I am part of the literacy education faculty at Oklahoma State University. My interests include new literacies, supporting learners who struggle with school literacies, and teacher education.
Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fun... more Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Some features of internet text differ from that of traditional print, contributing to the challenges of discerning “fake news.” Readers must understand how to navigate online texts to conduct research effectively, while applying critical thinking to determine the reliability of online information. Descriptive data from an ongoing study revealed that children in grades 1–5 lack some basic understanding of how to search the “wild wide web.” Just as children benefit from explicit instruction related to text features, children benefit from instruction related to the features of the internet. This article presents a study of website evaluation that occurs early in the search process prior to the selection of a particular website or article. The application of the web literacy skills required to conduct an internet search is addressed, and recommendat...
ABSTRACTSharing multiliteracies goals of equitable access to educational success, the Universal D... more ABSTRACTSharing multiliteracies goals of equitable access to educational success, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework includes the use of contemporary technology tools, or new literacies, to customize ways to access information and processes and to construct and communicate knowledge. UDL also positions technology as a scaffold. In this commentary, we join other scholars in suggesting that identifying technology tools as scaffolds to traditional literacies is problematic because of two missing characteristics of scaffolding: (1) ongoing diagnosis and calibrated support and (2) fading. After presenting a review of scaffolding literature and examining key characteristics, we describe how technology use changes the nature of scaffolding. Next, we highlight the UDL guidelines and recommendations for the use of digital tools as well as uncover contradictions in technology's use as scaffolds. Additionally, we explore the intersection of UDL with multiliteracies and New L...
International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 2013
This article reports on Digital Play, one of three prominent themes identified in a qualitative c... more This article reports on Digital Play, one of three prominent themes identified in a qualitative case study of sixth grade students who used mathematical simulations in their proportional thinking unit of study. The study was designed to investigate learner curiosity but found play as a prominent theme. Five different virtual manipulatives or simulations were used as part of the study. The Digital Play theme is then further examined, identifying aspects of the virtual manipulatives that led to play and ludic activities. Students’ interview responses revealed all three of Salen and Zimmerman (2004) categories of play, which also align with several patterns of play identified by the National Institute for Play (2009), during their use of the simulations. Students also described the nature of their play with the simulations which was traced to Winnicott’s (2007) potential space. Finally, the implication of the possibility for transformative play is discussed.
Young children benefit from authentic opportunities to conduct online searches. Decisions related... more Young children benefit from authentic opportunities to conduct online searches. Decisions related to the use of children's search engines versus universal search engines should include considerations for the affordances of technology that accommodate learner variability. Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for providing access to learning materials, this study includes an analysis of the affordances of search engines for both children and the general population. UDL, an inclusive framework for learning, leads contemporary efforts to create comprehensive access to educational curricula for all students, especially those with learning variabilities. The focus of our study is on one of UDL's principle, multiple means of representation for content access, and ways children's search engines address its guidelines of perception, language and symbols, and comprehension.
One-to-one mobile technology initiatives are spreading rapidly across all educational sectors. Th... more One-to-one mobile technology initiatives are spreading rapidly across all educational sectors. The iPad has become the technology of choice for many schools, and teachers must be prepared to integrate the use of iPads into meaningful classroom activities. The case studies in this article represent three university teacher preparation programs involved in one-to-one technology initiatives. In order to provide insight into the various uses of iPads as instructional tools, four instructors reflected on the implementation of iPad initiatives and the application of the iPad in the classroom. The SAMR model provided the framework for the reflections.
Creativity and Technology in Mathematics Education
Three-Act mathematics tasks provide opportunities for P–12 learners to engage in creative problem... more Three-Act mathematics tasks provide opportunities for P–12 learners to engage in creative problem posing, exploration, and problem solving through video storytelling. Because they are innovative and relatively new, preservice and inservice teachers may not be familiar with evaluating, creating, and implementing Three-Act Tasks. In this chapter, we describe our design process for developing a rubric to evaluate and scaffold these creative multimedia mathematical stories. The rubric draws on four broad areas of literature for its theoretical grounding: (1) research on selecting and posing high cognitive demand tasks for mathematical problem solving, (2) use of story arc for contextual relevance, (3) research on assessing and measuring creativity, and (4) principles of effective multimedia message design and use of story arc. The rubric developed insures a Three-Act Task attends to mathematical concepts, effective use of digital technologies, and creative thinking. It is designed to serve as a guideline for preservice and inservice teachers as they select or create Three-Act Tasks to use in their classrooms.
In the Winter 2013 edition of the Texas Journal of Literacy Education, we announced that a specia... more In the Winter 2013 edition of the Texas Journal of Literacy Education, we announced that a special task force from the TALE board would be sharing the common ground among the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). In that first edition, we began part one of our four part series by briefly discussing the history of the CCSS and the creation of the TEKS and the CCRS. Here, in part two of the series, we compare these standards by examining the writing standards of the TEKS and the CCSS.
Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend... more Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. In considering the teacher’s challenge to help students with online reading tasks, we compared traditional and online texts. Many text features such as titles, headings, authors, and copyrights are easily transferable from paper to an online format; however, orientation and navigation of text differ in online environments where text offers dynamic features not possible in a traditional print resources. In considering traditional and online texts, we present a parallel comparison to illustrate how online texts mimic their analogue counterparts and highlight ways in which they differ, offering teachers a way to make learning more concrete for their students.
When browsing through professional catalogs or attending national conferences, one cannot help bu... more When browsing through professional catalogs or attending national conferences, one cannot help but notice the growing emphasis on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). So, what does this mean for Texas teachers? As part of a special four-part series in our Texas Journal of Literacy Education, a special task force from the TALE Board will share the common ground among the CCSS, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). Here, we begin part one of this series by briefly discussing the history of this national movement and the creation of our own state standards. Throughout the series, we will discuss the commonalities and differences among the various sets of standards and how they each address student outcomes for developing skills for both writing and reading. Texas is often cited as the birthplace of educational standards and accountability systems using high-stakes testing. When former governor, George W. Bush became P...
Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend... more Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Traditional assessments of concepts about print inspired the authors’ research, which applies a similar approach to address “screen handling” instead of book handling. The purpose of their ongoing research has been to develop an instrument to assess concepts related to online reading. The Concepts of Online Text (COT) assessment measures knowledge of online navigation and text features. Quantitative analysis of student performance data using the COT has the potential to provide developmental insight into elementary students’ proficiencies in conducting internet research and to provide input to teachers for targeted instruction. In this article, the authors share results from administering the instrument to 80 elementary students in first through fifth grades.
Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/) is one of the fastest growing social media sites (Duggan & ... more Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/) is one of the fastest growing social media sites (Duggan & Smith, 2013) and teachers are using it more and more for pedagogical ideas. In response to the increased use of social media in K-12 classrooms, it is highly important to prepare preservice teachers to incorporate these tools into their pedagogy. In this practice-based article, we reconstruct how Pinterest was incorporated into two university-based teacher preparation programs. These two descriptive accounts are arranged and presented from the viewpoint of the two authors who experienced the events firsthand.
Recent times have seen an increase in the use of literacy, and in many cases, the substitution of... more Recent times have seen an increase in the use of literacy, and in many cases, the substitution of literacy where reading was once the term of choice. A deep curiosity about these shifts by professional organizations, a range of stakeholders, and the program descriptions at institutions of higher learning led to this essay. It is guided by three specific intentions: (a) to explore the varying (and often overlapping) definitions of literacy and reading in order to establish their substantive and subtle differences, (b) to ponder the implications of selecting one term over another or using them in combination, and (c) to spark questions for future research that would further clarify literacy, reading, and their individual and combined importance for the education of our nations’ youth. Improving the reading achievement for all students (and adults) has long been a national (and international) priority. More frequently than in previous times, literacy replaces reading as the label to fr...
Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fun... more Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Some features of internet text differ from that of traditional print, contributing to the challenges of discerning “fake news.” Readers must understand how to navigate online texts to conduct research effectively, while applying critical thinking to determine the reliability of online information. Descriptive data from an ongoing study revealed that children in grades 1–5 lack some basic understanding of how to search the “wild wide web.” Just as children benefit from explicit instruction related to text features, children benefit from instruction related to the features of the internet. This article presents a study of website evaluation that occurs early in the search process prior to the selection of a particular website or article. The application of the web literacy skills required to conduct an internet search is addressed, and recommendat...
ABSTRACTSharing multiliteracies goals of equitable access to educational success, the Universal D... more ABSTRACTSharing multiliteracies goals of equitable access to educational success, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework includes the use of contemporary technology tools, or new literacies, to customize ways to access information and processes and to construct and communicate knowledge. UDL also positions technology as a scaffold. In this commentary, we join other scholars in suggesting that identifying technology tools as scaffolds to traditional literacies is problematic because of two missing characteristics of scaffolding: (1) ongoing diagnosis and calibrated support and (2) fading. After presenting a review of scaffolding literature and examining key characteristics, we describe how technology use changes the nature of scaffolding. Next, we highlight the UDL guidelines and recommendations for the use of digital tools as well as uncover contradictions in technology's use as scaffolds. Additionally, we explore the intersection of UDL with multiliteracies and New L...
International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 2013
This article reports on Digital Play, one of three prominent themes identified in a qualitative c... more This article reports on Digital Play, one of three prominent themes identified in a qualitative case study of sixth grade students who used mathematical simulations in their proportional thinking unit of study. The study was designed to investigate learner curiosity but found play as a prominent theme. Five different virtual manipulatives or simulations were used as part of the study. The Digital Play theme is then further examined, identifying aspects of the virtual manipulatives that led to play and ludic activities. Students’ interview responses revealed all three of Salen and Zimmerman (2004) categories of play, which also align with several patterns of play identified by the National Institute for Play (2009), during their use of the simulations. Students also described the nature of their play with the simulations which was traced to Winnicott’s (2007) potential space. Finally, the implication of the possibility for transformative play is discussed.
Young children benefit from authentic opportunities to conduct online searches. Decisions related... more Young children benefit from authentic opportunities to conduct online searches. Decisions related to the use of children's search engines versus universal search engines should include considerations for the affordances of technology that accommodate learner variability. Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for providing access to learning materials, this study includes an analysis of the affordances of search engines for both children and the general population. UDL, an inclusive framework for learning, leads contemporary efforts to create comprehensive access to educational curricula for all students, especially those with learning variabilities. The focus of our study is on one of UDL's principle, multiple means of representation for content access, and ways children's search engines address its guidelines of perception, language and symbols, and comprehension.
One-to-one mobile technology initiatives are spreading rapidly across all educational sectors. Th... more One-to-one mobile technology initiatives are spreading rapidly across all educational sectors. The iPad has become the technology of choice for many schools, and teachers must be prepared to integrate the use of iPads into meaningful classroom activities. The case studies in this article represent three university teacher preparation programs involved in one-to-one technology initiatives. In order to provide insight into the various uses of iPads as instructional tools, four instructors reflected on the implementation of iPad initiatives and the application of the iPad in the classroom. The SAMR model provided the framework for the reflections.
Creativity and Technology in Mathematics Education
Three-Act mathematics tasks provide opportunities for P–12 learners to engage in creative problem... more Three-Act mathematics tasks provide opportunities for P–12 learners to engage in creative problem posing, exploration, and problem solving through video storytelling. Because they are innovative and relatively new, preservice and inservice teachers may not be familiar with evaluating, creating, and implementing Three-Act Tasks. In this chapter, we describe our design process for developing a rubric to evaluate and scaffold these creative multimedia mathematical stories. The rubric draws on four broad areas of literature for its theoretical grounding: (1) research on selecting and posing high cognitive demand tasks for mathematical problem solving, (2) use of story arc for contextual relevance, (3) research on assessing and measuring creativity, and (4) principles of effective multimedia message design and use of story arc. The rubric developed insures a Three-Act Task attends to mathematical concepts, effective use of digital technologies, and creative thinking. It is designed to serve as a guideline for preservice and inservice teachers as they select or create Three-Act Tasks to use in their classrooms.
In the Winter 2013 edition of the Texas Journal of Literacy Education, we announced that a specia... more In the Winter 2013 edition of the Texas Journal of Literacy Education, we announced that a special task force from the TALE board would be sharing the common ground among the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). In that first edition, we began part one of our four part series by briefly discussing the history of the CCSS and the creation of the TEKS and the CCRS. Here, in part two of the series, we compare these standards by examining the writing standards of the TEKS and the CCSS.
Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend... more Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. In considering the teacher’s challenge to help students with online reading tasks, we compared traditional and online texts. Many text features such as titles, headings, authors, and copyrights are easily transferable from paper to an online format; however, orientation and navigation of text differ in online environments where text offers dynamic features not possible in a traditional print resources. In considering traditional and online texts, we present a parallel comparison to illustrate how online texts mimic their analogue counterparts and highlight ways in which they differ, offering teachers a way to make learning more concrete for their students.
When browsing through professional catalogs or attending national conferences, one cannot help bu... more When browsing through professional catalogs or attending national conferences, one cannot help but notice the growing emphasis on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). So, what does this mean for Texas teachers? As part of a special four-part series in our Texas Journal of Literacy Education, a special task force from the TALE Board will share the common ground among the CCSS, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). Here, we begin part one of this series by briefly discussing the history of this national movement and the creation of our own state standards. Throughout the series, we will discuss the commonalities and differences among the various sets of standards and how they each address student outcomes for developing skills for both writing and reading. Texas is often cited as the birthplace of educational standards and accountability systems using high-stakes testing. When former governor, George W. Bush became P...
Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend... more Reading online text presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Traditional assessments of concepts about print inspired the authors’ research, which applies a similar approach to address “screen handling” instead of book handling. The purpose of their ongoing research has been to develop an instrument to assess concepts related to online reading. The Concepts of Online Text (COT) assessment measures knowledge of online navigation and text features. Quantitative analysis of student performance data using the COT has the potential to provide developmental insight into elementary students’ proficiencies in conducting internet research and to provide input to teachers for targeted instruction. In this article, the authors share results from administering the instrument to 80 elementary students in first through fifth grades.
Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/) is one of the fastest growing social media sites (Duggan & ... more Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/) is one of the fastest growing social media sites (Duggan & Smith, 2013) and teachers are using it more and more for pedagogical ideas. In response to the increased use of social media in K-12 classrooms, it is highly important to prepare preservice teachers to incorporate these tools into their pedagogy. In this practice-based article, we reconstruct how Pinterest was incorporated into two university-based teacher preparation programs. These two descriptive accounts are arranged and presented from the viewpoint of the two authors who experienced the events firsthand.
Recent times have seen an increase in the use of literacy, and in many cases, the substitution of... more Recent times have seen an increase in the use of literacy, and in many cases, the substitution of literacy where reading was once the term of choice. A deep curiosity about these shifts by professional organizations, a range of stakeholders, and the program descriptions at institutions of higher learning led to this essay. It is guided by three specific intentions: (a) to explore the varying (and often overlapping) definitions of literacy and reading in order to establish their substantive and subtle differences, (b) to ponder the implications of selecting one term over another or using them in combination, and (c) to spark questions for future research that would further clarify literacy, reading, and their individual and combined importance for the education of our nations’ youth. Improving the reading achievement for all students (and adults) has long been a national (and international) priority. More frequently than in previous times, literacy replaces reading as the label to fr...
Uploads
Papers by Sheri Vasinda