Entry #6 Dear Dr. Jones: A Reflection on my Literacy Journey

Dear Dr. Jones,

I would like to start this blog by simply saying, WOW! As I reflect upon this journey thus far, I would like to begin back on our last day of class during the Fall 2021 semester. I remember leaving class in 'aw' after having the opportunity to talk with you on a personal level about my second aspiration in life. This individualized time allowed me to share with you my dreams of being an author. I am still very grateful for the words of wisdom you shared with me on this night, as they are words that I reflect upon even as I have begun to engage with the genre project. On this night you mentioned how you believed LTED 618 may support me in my journey of becoming an author, and I will be completely honest when I say that I was not sure what to expect as I entered this semester. However, as we hit the mid-semester mark my perspective has truly evolved. 

LTED 618, is so much more than I ever could have imagined it to be. After talking to you back in December I went home with curiosity about this course and decided to read the description on Naznet. I original believed this course would support me in building my understanding for how reading and writing work together. However, I never realized we would have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the writing process through blogging and genre writing project. I have truly been surprised with how engaging this course has been in supporting my own learning and continuous growth as an individual becoming literate. 

As I reflect upon what I have learned thus far, I would like to focus my attention on blogging as a tool for writing and the importance of mentor texts. Through writing an entry each week for my blog profile, I have gained a new appreciation for blogging as a form of writing experience. As technology becomes more prevalent in our daily lives, the educational system will have to continue to evolve their teaching practices. Writing can be more than just the traditional formatting of a notebook and a pencil. Rather, we can expand writing into the digital world of blogging. Lacina and Griffith (2012) emphasize that “Integrating blogging into classroom writing instruction can engage students and motivate them to participate more fully in the writing process" (p. 317). Allowing students, the opportunity to engage with the writing process through a digital tool such as, blog entries, can encourage students to practice their own 'writers craft'. Blogging is a form of communication where students can write with purpose, to a specific audience, and receive feedback back from others. However, in order to make blogging a successful writing experience for our students, Lacina and Griffith (2012) explain educators must provide modeling and shared writing experiences for students to engage with (p. 319). We have a duty as educators to build a classroom community of writers who learn and grow together.

I have always recognized children's books as tools for learning experiences, however I never realized how important to process is to find, introduce, and use mentor texts in the classroom. When selecting mentor texts, Muhammad (2020) argues that educators should "layer multiple short, powerful, multimodal texts as they teach four layered goals, students have a better chance at academic and personal success" (p. 147). When selecting texts to incorporate into my future lesson plans and classroom I will be mindful of whether the text highlights the four literacy pursuits (e.g., identity, skill, intellect, and criticality). As a culturally and historically responsive educator I believe it is vital to find texts that represent our students' identities and others. Our students need to see apart of themselves in what they are learning. I also now understand that when selecting mentor texts that I want to incorporate into my writing workshop, that I have to be mindful of how I introduce them. Mackay et al. (2017), explain that when introducing mentor texts into one's classroom that it should be used as a 'reading material' because "Authors do not create children's books to be deconstructed and used as writing texts but, rather to be read over and over again for the pleasure of reading" (p. 177). Mentor texts are meant to encourage and support our young writers how a constructor writes with formatting, purpose, for a specific audience, and with a theme in mind. Educators play a powerful role in guiding students in recognizing each of these elements. 

I honestly feel like I could write for days about everything I have learned thus far, however as I conclude my blog entry this week, I would like to discuss a challenge I am facing as I share my progress report with you. Given that I am the first group presenting for the Genre Expert Project, I am concerned that I am 'behind' in a way for showing you my progress for my draft for the genre pieces project. I think I remember you mentioning that it was 'okay' that our focus right now is on completing our presentation, however I wondered if I should be showing you, our presentation progress? Other than this, I feel pretty content with where my progress is for understanding and developing my projects. 

Thank you for your guidance and I truly look forward to continuing to expand my literacy knowledge!

                                                                                                                 Sincerely, 

                                                                                                                 Lauren J. 

References 

Lacina, J. & Griffith, R. (2012). Blogging as a means of crafting writing. The Reading Teacher, 

            66(4), 316-320.

MacKay, K.L., Ricks, P.H., & Young, T.A. (2017). Supporting young writers with award-

            winning books. The Reading Teacher, 71(2), 177-187.

Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating Genius: An equity framework for culturally and                            

            historically responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.