GRADUATE RECEPTION

The faculty - and REG - sponsored reception for Fall 1997 and Spring 1998 was a great success! The Reading Clinic was filled to capacity with happy graduates and their proud families. The 1998 Edwin Carr Fellow is Norma Garci-Zamarripa. This award is given to someone who has made and will continue to make a significant contribution to the field of Reading. Janet Bagwell received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award. In addition, Janet has joined the Reading Program's part-time faculty. All new graduates were given complimentary one-year memberships in REG. We were pleased to receive the following thank-you note from new grad Nanette Jeppesen:

Dear REG,
Thank you for the lovely graduation reception. You certainly gave the special event the TLC to make the day a tender memory.
I also enjoyed the newletter. You have a challenging task considering the diverse roles & goals of the membership. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Lovingly,

Nanette Jeppesen

REG welcomes and congratulates the 1997 and 1998 graduates of the Reading Program.

Janet Marie Bagwell
Laura Helen Baird

Deborah L. Calkins Shelia Marisa Bowman-Small
Maria V. Duran Cherie Ann Daniel
Kelley Elizabeth Felter Sharon Kaye Estrada
Nanette Norene Jeppesen Norma Laura Garcia-Zamarripa
Pamela Ann Johnson Jilinda Dee Johnson
Wanda Padilla Gail Marion
Robert J. Stone Lucia Elena Tracy
Diane Marie Vena Michelle R. Young
Sarah Rebecca Arnold Marian Blakely

THE READING CONNECTION
BY JANICE BLANTON

"On Graduate Students Becoming Graduate Instructors"

As you were toiling in your Reading Graduate classes at CSUF, did you ever consider what it would be like to be teaching the class yourself? There are several post graduate students who have gone on to become instructors at CSUF, but for this article, I interviewed two 1997 graduates, Carla Thomson and Ellen Febonio, who graciously consented to share their experiences, insights, and approaches after teaching CSUF graduate classes during this past year. Carla taught 507 during the Spring term and Ellen had 520 Fall and Spring. Listed below are the questions and their responses.

1. Did you for the most part emulate the experience that you had as a graduate student in the class? Did you receive help?

Carla used Toni Maya-Chambers' syllabus, notes, and approach as she felt the class was already well-established and effective. Toni made herself quite accessible to Carla which helped Carla considerably. Ellen, on the other hand, designed her own approach to teaching 520, the computer class. She conferred with Ash Bishop and Pam Grethen and reviewed the previous syllabus for the class, but she, from the beginning, had her own "vision" of what she wanted to do with the class and had the opportunity to do so.

2. Was your class larger/smaller than when you were a student? How did you enjoy teaching at the CSUF Mission Viejo satellite campus?

Carla's Spring class was almost 50% larger. Ellen's first semester class was comparable in size to her experience as a student, however, her second semester 520 class was twice as large. Both concurred the numbers have grown considerably in a very short time. The CSUF Graduate Reading Program is alive, well, and growing.

Both thoroughly enjoyed working at the Mission Viejo CSUF campus and mentioned that the staff members were most helpful and supportive. Greg and his library staff are outstanding particularly in orienting students to the library's resources online and otherwise. Carla said that her students not only were shown how to access ERIC as she had been oriented but also the web pages of other educational resources.

3. What was the dominant composition of the your classes (elementary, middle school, secondary, reading specialists, college)? Did the composition alter in any way your approach to your class lessons? Did you introduce more technology into the class content than you had experienced as a student?

Carla's 507 class was composed of mostly reading teachers including those specializing in ESL and special education classes and did not alter the direction of her instructional plan. Ellen had mostly elementary but a fair share of reading specialists at all levels which "resulted in a glaring weakness in the software choices for their target populations as most of the software available is for elementary and secondary student populations." Due to larger numbers of students, Ellen allowed students to work on their own final projects with a partner if they preferred "to ensure that presentations did not take up an inordinate amount of class time and to allow collaboration on utilizing a new method of teaching.

Both instructors expanded student use of the Internet. Carla had students use e-mail to communicate with her as well as with other students. Carla's students also accessed the web pages of other instructors and learning centers. Due to the lack of varied levels of software, Ellen spent the first "two to three weeks on Internet navigational skills and searching for lesson plans that were technology specific to support what was going on in the classroom."

4. Did you find the experience challenging/satisfying? In what way?

I gathered that they were both challenged, but as they were both fresh from their graduate school experience, both felt well-prepared and eager to apply their knowledge. They also identified so well with the students who were working during the day and attending classes at night. Carla and Ellen had comparable schedules while in grad school.

Carla felt that she learned a great deal as her students progressed and grew through the semester-so much creativity and motivation. Ellen conveyed that she found her teaching experience to be rewarding and exciting "to see teachers revising their curricula to include the use of computers in their teaching and the inventive and creative ways they found to utilize the available programs to fit their needs." Was most satisfying to her.

5. As a former student just a few short years ago in the class, what were your impressions of being on the other side of the desk? Do you feel that your recent experience as a student provided you with certain useful insight to the plight of your students?

Carla shared that the experience was not as threatening as she had anticipated; she felt confident in what she knew. Outside of a little initial nervousness, she soon felt buoyed by the enthusiasm and participation of her students. Ellen chose to incorporate flexibility in her assignment deadlines. The assignments could be turned in on the due date or accepted up until the last day of class with no penalty. This was well-received and appreciated by her students with more demanding schedules.

My thanks to Carla and Ellen for "finding" the time to respond and for being so generous with their responses. The CSUF Reading Graduate Program prepares us for a myriad of tasks and experiences at all instructional levels. The biggest challenge after graduation is deciding in which direction you wish to go. Carla is a college instructor at multiple campuses and Ellen teaches middle school during the day; as a result of their graduate experience, both were empowered to handle graduate instruction with confidence, competence, creativity, and sincere empathy. They even enjoyed themselves!

TECHNOLOGY TALK:
By JoAnne Greenbaum

Using The Internet to Foster Communication and Critical Thinking

During the Spring 1998 semester I had an opportunity to explore the use of the internet with my Critical Reading students. Together we found the internet to be a useful tool for communication and research. Students reported a feeling of accomplishment and success after completing assignments using the class web page, and a genuine appreciation of the skills learned during the process.

Students were required to complete one e-mail journal assignment each month and were encouraged and coached on how to use the internet for research required for a course paper.

The e-mail assignments were used to give students exposure to the system, and to help them learn how to use the e-mail accounts provided by the university. Many students were unaware that they had e-mail accounts available to them, and others had never used them. By responding to questions posed about the class web page students learned to access the web site, gather information, and evaluate that information. Their responses were then e-mailed to my address, and the students received credit for completing the assignments. Once this form of communication was established, the students were then free to use it for any other questions or problems that arose during the semester. The journal entries and the subsequent communications provided students with an opportunity for interaction in a private, non-threatening environment. The class web site consisted of eight major links including: Course Syllabus, Course Calendar, Writing Assignments, Group Presentations, World Wide Web Evaluation Resources, Writing Resources, Research Resources, and Other Critical Thinking Web Sites. For each of the last four links students were instructed to view the information and evaluate it for reliability, and usefulness. They were also encouraged to make other comments about their experience with the web assignment and e-mail it to me each month.

About mid-semester, students were taken to the library and taught how to access the databases available through the CSUF library and the internet. Practice and guidance were provided as the students began work on research papers. Resources were shared during class and students found the process rewarding and successful. I received many interesting papers by semesters end.

Developing a course web site and encouraging students to use the internet for communication and research proved to be a rewarding, and profitable experience that you may want to give a try.

Recommended Reading (Online)
By Carla Thomson

It's summertime, and I'm sure everyone is having a great time wading through those lists of books we don't have time to read during the school year. With that in mind, instead of yet another book to add to that list, how about a review and recommendation for an excellent professional journal?

Reading Online (ROL) (http://www.readingonline.org) is an electronic journal of the International Reading Association and the first new English language journal published by the IRA in over 20 years. The content of ROL is different fro the IRA's existing print journals because it is organized and presented in an electronic medium. The interactive nature of the Internet allows for more flexibility for the reader, and it offers many possibilities for dialogue among journal subscribers, contributors, and editors.

Almost everyone would agree that the ease and speed of communication has been greatly enhanced by e-mail, electronic listservs, and online forums. The editors envision that ROL will provide increased opportunities for dialogue and that this new medium will expand interaction among members in all areas of the profession. For example, if you want react to specific issues delineated in an ROL article, discussions forums allow you to write a comment or question directed to other readers or to the author. You may or may not get a comment back, but the point is the potential for interaction between reader and reader and between reader and author is there!

The journal does NOT focus solely on technology and its applications, but rather seeks to provide articles of interest to literacy educators working at all levels. In this way, the content is similar to the IRA's other journals; the difference is in how that information is delivered. Because ROL is published electronically, it naturally attracts authors who are interested in exploring ways technology can be used to enhance learning; however, article content is not limited to technology, computers, computer-assisted learning, or related topics.

Some highlights of currently available articles:

A Different Bilingual Program: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/hawaii/index.html

Read about what's happening in Hawaiian language immersion programs in the new article "Technology and the Revival of the Hawaiian Language" by David Hartle-Schultte and Kahealani Naeo'ole-Wong. The authors explain how an emphasis on traditional materials and modern technology can enhance students' language development.

Technology Tome Reviewed: http://readingonline.org/professional/books/index.html

How will new digital technologies transform literacy, as we know it? How will we prepare children, teachers, and preservice teachers to live and work in the 21st century? The Handbook of Literacy and Technology: Transformations in a Post-Typographic World, reviewed by Lynn Romeo and Denise Johnson, addresses these critical questions and more.

Call for Manuscripts: http://www.readingonline.org/about/authors/index.html

Reading Online is seeking article submissions. Find the Instructions for Authors in the About ROL section. E-mail questions to rol@reading.org

FACULTY FOOTNOTES
BY KATHI BARTLE ANGUS

One project that the undergraduate faculty will be working on is the revamping of the Critical Thinking Class curriculum. Recent changes in the CSUF statement of goals for undergraduate students and a national focus on workplace literacy makes this an excellent time to re-evaluate the goals and objectives for this class.

The committee began looking at the big picture. Each member is formulating a definition of critical thinking and setting goals they hope to achieve in class. Next the committee will pull these ideas together into a department statement. Later this will be used to develop instructional activities more reflective of current thinking.

The committee is headed by Dr. Joann Carter Wells. Other members are Kathi Bartle Angus, Toni Chambers, JoAnne Greenbaum, Donna Padget and Carla Thomson. If you have interest in this project please feel free to contact any member through the Reading Program Office.

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Two members of our Reading Faculty, Joann Carter Wells and Toni Chambers will be involved with the Fullerton First Year (FFY) Program as part of its interdisciplinary instructional team. FFY is a year-long program for 150 first-time freshmen. Both Joann and Toni will teach a section of the Freshman Seminar. REG will be sharing more on this innovative topic as the information comes available.

Reading Educators' Guild Newsletter Staff

Editor: Nancy Rucker

Faculty Footnotes: Kathi Bartle Angus

Recommended Reading: Carla Thomson

The Reading Connection: Janice Blanton

Technology Talk: JoAnne Greenbaum

If you would like to contribute to the newsletter, by being a regular column writer or just an occasional article donator, please contact JoAnne Greenbaum at jgreenbaum@fullerton.edu. We need all of you to help make REG great!