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Blog Post #5

  Ida Mae Craddock’s article, “Immersive Virtual Reality, Google Expeditions, and English Language Learning,” discusses the benefits of using gamification in the classroom for all students, specifically English language learners. When a student is motivated and interested in the classroom content or activities, it will benefit the student inside and outside the classroom. Craddock stated, “There is some value to the “wow” factor in education. Content that engages the learner in a common experience both creates community and provides a framework and context for the content to be remembered” (2018). When an opportunity arises to connect with a student on a deeper level to promote growth and understanding of content, it is crucial to follow through. Virtual reality and simulations have displayed significant learning in any classroom. Craddock explains how her use of virtual reality during assignments has supported ELL students with not stressing about dissecting the language, rather t...
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Blog Post #4

  The way individuals communicate, interact, and learn is heavily technology and social media driven. In Olivia Stewart’s research article, A critical review of the literature of social media’s affordances in the classroom , she discusses what social media is, the key features, positives and negatives to using it in the classroom, and the link to learning and literacy that can be provided. When covering social media usage in teens, Stewart states, “ In 2015, the Pew Research Center reported that 92% of US teenagers go online daily, and 71% use at least two social networking sites” (2015.) Since then, I am sure the numbers have increased greatly as social media and technology is constantly changing.  Stewart gives credit to the early stages of social media in the classroom through blogs and discussion based platforms. When studying the benefits of blogs, Stewart states, “They found that students benefited greatly from the collaborative and engaging tools that allowed for greate...
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Blog Post #3

  In Terese Thonus’s publication, “Serving Generation 1.5 Learners In the University Writing Center,” she discusses pedagogical practices that best benefit ELL students. She discusses her time spent working with ELL students and their prior knowledge and instruction when it comes to writing. Thonus discusses the foundation of skills writers need to be successful in an American academic environment. However, she sheds light on ELL’s possibly struggling with the five skills: the ability to “(a) verbalize what they [ELLs] want to write, (b) express themselves clearly and correctly in English, (c) reply to questions about writing, (d) perceive what sounds right on paper, and (e) focus on and value organization and development more than sentence level correctness” (17). Following, Thonus proposes that teachers must understand and become aware of the students cultural and linguistic heritage and offer explicit direction. This is where digital literacy can come in to support ELL students....
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Blog Post #2

The use of podcasts in the classroom can be extremely beneficial for all students, especially those who fall under the category of English Language Learners. In our course content for the week, we focused on how much podcasts have grown over the years in popularity. Not only in the classroom, but in individuals' personal lives, people are turning to podcasts for entertainment, guidance, and information. A few qualities of podcasts that make them impactful in the classroom are: authentic, diverse, convenient, and interesting. My Google alerts brought me to the article, “‘Podcast Time’: Negotiating Digital Literacies and Communities of Learning in a Middle Years ELL Classroom.” When I found this article, I did not realize how valuable and relatable it would be to this week's content and the education world. This article discusses digital literacy projects and how they can help create a classroom environment for ELL students that is welcoming and engaging. It begins by telling a p...
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Blog Post #1

  As discussed this week, a blog offers the opportunity for students and teachers to interact in a setting that mirror almost identically to the classroom using print or media platforms. With a focus on blogging for ELL students in this weeks readings, I came across the article, "How to Build a Culturally Responsive Community of Writers." This article covered ways to make writing an enticing concept for students. A way to do this is through blogging for students. This starts with giving students texts to read that are multicultural and culturally responsive. Once the articles are read, it is important to promote a learning environment that is interactive and promotes discussion. This is where blogging comes in to play. As Larry Ferlazzo states in his article, it is important to focus on "creating a space where we would become a community of writers-teaching and learning from one another" (2022). Students and teachers can use the blogging media to learn and respond f...
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Miss McSorley - Introduction

   Hi, all! My name is Riley McSorley, and I am a high school teacher in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Currently, I teach five sections of 9th grade Honors English and one section of STEM Design Thinking II. In my English class, we explore different literary genres and elements. In my STEM class, we focus on research and presentation principals that focus on the field of STEM. Blogging is a great tool inside and outside of the classroom. I find myself constantly reading education and lifestyle blogs in my free time. I learn so much great content! In the classroom, I use blogs for creative projects for my students. This is a way they can display their learning in a fun, unique way. I am super excited to get this blog started.
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