This document summarizes a presentation about using web-based tools to support literacy instruction and parent involvement. It introduces wikis, blogs, Twitter, and other tools and how they can be used in the classroom and to communicate with parents. Wikis allow collaborative websites to be created easily. Blogs allow sharing of daily classroom experiences and connecting with families. Twitter facilitates professional learning networks and connecting with authors. Appropriate and safe use of these tools in schools is also discussed.

1. Engaging the Internet: Tools to
Support Literacy Instruction and
Parent Involvement
Presented by:
Jennifer Floyd
November 2014

2. The Purpose of This Presentation
• To introduce a variety of web-based tools and
show how they can be integrated into daily
literacy instruction.
• To identify how web-based tools can also be
used to enhance parent communication.
• To demonstrate how to get started using web-based
tools.

3. Why Should We Incorporate Internet
Tools?
• To motivate students and foster engagement
• To provide opportunities for collaboration
– Educator/Educator
– Educator/Student
– Student/Student
• To communicate with parents
• To keep us organized
• Easy to use!
• Saves on paper
• These are the tools of the future!

4. The tools we’ll talk about today
wikis
blogs
Twitter
Todaysmeet
QR Codes
Popplet

5. Wikis
• Wikis are wonderful tools that allow anyone
to create a site where information can be
posted.
• Creating a wiki is like making a website, but
much easier.
• Wikis are easy to create!
– If you can attach a document to an e-mail, you can
upload files to a wiki.

6. Classroom uses for wikis
• Create a class wiki
– Post information about your class
• Schedule
• Important events
– Post handouts from lessons and activities
• Great for students who are absent!
– Post samples of student work

7. Classroom uses for wikis
• Content-area instruction
– Create a wiki for individual units with information
that students (and parents) can access.
– Have students create a wiki for a unit of study.
• American Revolution wiki
• Civil War wiki
• Oceans wiki
• Geometry wiki

8. • Maintain lesson plans in one place
• Keep track of a variety of teaching materials
– Videos
– Photos
– Notes
– Powerpoint presentations
– Rubrics
– Review activities

9. Getting Started With a Wiki
• Decide on a topic for your wiki.
• Choose a site (i.e., wikispaces).
• Create an account.
• You’re ready to go!

10. Sites for Wiki Creation
• http://www.wikispaces.com
• http://wikisineducation.wikifoundry.com/?t=a
non
• http://education.weebly.com

14. Wikifoundry

15. Signing up for Wikifoundry

16. My Title I Reading Wiki
• Created primarily for parent communication,
although students have also been interested
in the wiki and like seeing what I’ve posted.
• Includes information specific to the Title I
Reading program
– Title I School Plan
– Title I Program Description
• Allows me to post examples of student work

17. My Title I Reading Wiki
• Reminders of important events at school
– Family Reading Night
– Report Cards and Interims
– SOLs
• Post the English SOLs for each grade (K-5) for
parents to reference.
• Teacher blog
– One page that I periodically update with a variety
of information, comments, etc.

18. My Title I Reading Wiki
• My wiki allows me to control who can add
content.
– Right now, that involves me (and my
administrator)
– I don’t have to worry about what is being posted
on the site, and comments in particular.

22. What if I want a tool that is
more interactive?
What if I want to share my
daily experiences?
What if I want to get my
students involved?

23. Then, you’ll want to consider a
blog!

24. Blogs
• Short for “weblog”
– This is a great term to mention to students
– Portmanteau word
– Include in vocabulary study
• Blogs are sites where you can post
information, but you don’t have to set up your
own webpage.
• Others can read what you have to say and
then comment on your post(s).

25. The Professional Use of Blogs
• A blog is a great idea if you want to share
ideas with other colleagues (and not be bound
by geography!).
– For example, if you have a successful method for
establishing literacy stations, you could blog about
your method so that others could then implement
your idea, too!

26. Using Blogs in the Classroom
• A blog can also be used to connect with families.
– Blog about what you’re doing in your classroom
– Allow students to be involved in this blog as a way to
encourage writing.
• They can contribute posts (With careful monitoring)
– Topics for these posts
• Students could also be allowed to comment on your posts
(again, with careful monitoring)
– For example, if you write a blog post describing an activity in your
classroom, the students could comment on their participation in
this activity

27. Using Blogs in the Classroom
• Kidblog.org is a wonderful tool to encourage
student writing.
– Includes safety features to protect students
• Establish who can read posts
– All visitors
– Just those in the class
– Administrator/Teacher only
• Establish if you want an adult (admin/teacher) to
review and approve posts before the appear on the
page.
– Provides e-mail notification

32. Things to Consider
• When posting, keep in mind the following:
– You’re representing your school district, whether
you’re posting information personally or
professionally.
– Be positive, not negative
• Don’t make disparaging remarks about students, your
school, etc.
– Think carefully about the information that you are
posting.
• Is the information relevant or is it a case of TMI?
• Is the information of a sensitive nature?

33. Things to Consider
• When students are blogging, have established
rules for what is/is not appropriate.
– Rules for posting
• Don’t use full names.
• Don’t post personal information (address)
– Rules for commenting
• Don’t post mean or negative comments.
• Use this as a time to make positive comments.
• Ask questions
• Ask for clarification if something is unclear.

34. Things to Consider
• Let your administrator know what you’re
doing.
– You can provide your administrator with the
necessary privileges to access classroom blogs.
• Have parent permission before students start
blogging.
• Communicate with parents
– Share reasons for using blogging in the classroom
– Review safety precautions being used

35. Sample Blogs Created By Educators
• It’s a good idea to look at examples of blogs
when you are getting started.
• You can see what others have done and
decide what you like.
• You can also see the variety of possibilities
available to bloggers.
• If using blogs as a part of classroom
instruction, you should definitely check to see
how other teachers have used this tool.

36. Examples of Blogs
• http://readingyear.blogspot.com/
– Two classroom teachers who discuss books
they’ve read
• Franki Sibberson
• Mary Lee
• http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/
– Katherine Sokolowski
• Classroom teacher
• 5th grade

37. Examples of Blogs
• http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/
– John Schumacher, teacher-librarian
– Children’s literature focus
– Connects with a lot of authors
• http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/
– Margie Myers-Culver
– A teacher-librarian
– Also literature-focused

38. Examples of Blogs
• http://daydreamreader.com/
– Niki Ohs Barnes
• Classroom teacher
• 2nd grade
• Writes about books and teaching
• http://mrcolbysharp.com/
– Colby Sharp
• 3rd grade teacher in Michigan
• Reading emphasis

39. Twitter…It’s not just for
celebrities, it’s for
educators, too!

40. What is Twitter?
• Twitter is a tool that allows users to
“microblog.”
–Messages are limited to 140
characters
• Although Twitter is often thought of
as a tool used by celebrities to
connect with fans, Twitter has
educational uses, too!

41. Why Should Educators Use Twitter?
• To establish and develop Professional Learning
Networks (PLNs)
• To be exposed to new ideas and methods.
• To connect with children’s and young adult
authors.
• To enrich your professional organization
membership
• To keep up with trending news in education

42. Professional Learning Networks
• Connect with other educators without being
bound by geography
– Particularly valuable for teachers in rural and/or
small schools, although any teacher can benefit.
– Provides exposure to new ideas and teaching
methods
– Don’t have to wait until a conference to interact
with other educators.
– You can tweet at any time!

43. New Ideas and Methods
• Twitter provides a wealth of ideas for literacy
instruction.
– Lesson ideas and strategies
– Book recommendations (both student and
professional)
– Classroom management and organization

44. Use Twitter To Connect With Authors
• Many authors of children’s and young adult
literature are active on Twitter.
– Provides opportunities to interact with authors
• Post questions and comments
• Read the author’s tweets to learn about the author.
– Many include personal details.
– You feel like you get to know the authors.
• Find out about the writing process
• Learn about upcoming books
• Many authors of professional materials also have
established Twitter accounts to connect with
readers.

45. Professional Organizations and Twitter
• Many professional education organizations, such as IRA
and NCTE have Twitter accounts.
– Links to articles
– Ideas for your classroom
– Book suggestions
– Information about conferences
• Many of these professional conferences create hashtags for
communication during the conferences.
– This facilitates locating other tweets on the same subject.
– We could create a hashtag for the mini-conference with #svrcminiconf
and we could share our learning with others.
• SVRC has a Twitter account, too!
– @shenvalleyrdg

46. Other Educational Uses of Twitter
• Many education-oriented websites also have
Twitter accounts
• I have gotten some great ideas from tweets
provided through these accounts.
– National Writing Project
– Reading Rockets
– Read Write Think

47. “Virtually” attend a conference…even
when it’s across the country!
• Twitter allows educators to follow what’s
going on at conferences, even when you’re
not in attendance and the conference is far
away!
– Many conferences now have “hashtags” to
encourage participants to tweet about their
experiences.
• #vsra2014
• #ncte2014

48. Twitter and PD Opportunities
• Information about upcoming professional
development opportunities can also be found
on Twitter.
– Webinars
– Conferences
– Workshops
– Ed Camps
– Twitter Chats

49. What is a Twitter Chat?
• Twitter chats facilitate the development of connections
between educators and are usually organized around a
common topic or theme.
– Children’s literature
– Independent reading
– Writing instruction
• Twitter chats are usually planned for an announced time
– #titletalk, hosted by Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp, is
scheduled for the last Sunday of the month, from 8-9 PM
• Conversational tone
• Often a moderator will suggest topics or questions for
participant response.
• Sometimes, though, chats can be less structured.

50. Twitter Chats
• You can create a school-wide or even a district-wide
chat.
– Encourage collaboration
– Strengthen PLCs and PLNs
– Focus on things specifically related to your school or
district
• Example: My district is focusing on writing instruction. We
could create a district-wide writing chat.
• Another district might be targeting comprehension strategy
instruction and create a chat based on that topic.
– You just need to make sure that people have Twitter
accounts and hashtag information.

51. Participating In A Twitter Chat
• Using a tool like TweetDeck is suggested
– Makes following the conversation much easier!
• Type in the hashtag (e.g., #titletalk) to follow the
conversation
• Usually the moderator (if there is one) will post a question.
– In most cases, when you choose to respond, don’t forget to
include the question number and the hashtag with your answer.
• Retweet and/or favorite comments.
• Don’t get discouraged if it’s hard to keep up!
– Twitter chats are fast-paced!
– Lots of messages will pop up!
– It gets easier with practice!

52. Educational Uses of Twitter At School
• Parent communication tool
– Share ideas and tips for supporting their children’s literacy
– Provide alerts about upcoming events at school
• Family Reading Night
• Parent-Teacher Conference nights
• Book Fairs
– Post pictures of classroom activities
• Students can also post tweets about their reading (with
supervision)
– This could be a component of independent reading.
– Tweet summaries of books
– Tweet questions about books that other students can answer
(also while using Twitter)

53. Educational Uses of Twitter
• Morning meetings
– Students can help you construct a tweet (or more
than one tweet) as a part of a morning message.
• “Tweeter of the day”
– Could be a class job that rotates.
– The selected student could help you compose tweets during the
morning meeting.
– This student could provide suggestions for tweets or responses to
other tweets.
– A student could be responsible for taking pictures for
you to upload with the tweets.
– A great time to address what is appropriate to post
online.

54. Educational Uses of Twitter
• Twitter pals
– In lieu of pen pals
– Follow other classes who are on Twitter
– Correspond with each other via Twitter.

55. Things to Consider When Using Twitter
• Twitter, like any form of social media, is
permanent.
• When posting tweets, think before hitting the
“Tweet” button.
– Consider the tone of the tweet.
– Think about the information you’re providing in
the tweet.
– Remember: if you are using this professionally,
you are representing your school division.

56. Things to Consider When Using Twitter
• If you plan to involve your students (and parents, too) make
sure that your administrator is aware of what you are
doing.
– It’s often a good idea to share administrative
privileges/password information with the principal if you have a
classroom account
– You should also obtain parent permission.
• Use your professional e-mail account if you’re tweeting for
parents or involving students.
• Watch out for Promoted Tweets.
– These are tweets sent out by businesses and many of these
businesses would not be appropriate for school
– You can block these, but you have to go to the profile page to do
so.

57. Things to Know About Twitter
• The messages that you send and read are called
tweets.
• “twitter handles”
– @jen4literacy
– @IRAToday (International Reading Association)
• Hashtags
– Place the # in front of the topic
• #bookaday
• #teaching reading
• #literacy
• #bproots
• #kidlit
• #titletalk

58. Things to Know About Twitter
• RT
– Retweet a message that has already been posted
• Direct Message (DM)
– Allows for private communication
– However, the person you’re trying to contact must
follow you on Twitter.

59. Things to Know About Twitter
• Favorites
– Yellow star
– Allows you to identify tweets that are your favorite
• This is great if you come across a lesson idea
• Follow
– When you follow someone, you will get their tweets.
• Just click the follow button, unless their tweets are
protected-then you’ll have to request
– A follower is someone who receives your tweets.
• They just click on the follow button to do so.
• However, if you’ve protected your tweets, potential
followers have to send a request for you to approve.

60. Things to Know About Twitter
• Mentioning
– Including another person in a tweet
– For example, if I wanted to mention that my class
was reading a book by Seymour Simon, I could
create a tweet that said something like: “Third
graders are reading nonfiction by
@seymoursimon.
– Another example could be “Attending a
conference session where @donalynbooks is
presenting.”

61. Things to Know About Twitter
• Protected Accounts
– You can protect your tweets so that only the
followers that you have accepted can access your
tweets
– This can be accessed in the account settings.
– You can choose to unprotect your tweets at any
time.

62. Things to Know About Twitter
• Blocking
– Great for commercial tweets
– You’ll need to visit the profile page for the
person/company whose tweets you want to block.
– There is a person icon that you will need to click.
– This activates a menu that includes “block.”
• Unblocking
– Similar process to blocking
– Go to the profile page and click on the person icon to
reveal the menu that includes “unblock.”

63. Getting Started With Twitter
• Go to www.twitter.com
• If you do not have a twitter account, you will need to
click on “New to Twitter? Sign up.”
• You will need to provide your name, create a password,
and include an e-mail address.
– If you are going to use this as a professional resource, I
would suggest using your professional e-mail.
– Just a reminder: I would keep professional and personal
accounts separate.
• So if you are going to follow Bradley Cooper, do that on a personal
account linked to a personal e-mail.
• If you’re going to follow the DOE, use your professional e-mail.

71. Organizing Your Tweets
• You may find it helpful to download a tool
such as TweetDeck or HootSuite to maintain
your Twitter feed.
– I have Tweet Deck, which I downloaded from the
App Store.
– These tools can usually be downloaded onto a
smartphone, which facilitates your monitoring of a
Twitter account.

73. Todaysmeet.com
• This is another great tool for the classroom that can be
used in large or small groups!
• Go to http://www.todaysmeet.com and create a
“room.”
• After you create the room, you will need to decide how
long you want to keep the room open.
– A variety of choices are available from two hours to one
month.
• You can print the transcripts if you want them available later.
– This is particularly helpful if you want to identify areas to target for future
instruction.
– Could also be used as an artifact for teacher evaluation purposes.

74. Title1at9am

75. Why use todaysmeet.com?
• Provides a platform that encourages
collaboration.
• Allows all students to contribute their ideas.
– Particularly nice for quiet students who like to fade
into the background!
– Also great for students who need some wait time
• They can construct their answer at their own pace.
• Allows students time to organize their thoughts
before answering.
• Gives students practice with keyboarding.

76. I direct students to use
only their first and
last initials when signing in.
A Sample Transcript
PW

77. An example of a todaysmeet.com
conversation

78. Another example of a todaysmeet.com
conversation

80. Suggestions for using todaysmeet
• Todaysmeet.com can be used for review purposes.
– I often insert queries about skills that have been previously
taught.
• For example, I might ask about the author’s purpose for writing
the text that we’re reading.
• I will also ask about the main idea of a text.
– I often ask students to identify elements of fiction
• Characters
• Setting
• Problem/Solution
– I also ask questions related to the elements of nonfiction
texts
• Text structure

81. Suggestions for using todaysmeet
• Students can respond while they are reading a text.
– For example, my third graders were read an autobiography
of Clyde Robert Bulla and wrote about the text using
todaysmeet.
• They described what the author’s school was like and how it was
different from their school.
• They responded to my query about the meaning of a word used in
the text.
– My fourth graders read a nonfiction text about fish.
• One student moved through the text much more quickly than
another, so I could have them respond at their rates.
• One student did not need to wait on the other student, creating
the possibility of disengagement.

82. Suggestions for using todaysmeet
• Could incorporate todaysmeet.com with
Reciprocal Teaching
• Students can respond as they participate in
their specific roles.
– Summarizer
– Questioner
– Clarifier
– Predictor

83. Suggestions for using todaysmeet
• Use as a backchannel during lectures and whole
class discussions in content areas.
– Again, students may feel more comfortable expressing
questions in this format.
• Have todaysmeet available to students during
out-of-school hours.
– Students can continue to post their questions and
comments.
• You may get an additional view into their misconceptions
about a topic.
– Students may dialogue with each other, encouraging
collaborative learning.

84. Why use todaysmeet?
• Provides an opportunity for discussion that
encourages everyone to participate.
• I haven’t noticed anyone copying another
person’s answer because all students seem to be
very intent on typing their responses.
• Students can pose questions of their own, as
well
• You can have individual conversations with
students, especially if you want to tease out
what’s a problem for students, as well as to
encourage the further development of ideas.

85. Guidelines for using todaysmeet
• Since this is an online tool, I use this
opportunity to talk about Internet safety.
– Students only use their first and last initial when
they join the “meeting.”
– I go by “Ms. F” in the meeting room.
– Students are instructed not to refer to anyone by
their name, but are instructed to use initials.
– No personal information is to be posted.
• This is pretty easy to monitor as all comments are
posted and I use this with small groups.

86. QR Codes-Another great tool!
• We see QR codes everywhere now
– The McDonald’s cup with my sweet tea
– Stores
• Advertisements
• Coupons
– Museums
• Information about exhibits
– Website information (URLs)

87. QR Codes
• Looks like a barcode, but is a little different
– Can contain text/information
• Apps that read QR Codes can be downloaded
to your smartphone or tablet.
• The app scans the QR Code and converts the
code into text.

88. How can teachers use QR Codes?
• Response to literature
– Changes things up for students.
– Provides them with a new, different platform for
sharing about books.
• Fourth and fifth grade Title 1 students created QR
codes about the characters in chapter books they read.
– They identified a character.
– Then they described the character.
– They also explained what the character’s problem was and
how the character tried to solve their problem.

89. How can teachers use QR Codes?
• Summarizing reading
– 20 word summaries
• Book recommendations
– Have the resulting QR codes posted around the
classroom.
– Students can scan the QR codes and then choose
a book.
• Books with QR code recommendations could even be
stored in a particular basket or space for easy access.

90. How can teachers use QR Codes?
• Literacy stations
– A QR code can include directions needed to complete
a station.
– Materials for the station can be embedded in the QR
Code.
• Fluency poems
• Reader’s Theater scripts
• Writing prompts
• Words to sort
– Students can scan a picture of a posted QR code and
then use that information to complete the required
activity.

91. How can teachers use QR Codes?
• Parent communication
– Newsletters could contain a QR code for parents
to scan for extra information.
– A QR Code could be placed on student agendas
• These QR Codes would contain information that would
be necessary for year-round reference.
– Teacher’s contact information
– Website for accessing homework
– Website for accessing student grades
– Homework policies
– Class rules/expectations

93. This is the message embedded in the
previous QR code.

94. Free sites for creating QR codes
• https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com
– This is the site I use the most.
• http://www.qrstuff.com
• http://www.visualead.com
• http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#text

95. You (or a student) would type
their text here. Then, click on
SAVE. Then, click on the

97. Popplet
• Popplet is a tool that allows students to make
connections between concepts and ideas.
• Popplet provides students with a visual
representation of information.
• Resembles Kidspiration

98. Popplet
• Go to www.popplet.com
– You can create an account.
– However, if you want to skip the log-in process
with students, popplets can be created without
having an account.
• On the website’s main page, you can click on “try it
out.”
– The Popplet app is also available through iTunes.

99. Popplet
• Very user-friendly (for teachers and kids)
– Visuals provided on the main page that illustrate each
step of the Popplet process.
• This walk-through can always be accessed by clicking on the
question mark in the upper right corner of the pages.
• Many options allow students to personalize their
Popplets.
– Color
– Font
– Allows drawings to be added

100. Popplet and Literacy Instruction
• Describe a character from a book
– Popple with the character’s name
– Other Popples describe the character’s behavior, physical
appearance, likes/dislikes, problems, etc.
• Story maps
– Characters, settings, and plot
– Construct these maps during and after reading
• Brainstorm ideas for writing
• Map out vocabulary words
– Have one popple in the center with the vocabulary word
– Other popples branching out could define the word, provide
synonyms and antonyms, and use the word in a sentence.

101. Popplet and Literacy Instruction
• Demonstrate SOL skill knowledge
– Identify and map the different types of nonfiction
text structures
– Work with prefixes, suffixes, and roots
• Have one popple with a root
• Other popples could represent words with that root
– Choose a word and map out the synonyms or
antonyms for that word.

109. Tagxedo
• A free website (www.tagxedo.com)
• Generates word clouds
– Similar to Wordle
• You do not have to sign up for an account.
• You do need Microsoft Silverlight downloaded
on your computer in order to use Tagxedo.
– Most Windows-based computers have this,
especially if they’re relatively new computers.
– Mac users will need to download Silverlight.

110. Using Tagxedo As A Part of Daily
Literacy Instruction
• 20 word summaries
– After students complete 20 word summaries to
summarize a text, the words from those
summaries can be typed into Tagxedo to complete
a word cloud.
– All students’ words can be combined into one
cloud or individual students can create their own
clouds.

111. Using Tagxedo As A Part of Daily
Literacy Instruction
• If you’re teaching a skill like synonyms or
antonyms, students can use Tagxedo.
– Students can collect words that represent the
targeted element (i.e., synonyms for the word
“fantastic.”
– Then, they can combine their lists of words by
inputting those words into Tagxedo.
– The resulting word cloud can illustrate how often
certain words appear.

112. Using Tagxedo As A Part of Daily
Literacy Instruction
• Brainstorm a list of a character’s traits and
plug into Tagxedo to determine which traits
occur repeatedly.
– Then, students can use that information to make
some inferences not only about their character(s),
but also about what they have noticed.

117. Things to Consider When Using
Internet Tools…
• Make sure that you provide opportunities for
modeling and scaffolding as you introduce and
use these Internet tools.
– You will need to provide on-going training and support
as students use these tools.
• Always make sure that your administrator is
aware of how you’re using Internet tools.
• Always inform parents about your use of Internet
tools.
– Permission forms are a good idea

118. Things to Consider When Using
Internet Tools…

119. Thank you for attending this session
My contact information:
jaf9d@virginia.edu
jennifer_floyd@rockbridge.k12.va.us
On Twitter:
@jen4literacy