Technology Essentials in Education Episode 22:
Helping Students Navigate Reading and Writing in a Digital World

Hello there, my name is Monica Burns and welcome to Technology Essentials and Education.

Today I'm chatting with Dr. Michele Haiken, a middle school English teacher with 25 years of classroom experience and the author of multiple publications with NCTE and ISTE.

Michele and I have spent time together at conferences and events in the past and she brings such a grounded perspective to a conversation that tackles something really big, which is reading and writing in our digital world.

She's in the classroom every single day working with students who are navigating reading and writing across print books, digital textbooks, podcasts, videos, audio books, and many other ways that we think about students as readers today.

In today's episode, she shares a handful of strategies for really helping students become researchers, helping them become readers in lots of different spaces, and having them write or share their learning in lots of different ways.

We'll talk a bit about where AI fits in and doesn't fit in to all of this when it comes to supporting students, whether you teach ELA or do any reading and writing in the work that you do, you'll really enjoy today's conversation.

Michele shares so many things that you can do right away, and that might also push your thinking a bit as you're moving through this school year.

This episode is brought to you by Jotform, which provides an all-in-one solution to streamline administrative tasks, enhance community engagement, and foster innovation.

Using their no-code drag-and-drop forms and workflows, your teams can securely collect and store data, automate tasks, and collaborate on team resources.

Educational institutions are also eligible for a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise. Head to their website to learn more at Jotform.com slash enterprise slash education.

Welcome to the podcast. I am so excited to chat with you today about supporting readers and writers in our digital world and all the different spaces that they enter throughout the day.

Before we get into all that, can you share with listeners a bit about what your role in education is and what your day-to-day looks like?

Absolutely. I'm a classroom teacher. At 7:45, I am in school. I've been teaching middle school for the past 25 years in a suburban school outside of New York City.

I have a heterogeneous bunch of students and my objective is to not only build their foundational literacy skills but also to engage them and get them excited about reading and writing, especially in all the spaces they navigate and the way they might think about reading or consuming different types of media.

When we talk about this idea of digital reading, what is actually different from traditional reading experiences?

We read differently online and on our Kindle or whatever digital device than when we're reading a print text.

Marianne Wolf, who wrote Reader Come Home, talks about creating biliterate students who can navigate and shift fluidly between reading in print and reading digitally.

Audio is also a text, and we need to pay attention to that and lean into that in our classrooms, as well as visual art, movies, and all those different aspects.

Literacy today is very multimodal, and we can't assume that students know how to read all of these different modalities.

As teachers, we need to lean into different strategies that we use and utilize to read and understand content whether it's presented in print, digital, audio, or visual so that our students are biliterate and can navigate all aspects of different modalities of text that are coming at them all the time.

I think back to how much my experience has changed personally as a reader in the past decade or two decades.

When I first started teaching fifth grade, my students were almost exclusively reading paperback books, but now they might listen to a podcast on their walk to school, which sounds wild if we had talked about it back then.

As a reader, I make conscious decisions about how I want to consume a book, whether to listen to it, read it digitally, or in paperback.

For example, if it's a memoir, I want to listen to it in the author's voice, or if it's a text where I'm learning something, I might want to flip back pages, while for a novel, I'm happy to swipe through on my Kindle.

I love your emphasis on supporting students to make these different decisions and asking what's the purpose of reading it.

If we're reading for pleasure, maybe an audio book is the better choice.

If I'm reading about teaching or theory, I need it on paper so I can read with a pen or pencil in hand and underline or mark up the pages.

Sometimes I consume the same text in different modalities because it has a different sensory experience or my purpose changes, so I go back and get a printed copy to lean into different aspects for teaching.

Purpose is key in choosing how to read a text, and those are rules I've imposed on myself that I sometimes break.

It's wild to think about how emerging readers and academic readers make all of these choices.

Digital reading comes with challenges. What are the biggest challenges students face when reading online texts?

Skimming is a huge piece, and metacognitive awareness about how you read and the strategies you use is important.

In my eighth grade English classroom, we read with an academic purpose, so I want students to take notes.

Some students are auditory learners and can listen to the text, but they should not be distracted and should read with the text in front of them to stop and jot notes.

When reading digital texts, even short articles, students should practice the same strategies as good readers, especially if there is a response or quiz at the end.

They can show their thinking by annotating, highlighting, or noting confusion, using tools built into reading platforms or creating their own in Word or Google.

Being aware of why you are reading and how you interact with texts is huge, especially at the secondary level for assessment reading.

Listening requires focus, and I remember commuting on the subway reading a paperback or magazine and sometimes getting distracted and needing to reread.

Audio reading also requires the ability to go back if you miss something, and knowing your limits for listening time is important to make meaning.

For those who did not start reading this way, adapting to digital platforms and building strategies is necessary.

Students who have grown up with devices don't necessarily have all the strategies we might assume they do from school learning.

What misconceptions do educators sometimes have about students being digital natives?

Teachers often assume students are very savvy with technology, but sometimes they struggle with basic navigation like accessing documents.

At the secondary level, there's an assumption that students know how to read independently and fix confusion, but many still need support.

Teachers should review fix-it strategies and help students become independent, close, and critical readers who know what to focus on when reading.

Jotform lets you build forms in minutes for student surveys, homework submissions, quizzes, and more, with free templates designed for educators and a 30% discount for educational institutions.

As a teacher or student reflecting on experience, you might have learned to navigate informational texts and glossaries, but digital reading requires additional strategies like tapping on bold words or having devices read aloud.

These strategies add an extra layer to the reading experience, and much has changed for readers and writers of all ages and academic levels.

Writing for digital audiences differs from traditional essay writing.

In my classroom, there is a lot of multimodal writing; students create podcasts, digital stories, and have choices in how they present information.

We are moving away from 100% traditional reading and writing, which allows a huge variety of voices and lets different students shine in their skills and savviness.

I love putting students in charge when others run into technical issues, giving different students opportunities to shine throughout the unit.

At the secondary level, motivated students might learn new platforms, troubleshoot, watch tutorials, and create projects they are proud to share.

How can platforms like blogging or publishing online motivate students who are reluctant to share their writing?

Technology allows for universal design that engages and supports all learners.

In my first writing unit, students create a digital story project based on the New York Times anatomy of the scene, writing scripts and screencasting their voices.

We host all projects on a team Padlet accessible to everyone.

Some ELL students use text-to-speech apps for their screencasts, giving them confidence to share their ideas even if it's not their own voice.

A student might eventually use their own voice recording, getting closer to their goal with digital tool support.

Where do AI tools fit into supporting readers and writers?

The number one thing is to know what's acceptable in your district and follow your school’s acceptable use policy.

My school uses Magic School and Google, with teacher and student-facing AI tools.

AI can do great things, but my focus is that students' thinking comes first and their voice is most valued.

For creative writing, I set up a chatbot with guidelines and rubrics so students can get help while maintaining their own voice.

Students can ask the chatbot for help with specific problems, and I can see the conversation, which is great.

Some chatbots are designed to ask questions rather than give answers, encouraging student thinking.

I tell students to write first and struggle because struggling is part of the writing process, then get help from peers or teachers before turning to AI.

AI should be a thought partner, not the dominant technology doing the work.

When reading, if you don't understand something, write down your questions, then use AI to check your thinking and get on the right track.

To use AI effectively, you need to be a good reader and writer who constantly checks the accuracy of what you get.

It's important to have intentional planning and transparency with students about how to use AI tools, especially at the secondary level.

As we finish, where can educators connect with you and learn more about your work?

I have a forthcoming second edition of New Realms for Writing, a dual publication with NCTE and ISTE, which includes AI considerations in each chapter.

I've also written on personalized reading and creative SEL and have two jumpstart guides with ISTE on podcasting and active learning.

On social media, I go by The Teaching Factor and have a blog of the same name where I share teaching ideas and strategies.

I'm always happy to connect and talk with other teachers.

It's always fantastic to talk with you, Monica.

Likewise, we've had the chance to chat about larger ed tech and reading and writing connections, and it was fun to dive into all of this today.

Thank you for sharing actionable ideas and great strategies for listeners to consider as they move through the school year.

Thank you. It was so much fun chatting with Michele today. She is a wealth of information and a must-follow for anyone interested in technology and education.

Let's finish this episode with a few key takeaways: students need explicit instruction in digital reading strategies just as they do with print texts.

Don't assume students are text savvy; teach them to navigate digital tools and textbooks with intention.

Help students build metacognitive awareness about how they read best and match strategies to a purpose.

Multimodal writing projects like podcasts, screencasts, and digital stories let all students shine.

Don't forget to follow along; you'll find all the info in the description for today's episode.

I hope you'll follow along with Michele and all of her great work too.

Thanks for tuning in today. A big thank you to Jotform, the presenter of today's episode.

To learn more about Jotform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise, head to Jotform.com slash enterprise slash education.