Glencoe Literature Author Calls for Teachers to Include More Technology With Today's Students

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., a Grade 9 English teacher and professor of English methods at San Diego State University, recently co-authored an article in the July issue of English Journal calling for the increase of technology in junior high and high school classrooms.

Watching students listening to iPods attached at the hip or texting about the weekend's football game, Dr. Fisher began to think that all students could benefit from teachers using technology in their lives.

"Many schools drafted technology policies at a time when only a few students had cell phones, iPods, cameras, and the like at school," Dr. Fisher says. "Today, that's not the case. We asked our students, 60 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunch, and every one of them had at least one of these devices on hand every day."

In California classrooms, where almost 25 percent of students are English language learners -- and use personal devices just as much as English speaking students -- the use of an iPod or MP3 player can help significantly with vocabulary development and reading comprehension.

"Teachers can download many of literature's classic tales and modern stories that are on required reading lists to students' iPods," Dr. Fisher said. "It can help to make reading more interesting for struggling students. It gives them access to interesting stories that they can listen to on the bus, while exercising, or walking to school."

He recommends discussing the stories in class as they are assigned and making connections between the classic tales and the texts being read in class.

Even cell phones can prove to be educational. Dr. Fisher says text messages between students could be beneficial for reading comprehension. After obtaining parent's permission, a teacher can send reminders, interesting facts, and prompts via students' cell phones.

Dr. Fisher does recommend implementing a "courtesy policy" with MP3 players and cell phones, which will define proper etiquette, language, and time of use in the classroom.

Dr. Fisher's experience working with high school students and his knowledge of best practices in reaching all students are put to use in his authorship of Glencoe Literature: California Treasures, an all new program for Grades 6-12 for California. His expertise in fluency, vocabulary instruction, and assessment is evident throughout the program.

Glencoe Literature: California Treasures is customized to both California's language arts content and English language development standards. Instruction is informed by ongoing assessment of each student's strengths and needs to meet California standards.

For more information about Glencoe Literature: California Treasures, please visit http://www.califtreasures.com/.

About Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill School Solutions Group (MHSSG). The group combines Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, which focuses on Grades PreK-6, and Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, which serves Grades 6-12. MHSSG is the only major educational publishing business to provide a comprehensive approach to the development of print and digital instructional materials from pre-kindergarten through high school. Additional information is available at http://www.glencoe.com/.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is a leading global provider of print and digital instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is

available at http://www.mheducation.com/.

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