As I move forward in wrapping up my I-Search, I still have one more teacher to meet with for an interview. I do feel confident with my progress so far and I will continue to research and finish off strong.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Memo #5
Last week in class a new question popped into my head. While mind mapping I asked myself, are the schools that supply tablets for students have higher written test scores than schools that don't. I want to explore this question more before a I complete my research. I will explore different resources to review the state wide test scores for the communities that I have been in.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Memo #4
So far I am feeling pretty confident in my I-Search. I've been able to interview students from a variety of school districts. I've already gotten a lot of my teacher questionnaires back, observed an elementary class in Providence (about 8-10 hours over the last 2 weeks) and had a teacher interview.
What I am noticing is that the students I having been talking to learn how to write using pen and paper, but use technology to practice concepts that have already introduced. A few students mentioned they are given a personal device at the beginning of the year so those particular students seem to use technology more than the students that don't have access to that technology. Another student, from Cranston, mentioned that her school changed their personal device policy this past year. Students are now allowed to bring a personal device from home with them and keep it on their person throughout the day. When I asked her if she uses her tablet to do a lot of writing she replied, "Not really, some kids don't have an IPad so my English teacher says it's not fair. I can use it to look up words on my Dictionary.com app!"
In my observation, I've noticed that the teacher has her student practice writing in their notebooks or on chart paper. When I observe students using laptops and computers they are using a program called Lexia, which is a reading software. I've asked the teacher how she prefers to teach writing she stated, "I tend to take the more traditional route. I really like to encourage their motor skills as they learn how to write for academic purposes." She did mention that if her students were older (middle school and above) she might incorporate technology more because they have an understanding of the basics.
Overall, I noticed that when a school district has the means to buy technology like tablets or laptops for all the students, teachers frequently incorporate them into their teachings. Districts that cannot afford the technology usually stick with pen and paper compositions with a few visits to the computer lab during the year. This has me asking a new question that I didn't think of before: If every student was given a tablet to use in school, how would that change the way you teach writing in your classroom?
Moving forward, I have reached out to teachers who left contact information on the questionnaire (about 5 so far). I would like to observe other classroom settings. The teacher that I observed in Providence promised that she would ask her colleagues if any of them would let me observe or just sit down with them.
What I am noticing is that the students I having been talking to learn how to write using pen and paper, but use technology to practice concepts that have already introduced. A few students mentioned they are given a personal device at the beginning of the year so those particular students seem to use technology more than the students that don't have access to that technology. Another student, from Cranston, mentioned that her school changed their personal device policy this past year. Students are now allowed to bring a personal device from home with them and keep it on their person throughout the day. When I asked her if she uses her tablet to do a lot of writing she replied, "Not really, some kids don't have an IPad so my English teacher says it's not fair. I can use it to look up words on my Dictionary.com app!"
In my observation, I've noticed that the teacher has her student practice writing in their notebooks or on chart paper. When I observe students using laptops and computers they are using a program called Lexia, which is a reading software. I've asked the teacher how she prefers to teach writing she stated, "I tend to take the more traditional route. I really like to encourage their motor skills as they learn how to write for academic purposes." She did mention that if her students were older (middle school and above) she might incorporate technology more because they have an understanding of the basics.
Overall, I noticed that when a school district has the means to buy technology like tablets or laptops for all the students, teachers frequently incorporate them into their teachings. Districts that cannot afford the technology usually stick with pen and paper compositions with a few visits to the computer lab during the year. This has me asking a new question that I didn't think of before: If every student was given a tablet to use in school, how would that change the way you teach writing in your classroom?
Moving forward, I have reached out to teachers who left contact information on the questionnaire (about 5 so far). I would like to observe other classroom settings. The teacher that I observed in Providence promised that she would ask her colleagues if any of them would let me observe or just sit down with them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)