Year Two of 1:1 in Grade 1

Ok...so now a year has passed since my last blog on using iPads in a 1:1 grade one classroom.  I've learned a lot along the way.  I'm sorry I didn't write as I was learning, but this was a roller-coaster year of trying, failing, changing and (sometimes) succeeding... only to try, fail and sometimes succeed again.  I call it my lather, rinse, repeat process.  Now I am a week out of school and have time to share both my successes, challenges and -- ultimately--  my changes in how my students used the iPad.

There is no one right way to use the iPads in a given classroom. As with everything else in education and teaching, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach.  Each group of individuals to enter through the threshold your classroom have a different dynamic which will inevitably alter how the iPads are utilized.  My approach to the use of the iPads this year was considerably different from that of my approach last year.  It was also different from that of colleague's approach next door.  All approaches had their successes and challenges.  The key is to have a full arsenal of choices to use. Switch it up.  See what works, when it works and for how long it works.  Then switch it up again.  Be brave.

Last Year's Approach
Last year, I displayed a menu of app options for the children to choose and then work with for a limited amount of time,  This year it just didn't work.  The apps did not hold the interest of this class as they had last year and they weren't benefitting from the time on them.  I'm not entirely certain of the exact reason why.  This class was much less independent.  I know that they had different academic and social needs. The apps seemed too difficult for many of them.    Also interesting was that since I was learning other uses for the iPad, there just wasn't the same time available to use it as I had in the past.  (You don't want too much screen-time for first graders).  To see another way of using the iPads, you can click here to read my past post: My Thoughts on Year One of 1:1 in Grade 1

Year Two's Approach 
Licensed Programs Purchased by the District or School
This year I used math apps to reinforce concepts taught by our core program, but for my English Language Arts teaching, I made more use of apps which are actually licensed programs which your District or school will need to purchase.  They were fantastic!  And well-worth the cost.  Here are my favorites and -- honestly -- I'm not getting paid for these personal, teacher-tested endorsements :)


                                               
Lexia Reading
www.lexialearning.com

Lexia Reading is a technology-based reading program that increases reading proficiency for all students -- especially those at-risk (in my opinion).  Many of the students in my reading class need this type of additional reading assistance and we use it as an intervention.  In the past, we had two computers in the classroom and it was impossible to have all the children in my class who needed to use Lexia to gain the proper access to the program. Thankfully, Lexia developed an iPad application for its paid program and I was able to get my students on the program 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes.  Prior to that, it was impossible and we just weren't getting the maximum benefit of this great program.  So while I read with another small group of children, those who needed to use Lexia were able to get their 20 minutes of specific, individualized instruction.  This is a fantastic program and well worth the money for its use.  However, to get maximum use, I truly believe that you need devices for many children to use at once.  This was a great success and really helped improve my student's phonological awareness.  For more information on how your district can use this program go to  www.lexialearning.com

Raz-Kids: Interactive e-books for children
www.raz-kids.com

This on-line guided reading program provided interactive ebooks, downloadable books and reading quizzes.  It was fantastic!  Not only could I download books that were the perfect instructional level for each individual child, but it was a fantastic incentive to read for children who struggle and often do not find reading enjoyable.  While I would read a story one-on-one with one child, another child in the group could be listening to a book which was being read to him/her by Raz-kids.   After listening to the story, the student can then record themselves reading it as they read it aloud to me and then take the reading quiz at the end,  The quiz has questions which are read aloud to them to test their comprehension.  I used this app a few times a week in my reading groups in addition to traditional leveled reading books.  It's great to switch it up for the students.  They love having the book read to them first.  And in instances when I cannot do the guided read aloud for them due to time constraints or because I am working one-on-one with another child or group, the iPad does it for them in a fun, educational and entertaining way!  It doesn't take the place of teaching, but it sure helps a student stay engaged with a book until I am available to take over!

ST Math  

http://web.stmath.com/

ST Math complimented our Envision Math Program perfectly.  Its interactive and game-based approach made learning incredibly fun for the students.  They started to call ST Math "Yes-T Math!" because they loved it so much.  The great level of interactivity of this app along with its graphically-rich animations allowed students to really learn the concepts being taught -- some concepts that were just too abstract for them to them understand otherwise.  I could also assign specific math objectives in the software program for homework for children who had iPads at home to work on.  The students would actually BEG me to open up the homework assignments so that they could do ST Math at home.  But I was very careful not to open homework options up to the children to access at home until I taught the concept in school first through our core program.

Created by MIND Research Institute, ST Math is game-based instructional software for K-12 and is designed to boost math comprehension and proficiency through visual learning. Integrating its use with classroom instruction, ST Math incorporates the latest research in learning and the brain to increase learning and mathematical understanding.

Free and Inexpensive Apps
Then there were many apps I used which did not need licenses.  Many of them I used in math.  But the two apps that I used more than any others to help children publish books were:

Drawing Pad and Bookcreator App -- Together!

These apps allowed my students to publish all of their non-fiction writing in a fun way!  The children could use the drawing pad app to illustrate their stories which they were publishing in the bookcreator app.  That's right -- they could save the illustration on which they created in Drawing pad into their iPad's camera roll and upload it onto the correct page of their book in the Bookcreator app.  It was super easy and fun for them.  I showed it to them once and they then took their illustrations to places that I could not have taught them on my own!  They could change the size, type and the color of their font in Bookcreator to personalize their work.  (You can imagine how many six-year old girls loved making their words hot pink!).  

Here are some examples of books that the children made which I could then send to parents via my classroom blog address: Room 111 News

penguin class book

Rainforest book

persuasive writing on Seasons

But I could also use this app as a Science notebook of sorts.  The children could take pictures of science experiments which they were doing in class and then write about what they observed and/or discovered.  They could take a picture of their writing and upload it into their BookCreator Science Experiment Book.  At the end of the year, they had an electronic file of all of their science experiments.  Some pages were handwritten and transferred into their e-book via a photo while others were typed directly into the book.

For example, here is the class performing and writing about light experiments which were then described in their own personal Science e-books:

Other Apps useful in reinforcing skills being taught:

For Math:

Base Ten Manipulatives

Base Ten Number Blocks

Dragon Shapes: Geometry Challenge

Hands-On Math Hundreds Chart

Interactive Telling Time - Learning to tell time is fun

Math Garden

Math Slide: hundreds, tens and ones

Tell Time - Little Matchups Game

Everyday Mathematics Addtition Top-It

Rocket Math

Math Bingo

Measure Length

Hungry Fish Addition/Subtraction

Reading Apps For Beginning and Struggling Readers:

Play Sight Words

Spelling Magic

Kids Journal

Spelling with Cimo

Starfall

Word Bingo

Word Family

Word Magic

ABC Phonics Rhyming Bee

Complete the Word For Kids

Magnabet

Phonics Awareness - 1st grade

Spelling Bug

Word Family Sorts

Word Games for Kids - Futaba

Cimo Spelling (Sight Words)

Rocket Speller

Other Uses:

Of course, other uses for the iPad that I still find helpful: 

Interactive ebooks of any kind.  

Some are better than others, so you need to experiment.  You sometimes get previews that can help in your decision of whether to buy them or not.  I've found many interactive Dr. Suess apps to be appealing and fun, as well as the Kidztory animated fairy tale storybook apps.

Science and Social Studies Research apps:

In addition to these apps, you can create a list of your own approved websites and share them with your student's iPads via a google drive app.  You would have to assign a gmail account to each child and your school/district would need a gmail account.

Time For Kids

Brain Pop Jr. (need to purchase a membership)

Peep Round and Round

Britannica Kids

Classroom Management:

Class Dojo -- a great app for good behavior incentive!

Encouragement for Teachers New to Technology

This blog is for those of you who are just starting to get excited about the new technology you are beginning to access, but at the same time, are overwhelmed.  It's actually a message of hope so please keep reading!  It has a happy ending.

For the past two or three years I have been trying to do the "technology thing."  I'm trying to be the tech savvy educator who is keeping up with all that is becoming available to us as educators.  I am fortunate enough to be teaching in a district which has begun to provide us with nearly everything that we need.  I have a Smartboard, an i-pad, some access to classroom sets of i-pads, web-based universal assessment with electronic reports, and various web-based diagnostic and intervention tools also with access to electronic reports on the progress of each and every child.  The only thing I haven't been given is the brain implant needed to retain all that I'm trying to learn.  I go to workshops only to lose what I have learned because I don't use it soon enough.  

While all of this technology is absolutely wonderful and necessary, at times I still feel as if I am drowning.  There is a quote out there somewhere which compares this to "drinking out of a firehose."  Too much information, too fast.  Not enough time to process and practice.

I found myself trying to learn all that these wonderful devices had to offer.  I researched, went to workshops provided by our school, attended free technology weekend seminars and tried desperately to find the time to create new lessons on my Smartboard, create and use google docs, and find ways to organize my newfound websites and other electronic creations (which is still my biggest mountain to climb -- if only I could find where I saved that lesson!).

But as an elementary classroom teacher, I still needed to keep up on the latest ways to teach reading, comprehension and fluency, math, science and social studies, while also switching to a standards-based report card and keep pace with the ever-changing requirements of the State.  Because of the newfound technological gifts bestowed upon me I also had to review and analyze these online assessments of my students for IEP meetings and to help plan for their direct instruction.  More information to sift through.  Plus, there were behavioral issues to deal with in my classroom and I had to figure out how to help these children socially and emotionally as well.  Technological learning and implementation sometimes had to get pushed to a tiny corner or a placed on a shelf until I had more time.  How did other teachers do it?  I was really trying so hard.  Maybe too hard?  Was I learning ANYTHING?  Was I making ANY progress?

I was so busy being frustrated by my own slow pace of learning to realize that I was, indeed, actually assimilating some of this information.  (I am sure that you are too).  Sure, technological glitches had forced me on many occasions to get frustrated, shut down my Smartboard and go to my "old" ways of teaching on the rug with manipulatives and/or with chart paper.  But maybe I shouldn't get rid of those techniques altogether anyway.  Maybe there needs to be a balance (especially in elementary ed).

THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING... KEEP READING

Then I went to a Blue Ribbon Conference and had my eyes opened to something which I hadn't been aware.  I went to a similar conference two years ago and was "wowed" by the school.  Each classroom had an Interactive Whiteboard in their classroom.  The teachers could use the IWB.  They knew how to create lessons.  They spoke foreign words to me.  Told me to look at their Wikki.  What's that?  Am I even allowed to look at it?  Am I already looking at it and don't know that I am?

HERE'S THE HAPPY ENDING...
This year I went to the conference and skipped sessions on Smartboards that were too basic.  Too basic for ME!  I guess I had learned something.  I was warned at the beginning of a session on i-pads that the workshop was for users who had just begun to use the device and that we should probably seek out another session if we knew more than the basics.  I left!   I attended another session for intermediate use and was helping the teacher next to me figure things out.  I was actually translating the foreign technological instructions that she was hearing! And, at one point in the day, I actually heard myself explain to someone what a Wikki was!

The biggest take-away I had after leaving this conference was the realization that I had actually learned a lot over these past two years.  I had learned little by little over a period of time.  I had grown but didn't see that I had grown until I was placed in a similar setting that I had been placed in two years prior and discovered that I knew much more than I had given myself credit for.  There is still a long way to go and I don't see myself as an "expert" on anything technological yet.  But there has been progress.  That's what I always look for in my students -- progress.  If there is progress, there is hope.  If there is hope, there is room for more growth.

So keep your hope alive.  Take it in small bites.  And realize that if you learn only one thing this school year, you are still learning.  Be kind to yourself.

In reality, there isn't a happy ending, because it is never going to end.  Technology is not going away...which means that we have a lot of time to learn.

Importance of Language in Parent-Teacher Relationships

It's unfortunate that public discourse and political causes can create ill feelings between parents and teachers.  The parent-teacher relationship is so important in the education and happiness of a child, that talk of this type of environment saddens me.  I feel that I have always had positive relationships with the parents of the children that I teach, so this is not a personal story. Rather, I am referring to a larger political discourse of parents and teachers blaming each other and accusing each other of not caring, rather than working with each other.  

It all comes down to the words we use with each other.  I recently ran across this excerpt on the Music of Language, which aptly describes the power of the words we choose: 


"When we speak or write, we use the vehicles of words to carry meaning, as well as energy, from ourselves to another person or group of people. We may be speaking to our baby, our boss, or to an audience of 500 people. We may be writing a love letter, a work-related memo, or an entry in our own diary. Whatever the case, each word we speak or write has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves in the same way that a note of music creates waves. And like musical notes, our words live in communities of other words and change in relation to the words that surround them. When we are conscious of the energy behind our words, we become capable of making beautiful music in the world. If we are unconscious of the power of words, we run the risk of creating a noisy disturbance. 

Some of us know this instinctively, while others come to this understanding slowly. Most of us, though, speak without thinking at least some of the time, blurting out our feelings and thoughts without much regard for the words we choose to express them. When we remind ourselves that our words have an impact on the world, we may find within ourselves the desire to be more aware of our use of language." 


Mutual respect and open dialogue are key in establishing a positive relationship between home and school, which ultimately extends to child.  It's a delicate relationship -- not unlike any other relationship we choose to establish.  The difference in this relationship is the focus.  The focus is (or should be) on the child, not the adults.  We each carry different pieces of the same puzzle and it's important to work together to put these pieces together to uncover the true picture of what the child needs.   Teachers need to be willing to "hear" what a parent is trying to convey.  Likewise, parents need to really listen to what the teacher has to say.  Nobody is "right" or "wrong."  We each have a different perspective which can help us see the whole child and what is best for them.  It's when one party tries to force another party to see ONLY their perspective that conflict ensues and roadblocks are built.  



Instead of trying to "control" others with our words, maybe we can use our words to create a peaceful relationship which can build trust and mutual respect.  This is the only way we can effect change in education and in our world.  Otherwise all progress is stalled with "noisy disturbance" and we are reduced to playing a control game which nobody wins -- including the child.  We are all in this together.  We all have a common goal -- to help a child grow and lead a happy fulfilling, passion-filled life.  As adults, it is our duty to set the example and work "with" each other, not against.  We can each do our own part.  Hopefully, if we continue to stay on the course of mutual respect, all of the negative chatter will fall on deaf ears and go away. 

I-pad is the key to unlocking doors to engagement

I finally had the chance to use a classroom set of i-pads as a reinforcement to all of the math concepts my first graders have learned so far (see video below).  Instant feedback to children is of vital importance when it comes to reinforcing a newly-learned skill. When there is only one teacher in the room, instant feedback doesn't happen often enough.  Today, I had seventeen tutors in the room with me in the form of i-pads with fantastic math apps such as Telling Time and Penguin Math.  Each app gives instant feedback to the child, letting them know if the answer was correct or not and allowing them to try again.  The only job I had was in making certain that each student was exploring apps which were appropriate for their skill level (ie. not too hard and not too easy).  So, in effect, each child had a customized activity in front of them according to their skill level.  The rest was up to the i-pads!  The  kids had a great time and I am positive that they didn't even realize that they were reinforcing a learned skill.  So much better than a worksheet!

I-pad helps me teach parents teach their children

This past Friday was parent-teacher conference day.  Since my first grade reading class is a class specifically designed to address the instructional needs of children who are below grade-level benchmarks, I was going to need help in convincing parents that their children were indeed making progress. The phrase "below grade level benchmarks," often translates in the mind of a parent that their child has a learning disability or is in dire need of a tutor or is struggling to the point of concern.  All of this, of course, is untrue.  In my opinion, my class seems to be filled with intelligent children who are creative, hard working and well-adjusted individuals who make some of the deepest higher-level thinking connections.    However, today was a day in which I had to convince many parents of this.  Society, I believe, has made many parents feel that if their children are "behind grade-level standards" today then they are doomed to struggle for the rest of their lives to catch up.  It was my job to put these parents at ease so that they would not unconsciously transfer this anxiety onto their children.  How could I do that?  Enter, once again, my precious i-pad.

As I wrote in a previous blog, I had found an inexpensive recording app and downloaded it onto my i-pad so I could record my first graders reading and then re-play it for them to hear.  I wrote of how the children would break into wide smiles at hearing themselves read and finally believe that they were indeed "readers."  I also wrote of how the i-pad could be used to teach them strategies in decoding words as I could pause the recording and ask the children to ask themselves how they could have figured that word out.  Now I was turning to my electronic friend to help me teach parents.

Concerned parents always come asking how they can help at home with their child's reading.  I could verbally instruct them, but now I had a different strategy.  Parents could now listen to the voice of their child reading on the i-pad while they followed along visually with the actual text that their child was reading.  I could then pause the recording and feed the parents some prompts that they could use when reading with their child at home.  Simple prompts that all reading teachers use, such as:
"Does that word make sense there?"
"What else can you do to figure out that word?"
"Try skipping that word, reading to the end of the sentence and then going back."
"Try breaking that big word down into a smaller word by covering some of it up."
"Do you see a smaller word in that big word?"
"Can the picture help you?"
"Use the picture and the letters-sounds together."
"Try re-reading that sentence again."

Parents were forever thankful.  What seems like common sense to a teacher may not be so obvious to a parent who hasn't had training or experience.  The i-pad was a wonderful way to give a 5-minute workshop to each set of parents who sat down with me to speak about their child's reading.  I'm sure all teachers have given these types of mini-workshops to parents before without the aid of the i-pad or recording.  The i-pad just helped to simplify the process that much more.

The best part was that I was able to e-mail these recordings of the children to their parents so they could use it at home with their child to see the pride in their child's face firsthand.  Such an experience for a parent has to be priceless.

My I-pad helps to change assessments into teaching again!

OK, let me begin yet another blog by admitting that I am not writing about anything that is ground-breaking or new and I am also assuming that many other teachers have probably already used the idea of recording children's reading on i-pads.  But the elation I feel after having the dreaded feeling of losing teaching time to do assessments removed compels me to write!

None of us get into the teaching field because we LOVE to assess, but we all come to  realize (begrudgingly) that it is an important part of the overall learning process.   I think educators even changed the name from "test" to "assess" just to make ourselves feel better.  With all of the other competing demands associated with education, actual teaching time has become a precious commodity.  And there is nothing worse than witnessing a child not do well on an assessment, only to leave your side feeling deflated.  Not only do I and all teachers feel incredibly sad for a child in such a situation, but I know that I also personally feel a sense of failure...that I didn't do my job well enough.

Enter the $.99 voice memo app on my i-pad.

While doing the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) with each student in my first grade class, I decided one morning to upload an app which would allow me to easily and inconspicuously (I thought) record the children reading passages.  My initial thought was that it would help me with replaying the child's reading if I missed a miscue or even help to clearly illustrate a child's reading strengths and/or weaknesses at parent-teacher conference.  What I didn't realize was the teachable moments and smiles it would provide.  Not to mention the ease.

First of all, never think for a moment that a first grader misses a trick.  They knew that I was recording them. Some liked the idea.  Others got nervous.  I explained to the ones who got nervous that I would erase the recording if they didn't like how it sounded.  Well, never let it be said that a six year old doesn't like to hear his/her own voice.  They instantly became the star of the show.  Even if they weren't reading all that well, they developed wide grins just hearing themselves on the recording.  Nobody wanted to delete themselves from this rectangular recording device.  Many even asked to see how I was storing the recordings.

The best part, however, was the teaching that I could do after each and every assessment with each child.  We would listen to the recording while following along in the book.  When we got to an error, I would easily pause the recording and ask the student what strategy they could have used to figure out that word.  They always knew!  And they inevitably corrected their miscue without much or any guidance from me!  The look of pride on their face when they did this was well worth the $.99 I shelled out for this app.

Of course I couldn't just stop at one assessment.  The children begged to read and record another book.  So I would take out the alternative book at the same level and administer the test and the recording again.  They always did better!  The moment they would finish the second book, they would beg to hear themselves again.

In the end, the kids left my reading table feeling proud, I left feeling satisfied that I didn't just do a round of torture and the areas in which each student needed to address were noted by all.  Yes, students  were leaving assessments actually learning something about their own reading...and feeling good about it!

Again, I know this is not a new concept.  But the i-pad made it  incredibly simple to pause, replay or record and immensely convenient to file and store.  All this for under a dollar.

Loving my i-pad in the classroom!

I love using my i-pad in the classroom sooo much that I want more of them!  I know I may be a little late to this game and that many teachers who are reading this are most likely beyond what I have to report, but I am so excited that I have to report anyway!

Recently our district gave all Kindergarten and Grade One teachers an i-pad.  We were given it primarily to use with our class for a universal screening test called Dibbles.  While administering the test is taking some getting used to, I have to say that I am having absolutely no trouble getting used to finding ways to use my i-pad in the classroom.  I'm new and just beginning to experiment, but I can already see that elementary classrooms everywhere can benefit from having more of this type of technology in their room.

Instant Engagement!
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive the adaptor which allows me to project children's books (which I have purchased through i-books on my i-pad) onto my Interactive Whiteboard.  Viola! I had an instant big book for $3.99 (versus the traditional $24).  But there are more benefits than merely the cost.  Since my Smartboard is bigger than a big book, all the children in my class could see the words of the book as I read it.  Being actually able to see the words is an easy way to increase engagement.  What's more is that I can highlight words on my i-pad which I want to emphasize (in this case, repetitive sight words) for the children to read with ease.

Targeted Instruction
I work with a classroom of students identified as needing targeted instruction in reading.  These are first grade children who struggle with reading but have no identified processing difficulties.  They just need an additional boost in reading instruction.  The i-pad and Smartboard allow for me to target my instruction.  After reading the traditional version of The Little Red Hen yesterday to the class, I found an electronic easy-reader version of this story adapted and illustrated by Gloria Lapin, a retired elementary teacher (http://primarilyreading.com).  She creates beginning reading comics.  I projected the beginning reading comic version of The Little Red Hen for the students to read.  They COULD read most of the words of this easy reader, allowing them to enjoy the story even more and feel successful.  Not only that, but they enjoyed the comic book style of the story.  This also allowed me to begin a discussion on how different versions of books tell the same story and have the class compare/contrast the two different versions. I doubt I would have even found this book if I didn't have an i-pad with i-books on it.  Instant engagement, instant enjoyment and instant interactive lesson! The hat trick to successful learning.

Increasing Fluency In a Fun Way
The i-pad can be used for so much more, I know.  I can't wait to explore having interactive stories in the listening center and using the i-pad to record children reading to themselves.  Reading, listening to themselves and then reading again will inevitably be a fun and engaging way to increase the fluency of these students (and all students) -- not to mention how much easier and efficient it is to use the i-pad than using the traditional tape recorder.

This experience has lead me to explore how i-pads are being used in other first grade classrooms.  I was informed that there was a first grade teacher in Rochester, NY who uses a lot of technology in his classroom to help teach reading.  His name is Richard Colosi.  After viewing his website, I am further convinced that i-pads are meant for elementary classrooms.  Check out his website at www.richardcolosi.com   I can't wait to learn even more from him.

I am becoming so greedy!  Now I want a class set of i-pads!