Sam McGrath Literacy 2.0

Samantha McGrath Module 2 Change of Heart                 As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I was very skeptical at first to the benefits of using the internet on a more permanent basis in classrooms. I knew the benefits but I couldn’t ignore the downfalls and risks that came along with it. While reading chapter 2, a specific quote stood out to me that helped my change of heart. It states that, “When students simply wrote in their readers’ notebooks, their sole discussion partner was their teacher, and opportunities for broad discussions about texts were limited” (Johnson 22). It concentrates specifically on blogs in this instance but I couldn’t help but let my mind run with the possibilities this could create for my future students. This is the first time I have ever used or written for a blog in my entire educational career. This is why I have decided to write about it because I can see how ...

Samantha McGrath Distractions                 As I read through the chapter, I was skeptical about the use of the internet being better than a book source immediately. As an English major and a book lover, I couldn’t see myself using the internet for everything including research and reading for pleasure. The chapter convinced me there were positive aspects of a future more concentrated on the internet as a source. But one thing I disagreed with was “…the addition of varied and animated texts, images, hyperlinks, and multimedia adds to the cueing systems from which a reader can draw to make meaning” (Johnson 10). I agree that the addition of pictures and other animated texts can be helpful but they can also be greatly distracting, especially to younger users. This also doesn’t seem to be an improvement to me because books have pictures to go along with the text as well. The use of hyperlinks can sometimes...