District Administration - May 2012 - (Page 42)

Empowering Students with Digital ReaDing to the students at their level,” he says. In 2011, Scholastic launched READ 180 Next Generation, an updated program that includes a larger library of nonfiction e-books, as well as new writing software designed to help students improve their writing skills. This June, literacy publisher MindPlay will launch its MindPlay Virtual Reading Coach, a new curriculum for K12 designed to help students improve their reading skills by differentiating instruction. With MindPlay, students will have their own virtual reading specialist to help them read along at their own pace. One school is even replacing textbooks with e-book readers. At Clearwater High School in the Pinellas County (Fla.) School System, school officials purchased Association. The committee works to promote computers and related technologies as tools for improving the quality of reading instruction for children. Coiro says that school districts will also need to invest in professional development for teachers, including working with teachers to develop a comprehensive instruction plan as well as assessments to determine if students are using the technology in productive ways. Coiro also believes there needs to be more research to determine the long-term impact of using digital books. For example, she says there is a concern that students who are accustomed to using only highly engaging digital books may have trouble transitioning to regular “flat text” books. “Kids learn differently,” she says. “We still aren’t sure if this is something that will work for every kid.” Finding Funding Coiro says that there is also the issue of the digital divide. Wealthier districts have the funds and freedom to experiment with new programs, while districts in lowincome areas are limited. School officials at the Indiana Department of Education found a solution to the digital divide through government funding for after-school programs. Dre Knox, who works in the division of grants management at the Indiana Department of Education, heard about myON reader last year and thought it would be an excellent addition to the state’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The centers are part of a nationwide government program for after-school enrichment in high-poverty neighborhoods. Last year, the state was able to secure 21st Century federal grant money to launch myON in 25 of its after-school 21st Century Community Learning programs, which serve more than 5,500 children. Knox says that children in these programs read 18,000 books just in the month of November. “The teachers and kids love it,” he says. “So far, we’ve had nothing but positive feedback.” St. Mary Parish Public School DisDistrict Administration will ever disappear entirely. “Students still love their physical books, but many of our children are going to want that interactive reading experience, and we [librarians] are going to have to adapt,” she says. “It’s the wave of the future.” Other Options MyON is just one of many reading programs aimed at moving classrooms into the digital age. School districts today have a range of choices and specific services to meet the various needs of students. For teachers focused on early childhood education, Rowland Reading Foundation’s Super Kids Reading Program features a core digital reading program designed for K2. The program features online games and interactive library books that can be read at home, as well as assessments. “We still aren’t sure if this is something that will work for every kid.” —Julie Coiro, chair, the Technology, Literacy and Communication Committee, the International Reading Association For those looking for more comprehensive assessments, Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader offers four types of quizzes: reading practice, vocabulary practice, literacy skills and textbook quizzes. The program, for grades pre-K through 12, allows students to read books at their own pace and then take the series of quizzes. Justin Lim, an English teacher at Rosemead High School in California’s El Monte Union High School District, says that the Scholastic Read 180 program has helped his struggling students, especially the English language learners. The program places students at appropriate reading levels and prompts them to read passages and vocabulary words aloud, a method called “putting miles on the tongue,” which was coined by Kate Kinsella, co-author of the READ180 program and leading ELL researcher. For Lim, a former Teacher of the Year for his district, personalized instruction is essential for struggling readers. “The only way to really teach reading is to effectively tailor it 42 May 2012 2,500 Kindles for the 2010-2011 school year and have since essentially stopped purchasing textbooks, according to The Tennessean newspaper. The first textbooks to be downloaded to the Kindle were the math textbooks. School officials reported a 6 percent jump in math scores in grades 9 to 12 after a year. This school year, the district has ordered about 1,000 Kindle Fires, the tablet computer version of the Kindle e-book reader. The Kindle Fires are used along with regular Kindles. Professional Development As the demand for digital reading grows, so do the needs for professional development for teachers and for comprehensive assessments to determine whether the programs are working, says Julie Coiro, a professor in the School of Education at the University of Rhode Island and chair of the Technology, Literacy and Communication Committee of the International Reading

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2012

District Administration - May 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Sustainability Update
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Problem/Solution
Product Focus
Digital Reading Empowers Students
The Critical Task of Hiring a New Chief
Hard Acts to Follow
Leading the Way
Sally Reis & Joe Renzulli
CIO News
Not Your Mother’s Student Information System
Professional Opinion
Noteworthy Books
New Products
Going Mobile

District Administration - May 2012