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Content Area Learning Comes to Life!  Using Interactive Online Texts to Inspire Adolescent's Active Engagement with Content Area Reading And Writing

presented by Julie Coiro, Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island
International Reading Association Conference
Atlanta, Georgia  May, 2008
You can access this website online at www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroIRA2008.html


Introduction

The Internet is this generation's defining technology for information, communication, and especially for learning.

Current U.S. Policies and Demands for 21st Century Skills

How might we use Internet (online) texts to support diverse readers? 
So how can we use these multiple and diverse online texts to support adolescent readers and writers in each of the main content areas?

Supporting Content Learning in English/Language Arts
Online interactive texts can help to:

Visually represent connections between key ideas and/or multiple texts
Provide access to multiple and diverse perspectives
Provide information in multiple formats and languages
Connect to real authors, real voices, and real ideas by interacting and controlling to meet you own needs


Supporting Content Learning in History
Online interactive texts can help to:

Relive history with real photos, voices, sounds, and feelings (or add to present-day reflections)
Provide access to a wider range of voices and perspectives (e.g., women, outside US)
Engage in real problem solving and experience the impact of their decisions
Access primary and secondary sources
Access interactive supports to enrich analysis and interpretation of historical timelines
Review “missed” content in exciting simulations



Supporting Content Learning in Science
Online interactive texts can help to:

Explore abstract concepts
Simplify challenging vocabulary
Link to real scientists
Make connections between scientific phenomena and real life
Access levels texts and then pursue further with more challenging texts


Supporting Content Learning in Math

Online interactive texts can help to:

Explore patterns and discover rules, examples, and non-examples
Move back and forth between concrete and abstract thinking
Evaluate, apply, or create visual representations of math concepts
Interact with and manipulate symbols and graphics
Connect math to real-life daily applications


Online Writing Opportunities: Inspiring Student Voices

A range of multimedia tools create opportunities for students to synthesize and share what they have learned in new and engaging ways. The use of video and audio tools often require students to write and edit/revise scripts while considering purpose, audience, and most effective format. 

In summary, where might you start in your curriculum?

Provide opportunities for students to:

  • Access multiple texts and diverse perspectives
  • Use supported text with multimedia supports (images, audio, hyperlinks) to construct personal meaning
  • Explore challenging content with interactive animations and simulations
  • Analyze data with online tools and visual representations
  • Synthesize and communicate new concepts with blogs, podcasts, wikis, and VoiceThread


This page was created by Julie Coiro on May 3, 2008