USING TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Technological Literacy=Future

Tech in the Classroom

Student Polling Software Classroom Website with Blog Features Differentiated access with QR Codes Speech and Presentation Tools R.A.N Folders Helpful Websites

Polleverywhere.com

What’s the purpose?

Immediate and live feedback from students

Engagement Originality and uniqueness in lesson

delivery Allows students’ technology to be used

for academic purposes Creates an immediate formative

assessment You can create multiple choice or free- text questions (I’ll show you one later)

What if they don’t have a phone? Students can use a computer to vote as

well. I have allowed students to vote with my

phone (it takes them five seconds). You can manually shut off the “only

allowed to vote once” function to allow multiple users to use the same voting device.

I have seen several students share phones for voting purposes.

Easy Process

This is in our district software library.

Classroom Website

Create a centralized location where students can access important web links you discuss in class and a place to access your blog.

Weebly.com is a great place to create a free website easily!

Reasons to create a website Upload assignments and course guides Provide important dates Upload significant links to websites you

discuss in class Create a blog for each class One centralized location for all classes to obtain course information

Classroom Blog (weebly.com, edublogs.org)patriotenglish.weebly.com

“Students should be allowed to communicate through various modes as they pose, solve, and interpret diverse real-life problems.” –Sue Beers

Blogs are a great way to encourage students to move their learning out of the classroom.

Blogs allow students to participate in academic conversations with their peers in various settings and differentiate the mode in which students are being assessed.

Many students who may not be very vocal in class shine when they are allowed to speak through technological modes.

Create the Blog (using Weebly)

Students will take care of the rest...

Protocol

Create blogging protocol before you send students off to respond.

An email is sent to your address when a student posts. You are able to view the post in case it needs to be removed.

The conversation from the blog posts should then carry over to instruction.

Students love when you reference their blog posts in class!

QR Codes (Quick Response Codes)

DIFFERENTIATED ACCESS! This option is primarily for student engagement. You can link any url to a QR code, such as an

online article, blog, or your class website. This enables students to access the link via their

mobile device. It also gives students a choice in how they read an

article. They can read the hard copy or access it through their phone.

Many students who may be reluctant readers will find engagement and success using this basic tool.

Type the website you would like your code to link.

Your code generates here.

Click the generate button.

Get the QR Reader App.

http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Students can just scan this code and go!

QR Code Website

This website gives you free codes along with a free mobile application for your phone.

Direct students to this website for the free mobile application.

Again, this is primarily to differentiate the delivery of the material you provide.

Many of my homework assignments have the QR code at the top of the page in case students lose the article or would rather read it from their phone.

Glogster.com

Glogster EDU’s differentiated format promotes a positive balance between acquisition of factual knowledge, the mastery of concepts and skills, and the imaginative use of multi-media and relevant Internet resources.

Gives students the ability to move away from the basic “poster and markers” style of presenting and enhances students’ technological literacy by allowing them to create their poster online.

Gives teachers of all subjects a large database of previously created projects to incorporate into our instruction.

Video Clips

Images

Com

ment

ary

Glogpedia

Once students create their Glog, they are able to upload it publicly to the Glogster website for others to view and learn.

Students are able to collaborate with their peers to create this piece.

Students and teachers can access Glogs at any time over any internet connection.

Empressr

Empressr is the first free online storytelling tool that allows you to create, manage and share rich media presentations online.

Many of our students do not have PPT at home, but they have an internet connection.

Upload your video, images and audio to get started creating cool slideshows.

If you have your own website, blog, or social networking page, you can either post a link or embed your Empressr.

Why try it?

Empressr allows students to store their project on the website for quick access on any computer.

Students do not need the PPT software to use this program.

It is free! Gives students an alternative for

delivery of information with a focus on speaking.

Vocaroo.com

Not every response to a question needs to be written.

Differentiating the mode in which students respond is essential, especially with the speaking standards in the Common Core.

Vocaroo allows students to record their voices, listen and modify, then email their vocalized response to their teacher directly from the website.

Since students now have speaking standards embedded in the Common Core Standards, we need to make sure we prepare our students for effective and academic public speaking. This is one way.

Students can also do this right from their cell phones by using their personal voice recorder.

This is it. A basic website for recording.

Click record

If they need to try again, click retry.

If they are happy with it, click this link.

The last step is to email the

recording. That’s it!

Informational Text Emphasis Many of our students have a difficult

time analyzing informational text. Much of our knowledge base comes from

informational text. It makes up 80% of the required reading

for college and the workplace. Students are only asked to read 7-

15% of it in elementary and middle school.

R.A.N. FoldersReading and Analyzing Nonfiction Text

This is an improved form of a KWL chart. This folder is great for small group work centered

around analysis of nonfiction text. Use sticky notes so folders can be reused immediately. Red=Don’t use in your final writing/Green=Use

in your final writing Sections:

K=What I think I know C=What I confirmed L=What I learned W=What I wonder M=Misconceptions I had

Try it out!

1. Look at the title and subheadings of the article in your table groups.2. Each person needs to write at least three sticky notes about what they think they already know about the topic and place those in the “K” section of your folder.3. Read the article.4. After you read the article, move the sticky notes from the “K” section to sections “C” or “M” based upon what you discovered.5. After you finish, each person needs to write one sticky note for section “L” and one for section “W”.

Helpful Websites

Exit slips, Self-Assessment forms, Self-Evaluation forms, and Data Tracking forms: Maximizelearninginc.co

m Common Core Lesson

Plans and Material: Achievethecore.org Azed.gov Isbe.net Tcoe.org

Vocabulary Instruction: Graniteschools.org Wordle.net

Technology: Polleverywhere.com Vocaroo.com Empressr.com Glogster.com Weebly.com Kaywa.com

Speaking: Pvlegs.com

POLS- students struggle with the periodic table.

Students mix up rows and columns.

Determining how to figure out how many valence electrons an element has.

Determining how many orbitals an element has.

How to determine charges of elements.

Getting them out of their seats and learning!