Final Thoughts
Throughout my studies in the New Literacies and Global Learning program, I have found a way to motivate struggling readers within my classroom through the use of technology and strategies that I have learned. I have learned:
The NLGL program at N.C. State helped me understanding what it means to be a reading teacher in the 21st century. Throughout my two years as a part-time student, I used many of the Web 2.0 tools that were discussed in class, such as XtraNormal, Voki, and Prezi. I also began to understand that these tools, when integrated into the curriculum, can help motivate struggling readers to read successful in conjunction with extensive reading techniques. I also began to understand what reading motivation is, and how understanding what motivates a student can be used as a positive tool to make reading fun. With the application of both research-based strategies that are known to motivate struggling readers and the Web 2.0 tools that are equally as engaging, I believe that readers who are struggling can find the support and motivation needed to succeed. The courses throughout the NLGL program helped me validate this theory through the use of Web 2.0 tools in my own classroom as well as research on reading motivation.
- To motivate struggling readers, we must know and use what is interesting to students
- We must use new technologies to engage students
- We must use equally engaging strategies in the classroom that are not Web 2.0 tools, such as reciprocal teaching
- We must meet students where they are reading at and provide authentic texts that are engaging and are of interest to motivate struggling readers
The NLGL program at N.C. State helped me understanding what it means to be a reading teacher in the 21st century. Throughout my two years as a part-time student, I used many of the Web 2.0 tools that were discussed in class, such as XtraNormal, Voki, and Prezi. I also began to understand that these tools, when integrated into the curriculum, can help motivate struggling readers to read successful in conjunction with extensive reading techniques. I also began to understand what reading motivation is, and how understanding what motivates a student can be used as a positive tool to make reading fun. With the application of both research-based strategies that are known to motivate struggling readers and the Web 2.0 tools that are equally as engaging, I believe that readers who are struggling can find the support and motivation needed to succeed. The courses throughout the NLGL program helped me validate this theory through the use of Web 2.0 tools in my own classroom as well as research on reading motivation.