Changing Guided & Independent Reading Time in the Classroom: A Look at Interacting with Reading Passages Online

            There is so much technology available that it can be overwhelming at times to think about how to best integrate it into your classroom.  It takes time, effort, and lots of patience! I have found that trial and error work well.

There are several ways that I integrate technology into my classroom.  Kahoot, Xtra math, and Educreations are a few that I use on a regular basis.  Most of the time I find that I am integrating technology into my math lessons.  Certain content areas are easier to integrate technology, however, I feel that reading in the elementary grades can be a difficult one.  This winter I set out to find something to jazz up my reading block, but still enable me to cover my standards without doing something extra.  I had heard about a new site at a professional development day for my district and I was going to attempt to use it! After implementing it, I can say that I will most certainly use it again!

            The site is called Actively Learn.  It is a website to support reading on different devices.  Students can read, interact with and think critically about texts.  There is a free version which offers many of the same features as the paid version.  There is also a subscription which offers even more features.  You can sign in using a google account.  As the teacher, you can create a class and add assignments to that class.  You can choose articles or you can upload pdf articles to use! Once you add the article as an assignment, you can type in your own directions and add questions throughout the text that students need to answer before proceeding.  Additionally, you can write notes for students to read throughout. 

When the students go into the website, they can read the text, answer the questions, and write comments or questions that they have.  Furthermore, the students can highlight and right click on a word to find out its definition, hear it being pronounced, and can write a note about what they are reading.  The neat thing is the teacher and peers can comment instantaneously to respond to other’s questions or comments.  

Watch a video designed for teachers that provides an overview of what the website can do!

  

            After seeing what this site was capable of (even the free version has so many capabilities!) I was hooked on figuring out a way to integrate this into my reading block to give it a try.

Click here to create a login!

http://www.activelylearn.com/

Experimenting with Actively Learn in 3rd Grade

      I am going to walk you through my lesson that I used Actively Learn for to give you a taste of how it can be used in the classroom.  The first step after creating an account is to choose an article for your class.  While Actively Learn does have articles that you can choose from, I wanted to pick an article that related to the reading standard my students were working on.  I went to ReadWorks to search for my article. ReadWorks is a free website that can be used to find passages and articles that can be searched by grade level, skill, or lexile level!

You can create a free login here: http://www.readworks.org/

            I found an article on ReadWorks that related to what my third grade class was working on at the time- determining the author’s viewpoint in an informational text.  I had my students work with a partner since we do not have enough chromebook devices to be 1 to 1.  I provided guided directions to students of how to get to the assignment in Actively Learn. I left these directions (see below) on the smartboard for students to refer back to throughout the lesson if they needed to.

Since my students already have google accounts with the school, they could sign into the website using google and did not need to create new usernames or passwords! I was amazed at how fast the students figured out how to navigate getting to the article with no extra support from the teacher.  I explained that students will be doing a partner read paragraph by paragraph, interacting with Actively Learn features and answering questions as they read.  I showed students some of the features available on the smartboard and then left them to explore the rest!

By having students work with partners, I was able to check in with groups as they worked through reading the article and answering the questions.  It was neat to see the excitement they had in learning how to use the tools! Students must answer the questions embedded in the text as they read which helped students to think more critically and zero in on a specific question.

Questions teacher posed throughout the article: 

- What is the author’s viewpoint? Think about what is the author trying to convince the readers to agree with? Why does the author write this text?

-  Prove how you know this is the author’s viewpoint.

- Did you or your partner’s viewpoint change after reading the article?

After students read and answered the questions, they learned how to comment on what their peers had written and many of them started conversations online without my prompting! They were so excited to comment back to each other and ask questions about the responses they were reading.

Another neat feature on Actively Learn is that students can choose articles or stories to read in the independent reading library.  So as students finished my assignment, they had something to work on that interested them.  My students were so excited! Students and teachers alike can search by grade level, as well, so you can be sure students are not wasting time looking at or reading passages that are too easy or too difficult for them.

Once all groups in the class were done, I pulled up on the smartboard all the student responses and notes and/ or questions that came up while reading the text.  I read them and asked for feedback from peers, which prompted great class discussion. 

The Results & Student Feedback

Any time after my students use new technology, I like to ask for their feedback.  Technology is only effective if the users enjoy it and benefit it from it academically!  Using this technology, I was skeptical if my students would learn the standard.  I feel that my students did learn, as evidenced by their solid answers to the questions on Actively Learn.  I would not change any parts to this lesson! The students learned, were highly engaged and gave the teacher positive feedback on the program! My students also demonstrated great collaboration and communication during this lesson.

 Students completed a Google Survey of how they felt about using Actively Learn during centers the next day. I specifically wanted to gather feedback and student opinions about using online texts to learn compared to using paper copy text.  Being that my students are young and are do not do much reading on devices, I was curious to see their responses.

Survey

*My third grade students completed a survey using google forms to share their thoughts on the lesson & using the Actively Learn Website. Some of the results are included below.

What was your favorite part of using Actively Learn?

         *A few student responses are shared below:

·         “You can read a passage online and not get distracted.”

·         “My favorite part of using Actively Learn is reading the passage and marking things up.”

·         “My favorite part about Actively Learn is reading people’s comments.”

·         “My favorite part was using the tools and the mini dictionary.”

·         “My favorite part of Actively Learn is that you can see other peoples work and since my handwriting is a little messy you can actually read it a bit.”

·         “My favorite part is we can start conversations.”

What would you want to change or add if we did Actively Learn again?

       *A few student responses are shared below:

·         “There is nothing I want to change or add.”

·         “It was perfect as it was.”

·         “What I would want to add about Actively Learn if we do it again is to read harder passages and to answer heard questions.”

·         “I would not change a thing about it!”

·         “I like it the way it is!”

·         “I don’t feel like adding or changing anything on Actively Learn it’s just right!”

As evidenced by my students survey results- they LOVE Actively Learn!! If you’re feeling the need to spice up your reading block and want to engage students, give Actively Learn a try! Continuing to experiment with technology in the classroom only benefits teachers and students! You must be willing to try and tweak what you need to make it work for your classroom and your students!

-   Will you consider Actively Learn in your classroom or as                  using it as a platform for assigning homework?

        -   What benefits do you see to using the site and what concerns            do you have?

         -   Are there any other technology resources you use to support            reading instruction?

References

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www.activelylearn.com/

How It Works. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www.activelylearn.com/how-it-works/

The Solution to Reading Comprehension. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www.readworks.org/

Makerspaces Creating Movement in Education

Picture this: A blackboard, some white chalk, and desks with attached seats situated in rows.  This image is a stark contrast to today’s 21^st century classroom: A smartboard, smart pens, and circular tables intended for collaboration.  The disparity represents the ever changing technology, which means that education must also change.  School districts and educators are grappling with the changes and trying to keep up with the quick learning curve needed to adapt.  In order to embrace the change, many districts and administrators are seeking a framework to act as their guide.  Learn ways to incorporate a new emerging trend into the school day and a possible framework for today’s learners.  

One popular framework is the 4C’s.  The 4C’s is a growing model used by educators to provide an outline for what 21^st century learning looks like.  Educators are being encouraged, and in many cases, forced, to transform their teaching by infusing collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication into their daily routines with their students.  Many schools are experimenting with emerging trends to best meet this growing need for learning these 21^st century life skills. Project –based learning (PBL), gaming, and coding are just some of the new trends that teachers and students alike are learning to embrace.  If you are an educator and are dipping your toes into these new ventures, you perhaps have heard of Makerspaces. 

Makerspaces are an emerging trend that is truly changing the way students learn and the way teachers teach. Makerspaces are environments for students to learn through hands on discovery and creation.  These areas involve materials for students to use and can range from low tech and cost efficient to high tech and more expensive.  Many countries around the world are implementing this trend to elicit learning and growth in their students.  Hong Kong, the United States, Australia, and Singapore are among them.  Let’s look at some educational uses of this emerging trend.

 Educational Uses:

                        1. Makerspaces in the Classroom

Need a low cost, easy to create Makerspace? Makerspaces can be found on a smaller scale in an area of the classroom, while on the larger scale can be found in a community area of a school to be used by several classrooms.  These spaces do not have to be expensive, as many educators fear, as funds continue to run tight for many schools.  Some makerspaces consist of craft supplies for students to use, but the difference is it is organized in area where students have the discretion of what and when to use them.  A good classroom makerspace has materials at the students’ level and is often organized with labels so students can easily find what they need.

2. Makerspaces in a School Communal Area

While some makerspaces can be low tech and cost efficient, if your school has money allocated towards 21^st century learning, the Makerspace idea can be expanded beyond the classroom!  Some schools create a Makerspace in a community area of a school, such as a large room or even an empty classroom.  This allows for several classrooms in the school to benefit.  Some of these more communal areas can get very costly, by incorporating new technology, such as 3D printers.  Some schools allow classrooms to reserve the room for certain time slots throughout the day, while some secondary schools have students sign up for courses where teachers use the makerspace as their classroom.  If this option piques your interest, consider talking with your principal or other administration to see how this could work in your building!     

             If you’re looking to read more on how to create an effective Makerspace, 

please check out this article from the Center for Digital Education which contains 4 

Steps for Planning a Successful Makerspace.

            3. Makerspaces that Come to You!

If neither of the options above seem viable for you or your school, due to cost or space, consider a Makerspace that can visit your school! While this may not be ideal, considering long term implementation is a good goal, it is a good place for a school to start.  There are now many transportable makerspaces on buses that will come to the school and kids can explore hands on for the day.  This can be a great opportunity for staff and administration to learn more about Makerspaces too!             

After hearing about three practical ways to use Makerspaces with students, keep in mind the focus should be on the students.  The true purpose of these spaces is to allow students the opportunity to solve real world problems through their own exploration.  Students collaborate with their peers to brainstorm solutions, see if they can choose a solution to create, and test their design to see if it is successful.  After testing the design, students get the opportunity to reflect and revise as needed.  This emphasizes to students that the process of learning is more important than the product created. A professor from Stanford discusses this education mindset change of valuing process not the products.

 Thus, the role of teacher is to be a facilitator and provide feedback, but to allow students to lead their learning.  This may be a challenge for teachers at the beginning, considering this is change from the traditional teaching model.  Educators and students need to be patient with the process and allow multiple trials to determine if it is successful.      

So how do these cool spaces transform students into 21^st Century Learners?  The answer is simple: In many more ways than one.  Students must collaborate first and foremost.  After students brainstorm, they must decide what idea they want to create.  This requires a lot of communication between the team.  In addition to collaboration and communication, students must learn to think creatively.  By having students solve real life problems, makes it extremely authentic and relatable.  These problems call for students to think outside of the box and be creative.  Critical thinking is required because there is no formula to solving it and there is no one right answer.  The 4Cs become naturally interwoven to the school day through students working in Makerspaces.  Furthermore, STEM is also enhanced as many of the real world problems involve science, engineering and math in some way.   Makerspaces stretch students in new ways and helps them to grow and learn more than they would in a traditional classroom setting!  Students take ownership on these projects and learn other skills too, such as perseverance, patience and how to compromise.  Makerspaces truly teach life skills through learning to work through problems and discover solutions.

It is evident that the general idea of Makerspaces is an emerging trend that is not going away.  These spaces will enable students to learn 21^st century skills, while keeping students engaged.  Students of all ages will take complete ownership of their learning and will undoubtedly say that learning is fun!  

Are you willing to take a leap and begin experimenting with a Makerspace in your classroom? Are there any other ways that your school is integrating 21^st century learning skills? Consider how the Makerspace can transform your students’ learning and take them far beyond where you can lead!

Check out an Infographic that illustrates some of the information you’ve just read using Piktochart!

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/19631963-makerspaces-an-emerging-trend-in-education