Week 3 Comprehensive literacy programs

You will reading this blog after we have spent all day Saturday together.  Beginning this week, you will be responding to my blog before you read the chapters for the week.  I'll try to target some key vocabulary that you need to pay attention to as well as to help focus your reading and your own blog discussions.  Some weeks I'll also tell you how to jigsaw read the readings for the week (on weeks that there is lots to read).

Since we have just finished a face to face class, I'd like for you to reflect on what we did in class. What are your key take-aways from class? why are they important to you? What are you hoping to learn about comprehensive reading literacy programs?

As you read, make connections to your own school and the comprehensive literacy program there.  You will be finding out about what needs the the teachers in your school have to make changes in the literacy program through professional development.  Think about these terms and what they might mean for you as a literacy leader:  standards, curriculum, teacher beliefs, teacher knowledge, change, CBAM, stages of concern, assessment.  Think about these questions as possible starters for your blog posts and discussions: B8 has guidelines for choosing a core reading program.  Compare those guidelines to what you remember happening in your district the last time you adopted a core reading program. How did that affect your comprehensive literacy program? How does assessment fit in a comprehensive reading program? in WSQ on page 162, respond to #3 in the reflection questions. Choose one of the "Think about This" questions in the Bean chapters to discuss.

Remember to let me know if you want me to address something in your blog.  I"ll be reading twice a week, and will make a few comments.

Have a good week, stay healthy!

Week 2 Literacy Leadership 2018

I'm writing this blog from Germany where I'm teaching this week.  I got up this morning (Saturday) to snow covering everything including my rental car.  So I was scraping ice before I drove to class.  I'm envious that I am missing the warm weekend in Oklahoma!  I haven't read your blog entries for Week 1 yet but am looking forward to getting to know those I don't know a bit through your posts, and reacquainting myself with those I do know.

This week, your readings will focus on building community of learners in a school.  Some topics that you will read about include roles of teacher leaders in a school and how to work with different stakeholders, some elements of effective professional development that supports communities of learners, how to lead groups and collaborate with others, and how to develop a school literacy program.

This week, respond to this blog after you read the chapters.  Which characteristics of effective leaders are a strong point for you? A challenge?  What did you take away as a commonality of working with each of the different stakeholders that a reading specialist or literacy leader needs to collaborate with? Which of the types of collaborative PD in Appendix 18.1 have you experienced? Which would you like to experience?

Respond to each other, comparing your answers to theirs.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, Jan. 27.  We will begin working on your big assignment that is broken up into four tasks, by creating a needs assessment survey together to use to determine the needs, desires, and activities already in place of teachers in your educational setting.  We will also begin the creation of your personal learning plan.  I'm really looking forward to seeing/hearing about your Self as a literacy leader posters!

See you soon!

Week 1 Literacy Leadership 2018

Welcome to EDRG 5903  Literacy Leadership! As you know, the purpose of this course is to examine effective literacy leadership and the role of the reading specialist in an educational setting.  Aspects of leadership include supporting teacher growth, designing professional development, and contributing to an effective whole school literacy program.   I’ve included a short video introducing myself and some of my expectations for the class so follow the link to watch it Welcome video. For those of you who have had a class with me before, these expectations are not new to you.

Just so you know, I’m in Germany this first week of class, teaching military members and teachers about Educational Research.  I’ll have access to email so if you have questions about the syllabus, the assignments for this first 2 weeks, or the readings, send an email.  I’ll get back to you when I can—just remember that I am 7 hours ahead of you timewise, and am teaching every evening and during the day on the weekend. 

This week, please respond to these questions  before you read, and then to each other after you read.  For this week, respond to each other by Saturday evening.  For Week 2, follow the directions in the syllabus for the blog.  We will set up your blogs in the face to face meeting on Saturday, Jan. 27. 

The focus for this first week is for you to begin to think about who YOU are as a literacy leader right now and what you think literacy leadership is all about.  So, before reading, what do you think are key aspects of literacy leadership?  Which of those aspects do you think are ones you have already begun to develop?  

When you return to respond to your classmates, integrate what the readings say about being a literacy leader and compare them to what the person said about themselves.

You will be creating an interactive digital “poster” to share with all of us on Jan. 27 that uses print, pictures, audio, video, other graphics.  Try to stay away from PowerPoint as your platform unless you have not been involved in other digital platforms.  My video was made on my iPad using Explain Everything, but you could make an iMovie or Adobe Spark video, do a Prezi, create a Glog, use Book Creator online to make a book, or some other digital platform.  Either upload the link before Jan. 27 or the actual item.

I’ll have Week 2 post up by next Friday, so you might want to visit it before you do the readings for Week 2 to help you focus your reading, and to prepare for our face to face class.
Have a good first week of the semester!  I’ll see you on Jan. 27 in Rm. 334 of Collings Hall.  Please bring a laptop or iPad or other tablet to class.  We will use them to set up blogs and try out other New Literacy tools for you to use for the online portion of the class.