Friday, June 23, 2017

Responding to Assessment Results by Targeting Individual Needs Through IXL.com

I have been discussing data quite a bit with some colleagues these past few months. We were discussing ways to target individual student's areas of weakness and I brought up IXL to target ELA and Math skills. Some of my colleagues did not know about this site, so I thought I would share it with you all here because it can be of great value for differentiating and individualizing instruction without an excessive amount of prep because students can work on it at their own pace!

So, IXL covers all four core areas, but my main experience is with Math and ELA. A high school Math teacher introduced me to the site a few years ago, she used it at the end of class when students had five or so extra minutes before the bell rang. Students would come to my class and discuss how they wanted to beat their own times and scores, so I thought, "These high school students seem pretty interested in IXL, I better check this out!"

The site is organized by grade, subject area, then focuses on specific skill sets. It covers all grade levels and many subject areas. I have found that my students like it because it keeps time and score, my students liked to beat their own scores and times- it was motivating for them to do. I have always used it informally for students to work with, but I believe you can set up classes and the site will give you diagnostic reports to show how your students are doing (Although, I think this feature comes at a cost :(). It can be another useful resource for data! (www.ixl.com)

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Google Summit @ Guilderland High School- Day 2

Some of my favorite Chrome tools from sessions with Jessica Cronk....

Talk and comment- an extension for chrome, you can leave voice messages in google apps. Insert it as you would a comment, but you get a play button for audio instead of a written comment! Quick and easy to use!

Speech Recognition- an add on for google docs. Students can speak into the microphone and this add on will translate it to text. This is a more accurate version of voice to text. Students need to remember to include punctuation when they speak.

Quick create- chrome extension to quickly create a new doc, sheet, slide etc.

Screencastify- (Basic version is Free) Give feedback to student work when grading. You can record yourself grading a document and paste the link into the doc for the student. Highlight sections and talk students through with positive and constructive feedback!

Visor- changes color of screen and gives student a "visor" for tracking as they read on their computer.

Read and Write Toolbar and ATbar - These two extensions help users adjust the way a webpage looks: highlight, change text size and more with these tool bars!

Crafty Cursor- places a translucent colored circle under the mouse to aid in tracking, or to show students where your mouse is in a demonstration or mini lesson.

Speak it- An extension that reads text.

Dogo News- News articles for kids. Focuses on grades K-6.

Flux- An app that changes the color of your computer to match the light outside. For students who get overstimulated by the blue computer screen light.

Noisli- you can remix your own ambient sounds. Great for students who need background noise to concentrate and an alternative to listening to music.

GoNoodle- Mindful movement for the classroom. You can go through different stages to grow your "class champ." It is designed to calm the kids down, great for elementary classrooms. Great transition activity.

Stayfocusd- Blocks out certain websites you don't want students visiting. A great way to avoid distractions.

Orange Slice- and Peer Grade- Two resources that can be used for peer reviews with students. Peer grade randomizes papers and makes assignments anonymous to students.

Goobric and Doctopus- Grade papers with rubrics and then attach feedback and send back to students. I use the rubric tool in Schoology, but if you are using Google Classroom, these are wonderful tools!

Tab Scissors- Efficient way to go between two tabs, when you click on the scissor extension, it will split the page you are on with whatever page is to the left. When you want to put them back together, use Tab Glue.

Drive 20- You can select 20 docs at one time and open up to 20 assignments at one time. Leave comments and close docs- a virtual stack of papers to grade!

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Google Summit @Guilderland High School Day 1

I am attending the google summit today with #edtechteam. As I was watching the keynote speaker this morning, I realized that I recognized many of the apps used in the presentation, but couldn't remember them! This is why my mission this weekend is to publish all of the great resources I learn about today right here on my blog! So here we go... awesome apps, tools, and tips to use in your classroom!!!

Session one: Jennifer Cronk (Jennifercronk.com)

Ning- A social network generator, make your own social network. (You do have to pay a fee :( but each network is very affordable!

Game Star Mechanic- Make an educational game! (Free version available) It is an open template to create games for a variety of classes, from Math and Science to English and Social Studies and everything in between! Have your students learn content while designing a game, a motivating assignment for students!

Thinglink- A picture or photosphere where you can insert text boxes or other media, if a student mouses over one of these hot spots, they will see that information. (Paid Subscription required.) Have the students create these for each other or use one to present content yourself! You can also integrate augmented reality with Aurasma

Activity Idea: Create an iphone of a literary character or historical figure, what apps would they use and why? How does this represent that individual?

Piktochart- Create info graphics, you can create these but they do require students to create accounts. (Sign up for Free!) An educational version of this is available.

Tag Board- A board that aggregates all of the hashtags that have been used across all social media platforms. (You can search a hash tag for free).

Hyperdocs- Self paced learning through docs! You can embed multimedia, have students collaborate and interact with a document. (Free)

Padlet - A visual pin board of resources. I add all of my resources to Schoology right now, but I am considering posting them on padlet as well as a visual version of all of the handouts. You can attach all of the resources that are associated with the assignment as well! (Free)

Attended a session on 360 degree picture and story telling with Jessica Loucks. I took my first 360 degree picture and learned about an awesome new tool: Story Spheres!

In order to take a 360 degree picture, download the app Google Street View on your mobile device. From here, you can take 360 pictures with your iphone! Then you can go to Story Spheres and load text and audio to make your picture come to life for your students! I plan on testing this out over the summer while I travel. I think this would be great for an entry document or scavenger hunt for students on any topic. Students can also create their own!

Friday, May 12, 2017

Resources for Digital Projects and Activities

Mindmup- This program interacts with google drive, so students can create and edit mind maps collaboratively and share with teachers.
https://www.mindmup.com/

Glogster- Interactive posters. This site provides a free trial (7 days).
http://edu.glogster.com/?ref=com

Superteachertools: A variety of fun games and activities to bring tech into the classroom, everything from creating historical facebook pages to arcade style review games!
https://www.superteachertools.us/

Symbaloo- A visual way to organize all of your bookmarks in one place!
https://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcMZU9A

Slides Carnival- Fun slides and Power Point templates.
http://www.slidescarnival.com/

Powtoon: Fun animated slide shows:
https://www.powtoon.com/

Code.og- A great source for coding- includes resources for all grades!
https://code.org/

Google CSFirst- Self-guided classes, clubs, and tutorials for coding. Includes tutorials to get students started on SCRATCH.
https://www.cs-first.com/en/home

Mymaps- Why have students just look at a map to learn? With mymaps they can build interactive tours!
https://www.google.com/maps/about/mymaps/

Monday, February 6, 2017

Moving Away From the Teacher Centered Classroom

According to Gainer & Lapp (2010) we need to engage students in a motivating way to shift the classroom dynamic from the teacher distributing information for students to absorb to one in which the students take the front seat. Student responsibility is possible with the inclusion of technology and digital literacy in instruction. Since students have so much going on in their out of school  lives, it is important to bring these experiences into the classroom.


“Many educators agree that what constitutes instruction for adolescent learners must be more attentive to their interests and strengths and less focused on the whole-class reading of novels and content-specific textbooks, which do not seem to be working for many adolescents” (Gainer & Lapp, 2010, p. 6).

Question: Is this teacher centered model still prevalent in today's schools? Why or why not?

Edutopia video of HS project. This teacher incorporated multiple literacies into a project. She incorporated community members and student choice in instruction.

This video focuses on ACE Leadership, a school in New Mexico that works with at-risk students and students who have dropped out of traditional schools. This school has a specific focus on engineering, construction, and architecture. From the student interviews in this videos, the students have interests in going into these fields of work when they get out of school.

  • This article discusses the importance of literacy in project based learning. Students investigate a problem and need to use "need to know" questions to help them solve that problem. Students have the desire to learn about and use literacy skills because they need them to help complete the project. This is a way to diverge from skill and drill teaching approaches and bring real life skills into the classroom. 

Resources to incorporate literacy:

These resources allow flexibility in topic choice and presentation for students. They also bring technology into students academic worlds. Technology that enhances student experience, but also engages them in building and practicing important literacy skills.


NEWSELA- This is a great source for current events articles for secondary students. Students can adjust the reading level of the articles, annotate, and take mini quizzes. Teachers are able to view student progress in the teacher binder.



Common Lit -Short stories, poems articles intended for middle school students sorted into three levels. Options include guided reading which has the text chunked and revealed as questions are answered and a read aloud mode. This is great for general population, but also for students who struggle with reading.

Question: Gainer & Lapp (2010) discuss the fact that many schools lack the resources to provide opportunities to engage in new technologies in the classroom. How can schools who lack these resources still be engaged in these literacies in the classroom?


References

Gainer, J. & Lapp, D. (2010). Literacy remix: Bridging adolescents’ in and out of school literacies (pp. 1-16). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Shifting the Goals of Instruction with New Literacies in Mind

Chandler- Olcott and Lewis (2016) discuss Gee’s cultural model and new literacy studies This involves discourses that are a part of our identities. People from different race and class backgrounds have different values on language and literacy. These are different from the teacher’s cultural model of their classrooms. We must be aware of what we present in class, and take into account our own values.


Chandler- Olcott and Lewis (2016) also discuss technologies that focus on social communication. Students have various social media accounts and blogs already, these incorporate a variety of skills. Student’s don’t see themselves as a part of one single area of the world, with technology, they are able to engage in a global world. Teachers in this study worried about a decay of culture because of how they use the internet. One teacher asserted that students don’t have to look at something that’s uncomfortable or challenging, so they will not put themselves in a situation where they don’t have to think that way. Another teacher in the article, Lynne, thinks that students are not as informed as previous generations because they can control the flow of information to them. Teachers also raised concerns about how students search, the difficulty in breaking search habits, differences in technology skill levels.

This podcast addresses some of these teacher's concerns, it discusses the importance of teaching our students how to navigate the vast amounts of information available on the internet. 

Common Sense Media This site has many resources for students, parents, and teachers. It includes units and lesson plans for teachers that can be integrated into any content area.


Question: Do you agree that students are more apt to filter out information or be selective of the information they chose to expose themselves to because they have a variety of choices that they can choose from?

Teaching Beyond the $1,000 pencil- My school had Alan November speak at a conference day last year and I was so inspired by his book and lecture. He talks about engaging students in learning using technology. This article talks about how technology should be transnational, not just a substitution for a pencil. This is so important because we need to prepare our students for a changing working world. Basic tasks are becoming automated and our students need to think critically and creatively in the workplace. We can use technology to connect our students to their community, state, country, and the world.

Math Train TV - This site was developed by a teacher who realized that his students were more engaged when learning from other students. This became an embedded part of his class, where students created tutorials of different math concepts to teach their peers. This idea was extended by bringing the products to a global market, through posting them on an accessible website. Students care about producing a quality video because they know that it is going to be seen by others. These videos can be viewed, rated, and commented on, engaging students in authentic exchanges with other students around the world.
Example: http://mathtrain.tv/videos/172/converting-fractions-to-decimals

Global Student News Network A news website produced by students for students. GSNN students tweet out a monthly theme and encourage other students from around the world to produce multimedia projects that address the issue. GSNN students then review the videos and featured chosen projects on their website.

Question: How can we use technology to make our students become a part of a global community?

One of the teachers in Chandler-Olcott and Lewis’ (2016) study has been teaching for seven years and feels set in his way because, “...the way I teach came from the way I learned… I kind of base my English classroom on what my English classroom was like when I was in high school” (p. 196). This is embedded in the cultural model of secondary English classes. The privileged skills are  print based and traditional school literacy.

Most Likely to Succeed-Movie Trailer
This film looks at turning the old model of school on it’s head by engaging students in real world problems and projects. A major part of this film also looks at bringing the community into school and having students explore out into the community, combining in-school and out of school literacies.

SAMR Model This article depicts the SAMR model in two ways. In the first picture, the model  is displayed as though transformation is the highest goal and augmentation/substitution are below it. Although transformation is a great goal, one can not only stay at this high level. There should be a mixture of ways technology is used in the classroom to introduce content.

Question: How would you approach teachers who are resistant to integrating new literacies in their classrooms?

Other Resources:
Shmoop-  In Chandler-Olcott’s (2016) study, one teacher, Gail, asserts that students are being wired differently because they are not always interacting with print text. They are engaging in a variety of modalities online. Video is an extremely popular modality. Shmoop has fun videos on a variety of topics that can be used in class.
Example on primary sources: http://www.shmoop.com/video/english/

Flocabulary: Vocabulary and educational topics mixed with rap and hip hop
I  use some of their videos as examples for when I have students create music videos on SCRATCH.

References

Chandler-Olcott, K., & Lewis, E. (2016). “I think they’re being wired differently:” Secondary teachers’ cultural models of adolescents and their online literacies. In D. Alvermann (Ed.), Adolescents’ online literacies: Connecting classrooms, digital media, and popular culture (pp. 183-202). New York: Peter Lang.


Digital Tools for an Inclusive Classroom

Price-Dennis, Holmes & Smith (2015) describe the “Hive Society” (p. 196) where students can work in small groups, independently, or as a whole class. Working in these different ways, students are able to engage in investigative learning. Students count on each other to build and develop their learning. Lessons, units, and projects need to include multiple activities and tasks that draw on different talents and skills. This provides for an inclusive classroom. Inquiry learning provides opportunities to “layer” different learning experiences within a unit.

Edpuzzle This site allows for differentiation because you can create questions throughout the video to gauge student understanding. Students are also able to work at their own pace using these videos.

http://thestormsreport.weebly.com/edpuzzle-example.html -Example of an edpuzzle



Nimbus demo A free extension that captures your computer screen and allows you to record your voice as well. Teachers use this to prepare presentations and students can as well.

What is an EdCafe?
An EdCafe is a way for students to take ownership of their learning. Students choose what they will present on and what EdCafe sessions they would like to attend. This class structure shits students to the 'expert' role and the teacher acts as facilitator.

Skype Grannies Interesting initiative where students can Skype with 'grannies' (24-78) from around the world to ask questions, gain guidance, or get cheered on and supported. Students from India learned English with the help of their skype grannies.

Question: How can a teacher cultivate a classroom environment where students are comfortable to work in a classroom as described in the article? What tools can be used to help create this environment?



References

Price-Dennis, D., Holmes, K. A., & Smith, E. (2015). Exploring digital literacy practices in an inclusive classroom. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 195-205.