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Design Process

I hope to inspire other middle grade (3-6) teachers to give blogging a try with their students to find the same levels of success and engagement as I have with my fifth grade students. After my initial research with increasing student engagement using Whole Brain Teaching strategies, my final project evolved. I continued using the Whole Brain Teaching strategies that were effective during direct instruction but began searching for ways to increase student engagement as a way to improve student engagement in reading and writing. My driving question for my capstone project became How does the use of digital tools enhance student engagement in reading and writing?  The template became my map for seeking answers and was developed after reading John Hattie's Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Some of the key take-aways from Hattie include knowing where we are, where we are going, knowing how to get there, setting obvious success criteria, setting goals for exceeding potential and quality feedback so these were included in my project to support students along with infusing growth mindset activities and finding the right technology tools for students to use in the process of improving student reading and writing.

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Evolution of my Logo

I had never created a logo prior to this but always enjoy opportunities to be creative and learn new skills. For this process, I used the logomakr website which I found to be fairly intuitive. I wanted to use primary colors since my target audience is elementary teachers. In my first attempt, I used a pencil and growth chart but it didn't adequately reflect my project since students were using technology for their writing. I initially used a growth chart and the word 'grow' but one of the real benefits my students have received from blogging are the connections they are making, near and far.

In my second version, I used a texting icon and globe to try to convey the message of using technology and connections. I changed the wording below as well. When I shared this version with my family, they suggested changing the green to yellow.

Through the critical friends process, my cohort members suggested adding a symbol to the globe to make the idea of connecting with others clearer. I couldn't find a universal symbol to represent blogging but I think this addition makes my overall idea clearer.

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In addition to my logos above, I created the icons you see on many of my pages using Logomakr, a free website for creating logos and icons.

Research

Support and Next Steps