Visual or Virtual Think-Alouds
I’m continuing sharing my learnings from TRLD. In Sara Kajder’s session on “Digital Reading, Digital Writing” she shared one of the best ways I’ve heard to make active connections by readers using technology. It’s a technique she developed to get students to really think about their reading and make connections. She walked them through visual or virtual think-alouds.
She uses the time line in iMovie. Her students use the visual lines by creating digital images of their own drawings or through the use of digital images. They are making a mental movie that encourages a great deal of rereading. They reread to determine what kind of images the reading projects to them. She really has them thinking with this process.
The second line is the audio track and it is the read aloud of that text.
The third audio line is where the student performs the think aloud.
She is having her students create these monthly. She has found that students are able to articulate what they are doing as readers. They also will have an artifact of their reading at different points in time and will be able to conference around this artifact. She said it was critical that the students owned the pictures they use. The other beauty of this technique is the multiple “visual think alouds” that will be created from the same piece of text. Now that is awesome for different perspectives.
Now I have just given you a brief outline and I still have much to absorb here. I have ordered her book Bringing the Outside In so I can really process this technique and learn more from Sara. I really love the way she mixes in the visual aspects of literacy.
Sara told us how proud the students were of their work. They valued them more than the book trailers they created. Sara explained that these are the times when they are working as readers. They have never particularly fit in that role before nor have they been valued in that role. Everybody gets to see everybody else’s text if they are willing to share. All of hers shared. Isn’t this powerful?
February 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Excellent example of cleverly using the technology tools to illustrate core concepts.
February 18th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
It seems like this is an activity that really gets the students involved and they actually enjoy doing it. To have every student want to share is very impressive. I think it is best when the students enjoy what they are doing and how they are learning. Personally speaking I know that when I enjoy what I am doing I am more likely to learn and put forth more effort and be creative.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:10 am
This is just an amazing idea. It seems like a great way to get students to read more and learn more about technology. It is also a great way for them to express themselves creatively; it’s like the new book report. I think that if giving a choice between writing a three page book report and doing this most students would want to do this one. I also like the idea of them being able to tell how they felt about the book or what came to their minds. Also if they do really good ones, other students will see it and if they like it they might go read the book. Just a really amazing way to mix technology and reading, I think I will have to find out more about his.
Also would like to say the part about them owning the images is wonderful. Students need to understand that they can not just go and take any image from the internet that they have not been allowed to.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:11 am
What an intellectually stimulating product conceived by Sara Kajder! It is so wonderful to see educators really being creative in teaching the kids and getting them to be keen on learning. I am particularly impressed with the merger of reading and technology as some parents believe that using technological tools as a means to teach reading misses the point. Thanks for sharing this eye opener.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Yes, that is definitely powerful! That sounds like such a great tool to get students interested and engaged in what they are learning. You’re absolutely right when you say that by finding pictures to go along with what they’re reading, the students are really thinking and understanding the readings. This is really a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom. I think what makes this especially cool is that the students seem to really enjoy what they’re doing. It’s a fun way for them to interpret their readings, and it’s also a great tool to have for review. They can always go back and view their creations whenever they want to. I am really impressed by this activity! Thanks for sharing!
March 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
[…] Read the whole article. I’ve posted previously about Sara here and here. […]