This document outlines the agenda and materials for a professional development study group about digital literacy. The study group will include a prezi presentation on digital literacy, readings from articles on embracing digital texts, philosophical chairs to debate replacing traditional texts, group readings with discussion, and a feedback survey. Teachers will learn about the importance of technology and digital literacy for 21st century skills and see classroom website examples.

1. Professional Development Project
Study group
Preliminary Goals
Teachers will understand the importance of technology in classrooms for 21st
Century Readiness.
Teachers will be able to reference specific examples that support digital literacy in classroom.
Recruitment ideas
Multiple emails will be sent out leading up to the study group with short clips of information using
adobe flash (animation software) and video clips to grab attention. I will use bright, bold colors and
effects with just bits of information each time the emails are sent to build anticipation for the next
email, leading up to the main event (study group).
Materials
Laptop or iPad with internet access
Prezi presentation
Projector
Pencils
Highlighters
Sticky notes
Enough copies for all study group participants of the articles below:
Article 1(read aloud): The importance of Digital Literacy for 21st
Century College and Career Readiness
Article 2 (reciprocal read): The Vitality of Embracing Changes in Literacies’ Research
Article 3 (reciprocal read): Why digital literacy is important for science teaching and learning
Two large poster boards to be displayed for philosophical chairs:
One saying “FOR”
The other saying “AGAINST”
Example websites for debrief:
http://msdickinsonscience.weebly.com/#/
http://fdickinson2012.wix.com/fanny-dickinson
Evaluation website:
Feedback survey sent from surveymonkey.com
Agenda for initial meeting
Introduction to topic
Prezi presentation with commentary from the speaker, “I chose to use a new technology tool for this
introduction versus the traditional power point presentation you are used to.”: outlining the CCSS
requirement for technology in classrooms, statistics gathered that support digital literacy, examples of

2. classroom websites, digital literacy and technology project ideas/tools, and fun/cheaper New Literacies
being used in present classrooms across the country.
Read Aloud
I will read an academic journal aloud that describes a public school in Tuscan, AZ throwing out all of their
traditional texts in favor of digital literacy. Teachers will be asked to follow along on their own copy of
the article: number the paragraphs, underline the main idea and later high light key points in made by
the author.
Philosophical Chairs
Using the article and their own personal teaching philosophies, Teachers will be asked to take a stance
for or against swapping all traditional texts for digital literacy as the school in Tuscan did.
The teachers will be asked to move to the side of the room displaying “FOR” or “AGAINST” depending on
their opinion.
Once the teachers have taken their side, they must come up with a general consensus as a group to
report back to everyone as to why their side was for or against this radical transition in texts. The
spokesperson will be asked to give their group’s stance and provide evidence to support their
philosophical stance.
Reciprocal Read as a table group
Teachers will be broken up into groups of 3 and given one of the two articles in hard copy. Teachers will
be asked to reciprocal read in groups of three one of the two articles selected. They will be using reading
strategies taught to the students in the school: 1st
person reads a paragraph aloud to the other two
people, 2nd
person summarizes the paragraph, 3rd
person picks out the main idea of the paragraph and
then the jobs are rotated for the next paragraph and so on (all 3 people are expected to mark their texts
for the main idea during the reciprocal read). Also, each group will highlight key points of interest in the
text during the reciprocal read along with underlining the main idea. Each group will be asked to discuss
the main ideas and interesting topics they selected during the read, and come up with information they
would like to report back to the whole group on their article.
Discussion questions/responses
Report back to whole group
Once all of the reading groups have finished their reciprocal reading of one of the articles, a
spokesperson will be selected to each group and asked to report back the information from the article

3. that they reciprocal read together. A whole group discussion will take place regarding the benefits and
consequences of digital literacies and technology use in the classroom.
Debrief from study session and overview for next time
This will include a summarizing piece regarding the importance of digital literacies in classroom and a
brief overview of the next topic to be discussion (using technology in classrooms). There will be just a
quick demonstration of using technology in a classroom using websites created on weebly.com and
wix.com. Teachers will be notified to expect an email from surveymonkey.com requesting feedback for
the study group and asked to complete within 24 hours.
Evaluation for teachers
The teachers will receive an email with the feedback question from survey monkey that they will be
asked to complete and return within 24 hours of participating in the study group.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VKBJHSB

4. References
Dickinson, F. (2014). Ms. Dickinson’s 7/8 Grade Science. Retrieved from
http://msdickinsonscience.weebly.com/#/
Dickinson, F. (2013). Fanny j. Dickinson. Retrieved from http://fdickinson2012.wix.com/fanny-dickinson
Gainer, J. (2012).Critical Thinking: Foundational for Digital Literacies and Democracy. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(1), 14-17. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaal.326/pdf
Hagood, M.C., & Skinner, E.N. (2014). The Vitality of Embracing Changes in Literacies’ Research,
Education, and Publication. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(1), 6-8. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaal.326/pdf
Ng, W. (2011). Why digital literacy is important for science teaching and learning. The Journal of the
Australian Science Teachers Association, 57(4), 26-32. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.wou.edu:4105/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7474a25f-820a-4c17-ae08-
42fe15a5f659%40sessionmgr198&vid=0&hid=107
Prezi, INC. (2014). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/
SurveyMonkey. (1999-2014). Retrieved from https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VKBJHSB