Integrating Gaming and Solutions Into My Classroom

 

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ABCya👈

                                    

The game I'd like to introduce is called Turkey Touchdown, available on ABCya. The game is a fun and interactive way for students to practice their math facts in subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division. Then you can choose what level you would like to practice at, ranging from easy, medium, and hard. I can integrate this activity into multiple facets of my math units and activities throughout the year to encourage students to continue to practice their fact fluency. One way I can incorporate this game into my classroom is through center work with a focus on review of fact fluency. I would have students practice on their own devices on each of the four operations. One particular unit of study where this game can be incorporated is through a graphing unit. Students can practice making bar graphs with their results and then discuss with a peer about which rounds were their best and why. Which round was your best score and why? 

My learning objectives for this game would be that students will practice working on their strategic thinking and analyzing patterns to avoid collision and get across the endzone safely. A fun and visual way to represent the students' results from the game is on a bar graph. This activity directly relates to the learning objective by having the students analyze their scores from multiple rounds. I would introduce this game to the students as a whole class first. I would demonstrate how to get to the game, followed by going step by step on how to navigate the game. Finally, I would explain the three different levels in which the game offers to play before breaking off to their own devices. Once they were on their own devices, I would then have them go step by step while I was doing the same on a larger display screen. After everyone was on the correct app then I would have everyone start on the easy level using addition and subtraction before breaking off into multiplication and division on different levels. Do differentiate, I would use centers as a way to have different levels of difficulty using different operations provided in the game. In terms of assessing their work, they complete the following game by making their graph, to show me how well they followed the directions provided from the game, and then applying it to their work is one form of assessment. The other would be to provide questions that they would need to physically answer instead of having a conversation with their classmates. The learning goal would be to have the students find a fun and engaging way to practice their fact fluency on a level at which they are comfortable with then find appropriate times to use the application as a way to challenge themselves in their fluency to help them grow as a learner. 

https://www.abcya.com/games/turkey_touchdown

Blog Post #6 Case Study

     The two digital platforms I chose for a case study are Kahoot and Epic. These two platforms are more commonly used in education for the benefit of students, providing an enjoyable learning experience. I chose Kahoot because, since being in this class and reading other classmates' blogs and discussion posts, seeing how many enjoyed using the platform in their classroom sparked my interest. Therefore, I wanted to go on a deeper dive into how Kahoot is a safe and effective way that students and their families can utilize both in the classroom and at home. The second platform I decided to look into was Epic. Epic is an app that I use frequently in my classroom. The app allows me to share collections of topics we are working on to use in phases. The first being sharing a collection of a topic and allowing students to explore the books and then write facts down regarding the topic, then writing two to three questions they wish to answer throughout the unit. Another major benefit to why I love using this app is that I can assign students books to their reading level, as well as read-to-me books for my students where reading is a major challenge for them. 

Kahoot is an online platform where students can play online learning based games and take multiple-choice quizzes. Kahoot allows teachers to create quizzes or search the platform for material directly related to their grade level. In terms of engagement, it can be an extremely effective tool for both students and parents. The platform allows for a fun and interactive learning experience. The great thing about the platform is that students can play individually so that teachers can use it as a formative assessment without having to give a physical paper test. Or the second option is allowing students to work in groups on a quiz and have the communicative skills practiced amongst their peers. Outside of the classroom, parents and their students have the opportunity to use the platform at home as a fun practice tool instead of getting an extra booklet to complete practice pages.

 Positive effects of Kahoot are that you are able to implement a learning style and builds a positive rapport between the teacher and student, it reduces the students' stress and anxiety of taking a test-like assessment (Wang,2020). Another positive effect of Kahoot is the learning style and For teachers, it's an Innovative way to give a formative assessment without putting the pressure of a paper test on the students. Negative feedback regarding the app is the accessibility of the app. Another is that the questions can only be projected on a larger screen, with the students only having the four choices on their screen to choose from. In terms of privacy and safety, Kahoot is user-friendly and age-appropriate. You can filter quizzes directly related to the grade you are working with. A nice benefit is that there are both educational and recreational quizzes relating to the hobbies and interests of students. 

The second application I have decided to do a case study on is Epic. Epic is an online reading platform for students K-12. Epic gives students the opportunity to explore a wide variety of books in a digital format. Epic's primary function is to allow students to read literature that might interest them or that is not available in the school library. As well as further students' development in literacy. Teachers use Epic as a platform where they can monitor students' number of books read throughout the year. Another major function of Epic is having the capability to assign collections to students that directly correlate to a specific unit of study being worked on in class. Epic promotes the ability to have a free version of the app as well as a paid version for parents, so they can allow their students to access their favorite books and collections at home. Epic promotes communication between peers through the collections they each have. Students can go off on their own and read an assigned collection of books and have a conversation around their favorite books that they enjoy. Outside of the classroom, it can be a major benefit for students to have the opportunity to read books that spark their interest and have a conversation with their parents or guardians regarding what they just read. This can influence the practice of reading and comprehension at home. 

     

In terms of how Epic influences information is accessed, shared, and learned is through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. All of these platforms are being used to promote a positive narrative around digital literacy. It gives the families the ability to have access to the digital literacy platform anywhere as long as they have online access (Möller, 2015). Potential positive outcomes of Epic on students' learning include building a positive relationship with reading. For me personally, I wish I had the opportunity to work with the platform when I was a student because I fully believe I would now, as an adult, enjoy reading a significant amount more. The platform gives the student access to material designed to their interest as well as material being covered in class. Epic can be utilized individually as well as in group project settings. A negative effect of this platform is the two different options of the free version and the paid version. The free version is only available for students in school until three o’clock in the afternoon. However, parents have the option to pay for the paid version, where they can use the platform past general school hours. Lastly, in terms of online safety, it is a user-friendly and safe online platform. The adult in charge of the account can permit settings where they can only explore their grade-level material. Overall, I enjoy the app and the benefits of the digital literacy platform. 

References: 

Möller, K. J. (2015). Apps in Literature-Based Classroom Instruction: Integrating Reading and Response through Traditional and Digital Media. Journal of Children’s Literature, 41(1), 54-.

Wang, A. I., & Tahir, R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review. Computers and Education, 149, Article 103818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818

Module #5 Blog Post #5

 For my final project, I want to explore ebooks and digital text. This is something that is important to me and has benefited me personally, but not until later in my educational career. I want to learn more about how I can effectively incorporate this tool into my classroom. This tool can be utilized in many ways to differentiate for students. Ebooks and digital literacy can be beneficial for ENL students as well. Differentiating the language can give the student a sense of comfort. As well as students who struggle with reading, they have the opportunity to have interactive text, as well as the option to be able to use the audio component.

Rowe, D. W., & Miller, M. E. (2016). Designing for diverse classrooms: Using iPads and digital cameras to compose eBooks with emergent bilingual/biliterate four-year-olds. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 16(4), 425–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798415593622. 

This article goes in-depth, explaining the benefits of having ebooks for young children, particularly for teachers to incorporate new literacy practices that were not available in the past. As well as having digital literacy available in the classroom, being able to be a culturally responsive teacher, and providing a tool where they can allow students to have the same opportunities to have literacy practice, just as their other classmates. 

Power, T., & Thomas, R. (2007). The classroom in your pocket? Curriculum Journal, 18(3), 373–388. https://doi-org.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09585170701590031

In this article, they express the importance of information and communication technologies and the benefits for teachers and their progression in education. The importance of team collaboration and having the ability to develop technology in their classrooms. Then the benefits of having technology on the go and the ability to use handheld devices to help improve their teaching and learning. 

Weber, C. L., & Cavanaugh, T. W. (2006). Promoting Reading: Using eBooks with Gifted and Advanced Readers. Gifted Child Today Magazine, 29(4), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.4219/gct-2006-9

This article explains how ebooks can help benefit reading comprehension as well as reading engagement. As well as how ebooks and their interactive features can be a way for students can be personalized to their' interests and reading. Lastly, describe effective ways for teachers to incorporate ebooks into their own curriculum and teaching in an effective way to give the students a personalized experience with reading. 

Felvégi, E., & Matthew, K. I. (2012). eBooks and Literacy in K-12 Schools. Computers in the Schools, 29(1–2), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2012.651421

This article goes into detail explaining the importance of incorporating technology such as ebooks into K-12 classrooms. Specifically, how ebooks can be a beneficial tool to use for readers in the classroom, such as having access to new literacy and technology. The challenge stated in the article was how teachers can gather information regarding ebooks to effectively incorporate them into their classrooms. 

Paganelli, A., & Northern, S. (2023). School Library eBook Providers and Spanish Language Equity: A Replication Analysis of eBook Collections Available to School Libraries. School Libraries Worldwide, 28(1), 34–53. https://doi.org/10.29173/slw8510

This article examines Spanish language ebooks being offered in school libraries. Therefore, due to ebooks and the availability of diverse literacy, there is a positive correlation to the increase of Spanish language literacy in school libraries. However, the importance of continuing to grow digital literacy in school libraries to providing bilingual and multilingual books. By doing so provides more digital literacy resources for all students in the schools as well.

Module #3 Blog #2

Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talk in My Teaching Context:  

Designing specific practices to help support students' practices beyond the screen can be a challenge. However, after reading, supports can be implemented to ensure the quality of learning beyond the screen. For example, as a teacher, a major part of the job is planning and designing instruction to be able to get the most out of your students' capabilities. Students can go through many tools, such as a blog or a group project (Semingson, 2017). The article regarding digital literacy tools discusses the Voicethread app and the capabilities and opportunities it can bring into the classroom for students (Semingson, 2017). This reminded me of a project I do in my third-grade classroom. We compose a persuasive speech, and we plan and draft it in a packet. Then we transition to online to a Google document. A tool I utilize is voice-to-text on Google Docs. This is a more enjoyable way for the students to compose their speeches as well as further their skills with tools to make learning more effective and fun for them. Once we are done with the speeches, we use an app called Canva to create a background for our speech. Lastly, we incorporate a green screen and use a smart board with their speeches on it, and record the speech. To wrap it up, we create QR codes to put on their desk for at open house to scan to watch their speech. The unique process of this is that once we have recorded, we have a celebration day to allow students to watch each other's speeches. I display questions on my smartboard, and the students have meaningful conversations about what went well during their speech and what they could improve upon. It allows students to utilize the digital tools as well as practice their interpersonal skills with their peers (Garcia, 2017). 

Garcia discusses the importance of not turning the two practices against each other, of digital and nondigital, but rather evaluating how to complement them. This stood out to me because I think before this course, I looked at digital tools as a way to replace specific instructional tools rather than pairing them together and allowing students to incorporate them in the task they’re working on (Garcia, 2017). Therefore, I think a way I can encourage students to be more willing to have the balance of using digital tools and non-digital ones when working on specific projects or tasks in class, to keep the balance of verbal collaboration and digital collaboration. In terms of equity, I need to keep in mind the availability of technology to all students. Another area in terms of engagement is having an appropriate, time-consuming assignment. A fear is that I rely too heavily on my digital tools, ignoring the importance of balance between digital and non-digital work. However, another project that we do in my class is a research project related to animals. I am proud of this project because it allows the students to use literacy collected from our library and our online platform to research collections related to their animal. They keep physical notes and keep them on a large Post-it note in our room. Each student has a category they are responsible for. Once completed with research, we transition to our digital tools such as Canva and Google Docs, and Slides. From there, the students are all responsible for a specific number of slides. After they all go through each other's pages and leave digital comments. This creates productive collaboration and positive improvement to their whole group project. Overall, I definitely gained many new tips and tools from this week's readings to be immediately implemented into my classroom now and in the future. 

Garcia, A. (2017). NONDIGITAL SKILLS. Literacy Today, 35(3), 24-25. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fnondigital-skills%2Fdocview%2F1966005428%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067

Semingson, P. (2017). DIGITAL LITERACIES FOR YOUNG READERS AND WRITERS. Literacy Today, 35(3), 30-31. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fdigital-literacies-young-readers-writers%2Fdocview%2F1966005551%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067

Module #3 Blog Post #1

Integrating New Literacies in Classroom Context:

After reading this week's readings, it is essential to understand that digital literacy is a skill that can be applied both inside and outside the classroom. In terms of integrating new literacy practices into my classroom, I see many opportunities to implement activities into my current classroom. One particular activity that came right to my attention was a review of particular subjects. We often have packets or worksheets to be handed out. However, there are multiple sources that I can use to allow students can use their Chromebooks or iPads in order to participate in the review. As stated in “Assessing News Literacy In The 21ST Century,” it presents many advantages and disadvantages for interaction within the class and learning (Jacobson, 2017). This is a way to allow students to continue to grow their digital literacy, as well as work on the given skill being discussed as a whole group. I have yet to utilize a tool on my smartboard where I have the capability to have an iCloud whiteboard project on my students' Chromebooks and have it be a collaborative assignment. 

In terms of possibilities for teachers, are to utilize technology more frequently in workshops, center work, as well as individual work time. There can be tools where the students are well-versed in the technology, where they can have the capability to navigate assignments digitally. Tensions I see being a challenge for teachers are the learning style of students; not all students prefer that particular style of learning. Another challenge I see, unfortunately, is the trust of the students staying on the correct tools and not becoming distracted by something non-school related. I decided to read the article The Importance of Still Teaching the iGeneration: New Technologies and the Centrality of Pedagogy (Philips & Garcia, 2013). One particular part that stood out to me regarding the importance of incorporating technology was the person-to-person interaction (Philips & Garcia, 2013). The new technology is a fantastic tool, but as an educator it I think I will continue to err on the side of discretion when and how long to utilize technology in my classroom. I say this because I don’t want my young students to be accustomed to relying on technology and not have the opportunity to be collaborative with their peers. However, in “Building Bridges From Classrooms to Networked Publics: Helping Students Write for the Audience They Want,” something I see as a benefit or tool that can be a simple but effective way as a check-in is a Google form (Lammers, 2019). That is an easy and quick way to gather information and feedback from students that I will definitely consider using more frequently as an exit ticket.

Overall, I gained many good insights and have many ideas of how to continue the growth of technology in the classroom, at the same time being cautious of the usage time. This is important because young elementary students are now growing up being exposed to technology and becoming more familiar with tools than ever before. Therefore, I do not want to lose the verbal communication as a whole when it comes to particular assignments or tasks.

References

Jacobson, L. (2017). ASSESSING NEWS LITERACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Literacy Today, 35(3), 18-22. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fassessing-news-literacy-21st-century%2Fdocview%2F1966007432%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067

Lammers, J. C., & Van Alstyne, J. H. (2019). Building Bridges From Classrooms to Networked Publics: Helping Students Write for the Audience They Want. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(6), 653–662. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48554924

Philip, T. M., & Garcia, A. D. (2013). The Importance of Still Teaching the iGeneration: New Technologies and the Centrality of Pedagogy. Harvard Educational Review, 83(2), 300-319,400-401. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fimportance-still-teaching-igeneration-new%2Fdocview%2F1399327199%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067

Module #2 Blog Post #2

 How New Literacies are Relevant to Us

After reading Digital Literacy, my main takeaways from the reading are how many skills are needed to be able to effectively use digital tools. The section regarding skills needed to be digitally literate was eye-opening to just how many skills are in digital literacy. The skills mentioned were basic computing skills, media literacy, digital problem solving, network literacy, and information literacy (Vanek, 2019). These are all skills that directly correlate to paper-based literacy. Now it is a challenge to take those skills and turn them into digital literacy. Having the ability to navigate digital literacy and then having the skills to apply their findings to their work. These skills are something that I can incorporate into my work environment to pass along to my students. These are valuable skills that they will continue to use and perfect as they continue their education. 

The second article I chose was Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools. The main takeaways I gathered from this were incorporating digital skills that students use in their own lives and how, as a teacher, it is our job to educate them on the modern digital tools (ILA, 2018). Second is how we can use digital tools to level the educational playing field for all and not just some of the students( ILA, 2018). Lastly, as a young teacher, an advantage I have is all the experiences I have had with technology as a student going through school. This is not the case for all students. In the article, it states that instead of investing in expensive technology for schools that they should invest in teaching their teachers how to teach useful technology tools to their students (ILA, 2018). This is something that would be a major benefit to all teachers. It would be an effective way to deliver digital literacy and digital tools to our students instead of widening the gap in inequality between students. 

Overall, both of these articles gave information about digital learning that I had never encountered before. There are many beneficial tools and knowledge that I can incorporate into my teaching now. Digital learning can be an advantage for students to have to comfort in navigating technology both in school and outside of the classroom. 

References: 

Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice: More than Just Tools. Literacy Leadership Brief. (2018).

Vanek. (2018). Digital Literacy This Brief https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf

Module 2 Blog Post 1

 Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter: 

New literacy practices are something that is a consistent practice in my daily personal life as well as my professional life. When I was in elementary and middle school, we always had to read textbooks and then answer questions on a worksheet or a separate piece of paper to turn in. As I went through high school, I was allowed to use iPads to read instead of having a physical book. The same for writing a paper in high school, I was able to use speech-to-text to write papers. My students now do not write papers anymore. Students are now typing their papers or doing speech-to-text to complete an assignment. 

New Literacy extends beyond the conventional view of literacy as printed and written texts, and includes meaning-making practices using digital technologies (e.g., video games, weblogs, mobile texts, etc.), and explores the changes of beliefs towards literacy in the process of practices(Sang,2017). As an elementary school teacher, I rely heavily on digital reading platforms to allow students who are struggling with reading comprehension to have the opportunity to have books read to them. I also have students whose English is their second language. I can select collections that are in their primary language and have them still be able to read what the rest of the class is reading. It makes differentiating much easier for teachers and students to have access to these, so students can all be on the same page and involved in the lesson. 

Problems I see in my own school are that we progress monitor students, and all students take the New York State exam in both math and English language arts. We have a wide variety of socioeconomic students in our school who do not have the means to buy up-to-date books and rely on their children checking books from our school library. It is not fair to students whose English is their secondary language. Beecher states, “Creating a community and working together requires a degree of trust and familiarity that can be difficult to build when there is physical distance between the participants” (Beecher,2023). Overall, new literacy has been a major benefit to us in education, allowing students to connect with new ideas all around the world. As well as for translating readings into the students' primary language. New literacies are a major benefit and tool for everyone in so many ways. 

References:

Beecher, C. (2023). Chapter 1. What is Literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Iastate.pressbooks.pub. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/

Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies.. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(8), 16–19.