1. Workshop by:
Emilie Jacumin-Simmons
July 13, 2013
VSU CIED 7601

2. WHAT IS DIGITAL LITERACY FOR COMMUNICATION?
Plainly speaking – it is knowing how to talk
to one another in a digital environment.
When applied to an educational
setting, the technology facilitates the
communication between instructor and
student, student and student, or even
instructor and parent.

3. Do you know the answers
to each of these
questions?
If so, click ✓at the bottom
of your Wimba classroom
screen.
If not, or if you are
unsure, click the ✗ at the
bottom of your Wimba
classroom screen.

4. HOW DO WE ENGAGE STUDENTS AND
OVERCOME SPECIAL NEEDS CHALLENGES?

5. BRAINSTORM – OVERCOMING SPECIAL NEEDS
Using the e-board, type in any ways you have used communication tools
to overcome the challenges of students with special needs:

6. BRAINSTORM IDEAS THAT USE
COMMUNICATION LITERACY TOOLS
TO OVERCOME SPECIAL NEEDS CHALLENGES:
1. E-mail – Works for communication purposes, but is not conducive to keeping
all threads in one location.
2. Podcasts – For auditory learners, podcasts reinforce what the student is
visually looking at or studying. (I.e. Students with ADHD that need additional
incentive to focus.)
3. Vodcasts – For visual learners, vodcasts show the content that is being
communicated to the students. (i.e. Students that have auditory difficulties
can benefit from these.)
4. YouTube – Video sharing tool that instructors can utilize to teach information
and students can use to demonstrate their understanding of the content (i.e.
Students that are kinesthetic learners and need to do or see something being
done to understand better.)
5. Wikis – For classroom participation, wikis allow students and teachers to
communicate back and forth and build on those ideas or information banks.
6. Blogs – For classroom participation, the weblog or blog is used to journal
information, like an online diary where others have the capability to post
their responses.

9. AESOP’S FABLE - THE LION AND THE MOUSE
Although communication is generally thought of as a two-way means of
communication, instructors must first get the information out to their
students in order for the learning to take place. Once students have
received the information, the other digital communication tools may be
utilized so that the student can demonstrate understanding of the
material.
The following slides show how Aesop’s Fable of The Lion and the Mouse
can be disseminated to students that are challenged with accessing the
content.

10. FABLE PRESENTATION - STANDARD
Many classics
are archived for
computer access.
This version
came from URL:
http://www.aesop
fables.com/cgi/ae
sop1.cgi?3&TheL
ionandtheMouse
2. A similar site
for access is
URL:
http://classics.mit
.edu/

11. FABLE PRESENTATION – HEARING IMPAIRED
For a student that is hearing impaired, accessing text can be
difficult, particularly if the student is not a fluent reader. Here is an
example of how YouTube (a communication tool) is used to alleviate
some of the struggles for a student with special needs.

12. FABLE PRESENTATION – VISUAL LEARNERS
Students that have difficulty attending or need multiple
modalities to reinforce learning, benefit from videos of stories
or fables being narrated and simulataneously acted out.

13. FABLE PRESENTATION – KINESTHETIC LEARNERS
Certain students learn best by active participation in a text. Readers Theater is
a great way for students to become a part of the material. In Readers
Theater, students listen to the story and then write out a script with each
student reading the role of a narrator or specific character.

14. CREATION OF A BLOG SITE
Once students have received the information via any number of
methods, the instructor is charged with assessing the students’
understanding of the material. We have seen the potential for
disseminating information with technological communication, but
getting responses and giving feedback are equally as important.
The giving and receiving of information is the very definition of
communication.
As a part of this workshop, we will now go through the process of
creating a blog site.

26. Link to the PDLM Blog - URL:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3928780724393553266#templ
ate

27. EVALUATION OF WORKSHOP
Using the blog that the group
created, participants will be asked to
individually submit a post stating two
examples of how they plan to use
communication tools in their classroom.
Additionally, each member needs to reflect on
the workshop and give feedback to the
instructor.

28. TEACHING TIPS
Depending on the students, it might be prudent
for the instructor to use an application such as
Blogmeister. Blogmeister allows the educator
to review students blogs before they are posted
for the general public to read.
URL:http://classblogmeister.com/blogmeister_instruction
s.pdf

29. RESOURCES AND LINKS
E-mail servers: GMAIL.com, YAHOO.com, HOTMAIL.com
(provide free accounts)
Podcasts:
www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/02/28/podcast37-
effective-school-podcasting/
Vodcasts: www.youtube.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/1046066/howtovodcast.html
Wikis: http://pbworks.com/content/edu+overview
http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com
Blogs: www.blogger.com
Blog Classroom Management Tool:
http://classblogmeister.com/blogmeister_instructions.pdf
Blog tutorial: http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog-on-Blogger