Sample Module 6 - Assignment Example

             A few key qualities are needed for an individual to be a good reader and writer.  Besides the obvious (proper spelling, grammar, mechanics, syntax, etc.), one of the most important traits a person can have is the ability to keep their writing organized.  It is hard to read a piece of authored work that is messy; often times, this makes it harder for the author to get their point across.  Likewise, a good reader needs to be able to recognize an author’s organization in order to enhance their grasp of the central ideas within a variety of authored works.  Good writers also need to avoid repetition, since this makes for a boring read.  I know from personal experience that when I read an authored work that repeats itself over and over in a redundant fashion, I have a tendency to put the work down and find other things to do.

            Good readers can’t just skim through four pages and claim that they are “done”.  I think one of the most important things a reader can do is take the time to go back and re-read elements of a text that they did not understand the first time around.  A good reader makes it a point to keep a dictionary at their side, ready to look up words that the author had found to be particularly useful.  This helps a good reader facilitate a deeper comprehension of not only the central point that the author is trying to make, but also the author’s point of view. 

            It is important to remember that while good reading and writing takes time, practice, patience, and effort, good readers and writers have developed these tools in order to become exponentially better at reading and writing.

Week 10 - March 29, 2012

            After reading the blog focusing on the use of “paper blogs” in order to introduce the concept of blogging into the classroom for primary education students, I found a number of ideas that could also be implemented for secondary education students.  I found the use of 3x3” post-it notes to simulate online comment threads to be interesting; it is a good way for students to become familiar with comment threads and the purpose they serve.  The blog also mentions the use of a “7^th-grade blogging rules” contract that needs to be signed.  In secondary schools today, bullying is a large issue that, with the advent of social networking, makes it way outside of the school and into a student’s life.  The use of a contract can prevent bullying within the blogs, so long proper discipline is applied when the contract is breached.  I think the use of a contact is an excellent way to scaffold the foundations of online responsibility.

            An idea that I had found especially important was the creation of a rough draft for the paper blog prior to its actual creation.  While online content can be posted, edited, reposted or deleted on the fly, it is good for students to know what they want in the realm of cyberspace as well as on paper.  The integrity of postings in both the digital and physical world will not be compromised if students sort out what they want to say before they actually say it.  I feel it is good for them to learn to not give in to the instant impulsive actions that online forums can provide.