New Technology Tools for Literacy

One of the most persistent crises in education, and a critical filter in narrowing or widening the achievement gap, is the 4th-grade reading hurdle. A number of new technology-based environments and tools can provide elementary school students with more engaging and effective ways to practice the language arts of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Milton Chen, senior fellow at The George Lucas Educational Foundation and author of Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools, will introduce this topic. Two district technology directors and Apple Distinguished Educators, Joe Morelock of Canby, Oregon, and Kathy Shirley of Escondido, California, will describe their work in creating the iRead project, using iPod Touches and iTunes to share students' reading performances with teachers, peers, and parents. In 2010, the project received a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.