Week 4 Assignment 2 - ELA Lesson

WORD WARP XTREME
Students will use iPads to play the game “Word Warp Xtreme”. They will play the game using the “Standard Mode” and try to achieve the highest score they can. Students will play a total of 10 rounds of the game.

Grade Level:
This game will be used in 4^th and 5^th grade to increase student literacy.

Common Core Standards and Learning Outcomes:
Reading Foundational Skills.4.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words

Language.5.6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships

Language.5.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Writing.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Instructional Activities: The students will use the class iPads to play “Word Warp Xtreme”. Each student will play on standard mode for a total of 10 rounds. If a student is successful on a round they will move on to the next level. If a student is unsuccessful, they will restart the game. Every time a student plays a round, they must write down one word that they did not guess correctly and do not know the meaning of. After the ten rounds are completed, students must take their list of ten words and define them. To find the word definitions, students will use their iPad and the Dictionary app. Once completed, students must find a partner and share each word and definition with each other.

Assessment:
Students will once again work with their partner. Each group of students must take their list of 20 words and use them in sentences effectively. When all groups are finished, they will present their words to the class and explain what they have learned.

Debriefing:
Students will use their journals to reflect upon the new words that they have learned. Students must use at least 5 of the words in their reflection. Debriefing will also be done during their oral presentations to the class.

Cognitive Skills Cultivated:
This lesson will allow students to take their previous knowledge of vocabulary and build upon it. Not only will they be recalling information, but this lesson will allow them to learn the spelling of new words and their definitions.

New Literacies Cultivated:
Locate – Students will have to locate the definitions of the words that they are unfamiliar with from the game.

Evaluate – Students will have to evaluate the letters they are given in order to spell appropriate words.

Synthesize – Students will synthesize the meaning of the words in order to use them correctly in sentences.

Communicate – The game will allow students to communicate the words that they are unfamiliar with to their classmates.

Week 4 - Assignment 1

The game that I chose to use is a free iPad game called “Word Warp Xtreme”.

1. What gaming elements provide users the learning content and how? (Refer to the journal article page 4).

• Text: When you first click on the play button for the “Standard Mode”, instructions for the game will pop up. Text will appear that explains how to properly play the game. If a player ever needs help, at the main menu is a help button that they can click and read the objective of each game.
• Visual-graphic elements: When a player touches a letter that they want to use in the word, the letter appears in the next open space in the 7 boxes. After a player has all of the desired letters in the boxes, they press the “GOT IT” button. If the word is an actual word, the boxes flash green. If the word is not correct, the boxes flash red. When the word is correct, it is they placed in the finished word section.
• Audio elements: The game will make two different sounds when you attempt to enter a word. One sound is for a correct word, while the other is for an invalid answer. Also when the timer is down to 5 seconds left, it plays a clock sound that lets you know your time is running out.

2. What is the goal of the game?

- The overall goal of this game is to get the highest possible score by forming words using the letters given. Students will have to unscramble letters to form words. Students will have to use prior knowledge and thinking skills to construct as many words as possible.

3. What are rules of playing this game?

- There are three different modes of the game. The objective of the “Standard Mode” is to form as many English language words from the 6 or 7 letters you are given before the time runs out. For each word that you find, you will be awarded points. If you are able to form a word using all the letters given to you then you will be able to advance to the next level and your score will continue to accumulate. If you fail to form a word using all the letters before the time runs out then your score will be reset to zero and you will start a new game.
- The objective of the “Extreme Mode” is to solve 5 words (6 or 7 letters in length) before time runs out. The first level starts at 2 minutes and 30 seconds, each following level reduces the amount of time that you are allowed to solve the words. To advance to the next level you must solve all the words. You will be given hints along the way to help you solve the words.
- The “Death Spiral” mode is a variation of Standard Mode. You are given 7 letters and 1 minute to solve the words. To advance to the next level you must solve the 7 letter word. Each new level will subtract 10 seconds from your allotted time and will stop subtracting once your allotted time reaches 20 seconds. Pausing is not allowed. If you are stuck, you can press the Pass button and you will be given a new puzzle, but the clock will keep counting down.

4. Does this game have any scenario design? (Refer to the journal article page 5.) If yes, is this a fabricated or embedded in curriculum-related content?

- This game has no-embedded scenario.

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.