2010+kwl+reading

-that reading is more than decoding symbols on a page. I know that there are young people who can "say" words or copy answers without understanding the meaning embedded therein. I know that while some children seems to naturally understand, analyze, and challenge the texts that they read, others regard the written word as something mysterious and irrefutable. I know that living in a democracy means knowing how to search for answers, analyze data, question credibility/accuracy, and evaluate information. This is not possible if we allow children to copy and paste their way through school. I believe that concerned educators must emphasize reading and reading comprehension so that our children grow into thinkers who will challenge even us, the ones who taught them. (JBadio)
 * I Know...**

-that reading is fun and exciting (when you are a good reader), but can also be boring and frustrating (when you never fully comprehend the message and don't have strategies to help you make sense of what you are reading). (AWilkinson)

-that reading skills are absoloutely necessary in today's world. Success=literacy. (ADenney) --that reading strategies need to be taught to even high achieving students. As the reading material becomes more complex, students need to be instructed in new ways of processing the information because old methods may not work. (SBailey) --that reading skills have opened the world to me by deciphering information and transforming imagination (JJenkins) -that reading skills are considered boring to students but necessary for survival in the real world. (MSears)

Students are not learning the skills they need in order to succeed in today's world. We as educators need to teach students the reading strategies they will need no matter their reading ability.

**I Want to Know...**
-how to help my students become critical readers. I want to know where to find the strategies, ideas, tools, and communities I need to help me achieve this goal. (JBadio)

-how to use web 2.0 tools to help students gain reading skills needed to become critical readers while learning my content area, German. (AWilkinson)

how to teach my students to become critical readers - where to find the information, how to read the information, how to comprehend the information, and how to use the information in their lives. (DHuey)

-how to teach students not to just be functionally literate, but engaged, critical thinkers and responders. I want to learn how Web 2.0 tools can help facilitate that. (ADenney) --how to help students make the transition from high school text to college-level text with engaging lessons that utilize technology. (SBailey) --how to utilize Web 2.0 tools to equip students with life-long reading skills for success beyond high school (JJenkins) -how to translate reading skills from the perspective of foreign language to English. (MSears)

** I Learned... **
==== -podcasts are another way to incorporate read-alouds in the classroom. (AWilkinson) that I'm already using good strategies like Read-Alouds, Think-Pair-Share, Exit Slips, and Think-Alouds. I also learned that there are lots more strategies and software available to me. For example, I learned that there is software for converting text to speech to support struggling readers. I learned that strategic teaching requires Before, During, and After reading strategies EVERY day, not just the days when scheduling allows. I learned that there is brain-based research supporting this method of teaching reading--that it's more than a "neat" idea; it's good science. (JBadio) ==== ==== - that it's okay to not shy away from technology. So often popular technology (Wikipedia, social networking, Twitter) gets dismissed by educators because it is too informal, or brings us too close to students outside of the classroom. It is refreshing to see it being encouraged in an appropriate atmosphere. (ADenney) ==== ====--that there are specific reading strategies that can be used by non-reading teachers to help students process information. In particular, that learning to ask questions can be an effective technique for reading comprehension. (SBailey).==== --that the same reading skills and techniques that face resistance when we place books in students hands are used without quibbles when technology is introduced (JJenkins) -that technology needs to follow teaching strategies, not just be another toy to throw at the students in a dog and pony show. (MSears)

-that I need to use as much technology as I can to help my students become better readers. Because I am unsure of how to use some technology strategies, doesn't mean not to give the students the chance to use it - students can often use and teach others to use what we can't or won't. (DHuey)