When looking at the question if the connections we make online are meaningful. I think it is important to realize that your online presence can be controlled however you want it to be and you have time to think about what you want to post or say. The author talked about the intimacy of social media and talked about how it is the sharing of ones actions, beliefs, or emotions(2-2). With that definition I think that it is easy to say that the relationships you build online are not meaningful because it is so easy to control what you want to put out. When you are in person your reactions are more natural and meaningful.

I disagree that online environments limit the potential of developing close relationships. I have seen that with the online life we have now you can meet people you have never met before and develop an in person relationship with them just from meeting them online. The author brings up the question of "Does one not need to be close to experience nearness?" in the article. I think the simple answer to that question is yes, you do not need to be close. You can feel nearness through online talking, I just believe that it is less meaningful until you meet online.

i think it is important to keep all children alert and engaged while doing a read aloud. asking questions and creating small assignments is a great way to do this.

Read alouds are important for students who may speak more than one language, this allows them to listen to the way the word is pronounced, see it in a sentence, hear the way it is used and maybe even relate it to a picture.

I can see why teacher read alouds would make kids want to read more, most teachers read books that are higher than the independent reading level. This time gives children a chance to enjoy a book that they are not yet able to read, but if they enjoy the book so much it might drive them to learn to read harder books.

I think by having children communicate expressively about the story is a great way to learn and understand how stories work. By starting these lessons in kindergarten, once students get up to higher reading levels they might be able to grasp more literary elements faster.

I look at this type of response as the type of engagement that sparks children's creativity that can relate back to writers workshop if they had to create a story of their own.

By asking children what they would do if they were a character in a book is a good way to let them express their thoughts and connect with the book.

By the children talking back about the story it means they are engaged and understanding the story correctly if they are able to shout out answers or predict what the characters should / should not do.

I think dramatizing is a great way for young children, especially kindergarten level, to be able to express their understanding of the book. Not only are they reading with their teacher and peers they are having fun with it which is allowing them to pay more attention and be more engaged.

Helps children to connect and understand better.

I often see kids comparing many new things to life experiences or other things that they know. I think this is their way of getting comfortable with a new topic.

I observed in a combined classroom in the new haven school systems. The class I observed was a kindergarten and 1st grade classroom, i did not like how this was set up and i think it affected childrens learning being in a combined room, I'm interested to see how this teacher handles it.

Initially, I would have argued that the quality and accuracy of the present information contained in the pipe that is being actively disseminated is the most important aspect of the system. However, after reading Mr. Siemens' blog post here on Connectivism, my stance is closer to his conclusion. I think the information within the pipe will have fluctuations in regards to accuracy, but that is to be expected with freedom of use and not as concerned about (as I initially was) because that information is constantly held accountable by the the web's active users. The pipe needs to have the highest priority of sustainable integrity because it is what facilitates the connected to said free information, without the pipe, there is no endless web of links and connections across distance and time over the web.

When students work together on a subject, they are able to learn from one another which is a great way to learn. I like the strategy of students working together to help each other out.

Once students are able to do this, the teacher then moves on and works on other skills. These skills are essential for understanding the key ideas of reading before the students move onto higher readings.

When children practice and apply the phonic principles, it will help them gain quality reading skills that are essential for them to use while they grow. Learning these skills at a young age, will help students not fall behind in their reading skills.

This is a new concept to me, and I think that whole-part-whole sequence is a great concept. I think it is a great way to teach complex skills that students need to know.

Phonics is very important to children's literature and if children learn this through reading when they are younger, it will help them in their future readings.

I think this is a critical take-away point from the research and literature presented. This approach may not work for every learner. Therefore, it is important to differentiate methods so that they appropriately accommodate and meet each student's learning needs.

This is so true. Less confident and lower level readers can learn from students of different abilities. It also gives all students the opportunity to equally be heard and through all-inclusive participation.

I have a student I work with who prefers blended sounds over individual sounds. What I do with her is tap it, sing it, say it, replace it. So if we are working with the word family, "at," and sounding out the word, "cat," we would first tap out the c sound and then the at sound. "C-AT." Then, to make it more fluid, we sing it. "Caaaaat." Then, we snap and say quickly, "Cat!" Finally, I have the student replace the first letter with a letter in the word bank. (I have large and colorful felt letter that I use). So, she grabs the letter, "B," and repeats the same process,. It goes to show that each child learns sounds and words differently, and therefore, differentiated instruction is necessary.

I think the repetition of this approach is awesome. It reinforces the skill being learned and then gives students the opportunity to try the skill out on their own

I think this is a great recommendation for a "combination program" or combined approach when teaching whole language instruction. By having students actively participate in the lesson, they can hear themselves say the sounds, and, therefore, increase word recognition and phonological awareness skills

I think this statement need not be looked over. Create a language environment that will promote better language learning. A lot of what young children learn is through modeled behaviors. If educators and adults model a rich language environment, students and young learners are more likely to speak and understand language in a formal, grammatically correct, and effective manner.

The necessary approach is one that includes both intensive instruction in phonic analysis and assisted reading/shared-book experiences. In other words, completing reading tasks or readalongs together with the incorporation of phonics instruction can help students and readers not only read willingly, but also read independently and confidently. It is important for educators to help students understand that the story and the meaning of the story is just as important as the phonological structures within the sentences.

This is interesting. Ever since my admittance to the education program I have been told what I need to teach but not necessarily how or when to teach it. This quote breaks it down plain and simply. Use common sense when teaching.

Looking back on my childhood, the most memorable books I read were the ones that I feel I learned the most from, meaning the teacher actually spent time going over the vocabulary and what things meant and the parts of the book etc.

I like this quote a lot. I feel it holds a lot of truth to it. This is why when a person gets higher in a language class the teacher or professor requires that the class only speak in the language being learned. If a person is immersed in a language they learn it faster. This is also why people from different parts of the world speak differently as well. Just taking English for example. Multiple countries and places have people who speak English, but there are so many different dialects and ways in which people speak it. Everyone is speaking the same language, but they all were immersed in a different type and therefore they learned it that way. Literature is ultimately the same way. The more a child is exposed to literature and taught how to use it and understand it, the more proficient they become.

To me, this just further emphasizes the importance of phonics education.

This is why phonics instruction is so important. It is proven that it is needed to decode, recognize words and comprehend them. These are all vital skills for children to learn and if they are all connected to phonics instruction then it it proof that phonics are essential to education.

As most of my peers have already said, phonics instruction is so fundamentally important. The skills that are learned during this type of instruction are critical to reading all lifelong. When combining phonics instruction and literature it can help the children's learning to be more effective.

balance is key in education. By relating two very important skills-phonics instruction as well as critical reading/enjoyment lessons become more dimensional.

Small groups are so important. Becasue these kids need this lesson, they will not get as bored as those who already mastered this skill.

I really agree with this portion of the lesson. Sometimes it is hard to focus when you really want to know what the rest of the book is about, but you only get to read a few pages for the lesson.

Making connections in texts that are meaningful is so important. By connecting the phonics as well as content of the text, critical reading can also be practiced!

by choosing texts that really "do work" for teachers and work to not only provide entertainment but encourage discovery and exploration that literature becomes so crucial to child development.

I really like that this lesson includes guided practice. It is so needed to have a bit of guided instruction so students have structure in what they are supposed to be doing and learning.

I agree that literature and phonics instruction should go hand-in hand with each other. It is when text can be looked at for specific practice (direct phonics instruction) and looked at and analyzed as a whole that this reading can be really effective.

This is very important that teachers don't just start teaching this to their entire class without differentiating. There may be students who already know exactly what you are teaching and are not being challenged enough and then there will be students who need this extra support. Making skill based groups can help the teacher determine who she should be directing these lessons towards.

I like how the teacher specifically states why it is important or significant that the students are learning the sounds for the letter A. It is crucial that students know why what they are learning is so important and I believe this helps to motivate students.

I think this article makes such an important point in saying that it is crucial to have quality literature imbedded into schools reading programs. We can't expect students to gain a vast amount of knowledge if they are not provided with quality resources.

This is my first time reading about the whole-part-whole approach and I am really a fan of it from what I have read so far. You are allowing students to not only zero in on specific phonics lessons but you are also reading whole, real texts in order to apply those phonics lessons which in my opinion is a great approach to learning to read and interpret successfully.

This is a goop point that you should not use this all the time. Only use this strategy if you think it will work well with your students.

I like this whole-part-whole approach because it allows for the children to get a phonics lesson with real text, rather than just random words or letters on a worksheet.

It is proven that phonics instruction will help our students with their word decoding, recognition and comprehension. I think that phonics instruction is very important at a young age and would be very beneficial to our students.

The progression of whole-to-part helps students comprehend and enjoy reading better, as well as giving high phonic instruction. Students are able to apply the new skill they are learning, which will help in future reading and learning new skills.

Short a phonograms will help breakdown the letter in a simple and understandable way for the students.

I like how the teacher has the students reading aloud pronouncing the letter A with her. This is great practice of annunciating the letter and getting the students involved and engaged.

I believe that is is crucial to expand children's imagination with great literature. Students who read more memorable texts, will be more motivated to continue to do so. Also, letting their mind expand and becoming more aware of the world around them is beneficial for their learning.

I agree with this statement. It is important to start phonics at a young age so they develop reading skills earlier on and the pronunciation of words.

This standard requires students to be able to describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text by determining the key details in text. Also, they students should be able to describe the author's purpose and how it supports comprehension.

This standard requires students to be able to know a connection between two parts is a relationship. The students should also be able to identify individuals, events, ideas, and pieces of information from the text. By being able to do this, the students will better understand the text and the author's message.

This standard requires students to know how to explain the speaker's reflection on a topic and how that impacts the theme. Also, the students should be able to write a summary by using details from the text.

This standard requires the students to know how the beginning or introduction usually talks about the important problems the characters have along with information about characters. Also, the students know the conclusion usually talks about how the characters solve their problems.

Students need to be able to work with a group of students and be able to work on activities related to reading. These activities need to have purpose and the students need to be able to understand the activity. For example, you can have students engage in group readings or poems by sharing something learned or something that they enjoyed.

I think this is such a wonderful way to engage young readers. The idea of activating an animation in a story is super cool to begin with. I know if my first graders used storyscape, it would literally bring reading to life for them. Moreover, they would be more interested in the reading and enjoy the material. I think the active involvement storyscape offers forces readers to be more attentive to material, which, in turn, ensures they have a deep understanding of the material.

I agree, all of these modifications would be nothing but useful not only for a teacher, but for the promotion of their cite. If a person cannot share what they have created, then what is the point?

At the beginning of the article, I was only thinking of ways that teachers could use the site, not students. But this is a very good point. If students can make their own projects to illustrate the points then that is a fun assessment that shows the kids have learned.

Since so much is done on the phone now a days it would be very convenient to have a phone app that allows a person to work on their story scape while out of the classroom as well.

The amount of modifications this site allows is amazing. Being able to manipulate a story in a way you need in order to teach a lesson can be very useful to teachers and it seems like this website would be very useful for that.

This is such an interesting concept. It would really help in a classroom setting because you can create a story based on whatever concept it is that you are working on with your students.

This technology is really special because teachers can manipulate it specifically for students. By really targeting specific areas mastery is more likely.

I feel like story scape is a really interactive tool. students or teachers have the ability to manipulate character traits in specific characters.This ability could spark great in class discussions on what characters do for the author in stories.

I agree it is so necessary to be able to manipulate programs to fit specific needs of students.

It is so great that digital media can be involved with phonics learning. Often I think that phonics can be hard and boring to students but being able to use this program with children, and being able to focus on specific needs it is amazing.

This writing support tool is so great to use not only for older students but for younger students as well. It is important for students to use their imagination to write their own stories and create their own illustrations because these things will contribute to their writing development.

This is such a great tool to utilize during a mini-lesson. It can really enhance your instruction and get the students a lot more involved.

This is so great for students because it will make their stories come to life and they will be able to see their characters in action. This is a great way to get students used to picturing what is happening in a story when they are reading any text.

I love that this tool exists for students and teachers to use. This is my first time hearing of it this tool but I think being able to choose different backgrounds and characters will be a fun way to get students to create their own "storyscapes".

I think this is a great idea. Although it may have more of an effect at an earlier age, it doesn't mean it cannot be used throughout all levels of education. In higher grades it can be used for creative writing or design classes as well as reading.

I like this idea because it makes it more clear for the readers.

I think it is a good idea to connect the writing to the learning objective taught in the lesson. This will get the students to apply their knowledge and practice the skill.

I agree, this tool is different from anything I have seen. It is so beneficial in early education classrooms because it is exciting and educational. Once you learn how all the effects work, it becomes simple and you can add all the detail you want to make it stand out to the readers.

I think this helps readers become more engaged when reading. It also helps to make the text more memorable, making them think and reflect when they finish.

I like how you can select backgrounds and between characters. The editing makes it more realistic and entertaining.