Chat Transcript for Research on Literacy Instruction and Learning in Virtual, Blended, and Hybrid Environments 3/11/2015

Kristine Pytash, Kent State University & Ian O'Byrne, University of New Haven

Justin Bruno:https://connect.mivu.org/mvlriJustin Bruno:Hi Laura!Laura Hibbard:Hi!Kristy Pytash:Hi Laura - welcomeKristy Pytash:can you tell us a little about yourself? Laura Hibbard:Sure - give me a minute.... I need to step away.Kristy Pytash:take your time :) Justin Bruno:Hi Diana!Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:Hi there!Kristy Pytash:Hi Diana - thanks for joining us! Laura Hibbard:Okay - I am in my 9th year teaching elementary (grades 4 and 5) in a full-time online school. I have taught reading all of these years. My school focuses on the RTI model and I hold Tier 3 reading interventions daily. I also work with Ohio University to help prepare their undergraduates to teach in virtual/blended settings.Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:Looking forward to it!Kristy Pytash:Laura - thank you for the background information. Kristy Pytash:Please feel free to ask questions or provide comments as we are talkingKristy Pytash:Diana - can we ask what brings you here today? Laura Hibbard:Will do! Thanks!Kristy Pytash:Ian and I would love to hear your thoughts Kristin:Sorry - my last name did not come thorugh. This is Kristin Oostra.Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:I just attended the Florida District Virtual Instruction Program Network Symposium (whew!) where there lots of intriguing presentations about supporting struggling readers through a combination of virtual and fact to face instruction.Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:face to faceIan O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):that is very cool. I think there are tons of oppportunities to support striving readers with multimodal texts in hybrid spacesIan O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):working on a chapter right now on picture books and children's books to support multimodal readingDiana Sharp, REL Southeast:Great - would love to see it.Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):I've got Pytash editing it for me as we speak :)Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):Please feel free to ask questions in here as we progress...Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):we want this to be as much of a discussion as possible...Kristin:In some of the teaching circles where I have been engaged, there is a discussion of whether the writing process is still worth teaching - as opposed to teaching writing strategies.Kristin:And in online spaces, students should understand the various processes for each of the tools the enocounter. For example writing a discussion board post may not involve as much as a recursive process

Kristin:as writing an essayTheresa Carter:I think Troy Hicks advocates for that very process in his bookIan O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):agreed...start off with Troy's Hicks books :)Kristin:I like that - Intentional Use - Kristy Pytash:Love to hear what you think!Kristin:Do you address copyright and plagiarism with the concept of remix and mashups?Justin Bruno::)Theresa Carter:I share questions about these with the teachers I'm working with as their blended learning speciliastTheresa Carter:*specialistLaura Hibbard:I definitely see how keyboarding skills limit writing exercises in elementary students.Theresa Carter:There is so much for them to think about as they transition more to a blended formatLaura Hibbard:also - I think there is room for both avenues -- digital tools are exciting and motivating for kids, but 5 paragraph essays should continue to be taught.Jane:My school is 1:1, but there are still very many who use the traditional forms of writing. I teach remedial literacy. However, after students write the essay, we rewrite it for a different, more authentic audience.Jane:I think it is important that students write for the reader. I think it allows them to see that someone has to understand what they are putting forth, no matter what the mode.Kristin:Great points!Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:I'm fascinated also by the implications of the tech for motivating out of school writing, writing kids do for fun, which can support their overall writing skills, just as out of school reading is so powerful for reading skills.Kristin:And both are appropriate for Life and College/Career.Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):https://sites.google.com/site/walkmyworldproject/Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):our piece in the MIT Civic Media Reader - http://civicmediaproject.org/works/civic-media-project/walkmyworldRick F:You may have already addressed this, but given your chapter review of literature on literacy/literature in online/blended K-12, what's missing? What do we not know that we need more data on?Rick F:http://press.etc.cmu.edu/content/handbook-research-k-12-online-and-blended-learning-0Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):here is a link to just our chapter https://www.academia.edu/10311760/Research_on_Literacy_Instruction_and_Learning_in_Virtual_Blended_and_Hybrid_Learning_EnvironmentsDiana Sharp, REL Southeast:Love the handbook!Rick F:Given the relative lack of knowledge, how could those interested in collecting data on literacy in online/blended move forward? Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):the whole handbook is here - http://press.etc.cmu.edu/content/handbook-research-k-12-online-and-blended-learning-0Kristin:I'm working on my doctorate in Ed Tech with my background in literacy. There is such a lack of research in K-12 blended/online spaces. It is a double edged sword - ripe for study, but a desire for more information.Kristin:lolIan O'Byrne (@wiobyrne)::)Jane:My school is moving toward action research for PD.

Rick F:Gotta run. Thanks everyone.Theresa Carter:One thing I think that's really important, as you describe all the changes--the characterisitcs of teachers who are supposed to be making these changes, and embracing new practices. My mind goes to iNACOL's t blended teacher competencies. If teachers can't embrace the change....Jane:An issue I have seen firsthand is that after we went 1:1, most of the librarians were let go. There is this sense that mirrors what Theresa wrote. Teachers aren't necessarily changing as fast as they need to.Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:Where is that map located?Theresa Carter:https://webmaker.org/en-US/literacyLaura Hibbard:Agreed Jane - my dissertation focused on libraries in full-time online schools. We're at a loss without the school librarians, in my opinion.Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):https://sites.google.com/site/ormsmodel/Kristin:It is a big shift to think through these changes. When I was in the f2f classroom, technology was an afterthought not a vehicle to a destination. Changing the defintion of technology to include the tool AND the process is challenging.Theresa Carter:Teacher's aren't taught to think this way in their teacher education programs.Jane:Agree.Kristin:That might be a great area to research - how to teachers trained on technology as it's associated with literacy instruction.Kristin:If it had better grammar - I revised on the fly. LOL!Theresa Carter:LOLTheresa Carter:Weirdly, I knew what it meantJane:Bell rang... have to go. Thanks!Kristy Pytash:Thanks Jane! Kristy Pytash:are there any final questions or commentsKristy Pytash:?Kristin:This has been fabulous!Justin Bruno:Kristine Pytash – Twitter (@kpytash); Website (literacyspaces.com).Ian O’Byrne- Twitter (@wiobyrne); Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/+IanOByrne/posts); Blog (wiobyrne.com).Wendy Plum:Excellent session!!Laura Hibbard:Have to run, but thanks! You're on an important line of research.Diana Sharp, REL Southeast:Thanks!Theresa Carter:Such great infoTheresa Carter:Thanks!Wendy Plum:Thank you!Kristin:Lots of good things for us to think about.Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):https://webmaker.org/en-US/literacyRebecca Stimson:Very thought-provoking. Thank you.Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):#teachthewebIan O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):I blog...so should you http://wiobyrne.com/ :)Kristin:How many webinars have been recoded?Kristin:*recorded..Kristin:okay - thanks...Ian O'Byrne (@wiobyrne):Thank you all...you make it worthwhile :_Kristin:Okay - on YouTube.Kristin:Great. Thanks.

Kristy Pytash:Thank you! Wendy Plum:That's great!Justin Bruno:jbruno@mivu.orgKristin:Thank you so much!