Rationale 1E: Technology

 Link to Artifact 1E

Louis Stevens III

C&T 898: Masters Project

Dr. Steven White

11 July 2022

 

Artifact Description

            This artifact is a final project submitted during the course C&T 840: Emergent Literacy and Beginning Reading, moderated by Dr. Barbara Bradley. The expectations of the assignment were to create a finished, multimedia eBook that demonstrated an understanding of the instructional concepts behind the construction of reading materials and differentiated technology tools that can be used to make these resources more accessible for all learners. This eBook is intended to be read for at-level third grade students.

The artifact was created using the CAST UDL builder found on UDL Book Builder (cast.org). This website allows users to create, submit, and share eBooks to the internet. This website was chosen as the forge for my final project because it offers the option to create a seamless glossary, table of contents, automated reader, highlighting tools, and other materials that supplemented the main components of my eBook. The version of the eBook that will be attached as an artifact is a .pdf file version that may not allow the reader to access all of these features. To view the original version, click the link at UDL Book Builder: Public Library Books (cast.org) and select “Soft-hearted Snakes” by Louis Stevens.

 

Artifact Rationale

The conclusion of Learning Outcome 1E is to “demonstrate appropriate applications of technology by creating experiences and opportunities for learners to engage with technology to enhance and extend their learning” (2020). This project creates opportunities for young learners to engage with reading technology in the following ways:

I.                    Accessibility

            Most public libraries now offer free electronic books for download remotely from a phone or tablet with a free library card. The UDL builder website also allows free reads and downloads. Studies have determined that approximately 1 out of every 4 young learners prefer eBooks to traditional print books (Tosun 2014).

II.                 Differentiation

Another benefit of the artifact for students is that it includes an autoreader for listening to as well as visual and auditory cues. These cues benefit comprehension in students who identify as visual or auditory learners and kinesthetic learners can engage with the eBooks prompts in a similar manner. Using the CAST tools, students can highlight unfamiliar vocabulary and search immediately if it is not listed in the glossary as a subject-specific term. There also exists the ability to include a link for definitions and auditory prompts that spells the word, sound it out, and uses it in a more familiar context for the student. This can be found in the drop-down menu bar.  Add-ons for translation are easy to install, especially, using web browser widgets.

III.              Assessment

Many print books include review questions for teachers, but they are often constructed by editors with little knowledge of the author’s original teaching intent. The artifact includes review questions that were developed with careful thought to the key skills that emergent readers require such as vocabulary, comprehension, retelling, and content-area reading. I also included a preface of the preferred audience of the book. One key element that separates this technological project over traditional basal readers is the transferability of the reading materials for teacher and tutor use.

IV.              Engagement

A final way that the technology in this project benefits students is in its potential interest and next steps for readers. When a student finishes a print book, they are often seeking more but left with little guidance outside of a free teacher or librarian. This electronic resource provides helpful links for further investigation into its topic, trusted references, and a subject-specific glossary. By continuing to link hop through the relevant sources, a student could find a potentially limitless stream of similar short stories both fiction and non-fiction. Many students are now more familiar with online navigation than traditional print materials, thus making the CAST builder more accessible to self-professed non-readers.

Conclusion

This project changed my perspective on eBooks as a form of technology because it clued me in to their relevance to modern-day instruction and the potential for supplemental material to be inserted. As a reader I do not prefer eBooks, so in my naivety I assumed that this was the popular sentiment amongst emergent readers as well. This project changed my practice because it gave me the confidence to create my own electronic resources for utilization on the classroom and as a tutor. Becoming familiar with the CAST UDL builder also helped me to expand my personal library of reading materials and evaluate them on my judgement rather than trust that of a recommendation. I have since developed more intricate and successful technological assessment tools designed to coincide with curricular concepts that I have focused on here in my KU coursework.

 

References

CAST UDL Book Builder Public Library Books . CAST UDL Book Builder. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6,                                               2022, from http://bookbuilder.cast.org/library.php

Tosun, N. (2014, January). A STUDY ON READING PRINTED BOOKS OR E- BOOKS:FOR                                                       STUDENT-TEACHERS PREFERENCES. Education Resources                                                                              Information Center. Retrieved                                                                                                                                  July 2021 from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1018172.pdf#:~:text                                                                                                                                                                                            

University of Kansas Department of Curriculum & Teaching. (2020, July). C&T 898 Course Syllabus.                                              KU Connect . Retrieved June 30, 2022, from                                                                                                            https://kuconnect.ku.edu/courses/2837/assignments/syllabus