Category Archives: Inquiry

Plickers

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Plickers are a great tool for formative assessment.  Not only do they engage my students in learning, my students think it is a super fun game! I was frequently asked:

“Can we use those weird card things? You know, that we turn to answer questions and they have our numbers on them?”

I was able to use Plickers to assess my student’s understanding of different subject areas. A great feature is that you do not have to display student responses. While using Plickers, I turned off the display responses option but left the display of who had answered.  My students thought this was a game, “Ms. Wynne, you missed R!” The students were very instrumental in making sure that I was able to record everyone’s response.  No student felt as though they were on the spot though because it was Ms. Wynne who was not panning properly or too quickly. It also gave students who were not comfortable sharing, the opportunity to participate.  I found that when asked a question, many of my students would look to one another for the answers. Using Plickers, encouraged students to think for themselves and gave me a better understanding of where they were at, as opposed to finding out how well they are able to peek at their neighbour’s response.

I also like that you, the teacher, are able to create the questions that you want to display.  This allows teachers the ability to ask varied questions and tailor the questions to your particular students; a great personalized learning tool.  I also found that throwing in a couple of ‘easy’ or ‘fun’ questions at the beginning and throughout engaged my students, kept them engaged, and encouraged them to answer all of the questions.

The only downfall to Plickers is the set up. It was more of a game for my students and elicited a lot of excitement, which I welcomed. But, I think with continued use and introducing them early in the year would make it more routine and enhance the assessment possibilities.

Let’s Watch a Story

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It is rare that I am able to find a story that engages every single one of my students at the same time, I’ve tried. But I have found that using a visual representation of the same story captures all of their attention.  Whether it is listening to the audio of someone else reading the story, watching it acted out, or having it come to life, all of my students are engaged!

Because of this, I have been looking for resources that allow my students to watch a story rather than listen to me.  I have been utilizing animation videos from “YouTube” and other video websites.  I have found that many of the videos are age appropriate and offer my students a different example of what is a ‘story’.  I have not stopped reading to my students though! And I don’t think I ever will.  It is just as important to read to the students as well as offer them an alternative in watching a story.

Words of advice: watch the video all the way through. I have watched a few videos that I thought would be perfect, but the ending is inappropriate. It is also good practice to know what you are showing your students before you show them.

Technology in the Classroom

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I have the fortunate opportunity to be a part of a school community that has many technology resources.  In my classroom, I have a document camera, a projector, a laptop, a desktop computer, speakers, and 6 iPads that ‘belong’ to my class.  I also have the option of signing out a class set of iPad minis.

I have tried to integrate technology into my practice by using it to enhance my lessons, as well as allow students to use it for research.  Before I ask my students to use a certain website or look something up, I first research and find which websites are suitable and factual. As my inquiry project progressed, I found information that suggested that we, as teachers, must first familiarize ourselves with the technology and resources we want our students to interact with.  I have found this to be very true while on my practicum. But I have also come to realize that the students themselves are a huge resource! They have had the opportunity to explore with various modes of technology, and as such, are well versed.  If I am teaching myself how to use a new form of technology, I ask the students if they have ever used it or tried it.  They love to teach me new things and how things work.  I have also found that even if I do know how something works, asking my students to show me allows me to see how much they know and where I should begin my instructions.

For one of my lessons, I had initially devoted a whole block of time to showing my students how to use book creator.  That was until I discovered that many of them are pros when it comes to book creator.  Instead, I was able to focus my lesson on what the subject matter and I had an extra block of time to use to my advantage!

One area where I will always do my homework before allowing students to engage with technology is when I ask the students to research a certain topic.  You can type a single word into google and it shows you thousands of websites that offer snippets of the information you are looking for.  A lot of this information is great, but there is also a lot that is not appropriate for students.  Because of this, I have made sure to do the research myself and ask students to use specific websites, rather than just let them browse the thousands of links that google provides!

Inquiry Synthesis

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How can technology be used as both an assessment tool and a student resource to personalize learning?

Where I came from: I knew that I wanted to incorporate technology into my practice, I wanted to use technology to both enhance my teaching as well as use it as an assessment tool. I was eager to see how technology was being utilized in todays classrooms. My practicum classroom has access to a number of technology resources with in the classroom and wider school community, including: iPads, laptops, iMacs, and a number of tech tools. I noticed that technology was being used as both an assessment tool as well as a tool for facilitating brain breaks. I was interested in how to facilitate technology for both my assessment as well as student learning.

Where am I now: I am working to integrate technology into both my unit and lesson plans. Yet, I am being mindful to focus on both the content and curriculum and then taking the opportunity to integrate technology.  Fabrikant et al suggest that it is important for us to know what we are doing before we expect our students to know.  We should familiarize ourselves with the information and the use of technology before we require our students to use it within the classroom. Using technology is not about having another teacher in the classroom, but using it to enhance our lessons and better equip students. I have also been influenced by Monica Burns writing, which is featured on Edutopia. With the help of Vicki Davis, also featured on Edutopia, I have begun to develop my own ‘toolkit’ of technology resources.  Developing a ‘toolkit’ is a personal process; it is a set of tools which are personalized to the needs of both your class and yourself. The article ‘No Teacher is an Island: How Social Networks Shape Teacher Quality’ opened my eyes to the importance of establishing a strong social network, working with other teachers and professionals.  The importance of these networks is to learn from one another; to learn from and teach others the tools that I have been able to utilize within my classroom and they have been working with. It also strengths our ability to use these tools as we are teaching and learning from other professionals before attempting to use them within our own classrooms or with our own students.

Where am I headed: Throughout my inquiry I have come to recognize and appreciate the need for media literacy.  As our world progresses we constantly have access to technology and the various facets of technology – yet, many students do not yet have the skills to utilize this technology or become an active participant in a social network.  I would like to continue to research ideas on how to effectively introduce students to media literacy, as well as what it means to be an active member of social networks. I would like to work not only with students, but also with parents to establish their presence on the class Freshgrade account.  As we are utilizing Freshgrade as an assessment tool, it is important that both parents and student know how to make meaningful and constructive comments on displays of student work.

Works Cited

Baker-Doyle, K. (2015). No teacher is an island: how social networks shape teacher quality. Promoting and Sustaining a Quality Teacher Workforce, 367-383. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/19709903/No_Teacher_is_an_Island_How_Social_Networks_Shape_Teacher_Quality

Burns, Monica (2015). Empowering teachers with tech-friendly formative assessment tools. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tech-friendly-formative-assessment-tools-monica-burns

Davis, Vicki (2014). The epic BYOD toolchest (51 tools you can use now). Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-epic-byod-toolchest-vicki-davis

Fabrikant, K., York, S., Morris, M. Integrating technology into pedagogical content knowledge in K-12 and university professional development. Building Sustainable Futures for Adult Learners, 541-558. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/21070374/Integrating_technology_into_pedagogical_content_knowledge_in_K-12_and_university_professional_development

Integrating Technology

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“Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class.”

Edutopia suggests that technology integration should support four components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. As I have come understand, integrating technology into the classroom should be seamless.  Rather than make  technology a separate class, it should be integrated across the curriculum and should be utilized in all areas of study – supporting the wider curricular goals. It offers students a new and exciting way to learn, which will keep them engaged and reduce behavioural problems within the classroom. Technology also offers teachers a new way to teach.  Rather than be the figure head at the front of the room, teachers are able to offer students an alternative form of learning where they can utilize their own skills and seek the teachers help as a context expert.  The teacher is able to use technology to enhance their teaching and offer students the ability to search for answers and become critical thinkers.  Technology integration, therefore, more beneficial when it is used as a tool alongside the curriculum content and with the guidance of a trained educator.

Edutopia (2008). Why integrate technology into the curriculum?: The reasons are many. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction

Primary Assessment

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While on my practicum I have been intrigued with how to use technology for formative assessment with primary students.

My class has been using Freshgrade as a portfolio for assessment. The classroom teacher is able to upload examples of student work, criteria for assessment, comments, photos and videos, and descriptions of students activities and assignments. Parents and students can then go online and view their child’s progress and comment on the content.  It gives parents the opportunity to see assignments and criteria that they may not otherwise see – work that could be left at school, only used for assessment, or that never makes it home.  It is an interactive tool that can be utilized by students, parents, and students. It offers a collaborative approach to assessment.

While it is an effective collaborative tool, in the primary grades it is more teacher than student lead. It is difficult for the students to upload their own work and comment it on it from the classroom.  Because of this, the posts are more teacher lead than a way for students to showcase their own learning.  Students in the intermediate grades are able to post their own work and comment.  To enable students to post examples of their work it requires a lot of practice and time committed to ‘teaching’ how to effectively comment and reflect.

As Fabrikant, York,  and Morris suggest, it is important to know what we, as teachers, are doing before we can expect our students to know.  It is not necessarily about the integration of technology but knowing what content you need to cover and then using technology to enhance learning. To be better equipped to teach our students how to properly utilize technology. As teachers we ourselves must understand how to effectively incorporate technology into our lessons.

Fabrikant, K., York, S., Morris, M. Integrating technology into pedagogical content knowledge in K-12 and university professional development. Building Sustainable Futures for Adult Learners, 541-558. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/21070374/Integrating_technology_into_pedagogical_content_knowledge_in_K-12_and_university_professional_development

Living Resources

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During our living inquiry workshop we had the opportunity to connect with not only our classmates but people from a different cohort.  It was interesting to connect with people who, although were from a different area of focus, had similar inquiry questions. We were able to use our colleagues as resources. As we are working figuring out our teaching style and what type of teacher we would like to be as we work toward becoming professional teachers, it is our colleagues and those who are within the profession that are our best resources.  Although did we did not all have the same inquiry question, it was through discussions that we came to realize how similar our areas of interest are.

In the article ‘No Teacher is an Island: How Social Networks Shape Teacher Quality’ they discuss the importance of developing a social network and working with other teachers and professionals.  Through these networks you can teach one another the tools that you have been utilizing within your classroom, or you can learn from others and gain new insight or tools for your students success.  Before we introduce our students to a new technology tool, we must first teach ourselves and understand the uses of the specific tool.

Our living inquiry workshop was a way for us to network and develop social networks.  We were able to share our experiences and exchange information.  We were also able to exchange our social media and email information, developing a connection that we can use to facilitate our students and our own learning.

Baker-Doyle, K. (2015). No teacher is an island: how social networks shape teacher quality. Promoting and Sustaining a Quality Teacher Workforce, 367-383. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/19709903/No_Teacher_is_an_Island_How_Social_Networks_Shape_Teacher_Quality

BYOD Toolkit

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In my mini-lesson I wanted to introduce my group to resources that I found useful and would hopefully help them with their inquiry projects. Last week Amanda introduced us to a few websites that could be used for formative assessment.  Her presentation got me thinking more about tying assessment to technology use.  For my presentation I explored many apps and websites that can be used as teaching strategies, extensions of a lesson, or for assessment.

I introduced my group members to:

Quizlet: a website that lets you create study sets or explore pre-made study sets.  It allows you to use unit specific vocabulary and create online ‘flashcards’ which students can use to review and/or study for an exam or assignment.  It would be a useful tool for intermediate or high school students, but would not be entirely useful for primary students.

https://quizlet.com

Edmodo: is a “social learning community where teachers, students, and parents can connect safely and securely”. As a teacher, you are able to create a class page where you can post text and pictures of what is going on in the classroom. After creating a page, teachers must invite students to the page and give them the class code that is specific to their class. The class pages have a similar layout to Facebook and are easy to navigate.  Teachers, parents, and students are able to go to the class page and know what is going on in the class and if the student is away, they are able to catch up on what they may have missed in the classroom that day. It is also a free resource.

https://www.edmodo.com/home

Read Write Think: a website that include classroom resources around literacy. It includes lesson plans, student interactives, mobile apps, calendar activities, and printouts. Not only does it include classroom resources, it includes parent and afterschool resources.  The resources are also grade specific and offer a wide variety of resources, activites and projects, games and tools, and tips and how to’s. The student interactives are ways to differentiate instruction and include all learners. I introduced my group to the Haiku student interactive.  It introduces students to the concept of a haiku, asks them to brainstorm, and then compile their own haiku, after which they are able to print out their completed poem.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/haiku-poem-interactive-31074.html

I also introduced my group to two articles from Edutopia:

The Epic BYOD Toolchest (51 Tools You Can Use Now) by Vicki Davis

It is a collection of apps and websites, along with descriptions, that can be used in the classroom. The apps are categorized, which allows you explore apps that you may not have previously known but are interested in specific areas.

Davis, Vicki (2014). The epic BYOD toolchest (51 tools you can use now). Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-epic-byod-toolchest-vicki-davis

5 Fantastic, Fast, Formative Assessment Tools by Vicki Davis

A list of formative assessment tools that can be used within the classroom.  I appreciated the inclusion of assessment tools that did not include each student having a device.

Davis, Vicki (2015). 5 fantastic, fast, formative assessment tools. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-fast-formative-assessment-tools-vicki-davis

Introducing my group members to these resources opened up a discussion of other digital resources that we have found and how we could use them not only in our inquiry project but also as a part of our practicum classrooms.

How can we assess technology use?

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While some apps offer the teacher the ability to track student progress, not all classrooms have a class set of iPads at their disposal that they are able to consistently track student’s progress. Therefore, what is the usefulness of asking students to use specific apps when we cannot track their progress?

This question led to the modification of my inquiry topic and main question. While I originally wanted to focus on how technology could be used to personalize learning and not only as an assessment tool. Yet, I would now question the validity and relevance of using technology that we are not able to assess it.  Without being able to assess the student’s technology use, how do we know that they are meeting the learning outcomes that we have set?