant caveat to such engagement: the traditional foci of content in English language arts (ELA) needs to complement such non-print texts, otherwise students will be unable to meaningfully articulate their own interpretations, either in person or across time (i.e. in writing). As instruction in the “grammars” of English brings students to both print and non-print texts, these texts in turn should inform students’ own understanding of how the study of English language arts can both empower them and engage them in meaningful discourse with multiple audiences across multiple platforms and networks.

I will probably continue to refer to this text as the year progresses, and as questions arise. I recognize the importance of the ideas that Richardson espouses in his book and feel better having come to terms with my initial biases towards traditional texts and print media.