30 Day Reflection: Tech Use in Class

Day 2: Write about one piece of technology that you would like to try this year, and why. You might also write about what you're hoping to see out of this edtech integration.

This is the 2nd day in a 30 Day Challenge from Teach Thought.

 Last year we had 13 snow days and the stop and start instruction was maddening for both my students and myself. I have toyed with a flipped class model some in the past, but had never really figured out how the concept worked in an English course. Over the summer I researched tech that would help my students have access to my course content both in and out of the school building with the hopes that I could begin the process of flipping my classroom.

Since my school year began August 13, 2014, I have already started using some of the new edtech in my classroom. Here is a brief breakdown of what I have started using or what I hope to use this year:


Noredink is a web-based learning platform that helps students in grades k-12 improve their grammar and writing skills. The site uses adaptive technology to provide differentiated instruction, adjusting questions based on student chosen topics, grade level, what students get right/wrong and drilling down to their underlying misconceptions.

My students have enjoyed (yes, enjoyed) grammar review. They love having multiple chances to get a question correct. Also, the students have liked having exercises that place their favorite actors, musicians, and book characters in the question.  I have loved not having to spend hours grading grammar review exercises for 120+ students. Also, since the site allows customization, I can assign certain lessons to a few students rather than forcing each student to go through a review he/she does not need.  There are lots of free lessons available, but you can upgrade to a paid

_______________________________________________________________________________

Class Weebly: Students can access class notes, handouts, objectives, lessons, and curricular resources even when they are at home. Parents and students can see what is being taught at a given time during the year.    

 

Students are starting to use this site regularly. Honestly, I think most of them were waiting to see if I would keep up with updating the page before they committed. The class page has already come in handy for students who have been absent with an illness. Those students appreciated being able to access materials on their own time rather than waiting until they came to school to collect handouts, etc.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Curriculet--is an e-reading platform for schools that allows teachers to place a layer of questions, quizzes and rich media on top of books and articles students read. Students can add annotations, access a definition for any word. Students get immediate feedback on the comprehension questions in the text, as they read, and can review the quizzes after taking them.

 

This is the only piece of tech I haven't had a chance to use yet, but I am looking forward to incorporating it with my classes. Our school is a BYOD school, so I think having students access readings through technology will be helpful, especially with the annotation capabilities of the program. I love that I can upload articles and readings that are not included in the Curriculet library, too.