Disclaimer: The purpose of this entry is to explore alternatives to how technology connections are made within SAISD's Scope and Sequence. It should be read in the spirit of "What if...?"

Reading the Scope and Sequence for Writing, Grade 2, the technology connection is as follows:

Students will compose a letter to a pen-pal using Microsoft Word. The student will revise and edit the letter prior to publication. If using "real pen-pals" at another campus, teachers may consider using email to deliver the documents.

A few questions come to mind when reading this technology connection:

1. Blogs, wikis and audiocasts have transformed the way we communicate on a global basis. Creating an MS Word document is alright, as is using email. However, are these really the tools students use anymore (Pew Internet Research does not support that)?
2. How does connection align to the Technology Applications TEKS for K-2?
3. What is this lesson really about, and is it relevant to what students need to know?

TECH APPS:TEKS CONNECTION
I have to start here with how this connection aligns to the TA:TEKS for K-2. Consider that grade 2 students need to know how to acquire information, and communicate globally. For example:

• Have the ability to work in cooperative groups to complete projects utilizing technology and media resources to enhance the learning experience
• Use technology resources to solve problems and acquire information
• Use technology resources as a means to publish and communicate ideas
• Use technology to collect and distribute information

Writing a friendly letter to a pen-pal may have worked years ago, but it doesn't recognize the fact that few folks write friendly letters anymore. Instead, students use Instant Messaging technology--skipping email altogether--and write in blogs to engage others in conversation. Students link to each other, leave comments. So, it seems that friendly letter writing is really an activity that allows schools to use existing curriculum, existing resources (paper and pencil) to teach what's always been taught. If we did continue to teach friendly letter writing as a form, wouldn't it be better to do so in the context of "friendly blogging" rather than pen-pals?

Will this activity prepare our children for a world that is flat--referencing Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat--where friendly letter writing is a irrelevant skill?

RELEVANCY IN CURRICULUM
The real question is, what do we want students to learn? What curriculum should children master that a technology connection can support? Of course, technology has so quickly left school district curriculum--all districts, not just this one--in the dust, that some wonder if we should even try to catch up to a speeding jet (global communication evidenced by blogs,wikis) by riding a bicycle (friendly letter). When you look at the Scope and Sequence, the focus is on using vocabulary to describes ideas, feelings, and experiences. Certainly this ties right in to the Six Traits writing...and how could this rubric be used with blogged entries by students?

Students need to be able to record ideas, reflections, write with more proficient spelling, compose complete sentences in written texts, generate ideas using pre-writing, revise selected drafts, edit for conventions, use technology for writing.

That's it in a nutshell. I'm going to throw out all the other ones that deal with penmanship using correct letter formation, size and spacing: pencil grip, paper position, stroke, and posture.

These are great expectations for students but how does the friendly letter writing activity make them relevant? In fact, how could technology connections to use technology resources to collect and distribute information, solve problems and acquire information, publish and communicate ideas be made?

BLOGS and AUDIOCASTS
Web logs, or blogs, enable students to accomplish the following:

• Identify an audience and the purpose of writing
• Engage in prewriting activities
• Convey a clear message
• Edit for conventions learned to date
• Use technology to communicate ideas.

Using a Six Traits rubric, I find that experienced writers exhibit the following characteristics: 1) Uses text to elicit a variety of emotions; 2) Takes some risks to say more than what is expected; 3) Point of view is evident; 4) Writes with a clear sense of audience; and 5) Cares deeply about the topic.

While students will certainly care if their friendly letter is sent to another student at a school, managing emails for all the students in your class can be difficult. Better to use a blog or a wiki to organize and have students comment on the written entries. You can find out how to use a wiki for educational purposes.

Another possibility is to set up an exchange with students at another school and record audio renditions of written work, then have other campuses subscribe to your blog's RSS feed and you subscribe to their RSS feed.

Vocabulary Tip: Defining RSS
RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, allows you to subscribe to a blog or wiki. Rather than having to go to a blog to see what changes have been made, changes are sent to you. This makes it easier for you to track changes on someone else's web pages (blog). You can use a free RSS aggregator--like Bloglines.com--to subscribe to campus blogs. View example here.

If you'd like to change how you approach friendly letter writing in your classroom, don't hesitate to contact the Office of Instructional Technology Services at 210-527-1400 or via email at "mguhlin@saisd.net"