Learning Task # 3 Hands-on Helping ELA teachers practice new literacies in their classrooms

The tool that I selected to use was iWriteWords, which is an app for the iPad. The reason I choose this technology tool was because I know that our iPads at school currently have this app available on them. I was hoping that teachers would be willing to use it because it would not have to be purchased.

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Topic: Alphabet writing and recognition

Standards Addressed: Common Core State Standard - ELA

• Reading Foundation. Kindergarten. 1.
  -Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

-Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
-Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Learning Outcomes: -Students will be able to operate the iPads successfully after proper instruction.
-Students will be able to write all letters of the alphabet successfully using iWriteWords.
-Students will be able to navigate through the iWrite Words application on their own.
-Students will recognize different sight words when spelling them.

Technologies Needed: The technologies needed would be an iPad for each student with the iWriteWords app downloaded onto it. This is already done on the iPads in our building.

Timeline for Implementation: This technology tool could be implemented as soon as tomorrow. All teachers would need to do is alter their lesson plans to include it. Explaining how to use the program wouldn’t take more than a minute. If a teacher planned to use the iPads on a consistent basis, then they would need to educate the students on proper iPad usage. This could be done in a single class period.

Integration and Implementation: Using iWriteWords can easily be done without much stress. A teacher could use it as practice for the students. After learning different letters or words, the teacher can allow the students practice time on the iPads. The students will be able to write the different letters of the alphabet and spell different words by touching their finger to the screen. Students must follow the number sequence to correctly draw the letter. After the letter is correctly written, it drops to the bottom of the screen and the next letter in the word appears. After the word is complete, the app spells the word out loud and says the completed word.

Assessment: Unfortunately, the app does not provide data for analysis. A nice addition to the app would be to show the number of tries it took the students to correctly draw each letter. This would allow the teacher to determine which students struggle with which letters or words. However, with the app as it is now, I feel the best way to use it is for repetitive practice. When a student writes a letter incorrect, the program does not accept it and has them do it again. A teacher could give the students 5 minutes to finish as many words as possible. At the end of those 5 minutes, the teacher can see how far each student progressed to determine how successful they were with both their writing skills and their technology skills. If a student had a difficult time, the teacher could then work with the student one-on-one to determine what the problems are.

Learning Task #1 Theory in Practice

The world that we live in is changing and the way that students learn has changed as well. Traditional literacies included learning through the use of paper, pencils, and books. This is how students learned to read and write. With the introduction of computers and the internet, students need new literacies to effectively utilize the technology tools. “These new literacies allow us to use the Internet and other ICTs to identify important questions, locate information, critically evaluate the usefulness of that information, synthesize information to answer those questions, and then communicate the answers to others”. These new literacies change how we need to teach in the classroom. If we just teach using traditional methods, our students will not be prepared for the future. We need to educate our students in the use of new technologies. New literacies change constantly with the ever-changing technologies. When I was a child, there were no such things as wikis, blogs, or podcasts. I never had the option of using the internet to do research, instead I had to go to the library and read books. Adults now use internet at work and some jobs are dependent upon the internet. By the time our students are adults, there will be new technologies that they will experience and they need to be educated on how to use them. Our ultimate goal as educators should be to prepare students to be civically competent adults. Students need to have the skills needed to do this, and this includes being able to utilize new technologies.

Technology in the Classroom

Just thought I would share this in case anybody was interested.

Here is a link to a school that is truly integrating technology into their classrooms. My technology teacher at my school told me about them so I checked it out. When you go to the website, click on the Projects tab and you can check out the iPod blog that they have. It is interesting to see how they are using the technology in their school.

Canby School District

Let me know what you think.

Learning Task #2 Minds-on “New Literacies Definition and Components”

Which ideas from the video reflect what the ELA teachers you interviewed are currently doing to integrate technology with their literacy instruction?

-The teachers that I interviewed really aren’t integrating technology into their literacy instruction. They are using a traditional literacy approach where the work is being done with a paper and a pencil. They are providing their students with the cognitive skills needed, however they are not utilizing the students’ technology skills to help enhance learning. One idea from the video that would be easy for them to use would be to communicate the information. The students could use technology to express what they have learned and then share it with others through tools such as word processor, video editor, or even blogs.

How can you help change their instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in their literacy and content-area curriculum?

-One way that I could help the teachers include the use of technology would be to give them examples of how the tools could be used. I know as a teacher, I am open to new ideas and am willing to hear suggestions that will help me become a better teacher. I could look at a lesson that they are planning on teaching and figure out how to easily incorporate a technology tool into it. I am sure if the lesson was effective then the teachers would be able to see the benefits of technology in their classroom.

What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?

-Professional development would be very important in order to make these changes. Teachers like to be prepared, and they would have to be educated in how to use the technologies. I am also sure that teachers would like to have examples of lessons to use as a resource. Teachers might know how to use video editor; however that does not necessarily mean that they can effectively incorporate it into their lesson to increase student learning.

What ideas do you have for grouping students so they will have equal access to technology in the classroom?

-One idea for grouping students would be to take students from the same ability levels and put them together. Some students might be more advanced with a program like word processor than others. If students from different ability levels are put together, then often times the student who has used the program before will do all of the work. If the students have the same ability then each can use the tool equally. The teacher can set up different parts of the assignment for different group members to ensure each has a chance to contribute and use the technology.

Check out my Voki

Coming into this course I had little background knowledge in the ELA Standards and the goal of ELA instruction. I teach Physical Education and I try to incorporate different subject content into my classes. However, I have never really looked at how the different subjects are taught and the scope and sequence that they follow. After looking at the ELA standards, it is apparent that their main goal is to make more well-rounded students.

The IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts states, "The vision guiding these standards is that all students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life’s goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society. These standards assume that literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities—reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations".

The four purposes of language use are:

-Students should be able to use language for a variety of purposes. Students need to be able to obtain and communicate information. Students can learn information through many different forms. They can read books, look on the internet, read newspapers, watch television, or talk to other people. Students should also be able to communicate the information that they have through these different forms as well.

-Students should also be able to respond to, interpret, and create literary texts to express themselves. This could simply be writing in a journal or sending a letter. Students should be given the opportunity to express themselves through many different forms. Each student is different and in turn expresses themselves differently.

-Students should be able to use language as a form of reflection. By talking to others and reading what others have written, students will be able to form their own ideas. They should also be given the opportunity to express their ideas with others.

-Students should be able to use language for problem solving and application. When problems arise, students need to effectively express themselves. This could be in a conflict or when they have to make an informed decision.

After looking at the ELA standards, I have a better understanding of their purpose. Many of the standards correlate to different subject areas. As in Physical Education, our goal is to make a more well-rounded student. We teach many different skills and activities. Our hope is that students will use what they have learned for the rest of their lives. Students need to create a physically active lifestyle. The skills that they learn as kids will help to ensure that they are active as adults. The same is true for ELA. The reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills that they learn as kids in school help to make them educated members of society as adults.

Interview With an ELA Teacher

I was able to speak with two ELA teachers in my building about their use of technology and the difficulties they face when trying to incorporate technology into their classroom.

I began by asking them what forms of technology they currently use.

They responded by stating that they really don't use that much currently. One website that they personally use is Reading A to Z. From my understanding, this is a website where they are able to print different material for the students. The website states, "Reading A-Z offers thousands of printable teacher materials to teach leveled reading, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, reading fluency, alphabet, and vocabulary. The teaching resources include professionally developed downloadable leveled books, lesson plans, worksheets, and reading assessments".

I then asked them what difficulties they have with incorporating new technologies.

Their biggest concern was the time factor. They see their students for a short time each day and were unsure how it would fit into their schedule. They expressed a desire to incorporate smartboards into their classroom. All of the general education classrooms in our school have smartboards, however their rooms do not. They also do not have the knowledge of the different technology tools that are out there. They have been teaching for many years and are not up to date on what is available to them. They went on to say that they wish they had more professional development opportunities so that they could learn how to use different software. They were willing to try new things if they have access to them.

5 Technology Tools to Improve ELA Standards

For the technology tools I decided to look into different apps that can be used for the iPad. Our building has iPads that teachers can sign out to use in their classroom. Teachers can utilize this one tool (the iPad) in order to help teach each of the 5 components of ELA.

Reading- iStoryTime
- iStoryTime is an app which allows a teacher to get different children's books onto their ipad. The students can then read the books by themselves or have a narrator read so they can follow along. This allows students of different reading levels to receive the same information.


Writing- iWriteWords
- This app allows students to play an interactive game, while learning to write different letters and words. The students trace the letters on the screen in order to spell out a word. As they spell the letters, the letter is spoken on the app. When the word is complete, the app spells the word out and says the word.


Listening- Bookster
- This app allows teachers to have students read different age appropriate books. The great part about this app is that it has a read-along feature. The students can listen to the author read the book while they follow along. The app also teaches vocabulary while the students are increasing their reading skills.


Speaking- Tiga Talk
- Tiga Talk is a voice-controlled game, where students have to say commands in order for the characters to do desired actions. The students are able to have fun while learning different phonetic sounds.


Language- Teach Me
- This app teaches four different age appropriate subjects to Kindergarten aged children: sight words, addition, subtraction and spelling. Teachers can select which subjects they want, set different difficulty levels, and even choose specific questions. Teachers can review performance history for each subject to check how their child is doing.

Many of the apps that are available to teachers touch upon several of the 5 components. There is an endless amount of apps that are available to help make learning fun for the students.