Here’s
an example of effectively combining document cameras with modern pedagogy in
the kindergarten classroom. The teacher hoped
to further both her “students’ emergent reading skills and motivation for
reading, incorporating the Document Camera/LCD projector to help students lead
shared reading sessions.” “The document
camera/LCD projector enables the whole class to access the text,” she explained.
According
to the teacher, “current best practices highlight the importance of multiple
readings of the same text to develop literacy.
Educational experts like Richard Allington identify the need for multiple readings
of a text. Multiple readings of a single
text is also a component of the current Close reading technique as a strategy not just for English
Language Learners, but all readers, in order to improve fluency and
comprehension.” She adds: “Shared reading has long been a part of the balanced
literacy approach.” Here is how she
implemented this notion, in her own words:
“First
I developed classroom library of emergent readers. I included the parents and
students in choosing the texts. The only
guideline was that they could read it completely independently and
unsupported. Last year, I had the same
program but when students shared they would merely share the book in read aloud
fashion sitting in a chair in front of their peers. The document camera has allowed the students
to lead a shared reading that is more interactive and engages the listeners in
the learning. In this way, students that
are less active in borrowing and sharing—the more reluctant readers—become
engaged and the students participate in a more reciprocal [way]. I see students questioning more and engaging
more than when I had students sharing in only a read aloud format. The students are not only recognizing more
words, they are learning how to question at a literal and inferential level.”
What
a formula! Technology + pedagogy = learning success. It’s so simple and
powerful!
