1. Soares 1
Mike Soares
TCH 461
Dr. Robyn Seglem
July 10, 2014
School Plan: Infusing Digital Literacy throughout the Curriculum

2. Soares 2
What are the specific goals for the literacy plan?
“If policy makers and educators continue to ignore the growing evidence that new skills and strategies
may be required to read, learn and solve problems with the Internet, our students will not be
prepared for the future” (2).
Coiro, Julie. “Predicting Reading Comprehension Skills on the Internet: Contributions
of Offline Reading Skills, Online Reading Skills, and Prior Knowledge.” Journal
of Literacy Research. XX(X) (2011): 1-41. Web. 8 Jul. 2014.
GOALS:
1. Create interdisciplinary curriculum.
2. Integrate digital literacy skills across disciplines.
3. Connect with teachers and students across the country and abroad.
4. Increase digital literacy to make a difference not just for the school, but
for the planet.

3. Soares 3
How will you know that you're making adequate progress?
An effective digital literacy plan will recognize that students need to have explicit instruction in using
digital tools and online media, while at the same acknowledging the skills they may already possess. A
digital literacy school plan of my design comes in the form of a program which seeks to use technology to
create positive change not just for the school building and community, but also for the world. Pontiac
Township High School does already have 1:1 technology; more importantly, however, we also have two
highly successfully eco-oriented programs which depend upon technology. The Prescription Pill and
Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) has created a systemfor recycling unwanted drugs. Technology involved
in the program has included a website, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds created and maintained by
students. P2D2 has also made strategic and extensive use of Skype to converse with interested parties
from all over the country. Lately, we have extended the program abroad to several continents, including
Europe, South America, and Asia. Traveling to new states, countries, and continents to expand our
program helps us know we are making adequate progress. Pictured above is a meeting we had at a
Turkish high school with our Skype friends to implement a drug recycling program in Istanbul while
they in turn instructed us on their worm composting eco-project. In order for students to make these
long range connections, they need to be literate in the skills to make the initial connections. My school
plan proposes to use a similar model to extend digital literacy in the district.

4. Soares 4
How will you assess digital literacy?
Formative Assessment
http://www.atomiclearning.com/assess-yourself
The above online self-assessment can be used by students at the initial stages of the digital literacy
plan to provide a clear picture to all stakeholders of the knowledge and skills they are bringing to
the table. Near the end of the semester/year, students could post-assess themselves and send the
results directly to the teacher’s email.
Summative Assessment
This assessment would require instructors to evaluate the end results of the project as it takes form
with digital media. For example, with PTHS’s other eco-project, Operation Endangered Species
(OES), students in my Rhetoric II course were taskedwith creating an online curriculum and care
guide for the caretaking of nearly extinct alligator snapping turtles in the classroom. Students
developed their own rubric and were assessedon the uploaded text. In my school plan, digital
literacy would be weigh more in a final assessment where students demonstrated a rationale for the
digital tools used and the online media incorporated into their work. For example, for the 2014-2015
school year, I am considering involvement in a new project which gets food and supplies to
disadvantaged people. Students would show knowledge of digital literacy by using their digital
skills to identify those in need and connect them to them those who can provide assistance.

5. Soares 5
To what kinds of data will you refer?
“…new literacies of online reading comprehension are defined around five major functions: 1)
identifying important questions; 2) locating, information; 3) analyzing, information; 4) synthesizing
information; and 5) communicating information” (5).
Leu, Donald J. et al. “What is New about the New Literacies of Online Reading Comprehension?”.
NCTE. Web. 7 Jul. 2014.
In the Operation Endangered Species project, students measure and weight the turtles, charting their
statistics on a Google doc (pictured above) which is shared with scientists who are studying the
animals. In my proposed plan, students would be tasked with researching information in order to
make the connections vital to the success of the project. Since the plan is interdisciplinary, Social
Sciences would be instrumental in researching and analyzing city records to determine where
humanitarian aid was most needed. Likewise, the Math department could use online tools to
determine how much food or other supplies can be carried in a particular vehicle such as a U-Haul
truck, or calculate how much overhead items such as gas would cost. In the English department,
students could complete online research on expressive writing to use for promotional pieces, creating
their own work to post on a website such as Weebly to share with the community. Similarly, the
opportunity to write scripts for public service announcements which could be produced with digital
tools and posted on websites such as Youtube would deeply enhance the school wide experience.

6. Soares 6
What changes/additions will you make to
curriculum and instruction?
While, for better or worse, team teaching already exists at PTHS for core disciplines and
special education, my plan calls for the creation of a team teaching culture which
encourages teachers to voluntarily form partnerships across disciplines to take up
interesting projects or aspects of a greater cause. Inspired teachers working with inspired
teachers with approval of administration can likewise inspire students and create
amazingly productive results, as demonstrated in the cases of P2D2, which recycled its
1,000,000th pound of drugs in the summer of 2013, and OES which will collaborate with
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to release the first batch of alligator snapping
turtles into wild in the summer of 2014. These collaborative efforts require teachers to be
open to the development of new curriculum as the needs of the program evolve, as well as
shifting to a student-driven format when engaging in the project. As students use the
digital tools to create website hubs and databases, those involved will have at their
fingertips the information to both justify and further their program.

7. Soares 7
What role will students play? Parents? Teachers?
Administrators?
- Students drive the program.
- Teachers guide the students in their efforts, provide
explicit instruction in digital literacy, and open their
classroom to the needs of the program.
- Administrators maintain budgets for 1:1 technology
and adequate bandwidth, support teachers focusing on
digital literacy, and allow teachers and students flexible
time to work outside of the building.
- Parents provide community support.

8. Soares 8
What will the relationship between digital
reading and writing and non-digital reading and
writing be?
“…although some aspects of online reading comprehension may be uniquely new, many other online
reading skills and strategies may reflect similar and more complex versions of more traditionally
conceived offline reading comprehension skills and strategies” (27)
Coiro, Julie. “Predicting Reading Comprehension Skills on the Internet: Contributions of Offline
Reading Skills, Online Reading Skills, and Prior Knowledge.” Journal
of Literacy Research. XX(X) (2011): 1-41. Web. 8 Jul. 2014.
Both digital and non-digital reading and writing for this plan share a relationship in that they
are goal-oriented. Students are employing literacy in all modes to achieve their collaborative
purposes. In all cases, there will be real world applications for text which is both created and
consumed by students. Of course, how students read digital text is informed by non-digital, but
as the students are working towards a goal they will appreciate how digital text can be
strategically manipulated with online tools. Similarly, students long accustomed to linear
writing to produce documents will understand the liberating properties of digital text creation,
which may take forms in other modes such as video, audio, and other online media.

9. Soares 9
How will you support struggling readers and
writers?
Explicit instruction in digital literacy will need to occur, based in part on the self-
assessment results from students at the initiation of the plan. Much of the work involved it
the plan calls for collaboration, so students who struggle will have the benefit of partnering
with others who will provide support. PTHS has active intervention staff who can work
with students; in particular, the Media Specialist who provides training and also works one
on one with students on technology, as well as the Technology Director who not only
maintains the school’s technological needs but also works with students and keeps their
netbooks functioning properly. PTHS also has in place a District Technology Plan which
tracks information about digital access and eveninternet speedin order to reach out to
disadvantaged students who may need extra support.

10. Soares 10
How will you use technology to support teachers?
1. First, I would have teachers watch the powerful video by Mike Wesch on the Tedalk
website. Not only does his presentation approach technology in a way which urges
us to consider technology in our classrooms, it addresses the power digital media
can have all over the world.
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxNYED-Mike-Wesch-
030610;search%3Atag%3A%22TEDxNYED%22
2. In addition, there would be a libguide hosted by the Media Specialist to coordinate
the efforts of each classroom into one central space. Linked below is an example:
Example for PTHS “Operation Endangered Species”
3. Another important support would be a forum where collaborating teachers could
safely post their ideas and concerns. Weebly, for example, has an excellent forum
feature which provides immediate feedback which can be sent directly to any device,
such as a phone or a tablet.

11. Soares 11
What measures will you take to minimize the
possibility of the plan failing?
- Personal investment, for both teachers and students, will be a main
component of assuring the success of the program.
- Students want to be involved in a cause that makes a difference;
experiencing firsthand results is a prime motivator.
- Documentation needs to be a priority, accessible, and achieved through
skilled and responsible use of online tools.
- Developing digital literacy skills in students when they are young, especially
with the knowledge that technology is literally rewiring their brains, will
prepare them for a lifetime of being “tech-able.”
- Involve all stakeholders, including administrators, colleagues, community.