Incorporating Technology in the Classroom

We, as teachers of the 21st century, have access to SO MANY awesome and useful technological applications that can better the learning environment of our classrooms.  In fact, technology is so ubiquitous, incorporating it into the classroom will aid to give students the skills they need to survive in a highly, technological-based world.  But not only that, within the classroom, technology can create other modes of learning for children, and even assist the teacher in communication with families.  SO, two core reasons why technology needs to be incorporated into classrooms: (1) technology is pushing our world's innovation, and the more our students grow in familiarity with it, the easier they will adapt and be successful, and (2) technology has a plethora of ways it can used in the classroom.

Take a look at all of the possibilities!!!

www.getkahoot.com
www.kahoot.com

Kahoot! is a great tool to use when wanting to assess the students.  A teacher creates a multiple choice assessment on www.getkahoot.com, and upon creation, Kahoot gives the teacher a pin number.  The pin number is then given to the students, whom type in www.kahoot.com, so that they can log into the assessment.  On the teacher's screen, he or she can see data from the class after each timed question.  Data is used by the teacher to guide their planning of upcoming lessons.  Kahoot! is super engaging for the students because it assigns points and first, second, third and so on placements.  Answers from the students are only visible to the teacher and there are options to create other types of questions as well.

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www.classtools.net

Just as it sounds, Fakebook is a mock website of Facebook, but instead was created only to be used for education purposes within the classroom.  One way a teacher can go about using this site is to use it as a way to connect students, families, and the teacher to one another so that they may all share in the experiences occurring in the classroom and the school.  Everything on this website is created by the students, but they do not have their own profiles.  All people affiliated make comments and posts under one profile.  There is a save feature and a share feature as well!  Another way the teacher can use this site is by creating a biography in whole group of an important person in history.  This site, in this way, can become apart of a lesson!

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www.activelylearn.com

Actively Learn is a technological tool like no other (I've ever heard about.),  honestly.  On this website/app, the teacher is able to take an already leveled text on the website or upload text from a different URL and add sidebars, questions, polls, videos, photos, and other text features.  In this way, a teacher is able to scaffold the text to make it easier to read and/or focus students' on key parts of the text by asking text dependent questions.  The students are even able to add comments to any of the added sidebars, questions, polls, or other text features.

There is a teacher prompt in the top box outlined in black.
It is at the beginning of the reading to set the purpose for the reader.

There are text dependent questions in the grayish, green boxes.
They can be placed after any part of the text.

I have attached a video to the last sentence of the text.

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www.newsela.com

A push in reading right now is to have students read more nonfiction texts, especially for the younger grades.  Research has shown that as students go up in grade level, the percentage of total fiction texts read decreases and nonfiction increases.  By having a more balanced amount of fiction and nonfiction texts for young readers, we are preparing them for the nonfiction texts of core content areas (such as math, science and social studies) in the future.  So, NEWSELA is a wonderful technology resource that offers nonfiction texts for students.  Even further, they are up-to-date articles written about current events in the world!  Now, ready for the cherry on top?  For each article, Newsela creates 5 different levels of that same article so that any student can find their "just right" text.

Notice the difference between these two screenshots of the same article.

There are less words in this article, hence the lower, selected level on the right hand side.

There is also a writing prompt available for students to respond to!

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https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com

QR codes can be used for so many reasons.  Within the classroom, they can be at a station, on a worksheet, on a poster, on the students' desk, ANYWHERE!  And attached to those QR codes can be any of these technology applications in this article or SO MANY other things; such as videos, journals, documents, etc.!  Instead of taking the time to make many copies of one thing or wasting time repeating directions, free up more time to teach in the school day by creating engaging QR codes so that students develop more independency!

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www.popplet.com

I see Popplet as a great way to brainstorm ideas before organizing and composing a writing piece.  The website/app is high quality and allows students to incorporate audio, video, pictures and text into their "popples".  Students can also connect one "popple" to another so that they can remember how one of their thoughts led to another!  Try this one out for sure!  It allows for a new way of brainstorming rather than just using pencil and paper.  Students will find this engaging and the process is authentic for each student!

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http://edu.glogster.com

On Glogster, students can take ownership of their learning and create a multimedia poster of what ever topic is given as criteria by the teacher.  With moving photos, video, audio, stickers, backgrounds, music, etc., possibilities are endless to create a poster that is interactive and easy to create for students.  A teacher creates the account and all of the students are added under him or her.  At anytime, the teacher can observe the progress of the students whom are making a "glogster".  Through new experiences, students have another mode for the brain to access information.  

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www.voki.com

Voki is a website where teachers can create avatars for students to listen to.  Whether that be instructions for a station or directions to an assignment, the teacher is spending less time giving those instructions and directions and is instead having more time to teach and talk about content.  What makes Voki even more useful is attaching a QR code to the avatar and placing that QR code at different places in the room where instructions are needed.  Also, a teacher can create a class list and put assignments online to be completed by the students as well.

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www.padlet.com

Padlet is an interactive blog!  And what is SO cool about it is that the teacher can add all of his or her students onto the interactive blog as contributors!  In this way, all of the students can post onto it. Video, pictures, audio and file attachments can be attached to any post, and the teacher has the capability to turn on being able to review every post before being posted.  Privacy settings ensure the safety of the children and this is also a great way for parents to view what different activities are going on in the classroom.  So useful in so many ways!  It is exciting!

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www.edpuzzle.com

Here again is a new technological tool like no other I have ever heard of before :)...  With this tool the teacher is able to upload any video that pertains to what he or she wants to teach, and then attach text (video) dependent questions to different parts of the video.  When the video reaches that point while playing, it will stop and bring up the question the teacher set up there.  After the students have watched the video and answered all of the questions, the teacher is able to see a complete set of data, and this data helps teachers understand what her or her students are strong in and struggling with.

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www.getepic.com

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www.plickers.com

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www.emaze.com

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www.wordle.net

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Vont (Apple Store)

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https://www.readinga-z.com

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www.freerice.com

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www.socrative.com

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www.nearpod.com

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DIORAMA - FUN! 3D Graphic Organizer

DIORAMA!

I picture making a diorama at the very end of a themed unit; perhaps before assessment.  Inside, students can design and create what ever they wish that can help them remember different aspects of the theme.  In mine above, the theme was Jamaica, and I used tier 2 and 3 words from a poem called Jamaica, My Home Country by Earl Thompson.  I used those words on flashcards, with a definition of each word on the back and a picture of the word on the front.  The picture added to my over all diorama's appearance, and both drawing and writing about the words have helped me remember their meanings.  This process will also help students because it gives their brains another and new way to retrieve that information, thus better recalling and remembering.

As a side note, I used materials I had quickly at hand; paper, colored pencils, a stapler, and flashcards, but, I could have certainly used tape, glue, cotton balls, markers, and construction paper as well!

Back to the poem, I purposely chose Jamaica, My Home Country by Earl Thompson, because this poem most appropriately fits the reading developmental levels of my three students I am working with as a whole.

Here is a chart of data from my three students.

| NAME   | LEXILE | F & P | ACCURACY %|
| Sheldon  |  451-500  |    N     |         98%             |
| Penny     |  500-550  |    M     |         94%             |
| Max        |  550-620  |    N     |         92%             |

Based from the data, I wanted to find a Fountas & Pinnel level M because Sheldon is reading at an accuracy rate of 98% (has reached independency), which means he is ready to be bumped up to the next level, Penny is reading at an accuracy rate of 94% (still at an instructional level), which means she should not be moved up quite yet, and Max is reading at an accuracy rate of 92% (is also at an instructional level), but is still low enough that he can learn from a one-step-lower leveled text.  Also, I know that the poem is a Fountas and Pinnel level M because when compared to the already leveled text, Incredible Places to Stay by Michael Bagnulo, on Reading A-Z, they both have the same amount of words in each paragraph/stanza and both repeat key words.

A Teacher's Gradual Release for Comprehension Instruction

~a free picture from Google images

To provide the best comprehension instruction, a teacher must prepare the lesson in a series of steps that provides less and less scaffolding as the lesson continues.  As to why a teacher should instruct in this way is because it provides opportunities for the students to investigate a text multiple times, at which betters fluency with each look.  AND, with building fluency within a text results in a greater understanding of the entire text.  What this means is... the students gain a deeper understanding of the text rather than only just the author's main idea (immense comprehension!).  I will explain further below!

I know that so far, this information has been broad.  The theory, research and process is just so rich!  As for the rest of this article, I believe that the best way I can share this IMPORTANT planning process is to break it down into the actual series of gradual releasing steps.  So, here we go!

1. Have students SKIM over the new text and circle words that they do not recognize and find unfamiliar.  For older students, have them circle words that sound interesting.
• At this time, you DO NOT WANT your students to be reading the entire text, just quickly skimming.
• You may have to teach your students how to skim.
2. Take the authentic terms your students chose and begin an aloud discussion about them.
• Talk about one word at a time.
• Give the students the part of speech the word falls into, how it sounds, the definition, and an analogy.
• Have children talk to a partner about what they heard about that discussed word.
• Ask them text-dependent questions.
3. Now instruct the students to look at the text and make annotations* where they find a reoccurring text structure or the author's point of view.
• For example, in a poem, there may not be periods, commas, or any other punctuation marks at the end of each line.  This creates a great teaching moment to talk about how those lines sound when read out loud (building knowledge about fluency!)
• Or, there are words in the text in different passages/parts that repeat the same ideas, and in this way, the students are guided to think about WHY the author chose to write the text in those ways.
• Have the students discuss what they annotated.
• Ask them text-dependent questions.
• Then chorally read the text as a group.
4. Lastly, tell the children to highlight words in the text that they really like or feel a connection to.
• Once this is done, ask them why they highlighted the words they did (talk in partners).
• Also ask them to think if they have a memory or experience that connects to those words and discuss that with their partner.

TIPS to remember!

• It is NOT about a right answer.  It is about the students being able to justify their thinking throughout the entire lesson.  But, if the child is obviously choosing words that do not fit the criteria being asked for (ex. "a", "the", "was", etc.), further scaffolding is needed to help this student understand that criteria.
• Breaking apart these 4 steps into separate days is advised!  With each step, the students are being asked to look at the new text with a new perspective.  This can become overwhelming in just one day.
• Have students discuss with their peers first, then call on a student to share what he or she talked about.

By the way... this series of gradual releasing steps is called CLOSE READING!; which is much more than just rereading the text over and over.  Close reading is about having a new purpose and perspective in mind with each read.  In this way, greater fluency is built and comprehension is improved ten-fold.

Share Your Thoughts:  What other tips could you provide to having an effective comprehension lesson?

EXPLORER'S WORD PACK - FUN! 3D Graphic Organizer

EXPLORER'S WORD PACK!

Instructions on HOW TO MAKE  below!

An Explorer's Word Pack can be used over and over again!  Inside there are pre-made mini-sheets working with the teacher-selected vocabulary words from a text.  By working with vocabulary words in a tactile way, students expand their knowledge of the text and the experience encourages successful learning of new content in the future!

As students read the text, they will place the vocabulary
words on the appropriate lines in respect to their definitions.

By doing this, the students are rehearsing the vocabulary
words for recognition and their definitions.

By using the vocabulary cards, they can also fill
in the missing letters and then check off the words
 after they have read the text.

For example... today I have created mini-sheets and vocabulary cards based from the text, A Walk with Mom, written by Harriet Rosenbloom and illustrated by Olivia Mueller.  And on those created materials, I have chosen tier 2 words that I believe my 3 students reading the book will have difficulty with.  As stated before, by providing new experiences (modes) for the brain to attach new information to, recall of that information later becomes easier; for there are more ways of access to that said information.

A little bit of further insight... Particularly, I chose A Walk with Mom because it is a Fountas & Pinnel level E, and I chose a level E because on the DRA scale, this is a level 7.  And as to WHY I chose a DRA level 7 as the mentor text can be explained by the metacognitive thoughts I had as I was trying to make a decision.  They were, "My first and second students are reading level 6 at an independent level and my third student is reading a level 8 at an instructional level.  The first and second students are ready to encounter a slightly more difficult book and the third student has flexibility to also have an instructional reading from a level 7."

HOW TO MAKE AN EXPLORER'S WORD PACK:

Materials:

• Paper bags (1 per student)
• Tape
• Scissors
• Markers
• Stapler
• Pre-made strips of paper for pack "straps"
• Pre-made mini-sheets & vocabulary cards

Procedure:

1.  FOLD THE BOTTOM HALF UP AND ON TOP.

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2.  TAPE 3 SIDES (LEFT, BOTTOM, & RIGHT).

3.  CUT AN OPENING AT THE TOP OF THE PACK.

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4.  TAPE TOGETHER THE INNER LAYERS SO THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE SLOT IN THE PACK.

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5.  STAPLE PRE-MADE PACK "STRAPS" ONTO BACK OF PACK.

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6.  DECORATE WITH DESIGN & NAME.

7.  INSERT MINI-SHEETS & VOCABULARY CARDS.

Share Your Thoughts:  What else can you think of that could be included on a mini-sheet that would help students learn and rehearse new vocabulary words?