“Having children engage in books of high quality introduces them to new words, ideas, and events outside of their daily experience.” (Roskos & Neuman, 2014)
As teachers, our job is to expose students to ideas, concepts, and realities they have yet to experience. Whether through class discussions, reading a novel, or analyzing a video, it is imperative to help student build knowledge of the world around them through the texts we choose to incorporate. And the integration of Educational Technology provides opportunities for learning that were simply not possible before. In fact, using technology to help create learning experiences for students is one of the Best Practices of the 21st Century Literacy Classroom!
Check out some of the links compiled below that can help your students BUILD KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TEXT.
Virtual Field Trips: Check out the extensive list of virtual field trips on this blog post! Tons of options for all ages and all subjects!
E-Books: Yes, there are tons of websites available to make e-books with students, but to be honest, PowerPoint or Google Slides works just fine! E-books can become companion readers! Every time we visit a new location on Google Earth or find the answer to a question, have students create a new page of their Companion Reader! Looking for additional ideas? Go here!
GAFE: The Google Suite is the best and easiest way to build knowledge. Reading a book and the students have a question? Simple! Google it! YouTube it! Google Earth it! We have answers and virtual experiences to help our students build background knowledge in order to further understand a text by simply using the Google Apps for Education Suite!
Share to Classroom Extension: This Chrome extension pairs with Google Classroom users! Teachers can push websites to students with one click! Simply locate the site, click Share to Classroom, and select the Google Classroom you’d like to share with link with! The website on your screen immediately is sent to your students and opens on their screens! AMAZING!
Take a STAND! One of my freebies! After building the knowledge through the text, I like to have students formulate opinions on the things read! Have students Take a Stand on the issue… literally!
