Why Reading Matters: A Snapshot of My Life as a Reader / Video Ethnography

MyVideo Ethnography

Why Reading MattersA Snapshot of My Life as a Reader

Lesson Plan: Who Am I as a Reader: A Self-Assessment of Reading Attitudes

Bristol Central IDT Lesson Planning Document

Who Am I As A Reader: A Self-Assessment of Reading Attitudes

Jody Ceglarski

Course: English 10 Unit: 1 Date: 7/30/15

Objectives	Lesson Essential Questions
Students will be able to articulate their attitudes toward reading. Students will find evidence to support their ideas and present their examples to the class. Students will set reading goals for the new school year.	How is interactive reading part of a meaningful conversation between the reader and author about human experience? How do I organize and present my ideas so they make sense to my audience?
Which items are incorporated into this lesson?
Common Core State Standards
RI-7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. SL 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Literacy Strategies (CCT Domain 2)
Making connections to experience and the world to enhance meaning
SBA Targets/Claims Addressed
Claim 1, Target 11: Reasoning and Evidence: Make an inference or provide a conclusion and use supporting evidence to justify claims, concepts, ideas.
Mozilla Web Literacy Map Alignment Navigation: Using software tools to browse the web Accessing the web using the common features of web browsers Using hyperlinks to access a range of resources on the web Web Mechanics: Understanding the web ecosystem Managing information from various sources on the web Search: Locating information, people, and resources via the web Synthesizing information found from online resources through multiple searches

Lesson Development -activities and transitions (CCT Domain 1): Background information: This lesson will be used as an introductory lesson at the beginning of the school year. Students will reflect on their own attitudes about reading. Lesson Development: Quick write: Students will respond to the following questions: What are your earliest memories of reading?  (picture books, bedtime stories, etc.) What are some books that you really liked? What do you like/dislike about reading? Why? What do you find easy / challenging? Students will discuss answers in small groups. I will show students John Green’s Video: "How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1." In a whole class share, we will list reasons that students read. I will explain that reading is personal for everyone and I will show my ethnography video: "Why Reading Matters: A Snapshot of My Life As A Reader." Students will discuss the video in small groups. Each group will create one question to ask me about my life / reading / the video. Next, I will distribute Chromebooks and have students log on with their school gmail address. They will open up Google Classroom where the prompt for their project will be posted. I will model “deconstructing” the prompt before students begin working. We will also discuss the concept of SMART goals. Students will spend the rest of the period creating their presentations. I will conference with individuals and assist as necessary to make sure everyone is on task. Students will turn in their presentation on the Google Classroom site. Students will present their project to the class. Closure: Students will write their personal reading goal in their interactive notebook.

Instructional Strategies (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Small group discussion Whole class discussion Modeling Guided instruction Individual conferencing Individual and small group work using Chromebooks Sharing / presenting

Modifications and Differentiation (CCT Domain 2): Choice of multimodal forms of evidence. They can add more or less. Individual conferencing to assist students who are having difficulty. Students assist one another.

Assessments-Formative and/or Summative (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Students will be scored on the content, quality and effectiveness of their presentation according to the rubric.

My Reflection on the Video and Lesson Creation

Admittedly, when I first read the assignment about creating a lesson using video ethnography, I had no idea what to do. However, when I began thinking about what I was passionate about and why I’m an English teacher in the first place, I realized I wanted to tell my story about my life as a reader. I’ve always loved to read, and unfortunately many of my students don’t share my enthusiasm over the written word.

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to assess students’ current attitudes about reading and also to create a positive vibe about the year ahead. Hence, I decided to create a lesson that shares my reading experiences and offers students the opportunity to share their own reading attitudes while also generating enthusiasm about the coming year.

Once I had the idea, the challenges were far from over. I had to dig for some old photos and was able to come up with a few. The next obstacle was deciding what platform to use. I finally decided on an iPhoto slideshow since most of my pictures were already there. After scanning some additional pictures and organizing them, I figured out how to incorporate text slides (after viewing several tutorials). I used text as a narration for the slides and also to present some actual research on proven benefits of reading. Getting the hang of the ins and outs of iPhoto slideshows took a while, but then it became easy.

Writing up the complete lesson really helped me to organize my thoughts and sequence the steps. I added a quick write to help students begin thinking about their reading history. I also incorporated a John Green video about the value of reading. Since I will conduct this lesson at the very beginning of the school year, I felt that students would need some direct instruction in how to “deconstruct” the prompt. I want to make sure that they include all the information they need as they create their own presentations. I will also review how to establish SMART goals as they set their personal reading goals for the year.

I anticipate a positive response to this lesson. I feel that student presentations will help me to assess their attitudes about reading. Knowing how they feel will help me to address areas of need and even to select literature that may suit their interests. In addition to conducting a self-assessment of their reading attitudes, students will have the opportunity to experiment with various technological platforms which we will use throughout the year.

Equally important, I want to create an atmosphere conducive to sharing as students present their projects to the class. Finally, I hope to set the stage for the establishment of a positive reading culture. Even though many students say they don’t like to read, I want to encourage them to approach the year with an open mind. It may be that they just haven’t found the right book yet.

My Digital Portfolio / Organizational Plan

I have decided to divide my digital portfolio into 4 sections. I think the "About Me" section is important. I will write a brief intro of my education and teaching background. I will also include a small amount of personal information since my audience will mostly be my IT&DML colleagues. Also included will be my Philosophy of Education statement and the badges I have earned.

The "Artifacts" section will include a great deal of the work that I have done in the program. Specifically, I will post the lessons and units I have created. I will also include the tutorials I have made and any other information which could be useful for professional development. This section would be a good resource for educators.

The "Refections" section will consist mostly of my blog. My blog charts the development and growth of my knowledge and thinking over the course of the program. I may need to do some work on organizing my blog before I post it to my site. I'd also like to add information about my goals for continuing professional development.

Lastly, I will include links to websites and articles that I have found helpful as this may be beneficial for my audience. I will also include contact information and links to my email, linked in and twitter accounts.

I am not sure what platform I will use to share my site. However, I am leaning towards Weebly, which is where my site is currently located. I think I may be able to revise and add to my original site. I look forward to consulting with my peers on where best to publish my portfolio.

Assessing 21st Century Skills / Week 10 / ED 7726

The rapid pace of change in our society has led to the term “21st century skills.” Tony Wagner gives a good explanation in his video when he points out that knowledge is now a commodity. It’s free, like water. With the growth of technology and the Internet, knowledge on any topic is readily accessible. Using the Periodic Table and state capitals as examples, he notes that it’s no longer necessary to memorize such information since it can be quickly googled. As a result, it’s no longer “what you know, but what you can do with what you know” (Wagner).

As our world is changing so quickly, it becomes important that our students are educated in the skills necessary to participate constructively in society, hence the term “21st century skills.” The skills identified by Wagner are basically the same as the ones mentioned on many other sites. After talking to educational, business and industry leaders, he identifies the following skills as critical for all students to develop:

• critical thinking /  problem solving
• collaboration
• agility and adaptability
• initiative and entrepreneurism
• communication
• accessing and analyzing information
• curiosity and imagination

Wagner believes that 21st century skills are essential for a student to gain a global perspective, to compete in the economy of the future, to be a participatory citizen, and to be a continuous learner (Wagner).

21st century skills have been a hot topic this year in my school, Bristol Central High School, since we just participated in our NEASC evaluation. As part of the process, we revised our curriculum, rewrote our mission statement, and created school wide rubrics, all in an attempt to incorporate 21st century skills into every student’s education. Our new mission statement sums up our priorities: “Bristol Central High School promotes an environment wherein all members of its community employ 21st century skills to become creative thinkers, conscientious problem-solvers, collaborative learners and committed citizens in a global society.” Implementing our new curriculum has been successful; teachers have been revising lessons, activities and assessments to align with the Common Core and incorporate 21st century skills.

As a faculty, we also collaborated to create school wide rubrics to assess problem solving, technology, communication, and collaboration, which were the skills we targeted as the most essential.  Utilizing the school wide rubrics across disciplines has proven difficult. I think we are more accustomed to assessing content, not skills. In the video, 21st Century Skills Assessment, by the Buck Institute for Education, the rubrics proved helpful to the students. They were able to monitor their progress over the course of their high school experience. They seemed to understand specifically what they needed to do to improve. Unfortunately, such has not been the case here. If we are going to use the rubrics effectively, we need to commit to educating students and teachers on when and how to use the rubrics.  We also need to figure out how the evaluations will be recorded. Personally, I have not  found the rubrics very informative. I believe it’s important to assess both content and skills; an assignment-specific rubric that incorporates both is more helpful to students and teachers.

Of the 21st century skills, I believe the top priorities are communication, critical thinking and creativity. As an English teacher, I focus on reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The ability to support one’s ideas and convey them clearly to others has always been extremely important. Brilliant ideas don’t benefit anyone if no one knows about them. In a changing world, critical thinking is important. We don’t even know the problems we will have to solve in the future. We know that information is available, but we need to be able to evaluate what we find, use reasoning to interpret the information, and finally figure out how to apply it. Creativity is closely related to problem solving and critical thinking. We need to be able to think outside the box, as Jeff did when tossed a crumpled piece of paper in the paper airplane video. I worry that with the focus on standardized testing and scores, creativity is in jeopardy. Education has become data-obsessed, and creativity is difficult to measure. Unfortunately, it is not always emphasized but may be the most important skill of all.

Demonstrating and assessing 21st century skills is another matter, and an important one. In order to be fairly evaluated, students need to have a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning. Technology offers many possibilities. Google Doc is is a favorite of mine for writing because it allows for collaboration and ongoing formative assessment through the editing and commenting features. The Edutopia article points out that creating authentic products should be a priority (Boss). Whether students are creating a presentation, a video, a publication, artwork, or a multimedia presentation, they should do so with an audience in mind.

With multiple opportunities available to demonstrate learning, how to assess the 21st century skills is the next step. Frequently, I use rubrics to assess the content and the skills. Since I already use Google Classroom, I would like to try the rubric integration apps,  Doctopus and Goobric, which Josh recommended in our hangout last week. The more I read about assessment, the more I like the idea of self-assessments. When students complete a project, I often have them fill out the rubric themselves, providing a reason for their rating on each of the points on the rubric. In other cases, I may have them write about the challenges they faced in the project, their strengths, and what they might do differently next time.  I also have students write responses to literature on a daily basis in reading logs. I would like to move towards having students create a blog of their responses. At the end of the book, they could review their entries, choose their best response, and justify it. Keeping a blog would enable the student and teacher to analyze progress over time. Students could also respond to blog posts on one another’s blogs, providing another form of assessment. Just as technology provides multiple avenues for showcasing learning, it provides a multitude of means of assessment.

Despite all the emphasis placed on 21st century skills, cognitive skills aren’t all the only ones needed to be successful. I like the NPR article “Nonacademic Skills Are Key to Success, But What Should We Call Them?” Among the skills mentioned, my favorites are character, grit, and being socially and emotionally competent. While I don’t have a name for these “nonacademic skills,” they are critical if a person is to become a contributing member of society and live a happy, fulfilled life.

Finally, with all the hype about 21st century skills, I really don’t think they’re that new. Most of my formal education occurred during the 20th century and most of the “21st century skills” were a huge part of my education. A good education has never been limited to the acquisition of knowledge. True education has always been about knowing how to apply what you know to benefit yourself, others, and society.

Citations

21st Century Skills Assessment. (2009, June 25). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2WKCBxeoxU  

 Boss, S. (2011). Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/10-tips-assessment-project-based-learning-resource-guide  

Kamenetz, A. (2015, May 28). Nonacademic Skills Are Key To Success. But What Should We Call Them? Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/05/28/404684712/non-academic-skills-are-key-to-success-but-what-should-we-call-them?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_medium=social  

McMillan, M. (2010, March 3). Paper Airplane Movie by Michael McMillan. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TQZyDMEP8  

Wagner, T. (2014, February 25). Tony Wagner Ted Talk - 4 Min. Video. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7eFyNvA1uU

Image credits:

21st century skills diagram

Calvin and Hobbes cartoon

The Power of Formative Assessment / Week 8 / ED 7726 / Blog Response

Formative Assessments / Blog Response

In our “test-crazed” society, I’m afraid we’re focusing on the wrong types of assessments. With the implementation of the Common Core and SBA testing, a great deal of importance is placed on data and as a result, summative assessment is often emphasized. In fact, student learning benefits much more from frequent, ongoing, embedded formative assessment. What I’ve taken away from this week’s learning is the powerful role formative assessments play in maximizing learning. Watching this week’s slideshow and completing the activities on formative assessment provided many ideas of ways in which I can utilize technology to assess and increase student learning.

Kathy Dyer, in her article,  "Digital Tools for Implementing Formative Assessment - Post One"

offers several ideas for strategies that can easily be incorporated in the classroom. I am looking forward to trying out Socrative and have begun using Google Forms more.  Both sites have also been recommended by several of my classmates in their posts. I also want to try out the self-graded quizzes in Google Docs which are described by Richard Byrne on his website, Free Technology For Teachers.

From the slideshow, I was reminded of the value of formative assessments. Black and William noted the importance of self-assessment and the need for teachers to provide specific feedback to the student (p. 6-7). Giving students formative feedback is especially relevant to me right now as my students are in the middle of writing their final essays for the school year. I have them working on Google Docs, and I attempt to review and make concrete suggestions to each student as they are writing. I know that the more I comment while they are writing, the better the final product will be. When I first started teaching I spent hours grading and commenting on final drafts, only to watch the kids look at their grade and then stuff the paper into their bookbag (or even into the trash.) I now spend my time providing much more feedback during writing and much less feedback on the final draft. When I am able to work with a student, the results are much better.

In addition to commenting on my learning, I also wanted to share some often overlooked formative assessment tools which come with the SmartBoard. I think that many teachers have SmartBoards in their classrooms today, yet often they are provided with little training. There are lots of interactive assessment strategies that can be found on the SmartBoard, yet sometimes we aren’t aware of them. I know that I’m still learning about all the SmartBoard has to offer. In my Google Presentation, I described three of my favorite tools.

First, I discussed the Random Word Chooser which allows me to select a student at random to answer or ask a question, make his/her presentation, or perform a task. I love the “no hands up” approach which this strategy allows. All the students must be alert, resulting in a love/hate relationship with the strategy. They actually enjoy the suspense of waiting for  the board to light up with the “winning” student, while at the same time some mourn the fact that they cannot remain “invisible.”

I also discussed the Keyword Match which allows students to pair words or concepts with definitions. I use this on a weekly basis for vocabulary and the kids enjoy it. Rolling the dice is another activity which allows me to assess students’ understanding. I can put character’s names or events in a book on each side of the die. A student “rolls” the die and whatever it lands on becomes a quick quiz question.  The SmartBoard has many other tools for organizing, categorizing and identifying concepts. We have had a few SmartBoard workshops in our building which provide lots of ideas, but I think it’s time for another one. We learn so much from one another.

It is clear that formative assessment is critical to learning. It should be continuous in a classroom so that instruction can be adjusted when necessary. Incorporating technology into the assessment process provides many options for varied assessments and has the potential to make learning engaging and fun for students and teachers. What could be better?

Citations:

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139–148

Byrne, R. (2010, September 30). Free Technology for Teachers: How to Create Self-Graded Quizzes in Google Docs. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/how-to-create-self-graded-quizzes-in.html#.VWdXJ89VhBf  

Dyer, K. (2013, July 15). Digital Technology Tools for Implementing Formative Assessment – Post One. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/digital-technology-tools-for-implementing-formative-assessment-post-one/  

Image credits:

Cartoon

Formative Feedback

Formative Assessment Word Cloud

Assessing With Technology and Assessing Digital Literacy / Week 7 / ED 7726

Assessment

The focus this week was twofold - assessing with technology and assessment of digital literacy. Having each member of the class post links to relevant websites along with a summary and evaluation provides an excellent resource for all of us.

Assessing a student’s digital literacy is critical, yet it is often ignored. As adults, we frequently assume that students are digitally literate since they “digital natives” in a sense. Most of the students have grown up with technology; they can’t remember a time when people didn’t have computers and cell phones.

They may be digital natives, but what do they really know?

However,  I now realize that being able to post on Instagram or create a Vine does not necessarily qualify a person as “digitally literate.” Students must be able to navigate the web effectively and safely. Evaluating the validity of sources is also a critical skill. The link to the  TRAILS-9 website, which Christel posted, is an excellent and quick way to assess whether or not students can develop a topic, identify potential sources, develop search strategies, evaluate sources and recognize how to use information responsibly and ethically. The assessment is quick, practical, specific, and provides necessary information.

How can we utilize technology for assessment?

            Blogging is another digital tool which is excellent for assessment. Monica Hayes included a link for The Reading Workshop . The blogging rubric presented on the site can be used and easily adjusted to assess student understanding and/or digital literacy. Laurie Brandl also mentioned the use of blogging as a means to assess students. Blogging is an excellent medium for students to self-assess and provides opportunities for positive interaction between students. One common thread is that successful assessment is embedded into the classroom. The video posted by Laurie,  Assessment is a Technology, makes this very clear. Students benefit from teacher feedback, as well as self-reflection and peer reflection. After reading this week’s posts, I am definitely going to include more self-assessment in my classes. I’m interested to try using social media tools such as Vine or Instagram for reflection, as suggested in the video. I agree that whenever students have to think about their processed and evaluate their own work, the learning is enhanced.

I am sure that the more I learn about using technology for assessment, the more I will use it. Carl Pastor discussed using technology increasingly for “hands on” assessments. Students are no longer just consumers of information, but their assessments should show that they are also producers and creators of information. Josh Lambert also mentioned the importance of aligning the learning goals with the assessment. He noted that technology can be embedded to asses what a student can do (quantitative) and how deeply a student thinks on a topic (qualitative). Cari McKee recommended Socrative and Lino which I hope to try out soon. In my reading for this week, I saw those sites endorsed in multiple articles.The  article by Clarke-Midura & Dede, which was posted by Mimi Knibbs, makes the point that point that many teachers are not using technology to its full potential for assessments. I plead guilty as charged! However, I look forward to trying some of the easily available tools. Embedding technology into lessons will increase student engagement and will facilitate both formative and summative assessments.

Image Credits:

Baby

Blogging

Assessment Wordle