Various methods of using technology in your language arts program to improve both reading and writing.
Using technology in your language arts program will enhance instruction and improve reading and writing ability.
Before beginning any technology program in your classroom, remember to address these points:
- What type of access to technology will your students have?
- What is your level of technology proficiency?
- What is your students' level of technology proficiency? What can you expect them to be able to do independently at the computer?
- How much time will your students have available to use computers?
- When should your students use technology tools to complete assignments?
- Always remember to have students and their parents fill out a permission slip if you plan to use e-mail or pictures of the students on the school or district website.
Suggested Activities for Students:
- Use computer-generated graphic organizers to map out the plot of a story; use the “Insert Diagram” option on MS Word or find graphic organizers on the Internet (Here's a sample)
- Use websites that contain folktales and myths that students can retell to the class.
- Create an electronic portfolio of book reports of stories or novels read during the school year.
- Create a class database of books read by type or author. Determine if the class enjoys one type of book or author over others. This will assist in stocking the books that the students prefer and encourage them to read for enjoyment.
- Using a Word document, scramble sentences of a story. Using the “cut and paste” option, have students arrange sentences so that they make sense.
- Create a Power point presentation of the following: a review of a recently read novel; a biography of a famous author or character in literature that the student researched; an autobiography of the student’s life, including future aspirations. Present the project to the class and e-mail it to the principal and other teachers.
- Write a play based upon a recently read novel. Using classmates as actors, record the play with a digital camera. Present the play to the class, or school if feasible.
- For younger students and non-readers there are many interactive reading websites that contain stories that are read aloud. Here is one example on which students will find many of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Organize vocabulary words into a database for easy access.
Some of these activities can be adapted to other subjects, such as art, music, science and social studies.
The copyright of the article Technology in Language Arts in Teaching & Technology is owned by Beth Lynne. Permission to republish Technology in Language Arts must be granted by the author in writing.
