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=What is positive about all this technology in schools?=

Students who use computers to write compositions are more likely to produce better work, and be more engaged in the work that they are doing. Active use of technology in schools prepares students for the real world, and prepares them for anything the might encounter in the job world. Things such as a Wiki or a blog provide students with a means by which they can collaborate with peers, in and out of the classroom. It also provides a place for students to express themselves, read the work of their peers, and work with their peers in a constructive manner. (21st Century Literacies)

When students are required to use the web- it opens up new doors for their learning experience. "Reading poetry from this diverse group of online archives meant that students were immersed in a world of poetry in a way that they simply could not be with a traditional textbook or anthology. So many of the sites are // alive, // connected to living poets and to poetry lovers. For instance, the Academy of American Poets features a “National Poetry Map” where students can search for poetry events near them" (Webb 84). With projects like these, students are able to explore the sphere of literature in a whole different way. In many ways they are able to connect on a deeper level with the text.

=**How do we teach students to evaluate the validity of sites that they find while surfing the web?**= Teachers should help students by giving them three basic guidelines for figuring out whether a website is valid as a source. The first is to see is there is an author. The next step is to discern why the author wrote this text, to figure out the purpose of it and why someone would need the text. Lastly, teachers should teach students to look for the date that the website was created to see if it is too old as well as whether it has been updated recently. An additional strategy for determining the usefulness of a website are its readability, which is how easy it is to read, to navigate, and if all the links work. Finally, teachers should have students figure out if the website is dealing with opinion or facts to decide if it is appropriate to use for various topics. --"Tech Connect:Becoming Literate in the Ways of the Web: Evaluating Internet Resources" by Nancy Patterson //Voices from the Middle// Vol.10 NO. 3 March 2003, "Literacies that Matter Now" Amanda Aird

=**How do you sharpen student's "real-world reading lenses"?**= Help students realize that their reading skills can be applied to the real-world; the world outside of school. Do exercises with kids like reading food lables to notice the ways in which advertisers can manipulate the consumer. You can also encourage your students to read the newspaper. (Gallagher, Chapter 9)

Political Cartoons will become a important part of student's education. They are used so much in high school and middle school. Kelly Gallagher offers a way "read" them as a class. The class generates a list of what they see in the cartoon, then the teacher can ask what he calls "deeper questions" to get the students to "read" deeper into the cartoon. -Stephany Weaver

Teachers can use technology to increase interaction between students. In addition, creating a website, giving students ways to judge if an internet site is valuable, finding ways to incorporate technologies students use at home into the classroom, asking students to make podcasts, and using various types of media and genres in class all help students learn technology while learning a subject. (21st-century Literacies, 5) Lindsey B. Teachers should also explore technologies that students use outside of class like Facebook and Twitter and find ways to incorporate them into students' learning. Teachers should actively learn with students. Teachers should be open about their own strengths and limitations with technology and ask students for help. Teachers can also use tools like wikis to encourage student collaboration and reflection on their learning. Teachers should even take time to to teach students how to avoid plagiarism in a digital environment. For more resources, visit the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website at http://www.21stcenturyskills.org. (21st Century Literacies) - Melendy
 * How should teachers teach 21st-century literacies?**

By giving them a safe place to talk without the "social positioning of a classroom." But the format has advantages for students who usually participate in class too, as they are asked to give a more in-depth response, not just a response that has required little thinking. (Finding a Voice in a Threaded Discussion Group, 59) Lindsey B.
 * How do silent students benefit from online discussion threads?**

Academy of American Poets, Poetry Archives, Bartleby.com, Project Gutenberg, American Verse Project, Library of Congress Portry Resources, University of Toronto Representative Poetry Online, Contemporary Poets, Modern British and Irish Poetry, Poetry Magazine, The Poetry House, Poetry Archive, and the University of Virginia Modern English Collection. (Digital Texts and the New Literacies) Lindsey B.
 * Where are some places on the internet to access free digital poetry, from classic to contemporary?**