"The balanced approach to instruction is based on a comprehensive view of literacy that combines explicit instruction, guided practice, collaborative learning, and independent reading and writing"

Teachers need to understand that students learn in different ways so when teaching a lesson you have to balance out parts of the lesson based on how students learn what.

Constructivism: theorist that described that learners should be active and engaged and constantly building their own knowledge, and that learning occurs by students integrating new information with what they already know. This idea is based from teachers engaging students so they build their knowledge on their own.

"Writing online differs from using paper and pencil, too. It’s more informal, although most texts should be grammatically acceptable and use conventional spelling."

It should also be noted that students are being taught how to type on a computer or chromebook before fully mastering how to write using pencil and paper.

"Interactivity: Webpages often include interactive features to engage readers and allow them to customize their searches, link to other websites, and play games"

This is a bonus of internet use in the classroom because it allows the students to go beyond in their research rather than if they were just researching in a library. They have access to so many more sources.

"Multiple Modalities: Online texts integrate words, images, and sound to create meaning. Readers need to know how to interpret each mode and how it contributes to the overall meaning."

I think this is one of the difficulties of incorporating technology into the classroom because it is being introduced at younger and younger grades and so on top of trying to teach children to read in books and such, now they have to learn how to read and comprehend a different type of text. Obviously it is something they will need to learn at some point but I think it needs to be the right age.

"The Internet is rapidly changing what it means to be literate. It’s becoming common to see students involved in these online activities: Posting blogs on the class website Completing webquests Participating in virtual book clubs Researching informational topics"

As the internet and technology advances the amount of work given on the internet also increases. These can help students but it is also important to know how to balance school work on a computer, ipad, chromebook, ect. vs work given in hard copies.

"Traditional definitions of literacy focused on the ability to read words, but now literacy is considered a tool, a means to participate more fully in the 21st century’s digital society"

As we have grown up the definition of literacy or literate has changed to shape our society.

"Dynamic means that readers and writers are actively involved in reading and writing. Strategic means that readers and writers consciously monitor their learning. Goal-oriented means that reading and writing are purposeful; readers and writers have a plan in mind."

It is important for writers and readers to understand the difference between the above terms. To be a good reader and writer they must be able to master Dynamic, strategic, and goal oriented.

"Readers interpret meaning in a way that’s appropriate to the type of text they’re reading and to their purpose"

This is a very important idea because to be able to interpret text correctly you have to be able to understand the way it is written.

"Literacy is the ability to use both reading and writing for a variety of tasks at school and outside of school."

My idea of literacy before this article was very different I thought it was more reading and I did not think of it as writing. Which now I realize literacy also includes writing.

Symbolic gestures:

It is important to allow children to use their symbolic gestures because it allows them to make connections with what they want to actions that come from that object or event

Expressive Semantic Knowledge: "At about the age of 1 year, children may, with some degree of consistency, begin to use distinct vocal units to refer to specific objects or actions." pp 19

This is can be explained by parents knowing how to communicate with their child based on the words or sounds they use and their babbeling while others may not understand what the child is wanting.

Effects of ear infections: toddlers who have more ear infections at a younger age can create a problem distinguishing sounds. I never knew this but after reading it makes sense because even at an older age when having an ear infection sounds differ than they normally would.

Toddlers are aware of speech sounds they cannot make (Ferguson, 1978) and may avoid or refuse to pronounce words containing those sounds. Children appear to have several ways of dealing with words whose sounds are too difficult to pronounce.

Reflexive vocalizations come from the infant's physical stale. Crying, coughing, hiccuping, and burping are examples of reflexive vocalizations. Between 6 and 8 weeks, many infants spontaneously produce cooing sounds (Reich, 1986: Wolff, 1966). Cooing, and later on, babbling are nonreflexive vocalizations. Cooing sounds are extended vowel sounds such as ooo, ahhh. eee, and aaaa and are often made in relative isolation of each other.

So reflexive vocalizations are vocalizations an infant experiences as early as birth whereas nonreflexive vocalizations are vocalizations they present over time. This is a new fact to me

I knew that infants could obviously not speak right when they are born but in the Speech Development section it explains how they cannot speak right away because their body is not grown enough to form the sounds. As they grow they can start to form sounds

Higher levels of maternal responsiveness have been associated with children's later comprehension of speech (receptive language) (Paavola, Kunnari, & Moilanen. 2005). pp 3

I agree with this completely

"This is interpreted to indicate that infants are beginning to pay particular attention to the sounds of the language surrounding them; a language that they will begin to use as they interact with family and others in their community." pp 8

At between 8 to 10 months this happens. It was not until this semester I fully understood how important the environment an infant is in and the effects it can have on their everyday life growing up and the developments they make especially in language

Thus, children can evaluate and compare auditory stimuli beginning in early infancy. This perceptual ability facilitates children's responses in their interactions with people in their environment. pp 7

So by parents presenting sounds to infants helps them interact with the environment

when a new sound was introduced, a fetus's heart rate decreased; as the specific sound was repeated, the fetus became accustomed lo tho sound, and the heat rate resumed its normal rhythm (do Boysson-Bardios, 1999).

I have read many studies on parents talking, singing and playing music to the fetus and the effects it could have but this idea hear explains how if the certain sounds are repeated to the fetus then it "gets used to" the sound

It is being introduced at such a young age that it is huge part in the developmental process now

This used to be an absurd thought but now it is seen as normal for someone to get a mobile device

So many adults are quick to judge social media and say all of the terrible effects it has, but I do not think a lot of them take the time to look at the benefits it comes with.

Obesity is not something just affecting the US, too much exposure to screen media is one of the main causes of obesity.