3/11/2004
20
The Use of Web-Based Technology in Teaching Reading and Writing to Deaf Students (T11B)
nRose Marie Toscano
NTID/RIT

Email: rmtnge@rit.edu
Thursday, 6/26/03 -- 11:00 AM
Location: LBJ [060] 1510

Strand: Using Technology to Support Learning
Type: Formal    Audience: All

Summary:   This presentation will focus on how traditional classroom instruction can be complemented by the use of web-based technology to create a "hybrid learning" environment. A web-based instructional development tool created by Simon Ting called IdeaTools, and more specifically, the Reading/Writing Tutor, will be demonstrated and its uses in the development of reading and writing skills for deaf students will be discussed. There will also be discussion on how this technology can help students and teachers prepare more effectively for classroom instruction.
This presentation will focus on how traditional classroom instruction can be complemented by the use of web-based technology to create a "hybrid learning" environment. A web-based instructional development tool created by Simon Ting called IdeaTools, and more specifically, the Reading/Writing Tutor, will be demonstrated and its uses in the development of reading and writing skills for deaf students will be discussed. There will also be discussion on how this technology can help students and teachers prepare more effectively for classroom instruction.
The Reading/Writing Tutor, part of a comprehensive web-based course building/ management tool (IdeaTools), has been in development for the past several years and used for the delivery of two required RIT courses, Writing and Literature I and II. The Reading Tutor implements strategies to enhance student comprehension of texts. A set of annotation tools enables the instructor to insert hypertext notes that appear when students click on the highlighted texts. These notes serve to alert students to textual elements they need to attend to, provide historical or cultural information necessary to understand the text, or contain analytical questions that prompt students to reflect on what they are reading. Thus, the notes play the role of a reading coach, helping weak readers learn techniques that good readers employ intuitively, but which less skilled readers often do not use. The Writing component of the web-based course delivery helps students develop editing and proofreading skills. The Writing Tutor provides the instructor with tools to mark up assignments submitted by students. A" sticky note" tool can be used to insert margin notes and comments about content and organization. An "inline comment" tool allows the instructor to correct student sentence level text and insert direct comments. Further, the "inline comment" function allows the instructor to highlight a writing/grammatical error (e.g. subject/verb agreement) and to direct students to an a) explanation of the mistake, b) examples of how this mistake could be corrected, c) practice exercises that focus on the grammatical misunderstanding. The current Writing Tutor consists of a database of 18 most common writing exercises with two sets of exercises.
Finally, another component of the web-based instructional delivery system is the discussion board forum where students debate and respond to each other's interpretation of texts. This public forum enables students to explore the different meanings possible in literary texts, view models of strong and not so strong writing about texts, and expand their understandings of multiple readings and interpretations. For the instructor, this tool provides invaluable information on what students actually comprehend and what areas should be emphasized in classroom instruction or individual tutoring sessions. Because of the conversational nature of this type of writing, students are able to venture beyond their safety zone in expressing their ideas.