For several years now, I've been increasing alarmed at the marked decline in the writing skills among my upper elementary school students. It was concerning that the majority of students promoted to middle school were scoring two to three years below grade level in writing. I discovered that students were scoring extremely low in reading as well because they were not able to express their thoughts, reasoning or creativity in writing. The majority of reading test questions on the CAASPP test require a written response. Sadly, too many students were not able to write what they knew.
Long before I enrolled in the Innovative Learning Masters's Program, I was looking for better, alternative methods for teaching writing. My initial research study centered on using digital tools and 21st century skills to encourage students to actively participate in the writing process. What I found was that although most of my students claimed that they appreciated Google Docs, they were not self-motivated to finish a writing project. They had a million reasons why they didn't want to finish their essays. "Too long." "Too boring." "Not fun enough." The list of complaints goes on and on. During student interviews, I realized that my students needed a writing platform that was more dynamic, more visually stimulating, and more interactive than Google Docs in order for them to fully engage. I have found several excellent online programs that have proven to be very effective. Storybird, Pixton,com and Google Slides have all reaped a boat-load of praise from my students. My hope is that other teachers, students, and parents looking for alternatives to workbooks will use my capstone project as a springboard into a more authentic, creative and engaging writing experience. I have a strong feeling that other teachers and parents also see the potential that online tools could have in raising student performance in writing.
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Roughly, 130 students between kindergarten and fifth grade pass through my classroom door every day. Currently, I am a TOSA. I teach 4th Grade English Language Arts, ELD, and Reading Intervention, in addition to 5th Grade Math and Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Art Enrichment. Occasionally, I teach a 4th Grade Math class. My students spend about 35 minutes in my class.
The drastic changes in age and subject matter from one class period to the next, compounded with the short class time always worried me that my students were not receiving an optimal level of instruction and attention. I felt that because we didn't have as much time together as I wanted, I had to figure out a way to make the most of the time we had. My goal was to take the drudgery out of writing, make it interesting and encourage my kids to see it as a positive and not a negative. I feel strongly that with all the digital tools on the internet, creating a life-long appreciation (maybe even love) for writing is more than possible. My goal is to create a Capstone Project that gives teachers the information and a link to the tools they need to build an outstanding writing program. .............................................................................................................................................................................................. The people in my cohort have always been very supportive. I came into this program not knowing much about technology beyond the very fundamental elements. Honestly, I had never gone beyond just typing up a short memo in Google Docs before. I had always worked off of Microsoft Word, so I never saw the necessity for anything else. Boy, was I way off. I greatly appreciate all the support and encouragement I've received from my cohorts and professors. Dear Dr. Redmond once left our Zoom class just to walk me through "joining" Zoom. That's how technologically advanced I was. Was! I've learned quite a bit. I hope my cohorts KNOW that they can count on me to help and support them as they write their Capstone Project. I may need help figuring out what a "link" is, but I'm an expert at editing and revising. I'm also a master researcher. Some how, some where, I'll find an answer. For example, there is this little boy on Youtube who is an iMovie-to-Youtube genius. I'm also a great cheerleader! So, here's the sad, sad story. I couldn't open the Session 7 ICARE doc for some unidentified, unfortunate reason this morning. Arrogantly, I believed that I could write my blog according to what I "thought" the writing prompt was based on information gathered from the Homework Log. Well, I was way off. If you would like to read the best blog-that-has-nothing-to-with-this-week's-homework, scroll all the way down to the next blog post. It's fantastic, extremely entertaining, riveting, but much like Iron Man 2, utterly trivial, after all. How does the TPACK model connect to the creation of the prototype for my Capstone project?
Dr. Punya Mishra eloquently explained in his presentation for Microsoft "Introduction to TPACK" that in a nutshell, the TPACK model represents the relationship of technology with pedagogy and content within context. According to Dr. Mishra technology changes the how we teach (pedagogy) and what we teach (content) and the contexts (environment) in which teaching and learning happens. The TPACK model plays a vital role within my own Capstone project. My project focuses in on how technology is used to motivate reluctant writers and encourage students to actively participate in the entire writing process. The pedagogy of writing has changed with the advent of word processing platforms, like Google Docs and Microsoft Word. These digital tools allow students to revise and edit without the headache of countless rewrites, which is common with pencil and paper practices. Online writing tools like NoREdInk and Quill.org help students learn correct writing conventions and mechanics, while Grammarly.com and WriQ Chrome extension instantly support students with editing and revising issues. These online tools help free-up the teachers, so that they can concentrate on helping students develop the content of their writing. This is the area where students need a lot of attention and guidance because this is where they are developing their written voice and style. How to use TPACK in the Writing Classroom Planning a Writing Classroom around the TPACK model is not very hard. First, identify the technological devices that available to the class, such as iPads, Chromebooks, and desktop computers. Then, make a list of all the digital writing tools available. My Capstone project will contain a current list of writing platforms and digital literacy tools that teachers and students can easily access. Next, plan how you will use the digital tools and devices to teach the content of your writing program. For example, if you plan to teach poetry, try Storybird,com. If you plan to teach how to write a storyboard for an original graphic novel, try Pixton,com. While WriQ finds the misspellings and missed punctuation, you can hold small group or one-to-one writing conferences with your students, focusing on the content of their writing projects. Dr. Mishra talks about the importance of Context within the TPACK model. Context refers to the learning environment where the writing instruction and learning takes place. Technology changes the writing classroom in this way: While students work either independently or together on a writing project using a digital tool on a device a their seats, the teacher can sit with a selected individual or group to help them develop their own writing style. After a set amount of time, the teacher moves to another group of students, leaving this group to continue on their writing independently. Students may use Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com or Grammarly.com as writing aides. Challenges I Face as I Design the Protype I am the first to push technology in the classroom. I am all for it! Yet, I have a hard time navigating new tech tools. I don't like the fact that manuals are not included. I have very little patience with "exploring" digital tools. My greatest challenge is figuring out how to use the technology available that I plan to use in building my prototype and eventual project. Tahnk goodness for Youtube and Google. Except maybe Fozzie Bear, nobody wakes up in the morning and happily cries out, "Wow! It sure is great being a puppet!" Nobody wakes up in the morning, glad that they have been generously bestowed another day where their ideas and opinions will be grounded under the boots of bureaucracy and authoritarianism.
Almost twenty years ago, I worked for a school district that went into bankruptcy and was taken over by the State of California. Not only did we loose all of our financial independence, we also lost our teacher autonomy. I think loosing my freedom to teach in my natural, organic way was worse than loosing my minuscule cost-of-living increase. One of the saddest memories from those dark times happened one afternoon while I was working with a small group of second graders who were struggling with their blending skills. While I sat at the kidney table with six kids, three parent tutors were working with students on reading activities at other tables. Now, these parent helpers were a gift from Heaven above. Two of them had been teachers before they took a sabbatical to raise their children. The other tutor was a retired music video producer who was now developing a children's phonics program for Youtube. His granddaughter was in my classroom. My students were in talented, capable hands. The classroom was calm, yet the low-tones of engaged chattering hummed through the room when two bureaucrats and my principal walked in the door. They all carried a brown clipboard and a black government issued ballpoint pen. Check, check, check. They were gone. I didn't think much of it because these walk-through evaluations were very common. Until, I saw my "pink slip." I don't know if it was purposefully contrived or a coincidence, but our evals were printed on pink slips of paper. My evaluation had a great big U on it for Unsatisfactory because according to the government issued observer, "Research proves that when a teacher sits down, a student's brain automatically shuts off." What?! What research? Of course, I argued with my exhausted and disenchanted principal, and of course, I was shut down. I was told to "just let it go...do what they say...be compliant...follow THEIR plan...stop questioning everything...just stop being so...you." Sadly, I gave in. I needed my medical insurance. If it wasn't on the district approved pacing guide, I wasn't doing it. I followed the script. I even gave up writing. Except for a week at the end of each trimester, "writing" (if you could call it that ) was not on the pacing guide. For years, I carried the fear of stepping away from whatever mandated pacing guide some Admin deemed the unbroken law. Until, I met my new friend, Touro. The Innovative Learning program has revived my comatose Teacher Spirit. It has also awakened the Student in me that I had left at the border between student and teacher. That Student was thrilled to relearn some old concepts like, Bloom's Taxonomy and Cultural Awareness, and explore new interpretations like TPACK, SITE and SAMR. Digging deeper into Webb's Depth of Knowledge, Ken Robinson's Creative Schools and Linda Darling-Hammond's The Flat World and Education reminded me why I even went into teaching in the first place. In addition, I had the opportunity to do something that I enjoy more than eating cheesecake after a 90 minute power-walk. Writing the thesis paper was a long, challenging endeavor, but so much fun for this scribbler. Using the huge collection of digital tools I acquired so far, my next step is to break away from "the script" and design a literacy program that meets the needs of MY students. Kids are not products, they are individually unique, living, organic, ever-evolving thinkers. SO AM I. Digital tools, like Pixton, Storybird, Adobe Spark, Quizzezz, and iCivics, will hopefully spark the imagination and drive for more knowledge in all of us, teacher and students. This course has give me permission to "think outside of the box" with tools like NoRedInk, WriQ, and Quill.org. That's very important because, as teachers, we set the example for our students. If they see that we try, fail, and try again, and eventually succeed at new, innovative ways of doing things, so will they. If they see that we are not afraid of taking-risks, neither will they. The variety of digital tools available allows teachers and students to set free their pioneer spirits. It's going to be a lot of work, and I welcome it! What do we call that? Oh, yes, The Learning Pit. Dr. Brenda Dervin's befuddling text could not be more eloquent. We meet those gaps, and head them straight on. The benefit is that we grow stronger as learners AND risk-takers. John Medina says this is the recipe for a happy, healthier, and more productive brain. I strongly believe that my greatest success in this course is that I have learned how to problem solve many of my technological headaches. Prior to this class, I would call IT or a friend who knew more about computers than I did with complaints about glitches and error messages. Like a guppy in a piranha tank, I was helpless and overwhelmed. However, because it was vital that my homework was turned in on time, I couldn't wait for IT or my friend's tween son to call me back, so I used Youtube, Twitter, and the rest of the internet to find solutions. Courageously, I stepped into an unfamiliar, scary place, so that I could find help. I am proud to say that 95.7% of the time, I was successful. The other 4.3% of the time, I asked Rafa, Catie, Jona and Scott for support. They came through 100% of the time. Long ago, someone tried to squash my exuberance for teaching and learning under his clipboard of misinformation and bureaucracy. The Innovative Learning program not only removed that clipboard, it threw it away. This program honors me as a professional educator, and as an educated free-thinker. For that, my students and I are forever grateful. |
Tess Giner
This is my 25th year as a public school teacher. I've taught every grade between Kindergarten and 12th grade. I hope to encourage my students to love writing and reading as much as I do. Archives
July 2019
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