#TeacherEdChat Archive
We invite all educators to contribute to the conversation of preparing preservice teachers as well as practicing teachers for the realities of the 21st-century classroom. This includes principals, in-service teachers, university supervisors of student teachers, education professors, higher education administration, instructional technology specialists, and so on. Anyone with a vested interest in supporting our teachers in preparation for teaching the diverse K-12 student population is invited to participate.
Monday March 28, 2016
Welcome to the ! Please introduce yourself, your position, and where you're from.
Hi! I'm Emily, and I work in community and content at (and a former librarian). I'm from the ever-bustling NYC.
For tonight's convo, we will use a Q1, Q2 format for questions. Please use A1, A2, etc. for answers.
Joining the for next hour from CT & UConn women just won another basketball game!
Hello! Joanna from Philly, PA here
. Brilliant! And thanks for joining , Judy. ^_^ Do you think UConn will win another championship?
Please make sure to tag to all tweets tonight for this chat. Let your voice be heard!
Tiffany, Title 1 Reading and Math Interventionist, Alabama
Tyler Lucas, 5th grade teacher in Grand Island, NE
. Welcome, Joanna! Great to have you at tonight.
Hello! Curtis from Regina, SK, Canada, Pre-service teacher at the University of Regina.
Welcome, Tiffany! Thanks for joining us for tonight.
Welcome Tyler! Great to see you at
Hello Tyler, and thanks for joining us on tonight
Q1 coming up in just a minute... hang tight!
Joining from Texas! 4th grade 1:1 ss/sci teacher:-)
As soon as I saw the gif, knew Nathan was here
Q1 What does literacy mean beyond the aspects of reading and writing? How do you define multimodal literacy?
Welcome, Whitney! Thanks for joining tonight. I was just in TX a few weeks ago. Miss its warm weather. :)
Hi Whitney and happy to have you w/ us on
He is the King of the Gifs!
A1: Multimodal literacy is communicating in varied formats successfully
A1: Literacy includes the arts, dance, drama, creativity
A1: Communicating through voice, images, movies, globally
A1 Being able to understand and communicate via video, audio, performance... it's visual, aural, verbal, somatic...
A1: Full understanding of language and its use in all formats
A1 ...Like said, it's everything!
Jen Robinson, Teacher Librarian, Rhode Island
A1: Different ways of representing knowledge and making meanings
. Welcome to , Jen! We're tackling Q1 right now. Let me know if you need it. ^_^ Great to have you with us!
Q1: Making connections between text and experience
Bonus Q: How does Beefsquatch help with multimodal literacy? cc:
Also, being able to successfully receive & interact w/ info sent in varied formats
. Yeah! Another reason why the world needs more librarians. :D They're experts at dissecting information, yo.
Katie Mason, 3rd grade teacher in Nebraska
A1: Multimodal literacy means knowing how to assess and critique information from all mediums (e.g., tv, radio, youTube)
How is your gif game SO STRONG all the time?! I am in awe.
Q2 coming up in one minute, folks.
And of course the Internet & social media https://t.co/iCvYVJ9Ty1
A1: Multimodal literacy means knowing how to assess and critique information from all mediums (e.g., tv, radio, youTube)
A1: Being able to apply those literacy skills to other areas of life (tv, internet, everyday tasks)
A1: making connections between any text and experience
Q2 How much of an emphasis does learning the four pillars of literacy have in your school? How do they impact Ss achievement?
A2: Multimodal literacies combines all of the 4 pillars
Nebraska is well represented on
A2: Huge. We are a Title I, district ELL site, so we are pushing students to use language in every way to grow their English
One bonus of Nathan in a chat is all of the gifs
A2: The four pillars are usually taught and assessed separately in schools. Multimedia can fix that :)
A2: It is a component of our curriculum daily, we are revamping our program for more intensive focus on reading and writing
The 4 pillars intertwine, so makes little sense to assess each separately
A2 While speaking + working w/ Ts, two (reading/writing) seem to have larger emphasis, yet all 4 play a role in new standards
Listening and speaking are what many do more often than reading & writing
Nice to see other classmates in this chat
A1: Multimodal= me trying to use on my mobile while toggling to chat, while looking for laptop + paper
A2: Sadly, the four pillars of literacy are rarely discussed in the district I work for.
That seems impossible to be the case in any educational institution
A2 has really enhanced the Ts ability to give Ss an authentic audience for speaking and listening! so much potential!
. I hear you! Does that mean demonstrating multimodal literacy = effectively multitasking? ;)
A2: So many pillars, so little time. Emphasize all but not formally. Need to ramp up strategy.
What is the course and what does PERU stand for
Q3 New standards encourage multimodal literacy across subjects. How can content area Ts implement it into their instruction?
A2 too many students write and speak without either of the other two modes. Makes the the fool https://t.co/lPCOgKaAKE
Yes, and has been instrumental in bringing multimodal literacies to forefront
Would love to hear your ideas and strategies around that coming up in a future question shortly! https://t.co/IOnvzvlJIu
A2: So many pillars, so little time. Emphasize all but not formally. Need to ramp up strategy.
Katie, does your school/dist use Project-Based Learning? Great for ELLs, Title I since collab/context needed.
Your professor must be pretty awesome to have you involved w/ Twitter already!
See your point, Nathan, which is why we need to emphasize overlap of all 4
A3: adopting multimodal literacies is selecting the best learning modes for Ss for specific content = quality instruction
Currently picturing you singing that to me rn
Nathan, you have one of the biggest archives of gifs, which exemplify all 4 pillars
A3 - Look further than what may be in your scope and sequence!
Do you have any favorite tools you'd like to share that enable this? :)
So then in the course you use all 4 pillars and more
Our curriculum is moving towards PBL. I do a lot of it with my Ss. They need background knowledge often times
A2: the 4 reinforce each other so using certain modalities to create access as a way to differentiate and scaffold
Good point, Judy! :D https://t.co/9HQS5Zo2MN
Nathan, you have one of the biggest archives of gifs, which exemplify all 4 pillars
A3:Going beyond the simple literal question format.Analyzing and evaluating text and other modalities to create understanding
Yes, but in this case, multimodal= utilizing multiple resources ineffectively. Ha!
A3: Literacy is part of every discipline and involves all grade levels
I hear you, my friend, I hear you. :)
Reading across content is awesome! My Ss also have blogs for writing and responding to each other.
A3: Even before new standards, multimodal literacy was/should have been implemented in all disciplines
A3 As mentioned before, is a great way for content area Ts to bring all four components of literacy to the forefront.
Awesome. ELLs get cultural context when doing PBL collaboration and communication part. Bonus. :)
Fantastic to know. Do your students blog with other classes? https://t.co/VOMhhRCuAL
Reading across content is awesome! My Ss also have blogs for writing and responding to each other.
There are some great posts on the blog about quadblogging! cc:
A3 have students write tutorials about projects that they are creating. Use video, audio, images & text
A wild Q4 will appear in one minute...!
Students creating tutorials and teaching others: powerful learning all around
Former teacher here: encourage any folks to give my 3D world for online learning a try! In beta and looking for testers :)
A3: ML should be incorporated across all content areas, Ts can step outside their comfort zone and try new ways to integrate.
A3: Encourage students to show their knowledge in different ways (e.g., video, slideshow, podcast, images)
A3: Our Ts in ELA and SS come to library for video documentary project. Also, Scratch coding, ex. dialogue sequence in ELA.
Not just show their knowledge, but share it & teach it to others
. Any tips for Ts who may be uncomfortable with this idea to try it?
Q4 How can Ts who are more comfortable w/ teaching literacy help other content area Ts integrate it into their curriculum?
Absolutely! Reflecting and responding to media are important skills for learning
. Great idea! Podcasts are a favorite of mine. And many great tools to demonstrate learning in new ways...
A4: Role modeling, lunchroom conversations, providing support, sharing resources
Why do you prefer podcasts to digital stories, which incorporate the power of visuals?
yes, and providing explicit instruction on how to analyze. I liked to review my Ss annotations and gave fdbk.
A4: Encourage and PD to help others get on board
I find podcasts more accessible and easier to process, but that is purely from a personal perspective.
But what about ones whose preferred learning style is not auditory but rather visual?
A4: has Digital Literacy Catalyst Teachers, team of Ts working w/ to create T leaders in PD.
I read that! ...And may or may not have shared it a few times. :-x
A4 have students keep project logs of what they learn
Great minds think (and read) alike, obvs.
just among our other 4th grade classes. I love to read the comments! I've learned a lot about my kids!
We know what we see as opposed to what we hear results in better retention
Yes, it is interesting to see what replies students write to their peers' blog posts
Q4: Ts who attend PD hosted unconference during faculty mtg w/hands on sessions. Need to do again. Ts loved it!
Podcasts are just one of many ways students can show/share their knowledge. Digital stories are another.
LOL! No one would have an answer to that question. :P
Rt Q4How can Ts who are more comfortable w/ teaching literacy help other content area Ts integrate it into their curriculum?
How can Ts who are more comfortable w/ teaching literacy help other content area Ts integrate into curriculum?
A4: Collaborative planning time, PD using various modalities, mentor teachers
Yes, agreed! Ideally Ss have options in showing and sharing their knowledge w/ others.
Have you found students have a preference for podcasts or digital stories in terms of being the audience
A4. What said. Have Ts w/good literacy share style. Everyone shares a skill so no one feels intimidated.
A4: Collaboration is so important Using time to connect with other teachers and devise plan that everyone will benefit from.
Today my Ss used Sound Recorder for narration practice. Simple audio tool, big flexibility.
We also need to understand that all teachers intuitively use literacy in their teaching
We've got Q5 coming up in just a minute...
A4. And for Ts who don't get collab "time" allocated, share asynchronously via Google Drive.
A4: It's all about collaboration! There is no I in TEAM. We must put ourselves out there and know the power of the WE!
Q5 How can Ts effectively measure multimodal literacies? Any and all examples and ideas welcome!
Just recently learned about edcamps. Looking forward to attending one day....Maybe in my area, something to work towards
If he was in this chat, but he is not.
You can run an edcamp style PD right in your school or district
This is getting me SO pumped up for ISTE this year!
You don't need to attend/run a formal edcamp, but can use the principles to run a PD
Hi, Chris, & you must've seen Nathan's shoutout
Yes, the power of Twitter for all 4 pillars
A5: have students evaluate each other and give each other feedback on group discussions, writing and self-assess
yes. Picture so shiny I couldn't open my eyes
Agree, have students be part of the evaluation process
A5: Learning in various modalities = assessing in various modalities. Collaborative group work and evaluation done by peers.
A6: Have students create w/ a variety of digital tools to showcase learning and to communicate w/ others
I think giving students options in how they show what they know is important too!
Final Q coming up in one minute...
Yes, more and more, teachers are seeing benefits of giving students options: differentiation!
Q6 What are some resources you use to teach literacy through means beyond reading (e.g., audio, video, speaking)?
A5:I think it is important to provide students with feedback and allow them to respond.
A5: Rubrics! Better yet, ask students to create rubrics to assess themselves
Love this idea. :) https://t.co/re2jaQELYN
A5: Rubrics! Better yet, ask students to create rubrics to assess themselves
A6: Video production & communication through social media tools
Wish we could do more to enable students to create & tweak rubrics, given their overuse
A5: For multimodal assessment, experimenting with and . Ts also use standard rubrics+ S self-assess.
A6: 40 Book Challenge, Animoto, ShadowPuppet, ScreenCasts
Yes, these work to an extent but need to review w/ students the results
Did you see changed the terms of its educator accounts :-(
Screencasts are a good way for students to demo learning & prepare tutorials
A6: TumbleBooks, News-O-Matic, Book Creator, Explain Everything
A6: In my classroom we focus on sharing our knowledge through student videos, skype w/ an author, imovie
~ emphasizes all the 4 pillars and is fantastic for collaboration
Thanks for joining us! Tonight’s archives will be shared out shortly, and can be found on the site at https://t.co/q95B5MpxUP
Many thanks to for guest moderating tonight. Super job!
Multimodal literacy across the curriculum is a vital topic. Keep the conversation going w/ others
