New Technology
Obtaining iPads in the Classroom and Their Purpose
My students get so excited to meet with me for guided reading in small groups and I believe a lot of their love for reading has stemmed from being exposed to new technology; reading on iPads. Living in the Silicon Valley, this only makes sense with all of the technological advances around us and at our finger tips. However, having all of the fun and engaging technology can be costly. I knew my students would benefit from having iPads for guided reading, so I began to think through how I would present this to my Principal and obtain the funding. I knew this would be beneficial for my students because most day to day tasks and necessities are now handled online. This can be from preparing taxes, applying for college, and scheduling appointments. This is a skill I know my students need in order to be successful in the 21st Century, so I thought it was ideal to connect these necessary technology skills with reading. I started with research of benefits of using iPads for reading. I found multiple articles and resources online. I find using the iPads beneficial for all of my guided reading groups, which range from STEP pre to STEP 4 (STEP 4 being their end of year goal). I have chosen to use Reading A-Z as my main platform for guided reading instruction. I chose this application because each student has their own log in icon and many texts in the STEP level and lexile level range. This application also has post-reading comprehension activities and quizzes which give students additional time and use on the iPad. Students navigate through the reading comprehension activity by using a speaker button to hear the question aloud and the answer choices. Students select their answer then at the end are able to see if it was correct or incorrect, students navigate back to the question to give it another try. In this application, my STEP pre students are able to listen to the text aloud for word to sound associated and to work on comprehension skills. While navigating on the iPad students are learning the functions of the device and how the functions can relate, this is useful for the future and other interactions with technology.
RAZ has a variety of texts that are beneficial for all of my students at any level. I chose texts based on what students need to improve on to meet their next reading goal and to match their interests. I learn many of their interests through conferences and home visits that I do for each of my students. Students are able to interact on the iPads to improve their reading but are also gaining necessary 21st Century skills. Many of my students do not have access to technology or internet like this in their homes, so the fact that I have the ability to expose my students to this technology is very powerful. As mentioned, many of life's necessities are now done online. Students in my class are gaining confidence and the skills to navigate most recent technology to use later in life, all while improving their reading.
To get iPads in my classroom, I presented my Principal with articles that prove growth in reading and increase student interest in reading. Below are links to the articles to show proof of growth and benefits of technology in the classroom. Below each button, I have provided a brief synopsis of the article and how it influenced my instruction.
My students get so excited to meet with me for guided reading in small groups and I believe a lot of their love for reading has stemmed from being exposed to new technology; reading on iPads. Living in the Silicon Valley, this only makes sense with all of the technological advances around us and at our finger tips. However, having all of the fun and engaging technology can be costly. I knew my students would benefit from having iPads for guided reading, so I began to think through how I would present this to my Principal and obtain the funding. I knew this would be beneficial for my students because most day to day tasks and necessities are now handled online. This can be from preparing taxes, applying for college, and scheduling appointments. This is a skill I know my students need in order to be successful in the 21st Century, so I thought it was ideal to connect these necessary technology skills with reading. I started with research of benefits of using iPads for reading. I found multiple articles and resources online. I find using the iPads beneficial for all of my guided reading groups, which range from STEP pre to STEP 4 (STEP 4 being their end of year goal). I have chosen to use Reading A-Z as my main platform for guided reading instruction. I chose this application because each student has their own log in icon and many texts in the STEP level and lexile level range. This application also has post-reading comprehension activities and quizzes which give students additional time and use on the iPad. Students navigate through the reading comprehension activity by using a speaker button to hear the question aloud and the answer choices. Students select their answer then at the end are able to see if it was correct or incorrect, students navigate back to the question to give it another try. In this application, my STEP pre students are able to listen to the text aloud for word to sound associated and to work on comprehension skills. While navigating on the iPad students are learning the functions of the device and how the functions can relate, this is useful for the future and other interactions with technology.
RAZ has a variety of texts that are beneficial for all of my students at any level. I chose texts based on what students need to improve on to meet their next reading goal and to match their interests. I learn many of their interests through conferences and home visits that I do for each of my students. Students are able to interact on the iPads to improve their reading but are also gaining necessary 21st Century skills. Many of my students do not have access to technology or internet like this in their homes, so the fact that I have the ability to expose my students to this technology is very powerful. As mentioned, many of life's necessities are now done online. Students in my class are gaining confidence and the skills to navigate most recent technology to use later in life, all while improving their reading.
To get iPads in my classroom, I presented my Principal with articles that prove growth in reading and increase student interest in reading. Below are links to the articles to show proof of growth and benefits of technology in the classroom. Below each button, I have provided a brief synopsis of the article and how it influenced my instruction.
This focus of this article is about the use of technology for students with disabilities. This articles explains the importance of teaching responsibility to students, the impact of using highly engaging technology for students with behavioral disorders, and the ease of use an iPad brings. I found this article to be influential in my instruction and implementation of iPads during my Guided Reading lessons because many of my students do have IEP's for speech and language. Many students are not able to articulate their sounds or use of expressive language. Through ease of use and many visual representations, iPads were an automatic choice to target reading instruction for students on IEP's. Also, I have a couple students with behavior disorders who are often easily distracted or disengaged. The iPads and use of technology excite these students to be interested in the lesson, improve their reading, and give them access to most recent technological advances that will be necessary in their future and real-life experiences.
This article has highlighted the increase in student testing scores in math and literacy after studying on iPad learning applications in the classroom. This article has studies from KIPP, Open Colleges, and Pearson Foundation about the increase of assessment scores from students using iPads compared to text books or worksheets. Although this article does not speak to the access portion of technology in the classroom, I felt it was important to show my Principal while pitching to have iPads in the classroom because of the importance of high stakes testing to a school's success. These tests can determine funding, enrollment, teacher interest, etc. within a school. By having iPads in my classroom, I have engaged students in 21st Century Skills while improving their overall testing scores and in-turn the school's testing scores.
This article combined many aspects of the prior two articles by explaining the increase in student engagement while using an iPad, learning to respect and navigate technology, and an increase in learning. Something that stood out to me in this article was the fact that iPads in the classroom can "level the playing field," meaning all students are given equal opportunity to be successful no matter their socio-economic status or school. iPads are giving students access to technology they need to use in the real world. This could be at the library, researching new information, paying for something, any real life experience. Giving my students an opportunity to learn to navigate and use current technology at the Kindergarten level will aid their success later in their personal and educational careers as technology continues to advance.
In summary, the above articles prove iPads to be beneficial in K-12 classrooms for all students. Younger students are able to learn how to navigate the technology and learn responsibility by learning to care for and respect the iPad. I have made six-week Guided Reading plans based off of students needs to ensure they will meet their next reading goal. Each plan is based off of instruction using the iPad and introducing students to new technology and how to navigate various forms of technology they will be exposed to in the future . My principal reviewed the articles and my six-week plans based off of the RAZ application and purchased five iPads for my classroom from a flex budget that had been set aside for new initiatives. After the iPads were purchased, I made a new e-mail associated with our school to be connected to the iTunes store. I worked with our Business Operations Manger to be allotted the funds to subscribe for a year-long subscription to the RAZ app. The school already has a subscription which all teachers use, however, I needed a particular one for student's to access on the iPads. After the new account was created, I set up students accounts based off of STEP levels. Students are able to access these accounts by selecting the pre-determined shape and color correlated to their STEP level, which I tell them before logging in. Each level has a range of four to six RAZ levels for students to choose from, although each text is pre-determined for guided reading lesson based on bottom lines and student hold backs.
The Plans
Below is a six-week Guided Reading plan I have made for this point in the school year. The data collected is from a prior STEP testing round. I have used student hold backs to determine bottom lines and texts to select on the iPad.
The Plans
Below is a six-week Guided Reading plan I have made for this point in the school year. The data collected is from a prior STEP testing round. I have used student hold backs to determine bottom lines and texts to select on the iPad.
The unit plan guides me to create weekly lesson plans for all my Guided Reading groups. The lesson plan includes the text, student levels in the group, the bottom line I will address, potential misconceptions, and an exemplar retell of the text for the comprehension portion of the lesson. This lesson is teacher facing and is created to reflect the text students will be reading on the iPads.
Below is a sample lesson plan I have used for students on a STEP pre-1 reading level.
Below is a sample lesson plan I have used for students on a STEP pre-1 reading level.
Teaching how to Navigate on the iPad
Guided Reading requires a lot of planning and communication. Now that I have incorporated the iPads into the lessons, there has been a need for additional communication in teaching students how to access the iPads. I taught students how to unlock the iPads, navigate the home screen, and enter pass codes, all of these skills are required in order to operate any iPad or other tablet which is beneficial now and with their future use of technology. Below is an anchor chart I made when we began using the iPads for students to reference to help them log in, navigate, and find their texts.
Guided Reading requires a lot of planning and communication. Now that I have incorporated the iPads into the lessons, there has been a need for additional communication in teaching students how to access the iPads. I taught students how to unlock the iPads, navigate the home screen, and enter pass codes, all of these skills are required in order to operate any iPad or other tablet which is beneficial now and with their future use of technology. Below is an anchor chart I made when we began using the iPads for students to reference to help them log in, navigate, and find their texts.
The first time students used the iPads, a lesson was spent just teaching students how to log in and find the app and knowing which text to select. We went through the steps on this anchor chart. Now, students have become more comfortable with the technology and rarely need to reference this anchor chart to remember how to log in.
Parent Communication
In addition to teaching students how to log in I also sent mass communication to parents to inform them of the excellent opportunity their students will be exposed to by using the iPads. I thought it was important to communicate with parents because I am also able to provide families access through exposure to new technology. I invited parents to come observe their students using the iPads to see how new doors can be opened through access to technology. Below is a flyer I sent to parents to communicate iPads in the classroom.
In addition to teaching students how to log in I also sent mass communication to parents to inform them of the excellent opportunity their students will be exposed to by using the iPads. I thought it was important to communicate with parents because I am also able to provide families access through exposure to new technology. I invited parents to come observe their students using the iPads to see how new doors can be opened through access to technology. Below is a flyer I sent to parents to communicate iPads in the classroom.
Closing the Achievement Gap to Open Doors for Students
I have seen great growth in the students reading levels from the beginning of the school to now while using the iPads during Guided Reading. Below are the groups of students in each STEP level in the Fall and Winter. Each student grew between 1-3 STEP levels from the Fall to Winter due to high engagement on the iPads, interest in reading, and high quality planning. I have chosen to include this data because it shows I am opening doors for families by working to close the achievement gap. Students are excited to read because of the iPads and their excitement increases their investment in reaching their goals. They are meeting their reading goals and staying at or above grade level which will set them up for success in their future to open doors for new opportunities.
I have seen great growth in the students reading levels from the beginning of the school to now while using the iPads during Guided Reading. Below are the groups of students in each STEP level in the Fall and Winter. Each student grew between 1-3 STEP levels from the Fall to Winter due to high engagement on the iPads, interest in reading, and high quality planning. I have chosen to include this data because it shows I am opening doors for families by working to close the achievement gap. Students are excited to read because of the iPads and their excitement increases their investment in reaching their goals. They are meeting their reading goals and staying at or above grade level which will set them up for success in their future to open doors for new opportunities.
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Student Reflections
After students had learned how to use the iPad and have engaged in many Guided Reading lessons with the iPads, I wanted to see how they felt about them and if they liked using the technology. Students really enjoy the colorful pictures, using the zoom features, and being able to hear the words to see if they were reading it correctly. Below are a few written reflections from students.
After students had learned how to use the iPad and have engaged in many Guided Reading lessons with the iPads, I wanted to see how they felt about them and if they liked using the technology. Students really enjoy the colorful pictures, using the zoom features, and being able to hear the words to see if they were reading it correctly. Below are a few written reflections from students.
Below are images of students engaging in a Guided Reading lesson on the iPads. Hover of the image for caption and click on the image for a zoomed view.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my students have learned great 21st Century skills necessary to be successful in their futures. Not only have they learned to use the technology, they also are increasing their reading abilities. Students have learned to be independent on the iPads and will be able to apply their new technology knowledge in their future as doors are being opened for them.
In conclusion, my students have learned great 21st Century skills necessary to be successful in their futures. Not only have they learned to use the technology, they also are increasing their reading abilities. Students have learned to be independent on the iPads and will be able to apply their new technology knowledge in their future as doors are being opened for them.