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Design ProcessWho were my learners and what did they need?
My target students this year were third grade students that were below grade level in reading comprehension and phonics. It turns out that half of the forty-two third graders at my school site came into third grade being below grade level readers. These 21 students needed to make more than a year's growth in one year to catch up to the California State's expectation of where they should be academically in reading comprehension. These students needed: an intensive intervention in reading, a growth mindset teach that threw away all of the past negative self-talk and replaced it with positive 'not yet' statements, a list of goals with an action plan, lessons on Mindfulness to learn how to block out distractions and focus more intently on the task they set their mind to and most of all dynamic lessons that engaged the learner in a way that connected to their life outside of the school setting. Justification for Instructional Product you plan to use to Meet Learner Needs:
Activities: Activities on computers will be used to gain emerging reader stamina. Technology reading and focus games that will help students to become excited and engaged with computers in active reading on games like Kahoot, Newsela articles, using Google Classroom, Justification: When games and technology are introduced into the classroom of learning, students begin to beg for more days that include fun learning. Students look forward to what will come next and will do the outside work to be successful at the end product or game. Contribution: Having a game or activity to engage in learning about curriculum, digital media, or digital literacy according the ISTE standards creates a learning environment for students. Fun creates and instills life-long learning for students. Digital Tools Build Reading Stamina
Design Process
My Design Process was very exploratory at first. I needed to learn how to use digital tools and learn which tools were effective for what purposes. I wanted to expose my students to various tools and digital experiences. This forced me to choose standards to teach with certain tools that would directly effect student learning aligned with California State Standards, while also teaching through 21st century skills.
Description of the Educational Context Learners
Sociocultural: Of 434 third grade students in California,193 students who took the test and received a score and more than half did not meet the state proficiency standards in Language Arts [California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Results, 2018]. Over 51% did not pass the Language Arts section across the state. So more than half of the third grade students are failing in Language Arts throughout the state of California. The state is failing by more than half (51% below Proficiency) and the local school is failing by 63% (below proficiency) in Language Arts at the third grade level. Informational: 165 students tested at the study school in northern California and those students were placed in the 33 percentile for English proficiency, compared to the overall state average of 49%. The achievement gap is large between the Hispanic population and the non-Hispanic population. The non-Hispanic students, who make up 54% of the school population, score 52% proficiency when the state average is 64%; however, the Hispanic population is 40% of the students tested and they score 15% proficiency which is significantly below the state average of 37% who score proficient (California Department of Education, California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Results, 2018). There is clearly an achievement gap at this site when comparing students in the low income and Hispanic subgroups (California Department of Education, California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Results, 2018). Technical: The challenges when it comes to technology is that the school is not a one to one ratio when it comes to technology. Many of the Chrome books are missing, are in need of repairs, or are in other rooms and Chrome carts around campus. When it comes to technology there are very few teachers on the campus that have any desire to learn and grow to enrich their practice as teachers to become better educators when it comes to technology skills. When given the opportunity to meet and learn new skills only 4 teachers are motivated to learn and grow when it comes to technology. The teachers are either intimidated to learn it or are frustrated that they don’t have the proper equipment to do what they would like when it comes to technology and the restrictions teachers are bound to. Some opportunities with technology are that there are so many supports, programs and games out there that educators are developing with future students in mind. There are endless possibilities as to where education can go with the support of teachers that know how to use technology in the classroom to support student curriculum. There are more learning workshops and opportunities to attend and learn new strategies and try out in the classroom. Does the Use of Multiple Digital Platforms & Tools Build Emerging Reader Stamina?
Logo Evolution for Level Up! |
Research
Support and Next Steps
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I started with the controller as a logo but was advised that it would send the wrong message to teachers. As a learning community some teachers still have the view point that video games are bad and rot your brain. To have more acceptance and a friendlier logo, I wanted a message encompassing all kinds of games, I finalized my decision on a symbol of an old-school gamer that is universally recognized. The light bulb incites learning and eating up all of the knowledge in pursuit of the next level of learning for each student as it pertains to them at their own pace, but always wanting more. Lifelong learners generate educated adults and well-read communities.
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Click here for a Google Doc of Instructional Design Website Review