What's the educational context of my driving question?
How will the use of digital tools and the 21st Century skills: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity encourage active student engagement in the writing process? National and International Interest The Earth is a shrinking planet. Our students today could possibly be living in the United States, but working all over the world via technology. Technology has forever changed the way we do business at the international level. According to HRHero.com's article "Business Writing in the 21st Century" (April 2015), Millennials will need training in business written communication. They will need to be able to write "clearly, concisely, accurately, completely and coherently" in order to keep communication between international businesses solid. Everything from job descriptions to legal contract writing requires that writers use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and clear information. As a Language Arts teacher, it is my duty to prepare my students for a world that will rely heavily on written communication. State In an ideal world, states should be providing the funds for better technology. Some of our school districts call themselves 21st Century schools, but lack the technological tools needed to bring the students up to the state's standards. Providing working technology for all students is both equitable and beneficial for everyone. Today, students must learn how to communicate via email without the emojis. Because students now how to text and email, DOES NOT mean they know how to write. Many of my kids do not see formal writing on the computer any different from an email or text. I received an essay the other day at was nothing but emojis. District School districts in and around Napa see the need for better writing programs. I've seen NVUSD develop a district writing assessment. I do believe that teachers require more training in the writing process using technology available. School I am very excited about the support I am receiving from my principal. I shared with him my plan for this research project and he gave me the green light to try different, innovative teaching tools available online. In my classroom, I am currently using Google Docs in an essay project. My students write using Google Docs, then they SHARE with me their rough drafts. I look it over, writing notes in a contrasting blue. My students read my suggestions, erase the blue notes and correct or add to their essay. I call it College Writing 101. For these fourth graders, writing like college students do in the real world makes them feel so mature and so proud.
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I've been carrying my copy of The Flat World and Education every where I go, taking advantage of spare moments in time to read. Today, I sat under the dryer in the hair salon, reading about the influence of teacher quality on student achievement. Or rather poor teacher quality on student achievement. I had a lengthy, enthralling conversation with the hair stylists. As mothers of multi-generational children, they had a lot of interesting insights and opinions about the state of our educational system in America within the past 40 years.
Back in the early 1990s, when I was going through the credentialing program at my university, I remember how the School of Education pushed us to study a "concentration." In plain English, we were encouraged to major in a single subject. My concentration was Writing. Then, not until your junior-senior year were you required to take all the courses pertaining to your minor in Education. Those classes were "fluffy" classes. Not much was being taught, not much was being learned. In my Classroom Management course, our professor informed us that discipline was not our concern. If we had trouble with a rambunctious student, just send the little tyke to the principal's office. My job was to teach, the principal's job was to deal with problem children. Our professors painted romantic visions of attentive, courteous students sitting at polished desks hungry for all the knowledge you were going to bestow on them. All of them would leave my classroom thanking me for helping them become smarter, better human beings. A ton of bright, shiny apples would topple off my desk. Um, no. My first year of teaching did not happen like that all. The truth is I usually cried on my way to work, at work and on the drive home from work. I sobbed in the privacy of my bathroom, and I sobbed at noisy, crowded family parties, embarrassing everyone in the room. Fortunately for me, I had two friends who were veteran teachers. The Two Karens. The Karens listened to my belly-aching for an entire year before they shared their advice. "The kids are not going to change. Kids are kids. Always have been. The one who has to change is you. College did not prepare you for the real world. Seems to us you have a few choices here. One, stay and be miserable, and make everyone miserable. Two, get out. Find something else to do with your life. Or Three, change the way you see your role in education. Find your niche." Honestly, I was too young-looking to be teaching high school English and Creative Writing. I was twenty-three years old, yet I looked no more than sixteen. My chubby cheeks were getting no respect. So, I went back to college, enrolled in an elementary education credentialing program, and worked on making the move to elementary school. And as the cliche goes, the rest is history. Twenty-five years ago in West Texas, a computer for each student was something out of The Jetson's, a nice fantasy. As the teacher, I didn't even have a computer. I didn't need one. Nobody did. Authors had been penning manuscripts using pen and paper for centuries. Word processors in schools were nothing more than a luxury. In 2018, we acknowledge how valuable technology is, especially in the writing process. Before starting this year's writing program with my fourth graders, I gave them a one question, two part survey to answer: "Do you think the use of technology will improve your writing skills? Explain your answer." I was quite pleased with the variety of answers. Some students responded that yes, technology would help them improve their writing skills because they can use tools such as Spell Check and Grammarly to help them with spelling and word usage. Others said that being able to type, instead of rely on handwriting, would help because they type faster than print. Surprisingly, other students confessed that they were "afraid of not being able to use technology" correctly; that they would be so afraid of "messing up the computer" that they wouldn't be able to tell their stories the way they wanted to. Some students in this same group shared that they type too slow, or don't know how to use a key board. I told my students that I applauded the fact that they recognized that on-line writing tools are out there and were willing to try them out. I also promised my more technologically timid students that I would teach them everything I knew about these tools, and that I would never assume that they already knew how to use them. I let everyone know that I would always be there as a resource and a reference to their writing needs. I shared that I am learning right along with them. After all, nobody was born with a laptop in hand. After reading EVOLUTION OF THOUGHT AND PRACTICE SUMMARY, I figure that I am somewhere between the Intry and Adoption levels. My biggest challenge is finding the time to play around with digital writing tools out there. And quite honestly, I'm not every good at troubleshooting on the fly. I can figure out how to fix annoying tech problems if I'm not in a time-crunch. Trying to fix a tech problem during class time is nearly impossible. I do better alone after school. I'm one of those teachers jumping at the chance to study technology with ACOT. Our school district is working towards providing teachers opportunities to begin 21st Century teaching practices, such as release time for training and planning. However, at my school site, we have not used any of that release time for technology. This brings me back to Linda Darling-Hammond's book. I feel that our school district is not equatable toward all its schools. Our school's bank of technology is terribly insufficient for a school that claims it is part of a 21st Century school district. We do not have a Chromebook for each child despite the fact that the Williams Act clearly states that each child should have equal access to technology. The Chromebooks and iPads that we do possess are third generation devices. That means two other schools possessed them before we did. Many of these devices are missing keys, or have screens that do not properly work. Many teachers do not have ELMOS or other projectors. They share the faulty ones that are available. Our poor IT technician manages several schools between American Canyon and Napa City. If we're fortunate, he is able to visit our school once a week to fix any tech issues we definitely will have. We have a store room with piles of broken, out-dated computers littering the floor. How do I contribute to improving our less than adequate technology? Once more, I follow the advice of the Two Karens. One, I can be miserable with my miserable technology. Two, get out. Go to a richer, more technologically advance school district. Or three, change the situation. I look at those lost, eager little faces. Can you guess what my choice will be? But how? Education. I need to educate myself. I need to learn how to better utilize what is available. I need to go to the pros for advice and instruction. I need to incorporate what I learn into my daily lesson plans, especially the 4Cs: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. I need to allow myself to take risks and not beat myself up when I fail. There is a world wide web out there with all kinds of possible solutions. It is up to me to take the initiative. Luckily for me, there is support. I just have to accept it. I really enjoyed exploring the content for this week. I felt refreshing inspiration and a new sense of enthusiasm for my job that was lacking at the very beginning of the week.
I liked the "Do You know (2018)" video and the article "If Our Future is Digital, How will it Change the World?" from Wired.com, but I truly enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson's talk, "How to Escape from Death Valley" because that was a perfect visual to where I felt I was on Tuesday. The week began with a rat infestation in my next door colleague's classroom. The classroom has been stamped a bio-hazard until further notice. The smell had gotten worse in the last few weeks, but by Tuesday her room was uninhabitable. I walked into her room for a couple of minutes before I was suffering from an asthma attack so bad I thought I was going to be sick. How that poor woman was able to survive weeks in that room is beyond comprehension. In other parts of our wing, while Chromebooks were crashing and ELMOs were finally dying, our poor students had to take the Lexile test. Kids and adults alike were on edge because everyone knows how important the Lexile score is. So, it was a pretty stressful week. Like I wrote earlier, I like most of the videos and articles that were assigned this week, but it wasn't until I watched Sir Robinson's talk that I felt like I had made a connection. He spoke so eloquently about a topic that we all know is very true in our current educational climate. Thoughtfully, he splattered humor throughout to relieve some of the tension this topic often brings. He validated what many students, parents, teachers and administrators have known for a very long time: sometimes, it seems we are working in a dead valley. Miles and miles of relentless pressure and no oasis to find comfort in. But! Sir Richard gives us hope. He shared the story of the mere inches of rain that produced a blanket of wild flowers on Death Valley a few years ago. The metaphor was to let us all know that there is life in education in the United States. Students, parents, teachers and administrators just like us can still cultivate a rich, lush educational field into which everyone's work will produce a bountiful future for our children. I took those inspiring feelings back into my semi-stinky room (I am next door to the bio-hazard after all) and went on-line in search of free web tools I can use in my classroom. I found two that are really cool and FREE. And rediscovered one that had been sleeping under my nose for way too long. SeeSaw Blogs https://web.seesaw.me/blogs Started by two buddies, Seesaw is a safe, free blogging site for kids. Did I mention that it's FREE? It is very easy to use for both teacher and students. You can create classrooms that you can control. Storybird https://storybird.com Artful storytelling at your students' fingertips. Also very easy to learn. You create classrooms with assigned writing activities. Plus students can earn points toward "publishing" a complete picture book, chapter book or poem. Google Classroom Why haven't I used this before as a whole class platform? It is also very easy to learn to navigate through. The teacher is also in control of how it is used, so it is safe for kids to use on-line. REMEMBER THESE KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS 1. Teachers, as well as students, need to know HOW to use digital tools. There are thousands of tools our there, I'm sure. Teachers need to give themselves time to really understand how to use the technology. I'm struggling with Weebly, but I keep working on figuring out why I'm glitching and where to get help. My point: Don't give up because you're making all kinds of mistakes. We learn from our mistakes. However, I need to really know my "stuff" before I assign it to my students, so I keep at it. 2. Go back to the Standards. Make sure that the technology fits the standards. I found a great video on using media in the creative writing process. Best feature is that it was standards-based. 3. Allow your students to explore. Like little Adora Svitak reminded us: Kids are smart. Let the learning be reciprocal. Nothing beats well-planned project based learning with clear instruction. Give your kids the essential skills they need, so they can explore and grow not only as individuals, but as a community. I created a Google Docs Slide presentation for the case study analysis of the webinar Inspired by the Media: Creative Writing in the Digital Age. This was the first time I have EVER used anything other than Microsoft Word to create a presentation. I loved it!
In the forefront of my mind is the quest for finding digital tools that are readily available to an extremely poverty stricken classroom. We don't have much money for school supplies much less expensive on-line subscriptions. However, all of my students have access to Google Docs. I'm excited to see if they will be as receptive to exploring all that Google Docs has for us to utilize. ........................................................................................................................................................................................... The slide doc can be found at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dBbIXDZlcNACW2TpQ2sCvme8cPqz945_EowRNUQlbLE/edit#slide=id.g41e8514974_0_360 ........................................................................................................................................................................................... TRANSCRIPT OF SLIDE DOC Case Study of the Webinar Inspired by Media: Creative Writing in the Digital Age Introduction: The webinar Inspired by Media: Creative Writing in the Digital Age was written and produced by Catlin Tucker, an English teacher and Curriculum Design Specialist. Her enthusiastic approach to this exciting topic, coupled with colorful graphics and easy to follow text makes this video an engaging and agreeable resource for other teachers of writing. What is the purpose of the lesson? In her lesson, Catlin Tucker has enhanced the art of writing with the use of various digital tools. Her goal is to teach students how to embed media, such as photography, artwork, video clips, newspaper clippings music, and even historical speeches into their original creative writing projects to create not only a well-written composition, but also a visual experience for the reader. Ms. Tucker has taken the traditional method of teaching creative writing and extended it into the 21st Century by adding new and innovative uses of technology. This is exactly what I would like to bring to my writing classroom. The merging of technology and writing is Common Core Standards based Ms. Tucker’s sample lesson in the video connected Social Studies with Creative Writing. The CCSS for Writing Literacy that are addressed are *Opinion Writing: Students will form an opinion and claim their evidence. *Informative Writing: Students will explain and convey complex ideas and information clearly. The use of digital tools encourages and enhances the writing process by assisting students in the gathering of evidence and information needed to address their topics. How do you know students are learning? In Ms. Tucker’s classroom, students are taught the research skills needed to gather information from the internet, such as historical speeches, related video clips and photography. Students then creatively apply the information gathered to their original written compositions. Students are encouraged to collaborate with each other throughout the process. Students will not only reflect on their own writing, but they will also edit and critique each other’s work. Students are learning how to write in a project based learning environment. How is the teacher facilitating the project? Ms. Tucker creates the parameters of the lesson, but students are the ones creating the outcome. I find it enlightening that Ms. Tucker begins the project with a video. For example, in this lesson, she presented the video clip of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech to inspire argument writing. After viewing, students were asked to answer the survey: “Has Dr. King’s dream come true?” Students are encouraged to contribute their own opinions based on their own lives. There are no wrong or right answers. She encourages students to justify their opinions and ground their writing on facts. How is different from traditional writing? In the not so recent past, creative writing and technical writing were two separate subjects. As a high school teacher, I taught a technical writing course and a creative writing course. Each course, had it’s different standards and benchmarks. Per the culture of the school, students were graded differently in each classroom. Technical Writing was a much more rigorous subject, the standards were much higher. Ms. Tucker proves that by combining the two types of writing, Creative Writing may be as rigorous as Technical Writing. Could I use this in my classroom? Definitely yes! I want to start today! Ms. Tucker demonstrates how exciting the use of technology and media is to the writing process. I especially appreciate how much more students are engaged in the writing process with the freedom to use all the various types of media. Looking over the student work samples, Ms. Tucker provided for the webinar, I can see that her students truly took their assignments to heart, and worked diligently to create a project that reflected their appreciation and respect for the writing process. Conclusion The webinar Inspired by Media: Creative Writing in the Digital Age by Catlin Tucker is a very useful resource for all teachers looking into embedding the use of technology and media into their writing projects. As the video clearly states, the use of media and creative writing can span the entire curriculum. Technology and all it has to offer is a very valuable tool in the classroom. Oh, my goodness! What do I need to know in order to address my EQ?
Everything! The "who and why" is easy to answer. How can I use technology based, internet accessible apps and programs to better help my students improve their writing skills and performance. The "how" is blowing my befuddled brain out of my ears right now. How am I going to do this? First of all, I need a plan and a timeline. I need a whole Sunday to plan my strategy out. This is not a cup of coffee and an hour or so in front of the computer. This will take some serious thought. The questions on the IRB that stumped me follow... Will any remuneration be provided? How will you protect confidentiality? What data/artifacts will you collect? Is this the best, safest way to collect it? Data collecting, sure. I expected to see that question on the IRB, but "Is this the best, safest way to collect it?" Wow. That question would never have been in the forefront of my plan. What are the potential risks and benefits to your human subjects? (Be sure to be as specific as possible; include loss of time or other inconveniences to participants. Don’t overstate benefits; if they are hypothetical benefits this must be clearly stated.) Never state that there are no risks; there are always risks, even if they seem minor. Again, a serious question to consider. Sometimes... okay, many times, as a designated ELPAC examiner, I take for granted that kids will be resilient and won't mind being pulled from class to take a 30 minute test. Of course, I take each child into consideration. I look for clues, like excessive sleepiness or visible disappointment that the child is missing out on a special class activity, or even a mundane one, like math facts practice. But for the most part, I'm a bit tunnel-visioned. I have four weeks to test almost 100 students with only about an hour per day to do so. Deadlines have a slight choke-hold on me. The question "What are the potential risks and benefits to your HUMAN SUBJECTS?" jumped out at me. For a first grader, missing 30 minutes of math facts instruction is a risk. For a kindergartener, missing an art project or a nature walk with the rest of the class is a risk. For a fifth grader, missing out on a Science lesson and experiment is a risk. What will you do with the data? Where and how will it be stored and for how long? Who will have access to it? How will it be analyzed? Will there be follow-up? List all additional documents you need to create for your study (consent letters, survey questions, focus group questions, etc.) How long will the study take? Provide an approximate timeline from the beginning to end of the research study. Again, this is not a one-cup-of-coffee moment. I need to really focus on creating an environment in my own home where I will be able to focus on these questions and design a plan that will not only answer all of these questions, but insure that they are addressed in an ethical manner. This is my Oscar-winning, Pulitzer-achieving opportunity. Can't "call it in." No more toe-dipping in the shallow end. It's time to take the plunge into the deep. "What problems in your classroom might point you to your driving question?"
"What will you "Need to Know" to answer that question?" "What do you already know?" Twenty-six of my twenty-eight fourth graders are reading significantly below grade level. Every one of these children worked on the digital phonics programs iRead and System 44 (Houghton-Mifflin) for at least four years since Kindergarten. They worked on phonics skills for at least 20 minutes a day on iRead, then later on System 44. They also received 90 minutes of English Language Arts instruction and 30 minutes of ELD instruction. Many of them have been enrolled in the after school program Cool School where they receive an hour of ELA instruction and an hour of homework help. So what is going on? Why are these students not able to read? Can I trust the data generated by Houghton-Mifflin? |
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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