Jill Schreidl

Given the topics, strategies, and ideas that were shared this semester, which one influenced your practice the most?


The information about the new literacies was the most influential for me. I have been increasingly interested in the integration of technology over the last few years and have even thought about going that direction with this degree I’m working on. However, I think this new area of instructional practice being developed is more interesting and more beneficial for students than simply using technology. We’re coming to a time and place where technology is no longer going to be a side dish in the buffet of teaching strategies we have to choose from. It will be the main course, the objective in and of itself. I find this very exciting.

What is the purpose of education? How does this belief influence your pedagogy?

The purpose of education is to prepare young people for a successful future. Simply teaching the skills we believe to be necessary is not enough. Children must be taught how to apply these skills in today’s world. Real world application not only serves to motivate students by giving them a purpose for their learning, but also serves as a teaching tool. If I confine my instruction to the classroom, allowing students to see their education only through the lens of a text book, I limit their understanding of the very skill set I expect them to master. I must think outside the box of my classroom if I am going to be a successful and effective educator.

Given time and curricular constraints, how are you creating a space to extend student literacy learning?

Just as each of us today conducts a life in the real world, with that life also bleeding over into the “extra space” of cyber space, so our students live as well. Instead of fighting this trend, futilely, we should embrace it. The question almost answers itself. How am I “creating a space”? I’m creating and allowing my students to create out there in “cyberspace” as we once called it. They’re online all the time anyway, why not make it a constructive experience?