Amanda+Witham+Design+Space

=**I. Design space to develop your 250-300 word** // abstract // **that summarizes your question, rationale, and your findings.**=
 * What is your question? //How can I use 21st century technologies to support the literacy development and global awareness of struggling readers in low-income schools?//
 * What is your rationale? //I have three concerns based upon my teaching experience that influenced my choice of the NLGL program and became the focus of my studies. First, how can I reach and help my struggling readers? As a reading teacher, especially of skills level classes and "grade" level where most students were actually reading below grade level, I craved resources for assessment and strategies for instruction and intervention. Second, how can I teach 21st century skills where technology access and resources are lacking? My experience was in a school with recently"updated" but already outdated and insufficient technology infrastructure, equipment, and software, and I struggled to learn, let alone implement, new technologies for my students and classroom in that environment. Third, how do I bring multicultural perspectives into non-diverse school communities? Again, this is straight from my experience in small-town New England, where I worked hard to use literature and non-fiction to bring global awareness to my sheltered student population and attended conferences on multiculturalism in education, but I still felt like I needed more tools and better ideas.//
 * What are your findings? //In each of my courses at NCSU in the NLGL K-12 Reading program, I have both consciously and subconsciously brought these three elements into all of my work, my lesson plans and activity ideas, and my projects and research.//

=**II. Design space to plan out your** // creative synthesis // **that will visually represent your findings. Remember to include your abstract in your visual representation.**=

> Develop your compelling question related to student learning by the end of your first semester in the program. Decide on a question that you are passionate about and want to focus on for the duration of your program. Click here to learn more about what we mean by compelling question. Here are a couple of examples: How do I creatively and effectively engage diverse learners in my middle grades classroom? How can I effectively engage elementary students in reading and writing?
 * ==Compelling Question:==

//**How can I use 21st century technologies to support the literacy development and global awareness of struggling readers in low-income schools?**//



> Use coursework (including core courses ECI 546, 524, 523, 508 and your content specialty courses), individual investigations, and outside experts to explore different aspects of your question. Actively analyze information from multiple sources and perspectives as you explore answers to your question. Make a list here of the information you are analyzing. As you proceed with your analysis make some notes here about your initial findings and where you anticipate needing more information. Also, make sure to note if and how your compelling question has changed.
 * ==Gather & Analyze Information:==

ECI 546 New Literacies and Media - //a lot of tech tools, ideas, PBI project integrated tech (without needing a lot of hard/software) with reading needs// ECI 524 Theory and Research in Global Learning - //project failed, but a good idea for collaboration across distances to bridge cultural gaps, build awareness and gain perspective on various issues// ECI 508 Teachers as Leaders ECI 523 Teacher as Researcher - //action research/ teacher research is really good practice, see myself doing it often to monitor intervention success and effectiveness with various activities, strategies//

ECI 541 Content Area Reading - //SRE project integrated reading, technology, and multiculturalism; will help if I become a lit coach, asisst colleagues as a leader; great strategies for building pk, vocab, and nonfiction reading; designed a webquest that integrates resource evaluation, primary and secondary source documents, critical thinking about perspectives, online literacy, writing, and collaboration skills available at [|PacificTheaterWW2]// ECI 512 Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning - // using iPods, smartphones, and basic free web 2.0 tools and new technologies to expand curriculum; some great project ideas for classroom and intervention //

ECI 545 Theory and Research in Literacy - //paper on transactional theory relates how the theory (reader + text + moment = unique experience) supports current education focus on differentiation and individualization, multiple perspectives, critical thinking, discussion, evaluation, and creation of unique products to show understanding.// ECI 543 Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities - //I got the tools I wanted and needed to assess and determine what my struggling students need help with.// ECI 544 Remediation of Reading Disabilities - //and here I learned how to help them, specifically, with each issue and at every level.// ECI 645 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Practicum in Reading - //I am putting it into practice and learning how to work in a sustained one-on-one situation.//

Creatively Synthesize Information: > Synthesize the information from and across your sources to create a unique response to your question. You should be able to distill your synthesis into 4-6 bullet points (to be included in your written abstract) as well as provide a creative visual representation of your findings. You may use a variety of media and tools to design your visual representation of your Creative Synthesis. Think carefully about the tools that you will use to represent your findings. The first draft of your Creative Synthesis should be developed no later than Midterm/NCSU Spring Break while you are taking the ECI 508, Teachers as Leaders class. Click here to see sample products from former students.

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 * Here is my weebly (in progress) which will eventually be my final Creative Synthesis.**

> Seek out at least two colleagues in the NLGL program in addition to your advisor to provide peer feedback on your abstract and creative synthesis based on the NLGL Creative Synthesis Rubric. Based on the feedback you receive, you may choose to make revisions to more fully meet the rubric criteria.
 * ==Critically Evaluate and Revise:==

> Be prepared to present your Creative Synthesis at the NLGL Design Studio Showcase during your final semester of your degree program, in conjunction with the ECI 508, Teachers as Leaders course.
 * ==**Share, Publish, Act:**==