Kristine Garcia

EDCS 605
Professional Literacy Educator Identity Choice Assignment
Purpose:​ The purpose of this journal is to help you keep your research and thoughts organized
throughout your Professional Literacy Educator Identity Choice project. You are expected to
document your progress and reflect on that progress.

Format​: You can use any mode of recording that works for you. However, you will need to link
the external documentation to this document. Some modes you might want to consider are
typing in the boxes provided, creating a seperate google doc, videos, pictures, audio recordings,
screenshots, drawings, post-its, charts, etc. Use a camera to get images of your physical
documentation. Use APA citations when needed. Journal entries should succinct and reflective.

EJournal Entry 1: due May 23

(1) Explain what you did from the choice menu from May 14-May 23. (2) Provide evidence of what you 
did (e.g. screenshots, links, etc.) and (3) Reflect on what you learned.  

This week, I decided to join the world of Twitter and create a

professional account (@KCLitThoughts). I heard of Twitter
before it blew up thanks to my tech-savvy uncle, but I never got
around to exploring it. After setting everything up, I explored
various literacy and educational related accounts and found
quite a few that interested me. I didn’t realize how active people
and organizations are on Twitter, which is a very cool feat
knowing that I can get the most up-to-date information on
specific topics or organizations. I love how short and succinct the
“tweets” are and then the links are provided to the full text; it
helps skimming through content faster and if something
intrigues me, I’m able to see more. When it came to posting my
first tweet, I had the hardest time thinking of content and
making it short. So, I created a photo with a quote from
Goodman’s article ​Multiple Roads to Literacy. ​I can see myself
going down a Twitter rabbit hole of literacy and brain
information late at night.
Kristine Garcia
EDCS 605
EJournal Entry 2: Due May 30
(1) Explain what you did from the choice menu from May 24-May 30. (2) Provide evidence of what you 
did (e.g. screenshots, links, etc.) and (3) Reflect on what you learned.  

I came across a blog post on the Cult of Pedagogy

about ​Pineapple Charts​. I was drawn to the name,
Pineapple, but it happened to go along with our
readings and videos this week. I learned it has
nothing to do with actual pineapples or a chart in
the shape of one, but rather the term is used as a
symbol of hospitality, which is something they’re
trying to promote in the schools/classrooms. These
pineapple charts are revolutionizing professional
development by encouraging teachers to informally
observe their colleagues, no note-taking or forms to fill out, just purely observing, in hopes of
learning something new that they can apply in their own classrooms. A pineapple chart is a
weekly calendar with class periods down the side and is placed in a common area (teacher’s
lounge, mailbox area, copy room, etc.) where teachers are encouraged to write down what
they’re going over during a specific period and are welcoming other teachers to come and
observe. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, it can be simple everyday strategies or
standard procedures. This blog post also discusses creative ways to help teachers find coverage
for their class so they can go observe. The entire premise of this version of professional
development is its informality and completely voluntary.

EJournal Entry 3: Due June 6

(1) Explain what you did from the choice menu from May 31-June 6. (2) Provide evidence of what you 
did (e.g. screenshots, links, etc.) and (3) Reflect on what you learned.  

TED talk: How To Inspire Every Child To Be A Lifelong Reader by Alvin Irby
I first came across Alvin through a video of his Barbershop Books non-profit organization, which
was very inspiration in itself. Then after watching this particular TED talk, he broke down into
manageable parts in which we can inspire our students to be lifelong readers. We want children
to read and enjoy reading, and in order to do so, we must model that for them. Alvin, who is also
a comedian, had compared talking about bar jokes to a church group and the types of text we use
in the classroom - we need to know our audience. Often times the literature isn’t relevant to our
students, and therefore they don’t engage and eventually don’t identify themselves as readers.
But if we allowed them to have a say in their learning and in the types of texts they get to read,
there’s a higher chance of them developing their reading identity.
Kristine Garcia
EDCS 605
EJournal Entry 4: Due June 13
(1). Explain what you did from the choice menu from June 7-June 13. (2) Provide evidence of what you did 
(e.g. screenshots, links, etc.) and (3) Reflect on what you learned.  

I joined my first ever

professional organization! I love
the plethora of resources they
offer and I even came across
some articles closely related to
Cognitive Educational Therapy
and how it is possible to rewire
the brain. Coming from a very
science-heavy background, I
love reading up on the scientific
research on education. In the
article, Engaging the Brain of
All Learners Using Brain-Powered Strategies (Roth, 2014), she discusses why educators should
care about myelin. “Myelin assists neurons to fire together, thus wire together, to strengthen the
memory connection. The more repetition involved, the more we lock in the information” (Roth,
2014, p. 3). In addition to repetition, we need to keep our students engaged. Our brains love
novelties so even the smallest changes can recapture our brains’ attention, such as switching
from plain notebook paper to bright colored paper.

Roth, L. (2014). Engaging the brain of all learners using brain-powered strategies. ​International
Reading Association. ​doi: 10.1598/e-ssentials.8046