REACTION PAPER on Prof.

Ed 333

Variations on a Cybermentoring Theme: Six Literacy Projects Involving Preservice Teachers and Students Across Grade Levels

2010
Abstract
With cybermentoring, preservice teachers, working under the supervision of collaborating classroom teachers and university faculty, use Internet technologies to deliver literacy tutorials for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (aged approximately 5 to 17 years). Although cybermentoring projects are still in the research and development stages, data and experience collected to date indicate that they hold promise for evaluating the effectiveness of contextualized literacy strategies and for use as practical opportunities for preservice teachers, particularly on geographically isolated campuses. This article describes research related to cybermentoring and provides overviews and evaluations of six cybermentoring projects conducted in different content areas at a variety of grade levels. Each project description includes an exploration of literacy strategies used, the projects impact on student learning, and uses of technology (e.g., e-mail, videoconferencing, WebPages). Links are provided to WebPages constructed by the preservice teachers for the purpose of offering their perspectives on the projects. The article closes with guidelines and advice for carrying out additional projects.

Submitted by:

Christal A. Tabasa
Submitted to:

Dr. Cecilia R. Avellana

The encroachment brought by the technology has been widely and vigorously used to improve and make more Medias for education accessible and comprehensible. It brings the demand of more easy and advantageous at the same time advance comprehensive learning. One of the most popular example is the Cybermentoring as defined in Boxie & Maring, 2001, online document, is a word rooted in an ongoing cooperative project. It can be classified as a form of online collaboration involving partnerships among universities and classrooms, potentially from the primary grades through high school levels. As I have read this article Variations on a Cybermentoring Theme: Six Literacy Projects Involving Preservice Teachers and Students Across Grade Levels I am vey surprised about this cybermentoring project which begun in Washington State University where in the teachers uses technologies to deliver literacy tutorials/teachings in different content areas. It is very impressing that this kind of project can focus on any grade level, and can last for a single episode, a day, week, semester or multiple semesters that can be carried out exclusively online or include varying degrees of face-to-face contact. Through this kind of technological project the teacher and the students seems to have increased enthusiasm for teaching and learning process and because this project is self-perpetuating which means once it begins, the effects it has on all participants are lasting and are reproduced with seemingly limitless variations. This overwhelming projects really results to Meaningful learning for teachers and students, Rich content and integrated with literacy learning because the project itself is content rich and highlighted in integration of literacy strategies, Win-Win collaborations where both the teachers and the students benefited from each other and lastly Documented positive effect on student learning. What makes it more interesting, is there idea of guidelines and suggestions which prior to the experience in the collaborative process required for working with teacher and students and concern on the explicit instructions and directions by project supervisor. This guidelines and suggestions are the following: Extra support is required because it is extensive in technical features along with strong collaboration among classroom teachers and universities to work together to improve the knowledge and skills of both students and teachers, Projects should be content centered, embed literacy strategies, and use technology as a tool, not a focus, At the beginning of each project, collaborating teachers and professors should make assessment rubrics or other protocols an integral part of the effort because only then will cybermentoring projects be able to document a positive impact on student learning however, keep in mind that, in assessment, one size does not fit all., Documentation and dissemination are essential, Participants need to be positive, patient, and persistent, and last but not the least Extramural funding and grants may be required.

I find real educational beneficial from using these technologically adapted educational learning. .This is really a highly recommended and more advance educational learning not only beneficial to students so do to teachers or people making advance researches. Nevertheless it is already becoming popular in the modernized educational equipment in other country and I must say our country also must adapt to this advancement for the fact the Filipinos were among of the most numbered internet users. This will not replace the educational system we have had rather it may, with the aid of its educational empowerment, improve the educational system in our country.