After exploring several options, I decided to use Pinterest as my curation tool for my final project which will entail researching using ebooks with emergent readers. I really enjoy exploring new tools and I would love to have more time to check them out because many of them look like they are fun to use. I looked at Flipboard first because I heard about this tool but never tried it. It seemed fairly easy to use and I set up a practice magazine to see if I liked it. I also looked at Storify, Thinglink and Scoop.it and the three of those tools seemed to be similar. I then decided to use Pinterest for several reasons.
- I am already registered with Pinterest and use it several times a week to look for supporting activities for my classroom, so I am familiar navigating on Pinterest and it is a tool that I know I will continue to use.
- I can share my information easily with colleagues.
- I like how Pinterest personalizes my searches and updates me with similar “pins.”
Since I teach children in kindergarten, the majority of my
students are emergent readers and since we are a 1:1 school, ebooks are a
highly used tool. My plan is to research
the effects of electronic books on the emergent literacy skills of young students. I typically use scholarly articles,
educational/teacher blogs, and educational magazines and texts for my resources
Many educators use Pinterest and when searching for an
educational topic there are so many resources available to choose from. I like to pin relevant resources that look
like they are credible and will be of value me and the topic I am
researching. I can keep all of the pins
together on a private board and read them after gathering all of them. I want to find resources that will teach me something
new about how ebooks are used with emergent readers and whether or not they
help improve student’s literacy skills so that I can use the ebooks as a
meaningful and valuable tool.
Here is a link to my Pinterest board about ebooks:
https://www.pinterest.com/susanschiavo/ebooks-in-education/
Here is a link to my Pinterest board about ebooks:
https://www.pinterest.com/susanschiavo/ebooks-in-education/
Hi Susan
ReplyDeleteI have long wondered the impact of ebooks on today's students. I think that the idea is great in that student access is easier; however, does it have any negatives when it comes to fluency and retention of the story. I will be looking forward to see what your final project shows. My bigger concern besides fluency and retention would be impact on eyes, etc...
Hi Gina,
DeleteI'm looking forward to diving into the research more as I team teach with my reading specialist at school. One of the positives about fluency when an emergent reader listens to an ebook is that they get to hear a fluent reader and what it should sound like. I like books that highlight the words as they go along but not all of them do that. One of the negative things that I think of with new readers are that they also need to know how to handle a book.....how to hold it and turn pages and one to one matching of the words when reading. Those little things like just holding the book the correct way are some things that emergent readers might have to learn to do.
Sue
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI use the app Epic in my second grade classroom. There are both books with audio and stand alone books for students to read. The books range from very simple all the way to chapter books. I find that students are engaged when using this app. However, I have also read some research that students learn more reading skills from paper books. It has something to do with the connection of your brain and turning the pages. I am not sure exactly which is correct. I can't wait to check out your final project and see what you find out.
I also, like you, choose to use Pinterest. I agree that I like the feature where it recommends other pins for you. It makes doing the research a little easier. I also like how easy it is to pin things from other sites and pages. It makes it nice to be able to quickly gather all the research in one location.
Breann,
DeleteI'm looking forward to doing more research on points like you mentioned. The turning of the pages are even the little things that young readers must learn how to do.
I have used Epic Books for three years now and I love it. The kids are sooooo engaged. I used the app for a research project too for my kindergarteners. They had to use the search tool and type in an animal and choose the book that was recommended (based on a picture I gave them). I love how it keeps track of what they read as well. It's a great app and of course they love to change their avatar.
Sue
I use Epic for research projects too! It makes it so much easier for young students to find their animal and information about it. It's great that there are also books that can be read to them, which allows students that struggle to read the ability to still do the research.
DeleteI, too, have found my kids enjoy the avatar and changing the backgrounds and scenery in their account. :)
Congratulations on your topic. I am excited to see what you come up with. I am a big advocate for anything that gets our students to read. One thing I find interesting is that you can always tell if the hotels here are mostly Dominican or American by how many people are around the pool with a book. If Dominican, you will not see any books. American, almost everyone will have a print or tablet. I find it very interesting. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan-
ReplyDeleteI am really excited about your topic! As a librarian and parent I am very interested in seeing the results of your research.
Before this course I had never considered using Pinterest as a research tool. I had only used it for recipes, decorating ideas, etc. I chose to use Diigo for this class, but I will be looking into the research aspect of Pinterest a bit further.