THE TECHNOLOGY- READING CONNECTION
By Robert Alfaro
From Educational Leadership, Vol.  56, no.  6,  March,99
reviewed by Melissa Rostkoski

This article tells about the San Antonio Independent School District and how
they are improving their reading program in Kindergarten, first and second
grades.  Seventy-five percent of the city's 98 schools were not reading at
their grade level.  Through a grant from the Texas Academics 2000 program,
the schools implemented a "Buddy Program"  where the teachers from these
grades were paired up.  They paired teachers from low achieving schools with
teachers from higher achieving schools.  Previously, they had tried similar
programs, but the teachers' interest dwindled because they didn't really
have much in common.  This time around, the school system decided to use the
Waterford Early Reading Program because it also incorporated other aspects
that they felt were important such as music, art and other creative
activities.  They felt that this program would be the common denominator
that would finally bring the teachers together.  All teachers accepted this
new approach to teaching reading even though it meant completely changing
their methods.  The teachers, throughout the district, were required to
attend weekly and monthly meetings to discuss methods and student progress.
They soon found out that the agendas of the meetings soon expanded into
broader issues of reading instruction and classroom management.
        Today, the San Antonio Independent School District has come a long way
since this program was implemented in 1994.  Back then, the low performing
schools numbered 42.  At the end of this past school year, the number had
fallen to 2.  This is proof that hard work and cooperation from the teachers
and educational technology can over come great odds!

A review of http://www.mcs.com/~finn/home.html by Suzanne Morrell

  This is a Fantasy Booklist, and as long as it is such, I will include
  only Fantasy books.

    The list is incomplete.  Much has been written over the years that has
    fallen out of print, and has not been included here.  However, the
    idea of this list is not to catalog every fantasy book ever written,
    but rather to catalog the 'good' fantasy that is available 'right now'
    in our bookstores, or perhaps 'real soon' at our used book shops.

     For the sake of simplicity, I have not included dates or publishers.
     If you need more information about a book or an author try the
     /pub/sfl/authorlists directory at sflovers.rutgers.edu

         Alexander,  Lloyd:
                [ The Prydain Chronicles ]
               _The Book of Three_
               _The Black Cauldron_
               _The Castle of Llyr_
               _Taran Wanderer_
               _The High King_
                       +Probably found in the children's section of
                       your library, this is a marvellous fantasy series.
                       A young boy of unknown heritage becomes involved in a
                       clash between the forces of good and evil. Loosely based
                       on the Welsh Mabinogin.  The concluding volume won the
                       Newbery medal+

          Anderson,  Poul:

                 _The Broken Sword_
                         +One of Anderson's earliest novels, the story of
                         a changeling stolen by an elven lord+

                 _Three Hearts and Three Lions_
                         +A modern man is swept back in time to take
                         his place in a great combat between the gods+

                 _Hrolf Kraki's Saga_
                         +Retelling of one of the earliest surviving
                         Norse sagas+

                 _The Merman's Children_
                         +Merfolk and other magical creatures live at the
                         fringes of expanding medieval Christendom+

                 _A Midsummer Tempest_

For more information look on http://www.mcs.com/~finn/home.html

Irvin, Judith L. Reading and the Middle School. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1990.
reviewed by Scott Magnano
        Chapter 4:

     This chapter outlines what learning environments actually motivate
     students. One way is through the use of technology.  In fact,
     technology helps improve reading and writing.  Included in this
     chapter is an outline of how this improvement is possible. Such
     examples include: technology makes reading an interactive process, the
     use of animation, icons, movies, etc. to motivate students minds,
     electronic discussions on e-mail bulletin boards.
 

        Chapter 14:

     This chapter is an accumulation of examples of Literacy Programs.  One
     such example is taken from Reading-technology education units.  Two
     technology education teachers discuss how their use of technology is
     used in a classroom (group) setting.  Students complete a "careers in
     tech" project through research on-line and their presenations are put
     on video.  Another example (a 6 week unit), 7th grade students are
     asked to design and build a wooden robotic arm that can move one
     object from one place to another.  Included are field trips to see
     robotics in action.